Tag: Alijah Martin

Transfer guard Alijah Martin discusses transition to Florida

Guard Alijah Martin is ready to start his SEC career with Florida after three years at FAU, and he says Gators Nation better be ready for a show.

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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Gators hoops firmly in ESPN’s too-early top 25 rankings

Florida basketball is just outside the top 20 in ESPN’s latest too-early men’s hoops rankings.

Florida basketball had a promising 2023-24 campaign that signaled a return to relevancy for the Gators hoops program. [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] made huge strides with his roster during his second season in Gainesville and the momentum from those gains are continuing into next fall.

ESPN staff writer Jeff Borzello penned up his way-too-early rankings for the 2024-25 campaign and included the Orange and Blue among his top 25, placing UF at No. 21 overall. He explains his justification for the rankings rather succinctly.

“Florida struck gold in the portal last spring and reeled in three transfers this year. The Gators also have All-American candidate and one of the nation’s top scorers in [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]., and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] is a double-figure scorer.

“Former Florida Atlantic star [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] will slot in seamlessly. Todd Golden should have plenty of frontcourt options too: [autotag]Alex Condon[/autotag] and [autotag]Thomas Haugh[/autotag] are back, while [autotag]Sam Alexis[/autotag] (Chattanooga) and [autotag]Rueben Chinyelu[/autotag] (Washington State) have arrived.”

Florida’s projected starting lineup

Walter Clayton Jr. (17.6 PPG)
Alijah Martin (13.1 PPG at Florida Atlantic)
Will Richard (11.4 PPG)
Alex Condon (7.7 PPG)
Reuben Chinyelu (4.7 PPG at Washington State)

Gators 2024-25 season opener

Florida will face the South Florida Bulls on Nov. 4 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, according to recent reports. The only officially announced game on Florida’s schedule is the Dec. 4 matchup with Virginia, which is part of the SEC-ACC Challenge.

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Gators basketball adds Slovenian guard Urban Klavzar to fill out roster

Florida basketball’s final roster spot goes to another player from the international scene. Slovenian sharpshooter Urban Klavzar is now a Gator!

Florida’s backcourt got help in a big way on Monday as Todd Golden completed the 2024-25 men’s basketball roster with the addition of Slovenian point guard [autotag]Urban Klavzar[/autotag], according to Swamp247.

While technically a freshman, the 20-year-old Slovenian product has been around European professional basketball since 2014. He debuted in 2021 and got significant playing time last season in Spain’s second division. He’s a three-point specialist who shot 42.7% from deep.

Klavzar should get playing time early on, giving Florida’s veteran backcourt a break in any non-conference games that get lopsided. [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. and Will Richard are both back and shoe-ins to start. They could end up at the 2 and 3, allowing FAU transfer [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] to break into the starting five. Junior [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag] is in the mix, too.

That leaves Klavzar fighting to break into a fairly established rotation, but he has the experience to do it. Some of the international teams Klavzar has played against are comparable to the NBA G-League or better, so the transition to college ball shouldn’t be too shocking.

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Gators drop a spot in CBS Sports early basketball power rankings

Florida basketball slipped out of the top 20 in CBS Sports’ most recent top 25 and 1 rankings.

The college basketball transfer portal continues to be active despite the closure of the entry process as the remaining prospects seek greener pastures at other schools.

CBS Sports writer Gary Parrish has been updating his college basketball top 25-and-1 rankings during the offseason, accounting for the portal coups along the way, and has the Florida Gators among his top teams in the nation.

The Orange and Blue have been bouncing around in the lower half of the rankings but have held tightly to the No. 20 spot over the last few updates. However, Parrish dropped [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s gang a spot in this one to No. 21 after some changes in the teams ahead of them.

“This ranking is based on Todd Golden’s Gators returning six of the top nine scorers — everybody besides [autotag]Zyon Pullin[/autotag], [autotag]Tyrese Samuel[/autotag] and [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] — from a team that secured a No. 7 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament,” his blurb reads, unchanged from weeks before.

