Former Sun Devil Martin Dancing into NCAA Championship Game

Arizona State's pride of the NCAA Tournament has one last stop.

Author:
Donnie Druin
Publish date:
Apr 3, 2022 4:01 PM EDT

The Arizona State Sun Devils aren't exactly a blue blood when it comes to basketball.

ASU has only three Elite Eight appearances in its NCAA Tournament history, the last of which came in 1975. For reference, current head coach Bobby Hurley was then four years old.

The Sun Devils have appeared in three tournaments since 2010, winning only one game in that time.

Postseason success and Arizona State aren't often characterized together, although Kansas Jayhawks guard Remy Martin has brought a slice of happiness to the ASU community.

Martin played four seasons at Arizona State prior to joining Kansas for the 2021-22 season. He earned three All-Pac 12 honors during his time with ASU, helping build the famous "Guard U" brand under Hurley.

While maintaining his eligibility after withdrawing from the 2021 NBA Draft, Martin decided to hit the transfer portal and landed at Kansas, where he felt he could help improve his draft stock and potentially win a championship.

“I just want to be able to play for a historic program,” Martin told CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. “I’m very excited to play for Coach (Bill) Self and get my master’s degree. I’m hoping to interact with the fans and play in such a historic place like Phog Allen Fieldhouse.”

It was a slow start for Martin as a Jayhawk, as he averaged only 8.6 points, 2.6 assists and 21.1 minutes played per game in the regular season, all lows for his five-year career.

However, Martin has been a key cog in Kansas' run to a national championship game appearance during the tournament.

"They (Kansas) might not like me for winning in the '91 title game, but I did train Remy Martin for four years. They should give me a hug," Hurley said on the set of the Final Four pregame show.

Despite shooting 1-of-5 from the field and scoring a mere three points, Martin managed to dish five assists (tied for the team high) and snagged two assists in the win over Villanova.

Martin is now 40 minutes away from capturing a championship, something he realistically would not have done at Arizona State.

Quite frankly, the hate for Martin from select ASU fans doesn't make sense. There was no bad blood between Arizona State nor Martin when he entered the transfer portal, but rather a mutual understanding that it was time for both parties to move on.

Now, a former Sun Devil has a chance to make history. It's time for ASU fans to rally behind Martin one last time like they did for the four years prior.

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