A Close Look in at Tyrese Martin - The Shooting Guard That Can Fill It Up for Rhody
As most people know, I do not put a big emphasis on a prospect's "rating", whether it be in terms of stars or numerical grade. With that being said, I can see that of the 18 schools that reportedly offered this SG, power conferences, high majors, and all kinds of colleges wanted him. I raised an eyebrow when I saw a few of the offers that URI freshman Daron Russell received. In this case, I came pretty close to raising two eyebrows for the offers that this Class of 2018 commit received.
When NCAA tournament teams like Minnesota, Seton Hall, and Utah come calling, they rarely expect to be the bride's maid at the wedding. In this case, URI was the bride and the other 17 schools that offered Tyrese Martin were left crying at the altar. On top of the previously mentioned teams, UNC- Wilmington offered their services, as well as Atlantic 10 teams that included Saint Louis, Saint Joseph's, Saint Bonaventure, and La Salle. Beating the other teams within the same conference for a highly-touted prospect is always a win. Coming from Dan Hurley's eyes, the Rhode Island head coach has to feel even better knowing that he beat out Phil Martelli, who has brought in guys like DeAndre' Bembry and Langston Galloway. Moreover, given the tremendous success that Travis Ford has had since being hired at Saint Louis, Hurley has to be happy to have Martin come to Kingston, RI and not join up with top-100 talents in Jordan Goodwin, Hasahn French, and Carte' Are Gordon.
In fact, the reported leading candidates to land Martin were URI, Minnesota, and Seton Hall. As we all know now, the Rams beat out the other two quality college basketball teams for his services. Tyrese Martin's coach at Allen High School, Doug Snyder said, "I got the sense that he really liked everything about Rhode Island. He said he liked Rhode Island even before he made his official visit." As a Rhode Island MBB fan or as a coach on the Rhode Island MBB staff, that quote is music to their ears. All college basketball fans and coaches want their incoming recruits to enjoy the school that they will be attending. Martin's commitment not only shows his faith in the Rhode Island MBB program but it also shows Dan Hurley's impact on the recruiting trail, particularly in the Northeast region.
Tyrese Martin can be looked at as the Jeff Dowtin of his position, particularly when it comes to Atlantic 10 play. Funnily enough, Dowtin and Martin will surely see time together on the basketball court. The majority of people have the Pennsylvania native measuring in at 6'4" and around 175 pounds, while some places claim that he comes in at a height of 6'6". Regardless, Martin can use his height to exploit the other guards that he goes against, particularly in Atlantic 10 play. It is a rare sight to see extremely tall guards in the Atlantic 10; which explains why Dowtin had ample success as a freshman point guard who starred in URI's return to the NCAA tournament, for the first time since 1999. Likewise, Tyrese Martin can experience the same success when he steps on the hardwood with URI's colors on and he has used his height to his advantage in his play around the AAU circuit.
In some of the beginning footage that I watched of Tyrese Martin, I watched the show that he put on, when matched up against Albany Academy on January 29, 2017. In my evaluation of his game against Albany Academy, I saw from the start of the game and my previous publication on this shooting guard that his jump shot could take some improvement. At the beginning of the game, he shot an air ball that deflated his team's momentum for a little stretch, as they led 5-2.
On the positive parts of his game, Tyrese Martin has strong driving ability and as previously mentioned, he has an advantageous frame for a two guard. Going forward, he will be able to further sharpen his ability to use his length to his benefit. The wing is a solid free throw shooter and he can have an impact on the basketball game in more ways than purely shooting. Martin is not a volume shooter but he can score in bunches. At 30:42 in the video of his game against Albany Academy, he showed visible frustration after not being passed the ball from his teammate. If he can learn to play off the ball offensively and lock in defensively, Tyrese Martin will relish in Dan Hurley's system.
If you need to compose your own scouting report on Rhode Island MBB's newest recruit, the following footage is his entire game against Albany Academy.
P.S. Shout out to Tom Moore for the major assist in securing the services of Martin, after laying down the groundwork for his recruitment when he was coaching at Quinnipiac.