“The transfer-portal additions of [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] (FAU) and [autotag]Sam Alexis[/autotag] (Chattanooga) give Florida a pair of productive mid-major pieces, the former of whom helped Florida Atlantic make the 2023 Final Four.”

Florida ranks No. 31 in 247Sports’ college basketball transfer rankings having collected a trio of four-star recruits from the portal.

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Florida G Will Richard returning to school after testing NBA draft waters

After testing the NBA draft waters, Florida wing Will Richard is returning to Gainesville for another season with the Gators.

Senior guard [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] will return to the Florida Gators men’s basketball team for the 2024-25 season after withdrawing his name from the 2024 NBA draft, according to Swamp247.

Richard came to Gainesville after a standout freshman year with the Belmont Bruins. He’s started 65 games for the Orange and Blue since then, averaging 10.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in a Gators uniform.

In 2023-24, Richard was a key cog in Florida’s offense, scoring 11.4 points per game. He is one of the team’s best returning three-point shooters after making 34.5% of his shots from deep last year.

Richard should be an everyday starter once again for Florida next season now that his return is official. Fellow Florida guard [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. is the other player [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] is waiting to make a decision. He participated in the G League Elite Camp and will need to withdraw his name from the draft by Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET to retain eligibility.

Get Excited for 2024-25, Gators Fans

Joining Richard and Clayton in the projected starting lineup are FAU transfer [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] at the 1 and Chattanooga transfer [autotag]Sam Alexis[/autotag] and sophomore [autotag]Alex Condon[/autotag] in the frontcourt.

Barring injury, Richard should eclipse the 1,000-point threshold as a Gator this season. He’ll start the year with 744 and has never scored fewer than 333 points during a full college season.

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Florida basketball slips a spot in latest CBS Sports too-early rankings

The Gators are still a top-20 team in the top 25-and-1 rankings from CBS Sports.

College basketball is not exactly on the forefront of the national sports picture but there is always someone out there tracking the preseason progress of the top teams. CBS Sports writer Gary Parrish has been publishing his top 25-and-1 rankings on a weekly basis and has included the Florida Gators in all of his updates so far.

This time around, however, the Gators fell a notch from their spot in last week’s update, landing at No. 20 out of 26 ranked schools. The Orange and Blue are one of seven Southeastern Conference schools listed, including the Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 8), Auburn Tigers (No. 10), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 11), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 16), Texas Longhorns (No. 21) and Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 23).

“This ranking is based on Todd Golden’s Gators returning six of the top nine scorers — everybody besides [autotag]Zyon Pullin[/autotag], [autotag]Tyrese Samuel[/autotag] and [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] — from a team that secured a No. 7 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament,” his blurb still reads.

“The transfer-portal additions of [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] (FAU) and [autotag]Sam Alexis[/autotag] (Chattanooga) give Florida a pair of productive mid-major pieces, the former of whom helped Florida Atlantic make the 2023 Final Four.”

Florida ranks No. 28 in 247Sports’ college basketball transfer rankings having collected a trio of four-star recruits from the portal.

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247Sports ranks incoming Florida basketball transfers

All three of the transfer portal players Todd Golden is bringing to Florida are ranked inside 247Sports’ top 150.

The 2024 college basketball transfer portal closed on Tuesday, prompting an update to the 247Sports rankings of the top 150 players in the portal.

Florida’s three incoming transfers all made the list. Washington State center Rueben Chinyelu leads the group at No. 107. He averaged 4.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game as a freshman last season.

Next up is Chattanooga center Sam Alexis, who almost averaged a double-double last season (10.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game), at No. 112. Similar to Chinyuelu, Alexis is a defensive presence who should dominate the paint after putting up more than two blocks per game as a sophomore.

Rounding out the list is Florida Atlantic shooting guard Alijah Martin at No. 132. Todd Golden says he’s looking for a Zyon Pullin-esque contribution from Martin this season. Pullin was an All-SEC First Teamer in his one year as a Gator.

The Orange and Blue only lost two players to the portal — Riley Kugel (Kansas) and Aleks Szymczyk. Kugel is ranked one spot below Alexis at No. 113 on the list.

