Martinez showing he “belongs” on elite backcourt level
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – Over the past month, during grassroots events held in the Orange County cities of Ladera Ranch (Best of the West Shootout) and Irvine (adidas Gauntlet), Ian Martinez has continued to demonstrate what was becoming quite…
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Continue ReadingSAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – Over the past month, during grassroots events held in the Orange County cities of Ladera Ranch (Best of the West Shootout) and Irvine (adidas Gauntlet), Ian Martinez has continued to demonstrate what was becoming quite clear in the regular season for the JSerra High team:
He is one of the elite guards from the West Coast Class of 2020.
And, by the time July rolls around, the 6-foot-3 Martinez – originally from Costa Rica – is likely to have expanded that “Best of” region from beyond just the West Coast to anywhere.
Martinez, whose explosiveness off the dribble and into a drive or a jump shot is in the next level – college and NBA – is often stunning, hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer Sunday afternoon at the Momentous Center in Irvine to give the Southern California All-Stars a 68-65 victory over the Compton Magic Seniors in the adidas Gauntlet “Open” (non-adidas affiliated) championship game.
Martinez, who was at Cantwell-Sacred Heart in Montebello as a freshman and sophomore, had 33 points in the game while helping rally his team from an 11-point deficit in the second half.
Two weeks earlier he averaged nearly 30 points per game, including a 35-point performance against the Evan Mobley-led Compton Magic Elite squad during the Best of the West shootout.
Pat Barrett’s SoCal All-Stars will be a part of the Springs Sports Tip-Off Tournament next weekend at the MAP in Garden Grove, as the “live NCAA recruiting/evaluation” period means that a lot of the coaches from the programs recruiting Martinez will be on hand.
Among the programs’ coaches that have been on Martinez the longest are those at Utah, USC, San Diego and Arizona.
Wildcats’ Coach Sean Miller offered Martinez a scholarship last week.
As for his “national profile”, look for it to continue to climb after his scheduled appearances at powerhouse camps in Norwalk (Pangos All-American Camp, May 31-June 2, at Cerritos College) and Charlottesville (NBPA Top 100 Camp, June 11-15 at the University of Virginia), where he figures to go head-to-head with many more – for the time being, at least – “high-profile” guards in the national class.