On Friday, JD Scroggin came out of hibernation and reported that Josh Martin, formerly of Minnesota and Bothell High School in Bothell, WA, would transfer to Cal Poly.

Martin is a 6′ 8″ forward nicknamed “The Hulk,” who found himself down on the Golden Gophers’ depth chart. He has been to San Luis Obispo before, when he competed in the Mission Prep Christmas Classic as a high schooler.

Martin saw playing time in seven of the Gophers’ first eight games this season, but hadn’t seen the floor in almost a month — a span of six games.

Martin’s addition once again showcases Joe Callero’s ability to recruit from the Seattle area. With Cal Poly’s post depth waning after the 2015-16 season (Joel Awich and Brian Bennett will both be seniors), Callero’s addition of another big man makes sense. Earlier this year Luke Meikle, a post player from Tacoma, transferred to Cal Poly from Gonzaga.

What other transfers has Cal Poly had in the Callero era?

What’s impressive about some of the videos I posted below is not just Martin’s fierce dunks, but his confidence and ability to shoot from outside. I’ll be interested to see how Martin fits-in over time, but Cal Poly fans should be excited to get a high-major athlete on-campus with, potentially, 3 1/2 years of eligibility remaining.

While Luke Meikle would be available to Callero at the beginning of next season, Martin would become available for 2015-16 Big West Conference play, per NCAA transfer rules — as reported by Scroggin.

Enjoy the videos:

His Minnesota coach talks a little about Martin and what type of player he is:

Adrian Peterson is the obvious choice for MVP. By Mike Morbeck [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

What he has accomplished this season off an ACL and MCL injury is so unprecedented it may be the greatest comeback sports has ever seen. It would be one thing if Peterson just came off his late-season injury and rushed for 1,000 yards, which would be acknowledged by fans as an acceptable season, but that’s just not Adrian Peterson – he’s incredible.

To put Peterson’s season in perspective, look at the table in this recent ESPN article by blogger Kevin Seifert.

It is worth mentioning that Jamaal Charles had a great season coming off his injury, but it is equally fair to note he had three more months to recover than Peterson. While fans should take notice of Charles’ season, it is not even in the same category as Peterson’s season.

Now, back to Adrian Peterson. The man has a killer smile, work ethic, and reportedly the strongest handshake you’ll ever experience. A coach’s dream, Peterson is the perfect star. Never do you hear him complain about too little carries, lack of offensive help, or deferring blame to his offensive line (see Chris Johnson). He simply goes to work and puts the team ahead of himself, even when he is within single-digit yards of the single-season NFL rushing record. So it should come as no surprise when FOX reporter Pam Oliver asked Peterson how it felt to be nine-yards short of the record after the Vikings 37-34 win over the Packers, Peterson respond with, “What?”

If you took a look at the Vikings huddle, their weapons include Percy Harvin (now on the Injured-Reserve list), Kyle Rudolph, an underwhelming receiver in Michael Jenkins, an inconsistent receiver in Jerome Simpson, Adrian Peterson, and quarterback Christian Ponder. Ponder has been efficient this season with 18 TD’s and 12 Int’s, but 2,935 passing yards against consistent single-high safety looks is not too impressive. Since Harvin’s injury, the only bright spot for the Viking’s receiving core has been the emergence of rookie Jarius Wright. While Wrighthad an impressive 90-yards and 1 TD catch against the Packers Week-17, he has only recorded 322 receiving yards for the season.

The Vikings have been one of a few surprise teams to make the NFC playoffs this season. By Kevind810 [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Not once did they say, “We want to hold him under 100 yards, even 50 yards.” Packers inside linebacker A.J. Hawk even acknowledged that “[he doesn’t] think anyone really shuts him down.” So while the Packers did just barely accomplish their goal of keeping him from the record, they still let him rush for 199 yards with 2 TD’s (1 rushing, 1 receiving). So if that is now where the bar is set for NFL defensives approaching Peterson, that is scary.

Surpassing everybody’s expectations but his own (he spoke of reaching 2500 yards earlier in 2012), the circumstances of which Peterson has accomplished his numbers defy all odds, and his numbers speak for themselves. He literally put the Vikings on his back and carried them to a 10-6 record and spot in the playoffs, off a 3-13 2011 campaign. For that reason, he is the most valuable player in the Vikings organization, and in the NFL.