New Maryland guard Ian Martinez, who recently committed to the program from the transfer portal, says the Terps were an option for him due to his relationship with assistant coach Matt Brady and that he’s excited about the opportunity to fulfill his potential in College Park, Md.
The 6-foot-3, 183-pound Martinez grew up in Heredia, Costa Rica, but he played his final two years of high school ball at JSerra Catholic in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Brady, an assistant at Maryland since June 2018, saw Martinez practice as a junior at JSerra, and the two got to know one another.
Martinez eventually decided to attend Utah, where he averaged 15.8 minutes and 5.2 points per game off the bench as a freshman in 2020-21. He entered the transfer portal after the season, at which point Brady reached back out to him. He met everyone else on the staff and learned about his potential role for the Terps via Zoom.
“I knew [it was a] big program and really good school — academically and also in the basketball aspect. So that was something that was brought to my attention,” Martinez said on Glenn Clark Radio April 22. “You always want to play at the highest level and have good people surrounding [you]. That was something that really interested me about it. I just kept communicating with the coaches and getting to know more about what they’re about. I loved everything from them.”
Martinez comes to a team with an unsettled backcourt situation. Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins, the team’s two leading scorers from a year ago, declared for the 2021 NBA Draft but could return to Maryland for the 2021-22 season. Darryl Morsell, who has played for the Terps the past four years, declared for the NBA Draft and entered the transfer portal.
Guards currently set to play for the Terps next year include Fatts Russell, Hakim Hart, Marcus Dockery and Martinez. Russell recently transferred from Rhode Island and will be immediately eligible, as will Martinez. Hart was part of Mark Turgeon’s rotation the entire 2020-21 season. Dockery played sparingly.
Martinez says he can play on and off the ball and can adjust to any system.
“I know I can bring a lot to the table. I have plenty, plenty, plenty of room for development, just improvement in a lot of areas, which I’m really happy about because I know I can do a lot for a team,” the rising sophomore said. “I just need a place where I can do that at the highest level and on the big stage where I can show what I have. I know I can create a lot of opportunities for my teammates — not only scoring but … creating and helping a lot in a fast game.”
Martinez was born into a hoops family and had a basketball in his hands when he was 2 years old in Costa Rica. (He also played soccer growing up.) His father, Henry, played in Latin America, while his mother, Helen, played professionally in Costa Rica and for the national team. His brother, Avery, plays at Bossier Parish Community College in Louisiana.
Henry Martinez was the head coach of the ProBasket Academy in Costa Rica for 16 years before joining Utah’s staff in 2019 as an assistant to former Utes head coach Larry Krystkowiak, who was fired in March. He was not retained by new coach Craig Smith.
Ian Martinez has been working out with his father since he was a kid and credits his mother for helping him with the mental side of the game.
“My parents always gave me the freedom to do whatever I aspired to do, and they supported me all the way through it, whatever it was that I wanted to do,” Martinez said. “… They’re sacrificing a lot to get all the opportunities that I could to get out of the country and have a better experience in the basketball aspect and keep growing as a young man.”
Martinez is the first Costa Rica native to play college ball at the high-major level, but he said he doesn’t feel any added pressure representing his country in the college hoops spotlight. But what would it mean to be the first player from Costa Rica to play in the NBA?
“I always had that in mind. I never had the smallest idea of how I was going to make all these things happen when I was younger before I left my country,” Martinez said. “But I had a dream about it and had a desire to be here and try to achieve my goal. It’s something that’s always been in my mind. You’re never too young or too old to inspire other people, so feeling that support, it’s really big.”
For more from Martinez, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kory Mortensen