Intel Stock – ASU Basketball: Another memorable Martin moment

“The school did a great job with the videos in a pandemic to try and make this as good for the seniors as possible,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “They’ve all been a big part of turning Arizona State basketball around.”

In a season unlike any other, the scene was exponentially more bizarre. A quiet arena with only a couple hundred family and friends, media members, and staff watching as the Sun Devils (10-11, 7-8 Pac-12) honored Martin–one of the program’s all time greats–was erie. Every senior across the country, but especially with players like Martin and the relationship he has with ASU, deserves to be honored in front of a packed house with their families on the court with them.

In a season of if’s, this was another what-could-have-been. If Martin does indeed leave ASU, hopefully he can return to Desert Financial Arena in the next couple years for a well-deserved standing ovation. Little did Martin know it, but one of his best moments in the maroon and gold was just about two and a half hours away.

With the game tied at 74, and 10.9 seconds on the clock in overtime, Martin retreated into the backcourt to meet the inbounds pass from Kimani Lawrence. 

*Pause*

A fellow senior, Lawrence has been incredible during this three game winning streak. Arguably the greatest game of his career was just two nights prior, when he had 21 points and 20 rebounds. 

Saturday night he wasn’t as spectacular, but he was efficient with 14 points on 7-12 shooting in a whopping 44 minutes on the court. 

It didn’t have to be 44 minutes. With 6:01 remaining, sophomore Jaelen House collected a steal and sprinted coast-to-coast to lay it in for two of his ten points, all in the second half. 

“[House] hit some big shots,” Hurley said. “Had a great drive and a couple big threes and was really a key part to us winning the basketball game.”

The Sun Devils led by nine, but the Cougars clawed back to tie the game at 67 with 30.4 seconds left. 

Similarly to the Arizona heartbreaker, ASU did not wind down the clock. Instead, Lawrence went up for a dunk, but was rejected. WSU (14-12, 7-12 Pac-12) was not able to capitalize on the other end, so five more minutes were necessary.

*Play*

As Martin walked across the gold pitchfork at center court, he surveyed the floor. Lawrence was coming from the right wing to set a screen. Instead, Martin wanted to go left, where Jalen Graham was ready to do the same.

*Pause again*

All season long Graham has struggled with foul trouble, often unable to stay on the court for an extended period of time. On Saturday, he picked up his third foul under three minutes into the second half, and went to the bench. 

Thin on post players, Hurley subbed him back in less than three minutes later. The sophomore avoided his fourth foul until there were just over two minutes in regulation. It wasn’t just avoiding fouls and being a large body. Graham had 11 points on only six shots, and hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds.

Without Graham avoiding his fifth foul at the end of regulation and throughout overtime, it’s safe to say the Sun Devils would not have had a chance to win the game on the final possession. Now the ball was in Martin’s hand, which was not exactly hot. The preseason All-American had 20 points coming into the final play, but was just 6-22 on the night and 2-12 from beyond the arc. It didn’t matter. Polite as always, Martin thanked his teammates after the game for still trusting him with the final shot. In reality, it was always going to be Remy’s shot.

“He knows I trust him to take the shots, especially when the game is on the line,” Hurley said.

*Play*

Martin drifted left, and Graham established his screen. Ryan Rapp decided to go underneath it to have a better chance at stopping a drive. 

“I just read the defender,” Martin explained. “[He] went under [the screen], and I had an open look at the three and just shot it.”

Swish. 

“[How the game ended] was fitting,” Hurley said. “He’s hit so many big shots during his career at Arizona State, and another big one on senior night.”

Of course, all NCAA eligibility is frozen this season so seniors such as Martin could choose to return next year. When asked about his future, Martin kept that possibility open.

“I’m a man that lives in the present,” Martin said. “I’m trying to hopefully get an N(BA) shot, but if it doesn’t happen for me I’m happy to come back and play. I just love playing here.”

Almost impossibly, this three-game win streak has given ASU an outside shot at a first round bye in Las Vegas at the Pac-12 tournament. With Arizona’s ineligibility altering the bracket, the top five seeds avoid the opening day. If the Sun Devils win out, they have a chance to overtake Stanford and Oregon State for that fifth spot. 

Next up for the Sun Devils is a rematch against Washington State on Monday at 1 p.m. MST, before embarking on the final road trip of the season at Colorado and Utah.