Progress report: Explosive Josh Martin delivering for Cal Poly men’s basketball

When the Cal Poly men’s basketball team announced that Josh Martin would be transferring into the program from Minnesota last January, head coach Joe Callero made a prediction that has come to fruition more than a year later.

After appearing in seven games for the Golden Gophers in 2015, Martin, a Seattle native, returned to the West Coast eager to make a difference.

“Our fans will enjoy Josh,” Callero said last winter, “and his high-flying rebounds and dunks.”

NCAA mid-season transfer rules forced Martin to sit out one academic year, and he made his first appearance in a Mustang uniform Dec. 17 at USC.

Known for his thunderous dunks, tenacious rebounding and almost angry blocked shots, the 6-foot-8, 212-pound redshirt freshman has quickly developed into one of the more exciting players in the Big West Conference.

Martin made his third consecutive start Thursday night during a 58-53 victory over visiting UC Davis. He recorded the first double-double of his career, scoring 11 points on 4-for-10 shooting, and grabbing 10 rebounds in a season-high 24 minutes.

“Josh is a great talent,” Callero said. “What I like most about him is that his biggest strength is his motor. His biggest weakness, sometimes, is his motor. He wants to make a play. He wants to go get an offensive board. He wants to get a dunk. He wants to try to score on you.”

As the season has progressed, Martin has found the competitive balance between his naturally high intensity and the composure required to stay on the court for long stretches. Playing in a front court that includes veterans Brian Bennett, Joel Awich and Zach Gordon, it took Martin some time to earn his minutes in practice.

He is averaging a relatively modest 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in less than 15 minutes per game. But there’s no denying his energy has given Cal Poly (10-15, 4-8 Big West) an extra boost during the second half of the season.

Perhaps in an effort to increase the pace of play over the last three games, Callero has used a starting lineup of seniors David Nwaba, Reese Morgan and Awich, alongside Martin and fellow freshman Jaylen Shead.

The move seems to have rejuvenated the Mustangs, who ended a five-game losing streak with a win at UC Riverside last week. They turned in a dominant rebounding performance against the Aggies on Thursday — their first of three straight home games — and outrebounded the visitors 46-26 in a grind-it-out victory.

“Our defense was a big part of the win,” said Martin, who corralled four offensive rebounds in the second half. “It doesn’t matter if we only score one point. If they don’t score any points, we still win. So you put a lot of emphasis on effort and heart and hustle on defense.”

Coming out of Seattle’s Bothell High in 2014, where he was nominated for McDonald’s All-America honors, Martin was ranked as the fourth-best senior prospect in the state. He turned down offers from Florida State, Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh to sign with Minnesota.

As a junior in 2013, Martin shared the court at Bothell with future first-round draft pick and two-time NBA slam dunk champion Zach LaVine. When LaVine departed for UCLA, Martin averaged 27.1 points, 14 rebounds and five assists en route to earning first-team all-state honors.

He didn’t experience the same success at Minnesota and left the program in early December after averaging 1.3 points and 1.0 rebounds in his first seven games.

Now more than a year later, with Cal Poly entering the stretch run leading up to the Big West Conference Tournament, Martin appears to be a key cog in the Mustangs’ success moving forward.

“We just reiterated to him that he had earned a starting position from what he’s done in practice,” said Callero, who earned the 100th victory of his Cal Poly tenure Thursday night. “… Do what he does best, which is offensive and defensive rebounding, set good screens and exhale a little bit.”

Callero also was quick to point out Martin is only 16 games into his Mustangs career, and he’s still sharpening a raw but explosive skill set each day. If Martin’s development continues on its current trajectory, Cal Poly’s depth and relative health could make it a tough out at the conference tournament.

Starting Shead — the team’s most talented dribble penetrator — at point guard has freed up Nwaba to chase down offensive rebounds without hesitation. Awich has looked a step quicker in recent weeks after being hindered by an ankle injury, and Bennett continues to be an efficient interior presence off the bench.

All will be counted on with four games remaining in the regular season. The Mustangs host Cal State Northridge at 7 p.m. Saturday and will be on the road the final week when they go to UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara.

“I think what is critical for us going into the Northridge game is that we get enough rest, and having a deep enough bench that we win the 50-50 plays,” Callero said. “We’ve got to impose our will that way.”

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Progress report: Explosive Josh Martin delivering for Cal Poly men’s basketball."