He helped set the foundation for UConn men's back-to-back titles. Now, Tyrese Martin is finding his niche in the NBA.

Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant on Dec 10, 2024

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HARTFORD, Conn. — It was like something out of NBA 2K.

Tyrese Martin, an unheralded second-round pick on a two-way contract and in his second year in the league, finally getting his chance at extended playing time and getting buckets.

The 25-year-old former UConn star was draining threes left and right— and from the top of the key too, pouring it on as the Brooklyn Nets earned a 127-117 win in Phoenix the night before Thanksgiving.

By the end of the night, Martin had drained eight triples and scored 30 points, just three shy of the total he had put up through 21 games in his NBA career prior.

It wasn’t just a random breakout night – it was actually record-breaking. The former Husky became just the second player in NBA history to score 30-plus points after entering a game with a career scoring average under 2 points per (Detroit’s Joe Caldwell is the other, accomplishing his feat in 1964).

Martin also set the Nets franchise record for highest-scoring game by a two-way player, and his eight threes put him second in Nets history for three-pointers made by a bench player.

The standout game came seemingly out of nowhere, so did it surprise him?

“I wouldn’t say it surprised me,” Martin told The Hartford Courant. “It probably surprised others, but I see the work every day, the coaches see the work. So it was more just happy that I was able to get an opportunity and reap the success for the work you put in.”

Since that game on Nov. 27, Martin has returned to life as a sometimes-used reserve– he scored 15 and grabbed five boards in 33 minutes in a loss to the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 2, and sat through two DNP’s after that. His two-way contract means he’ll spend time in the G League this season with the Long Island Nets, though he hopes his breakout performances will earn him a more permanent role in Brooklyn.

Martin played for UConn from 2020-22, leaving Storrs, Conn., just before the program took off on its startling ascent to back-to-back titles. But the Allentown, Pa. native was part of the teams that helped set the foundation for success.

Dan Hurley initially recruited Martin to play at Rhode Island, and Martin committed there before Hurley took the job at UConn. He played two seasons for Hurley’s former assistant David Cox at URI before transferring to Storrs in 2020 and helping the Huskies break a streak of four straight seasons without reaching the NCAA Tournament. When Hurley famously told reporters after a loss at Villanova that teams better get them now, because “it’s coming,” Martin was part of that ‘it’.

Although UConn lost in the first round in each of his two seasons, Martin said he wasn’t surprised by the program’s sudden ascent to dominance.

“I seen it coming. We were knocking on the door. Once (Hurley) was able to start getting the talent that he needed to get over that hump to break through, I knew it was only a matter of time,” Martin said. “To see him get the back-to-back and all the players and coaches, Karaban was there when I was there, Samson was there when I was there, so to see them both get the championships, I’m happy for them because they saw what it was before, and now they see what it is now. For them to go through that, I’m definitely excited for all of them guys.”

Martin averaged 13.6 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from deep as a senior at UConn, and that helped him get drafted with the 51st overall pick in 2022. He spent his rookie season in Atlanta, and all of last year in the G League before signing the two-way deal with the Nets.

Martin likened current Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez to Hurley, describing both as intense, and noting that he embraces the challenge. He also believes Hurley’s ferocity has prepared him well for life in the NBA.

“The biggest thing is probably the mental challenge every day. (Hurley) made those practices – and just being around him every day – the hardest I’ve had in my life. You get to the NBA, it’s a lot easier, laid-back, more on yourself. He definitely prepared me in that way just by making every situation tough and you just find a way to get out of it. It also translates to off the court, you might be in an unfortunate situation to where you might need the mental toughness to just fight through it and keep pushing.”

Martin might need some of that toughness now as he fights to earn a permanent spot on an NBA roster. He said he’s focused on shooting, rebounding and defense, the same things that made him a star with the Huskies.

“It’s kind of that same (skill set) that I had in college that Hurley was trying to give to me. But it’s just, I’ve doubled down on the work towards that every day since I’ve become a pro,” Martin said. “What I’m doing now is kind of what I was doing in college, just play defense, rebound, defend, and make the 3, so I’m doing that now, and it’s paying off for me for sure.”

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