With every new basketball season comes the hope that every team will be blessed with a standout freshman, and this season, the ASU men’s basketball team was one of those lucky teams.
Freshman guard Remy Martin may not be a starter, but among his teammates who have attempted 100 or more shots, he has the second-highest field goal percentage (49.6).
However, Martin's scoring isn’t the only fuel he provides for the team.
“I told Remy at a timeout that we feed off his energy, so when he gets going, it’s big for all of us,” senior guard Kodi Justice said after the team’s win over Oregon State on Saturday. “I love to see him get going early because we literally feed off of his energy.”
ASU fans have quickly seen what this kid can do – and it’s special.
Justice and fellow senior guards Shannon Evans II and Tra Holder are considered the leaders of the team, yet of the three, only Justice put together a better first year than Martin.
In his first 17 games as a Sun Devil, Martin has scored double figures 11 times. In comparison, ASU’s current stars Holder, Evans II and Justice were far from achieving those numbers during their freshman seasons.
In his first 17 games, Evans II put up double figures four times. Holder did so three times, and Justice had two such games.
The Sun Devils are still in the thick of their season, but if the numbers hold, Martin will have shot a higher field goal and three-point percentage than Holder or Evans II did their freshman seasons.
Despite the early success, Martin still has his growing pains, which have shown most recently against the University of Oregon.
In his 15 minutes on the court, he managed two points on two shots from the field.
Nevertheless, the limited amount of shots in that span of time implies that the offense as a whole was having a tough time finding a groove.
“Remy’s been terrific, and he’s gonna be great," head coach Bobby Hurley said after the team’s loss to the Ducks. "And he’s gonna have a great career, and I just feel like it wasn’t his night. It was more of a feel thing,”
Martin’s career at ASU has just begun, and even with a few rocky performances, his ability to score is reminiscent of the one and only James Harden.
While Martin may be off to the best ASU freshman basketball season in recent memory, it hasn’t simply come from luck.
“I think I’ve always been like that. I think it’s just all preparation," Martin said. "I work hard in the gym – I’m in the gym all the time, and at the end of the day, it’s just basketball. It doesn’t matter if it’s 10 people, or 10,000 people. I’m still going to perform the way I know how to perform and really, ultimately, I just want to leave it all out on the court."
With the Sun Devils’ successfully marching toward a high seed in the March Madness tournament, the team will likely rely on Martin’s energy to continue their fast-paced offensive style.
Even so, don’t be fooled by the impressive numbers. Martin knows he brings more than just points to Wells Fargo Arena.
“(It's) just energy, just passion – I mean at the end of the day, I love this game and I’m giving the game everything I have," Martin said. “Obviously I have a lot of things to work on as well, but I’m very confident in my game, but (as humbly as possible) I just feel like I’m the best person on the court every time I touch the floor.”
Reach the reporter at atotri@asu.edu or follow @Anthony_Totri on Twitter.
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