Alijah Martin has come to Gainesville and is ready to put on a show.
“Be alert. You don’t want to miss nothing,” Martin said to Isaac Edelman of FLTeams on Tuesday. “Get all your popcorn, get all your drinks before (the game) or at halftime because you don’t want to miss nothing. Something will go off.”
The Florida Atlantic transfer is set to join a veteran backcourt at Florida made up of NBA hopefuls [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag]. Martin has a shot at running the point for the Gators, but he could also serve as a spark plug off the bench in a sixth-man role.
So far, the in-state transition has gone well. There aren’t any personality clashes, and Martin has already stepped into somewhat of a leadership role as a college veteran.
“I think it’s going to go real smooth,” Martin said of the transition. “(During) my time at FAU, we played high-level teams. Moving up to the SEC, we’re going to be playing high-level teams every night. So, I feel like I proved myself (and) performed great against high-level teams, and this step will be no different.”
Martin said that the platform Florida offers helped him land on the program. The goal is to get Florida back to the NCAA Tournament and go further than the first round. Martin made back-to-back appearances in March Madness with FAU.
“I walk in every day and see those Final Four banners in our facility,” he said. “I want to bring one to this university as well. Not only to solidify myself as a college player but to have an impact on two programs.
He admitted that [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s coaching style is a bit different from what Dustin May offered at FAU, but it hasn’t been difficult to adjust to a “player’s coach.”
Edelman’s complete interview with Martin can be found here.
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