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For ASU men's basketball, a prized freshman's speed doesn't kill, it scores

Freshman guard Remy Martin has the highest field goal percentage among ASU guards

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ASU freshman guard Remy Martin (1) looks to pass to a teammate during the second half of the Sun Devils 95-61 win against the Longwood Lancers at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Arizona on Monday, Dec. 19, 2017.


The saying goes that speed kills, and in the case of ASU men’s basketball – speed scores. 

Freshman guard Remy Martin uses his quickness seemingly every game to leave opposing players in his dust on his way to the basket.

Even in his season debut, Martin sprinted his way to a 12-point outing. Or in the case of ASU’s victory over powerhouse No. 2 Kansas, it was Martin’s 21 points that gave the Sun Devils the edge.

“I just put so much into this game that I expect to do well, and I’m hard on myself when I don’t,” Martin said. “But, I don’t think there’s any way to stop me. I just go out there and take what they give me and hope to create.”

With 73 assists (third most on the team) this season, it is fair to say he creates. 

Despite securing a bronze on the team’s assist total and placing fifth on the team in points per game (9.6), numbers mean little to the speedster.

“All I care about is winning,” Martin said. “I don’t care if I have zero points. My stat line is zero all the way through as long as we got the win.” 

There is one stat where Martin has laid a goose egg – games started. This season, Martin hasn't started in any of ASU's 28 games.

Nonetheless, coming off the bench doesn’t hinder Martin’s confidence in his offensive ability.

“You just got to hope that I’m not having a great day,” Martin said. “I don’t think anybody can guard me. I don’t think anybody can stop me.”

Senior guard Kodi Justice said he feels the same way about the freshman’s speed.

“Might be the fastest guy I’ve ever played against, fastest guy I’ve ever seen,” Justice said. “We have practices where we would work on our press (defense) and stuff, and we have to try and beat him at full court, and it was nearly impossible.”

Evidently, opponents are struggling to find the recipe for shutting down the youngest member of Guard U. Martin’s 45.4 percent field goal percentage is the highest among Sun Devil guards. 

When head coach Bobby Hurley snatched his first Pac-12 weekend series sweep against the Los Angeles schools, Martin racked up a combined 17 points off the bench.

“We just have to have everyone maximizing their minutes on the floor and just giving us the best energy and effort they can,” Hurley said after the team’s win over UCLA.

Exhausting every ounce of effort is not a problem for ASU’s freshman sensation. In fact, it has made Martin a favorite for Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year. 

An award would sensibly put the cherry on the top of the unexpected year for Martin, but he said despite the honor, he is only focused on one thing. 

“I just want to make sure when I’m in, the score goes up,” Martin said. “It doesn’t come down. When I’m in the game, make sure the score doubles, and that’s all that matters to me.”


Reach the reporter at atotri@asu.edu or follow @Anthony_Totri on Twitter.   

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