Cal Poly Basketball in Review — Josh Martin

Josh Martin – Junior – 6’7”, 220 lbs

By the Numbers:

Injuries were once again a factor in Josh Martin’s final season at Cal Poly. By Owen Main

25 Games

19.9 Minutes per game

7.4 Points per game

5.0 Rebounds per game

1.3 Assists per game

36.7.% Field Goals

33.3% 3 Pointers

65.5 % Free Throws

A transfer from Minnesota, Josh Martin’s highlight reel and skillset were all high-major. When he came in, I remember thinking about the potential of what he could allow Cal Poly’s coaching staff to do in terms of schemes. Could they put him at the five, use the physicality of their guards at the time, and go with some kind of super-small death lineup? What would it look like to play Martin at the three with two bigger players around him? With a relatively mature individual offensive skillset, Martin seemed like the kind of player you could maybe plug-in and go with. 

But it was never that easy. 

Injuries early in his Cal Poly career caused limited practice and game time. He missed the first nine games of his first eligible season at Cal Poly in 2016-17. We saw flashes of his dynamic athleticism going to the bucket. It made you wonder what he could do with a full season. Early-on in what was supposed to be his junior year, Martin had a 17 point, 21 rebound game against Pepperdine. In the team’s fifth game, he broke his foot and missed the rest of the season. 

In his true junior season (fifth in college) this past year, Martin again sustained an early-season injury, missing six games during what was probably Cal Poly’s best stretch and only three-game win streak of the season. When he returned, he again seemed like he was playing catch-up. He scored 19 points in a loss at Bethune-Cookman, 24 points in a loss at UC Irvine, and 20 points in a loss at UCSB. But his production was mercurial. Martin scored in double digits in just two of 10 home games against Division I teams and went five straight conference games late in the season without scoring more than 2 points. 

At season’s end, Martin announced he would be finishing classes to graduate from Cal Poly, making him an eligible grad transfer, eligible immediately. 

When he came to SLO, I asked around and all anyone ever told me was how much time Martin liked to spend in the gym. During his first redshirt year, I arrived early to games to see Martin and then associate head coach Paul Fortier working to get shots up. Maybe it was all in my head, but there was so anticipation about what impact he could have. 

Martin’s career at Cal Poly will be remembered in flashes. A soaring left handed dunk. A blocked shot. That two-footed takeoff. One of those same feet in a boot more than once. Crutches. That consistent weapon that Cal Poly thought they had in the holster never quite got calibrated while in San Luis Obispo.

Looking forward

Assuming he ends up at another Division I school (no announcements have been made yet), Martin can be an impactful contributor. Wherever he ends up, a guy who has gone through everything he has with injuries will be an easy guy to root for and a very interesting player for Cal Poly fans to keep track of throughout next year. 

*Ed note: Over the next few weeks, we’ll be recapping the season of every Cal Poly player who played in 2017-18.