Sam Martin is Ivy Bound
For many aspiring division I players, July is the most important month of the year. Players span the country going from camp to camp and tournament to tournament in hopes of attracting the attention of college coaches.
Sam Martin was no different as he went from the Hoop Group Elite Camp to the Hoop Mountain Academic All-American Camp to the Joe Brown Memorial Tournament to the Super 16 Showcase. Then in the second half of the month he was in Orlando for the Super Showcase before finishing the month off at another session of the Hoop Group Elite Camp.
Ironically, Martin’s most important event may have come in the month of June, when he shined at Yale’s Elite Camp. The Rhode Island native was on top of his game all weekend as he stroked the ball from behind the three-point line and even won the camp’s one on one challenge.
Thanks to that performance, the Yale coaching staff were frequent observers at Martin’s many stops along the July recruiting trail, especially in the second half of the month. On the last day of the live period, last Thursday, they again watched Martin as he scored 11 points in the senior all-star game at the Hoop Group Elite Camp.
A day later, the first day that college coaches were permitted to contact recruitable student athletes, head coach James Jones offered Martin a spot on the Yale roster. Martin was quick to accept.
“They were the first coaching staff to really show a strong interest in me,” Martin told the New England Recruiting Report, “and that meant a lot to me”.
Another thing that means a lot to Martin is that he has finally accomplished his goal of playing division I basketball, albeit at one of the top academic institutions anywhere in the world.
“I’ve worked real hard,” he said, “and now I’m very very happy”.
Sam Martin