‘He’s Going To Be Really Important’: Martin Brings Key Traits To No. 21 Gators

Since being hired in 2022, Florida Gators men’s basketball coach Todd Golden has been a savant in the transfer portal, adding vital starters such as Micah Handlogten, Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard to his roster. He may have struck gold once again with the addition of Florida Atlantic guard Alijah Martin this offseason.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound graduate transfer is a freakishly athletic and physical guard who can knock down a deep three on one possession (37% career 3-point shooter) and throw it down on an opponent’s face in the next. His style of play, which resembles his favorite player Donovan Mitchell’s, fits in well with Golden’s fast-paced, transition-based offense that scored 85.6 points per game in 2023. 

“He’s an incredible competitor,” said Golden, who is entering his third season at UF. “Every day he’s just incredibly competitive in practice and he’s always competing to win no matter if we’re doing a drill or playing five-on-five.”

In four seasons at FAU, Martin started in 86 of his 124 career games and averaged more than 13 points per game in his final three seasons. He was also a key component of FAU’s Final Four run in 2023, scoring 30 points in the first round against Memphis and 26 in the national semifinal loss to San Diego State. 

His on-court experience will be extremely valuable to preseason No. 21 Florida, which won 24 games for the first time since 2016-17 last season but was bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Colorado in a 102-100 heartbreaker. 

“He’s really, really mature, has a great understanding of why he wanted to come here [and] how he fits into what we want to do,” Golden said. “I think the consistency that he’ll bring on a day-to-day basis in those areas, along with being a very good player, will naturally help our program a lot.” 

The Gators’ addition of a veteran backcourt player will support senior guards Clayton and Richard following the departure of star guard Zyon Pullin to the NBA. Martin’s presence also should help the continued growth of junior guard Denzel Aberdeen, who found his stride at the end of last season. Aberdeen scored a career-high 20 points in the SEC Tournament semifinal win over Texas A&M. He’s expected to have a larger role this season as a key backup to the Gators’ three-guard rotation.

“Our backcourt is deep, I think a lot of the roles are somewhat secured a little bit,” Golden said. “Obviously [Clayton, Richard and Martin] are going to be out there, I think [Aberdeen] is going to be out there quite a bit.

“For me, it’s a good problem to have, when you have a lot of guys that can get in there and you got to sort it out. Some people are going to be upset with you, but it’s better than the alternative of not having enough guys that can help you.”

Alongside Martin, Golden and his staff also picked up forward Sam Alexis (Chattanooga) and center Rueben Chinyelu (Washington State) from the transfer portal to solidify the Gators’ frontcourt this offseason. 

Last season, Florida’s biggest weakness was on the defensive side of the ball. The Gators finished 94th nationally in efficiency and allowed 86.8 points per game in March. In his senior season, Martin recorded a career-best 56 steals and averaged 4.4 defensive rebounds per game — which would have ranked him second on last year’s UF squad behind only 6-foot-10 forward Tyrese Samuel (4.7). 

It will be interesting to see how Golden rotates the backcourt throughout the season, but expect Martin to see a lot of the floor for the Gators.

“He’s going to be really important to us,” Golden said. “He’ll help us continue to elevate the program.”