Illinois Signs 2027 Wing Mason Martin: Brad Underwood on His Game and Fit

Illinois basketball landed what could be another high-value find Thursday when in-state 2027 in-state wing Mason Martin signed with the Illini. Martin, a native of Naperville, became the first prospect of this cycle to officially join the program (fellow wing Quinton Kitt is currently a hard commit, though).

Illinois coach Brad Underwood took time out after Martin’s signing Thursday to describe his game and fit with the Illini:

Brad Underwood details Illinois signee Mason Martin's game

“Very, very excited about him joining our family and becoming a part of our program," Underwood said of Martin t a Thursday press conference. "I think he’s got a bright future in orange and blue.

“He’s one of the elite shooters – not just in the state of Illinois, but in all of [high school] basketball. And just incredible numbers this summer on the circuit. Been extremely well-coached in both high school and AAU, which was important. And I think that will help his development, maturation once he gets to college.

“Again, just an incredible shooter with great range. Very, very high IQ. Just one of those guys that you know, every time he’s on the floor, the defense better know where he’s at because of his ability to shoot the ball. Will continue to get stronger as he’s here. But very nice to get a very, very quality in-state player from one of the best programs in the state.”

Last year, the 6-foot-5, 180-pound Martin shot 44 percent from deep and canned 117 three-pointers in 34 games. He led Neuqua Valley, one of the Chicago suburbs' consistently excellent high school hoops programs, to a school-record 32 wins. And not for nothing, but Martin shot a stunning 93.5 percent from the free-throw line.

His AAU hoops was more of the same, as Martin paced the Adidas 3SSB circuit with 80 threes as a member of Breakaway Basketball (the same program that helped develop current Illini forward Jason Jakstys).

“He’s got incredible hand-eye coordination,” Underwood said of Martin. “I think there’s just a gift. He’s got incredible range. … He doesn’t need to have his feet set. He can be twisted a little bit. He still gets his shoulders square. Very quick release.

“Then there’s the right personality for a shooter. It’s not, 'I miss one, I’m thinking about it.' He’s just going to keep jacking it up. He’s got a great mindset for a shooter, which I have great appreciation for. I think he knows he’s a very good shooter. If he misses three or four, his mindset is [that] he’s going to make the next six. I love that about him. It’s kind of that fearless, let-it-rip mentality. And he’s got that.”

Martin, as the numbers and Underwood’s description have made abundantly clear, has an absolute burner. But what’s truly special about his shooting ability is how efficient he is off movement. Good spot-up shooters are a dime a dozen nowadays. Elite movement shooters are not.

Martin can run off staggers and curl into jumpers without hesitation going in either direction. He can flare a screen, make a catch and rise up without a hitch. He can sprint into a three in secondary transition. He doesn’t need to have his feet set while a pass is traveling towards him. That ability forces a much different level of defensive attention than a sound spot-up shooter does.

The only question for Martin: Once he arrives in Champaign next year, can he develop his body enough to be a serviceable defender and rebounder? If the answer is yes, he may be in the mix for minutes as a freshman.

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