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Gators earn commitment from former FAU standout via transfer portal

Todd Golden adds his third transfer of the spring as the Gators’ roster continues to round out.

Add another transfer portal coup to Florida basketball’s list of offseason achievements.

On Sunday, the Gators got a pledge from former Florida Atlantic Owls combo guard [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] — not long after announcing his entrance into the portal on Saturday night on Twitter. The news of him going the Orange and Blue was also announced on his personal Twitter account just before noon ET.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pound graduate is Todd Golden’s third transfer to commit this spring, joining former Washington State Cougars forward Rueben Chinyelu and former Chattanooga Mocs forward Sam Alexis. The Summit, Mississippi, native has one year of eligibility remaining to use in Gainesville.

In his final season at FAU, Martin averaged 13.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 41.4% from the field and 33.8% from beyond the arc; he also shot 75% from the charity stripe. On the defensive side, he ranked No. 165 in steal percentage, snagging 56 in 2023-24 along with nine blocks; he grabbed 201 total rebounds, with 50 coming on offensive and the other 151 on defense boards.

His skill set and pedigree suggest that he will mesh quite well with the current roster, much like Zyon Pullin last season, but with some added defensive chops as well. Martin is the 107th-ranked prospect and 15th-ranked combo guard in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.

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Catching up with the Boston Celtics’ 2023 NBA draft workouts Part IV

Let’s dive into who the Celtics might be targeting at No. 35.

Even with the offseason here in earnest, the Boston Celtics have plenty on their plate regarding their future as they continue to work out prospects projected to go in the second round of the ’23 NBA draft.

With the Celtics likely to need cheap depth in the future, look for prospects who are either polished enough to get some real minutes in their rookie campaign or who might be okay with a season or two stashed abroad while the team makes decisions about how it will use the new two way player slot added to rosters in the latest collective bargaining agreement recently adopted by the league.

Adding to our previous reporting of the team’s known workouts comes a new wave of prospects Boston has been working out — let’s dive into who the Celtics might be targeting at No. 35.

Stop ripping FAU’s Alijah Martin for his flashy, meaningless last-second dunk attempt

Was this a good idea? No! But let’s move on.

If the question is if he should have done it, the answer is no. Florida Atlantic sophomore Alijah Martin should have just let the clock expire.

After securing perhaps the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history, No. 16 seed FDU was not able to keep its Cinderella story alive and fell short against No. 9 seed FAU.

Once the game was no longer within reach, FDU coach Tobin Anderson opted not to foul and instead assumed his opponent would just dribble the ball until the final buzzer that would allow FAU a chance to compete in the Sweet Sixteen.

Martin, however, instead used the final seconds of the game to throw down a huge slam. To make matters worse, he missed the 360-degree dunk attempt.

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Following the embarrassing miss, the crowd booed Martin at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Moments after the game, FAU coach Dusty May appeared to apologize on Martin’s behalf to FDU’s Anderson.

Some fans described Martin as a “basketball enemy for life” while others said he was “classless” and the “villain” of March Madness.

Many remain upset at Martin and it is safe to assume that the anger could carry into FAU’s Sweet Sixteen game against Tennessee at Madison Square Garden. But let’s not get carried away.

This was an unfortunate moment that didn’t need to happen but it doesn’t define Martin or the FAU program. It was just a very brief lapse in judgment sparked by adrenaline and the thrill of advancing to the next round.

Martin presumably heard as much from his coach and from his opponents in the handshake line. But that doesn’t make him a bad kid.

Here is how coach May has described Martin (via Palm Beach Post):

“He’s even-keeled, he’s never too up, never too down. He really tries to process everything where a lot of guys take in information and it goes in one ear and out the other,” May said. “We feel like he’s always processing what the coaches ask him to do, what his teammates are saying, and so usually when he opens his mouth, there’s a lot of thought and it’s usually on the money but he’s mature and hard working, he’s a great teammate. He’s just a wonderful person, first and foremost.”

As a two-sport athlete in high school, he was also described as a “good kid” and a leader on the football team as well.

Maybe the dunk wasn’t advisable but relax. We can move on from this.

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