Florida men’s basketball played its second not-so-secret scrimmage on Saturday, and FAU transfer guard [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] had himself a day against Charleston.
Martin dropped 32 points on 11-of-15 shooting, according to Swamp247. He also added four rebounds and two assists over 27 minutes of play.
Todd Golden targeted Martin early on as a transfer acquisition. He led FAU to a Final Four appearance as a shutdown defender and contributed 13.1 points per game, mostly as a three-and-D, floor-spacing shooter.
“We were a little inconsistent on the wing last year in terms of being able to execute and having a great level of energy and enthusiasm,” Golden said when addressing Martin’s fit on the team. “He is elite that way. He competes every day. He brings fire and energy to our practices and he brings a vocal leader to our practices.”
The goal for Martin has been to improve on offense in a Gators uniform without giving up too much on the defensive side of the ball. His recent outburst against a top-100 program in last year’s NET rankings is an early sign that he’s making the right adjustments.
Martin started at the 2 position with Walter Clayton Jr. at the other guard position and Will Richard on the wing. He put up 20 of his 32 points in the first half on 7-for-10 shooting.
It’s still the preseason, which means it’s too early to make any definitive declarations on the team, but it’s safe to say that Martin’s impact is already being felt. He’s going to be a key piece of this 2024-25 roster.
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