Taelon Martin to play for Calhoun at St. Joe’s

Saturday, August 31st, 2019

Taelon Martin was once one of the most celebrated young prospects in New England with a terrific combination of positional size, athletic burst, and playmaking instincts. 

Unfortunately though, he struggled to live up to those early expectations and bounced around to multiple schools along the way before ultimately graduating from the same place he began his high school career - Putnam Vocational Technical Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts. 

He was rumored to be heading to Virginia to do a post-graduate year at Massanutten Military Academy until those plans fell through at the 11th hour. 

Now, just when it seemed like his story may turn into a cautionary tale for future young prospects, he's been granted the opportunity to attend the University of St. Joseph and play for Hall of Fame head coach Jim Calhoun. 

"Taelon is an exceptional talent whose size, length, and athleticism translate to the highest level of college basketball. St. Joe's is a perfect fit at a perfect time for Taelon," said his longtime grassroots coach Vin Pastore. "It will provide him with an opportunity to get a solid academic foundation while being mentored by one of the greatest coaches of all time. Coach Calhoun will provide Taelon with the hard love and honest truth he needs to realize his talents."

If this sounds like the type of story that used to play out in Storrs, that's because it is. Caron Butler may be the most notable, but there were numerous UConn products over the years who found the discipline and security they needed to finally thrive under Calhoun's guidance. 

"I chose St. Joe's because I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be coach by someone like Jim Calhoun," Martin said. "I'm excited about the opportunity and hoping that after a year at St. Joe's I'll be prepared to play division I basketball."

Martin moved into his West Hartford dorm room on Friday and began classes that afternoon.