Remy Martin Gets The Finish Kansas Wanted After A Rocky Season


NEW ORLEANS — After the final bell, as they crossed the field, Kansas transfer guard Remy Martin gave a triumphant look at the Jayhawks fans, who pressed to get as close as possible to the bars of the Superdome.

“Rem-y! Rem-y!” They chanted slogans.

They had shouted his name when he was introduced before the national championship game on Monday night. And again after stepping back, the 3-pointer drew late with North Carolina to score a 72-69 win.

This was the Martin they had been waiting for when he was transferred from Arizona State before the season started. The Martin that coach Bill Self and his teammates predicted and hoped to see.

He entered the season as the Big 12’s preseason Player of the Year after dominating the Pac-12 Conference with the Sun Devils, but was derailed by injury for part of January and most of February. For months, his status was ambiguous as he went from a player who averaged 19.1 points in his junior and senior seasons in the First Team All-Pac 12 honors with the Sun Devils to a player who hardly appeared in a game.

After a standout 2020-21 season at Arizona State, Martin tested the waters of the NBA and supported an already loaded Jayhawks team as a super veteran before announcing his decision to transfer to Kansas.

The hype surrounding his arrival was felt when he dropped 15 points in a show against Emporia State in his debut game for the Jayhawks.

Even then, fans hailed him as their team’s new quarterback with his magnetic personality and explosiveness, adding a new layer of talent to Kansas’s elite lineup.

Yet in a game against Nevada in December, Martin was driving towards the basket when his right knee collided with a Nevada defender crossing into the lane as he ran forward. Martin fell to the ground holding his knee.

Martin, who was later reported to have suffered a bone bruise, was largely ineffective in the games that followed, as he stepped into a backup role. He missed almost a month at the beginning of the year.

The veteran Jayhawks did well without him, finishing the regular season with a 25-6 record and sharing the Big 12 regular season title with Baylor. Veteran guard Ochai Agbaji, veteran forward David McCormack and junior guard Christian Braun led them forward.

But at the end of the season, their chances of seeing all that Martin could add to the team didn’t materialize until the NCAA tournament.

“I think Remy always knew what he could do to help us in essence, but we hadn’t really seen that yet because his health hadn’t allowed it,” Self said. “I think our guys are cooler now knowing what Remy can do to make us better.”

Since his healthy return, Martin has shown that he is one of the pieces that make this Kansas team unstoppable, despite the teams trying and nearly succeeding in stopping the Jayhawks’ championship run.

Martin finished in double digits in each of Kansas’ first three games of the tournament, scoring 20 in the 32nd round and 23 in the 16th to help the Jayhawks secure tight wins over Creighton and Providence.

Martin wasn’t a huge factor in the national semi-final against Villanova, only scoring 3 points, but the Jayhawks didn’t need him much after Agbaji and McCormack’s career nights.

Against North Carolina, Martin was the engine powering Kansas’ historic second half comeback, when the Jayhawks wiped a 16-point deficit to win their fourth national title in program history.

In his role from the bench, Martin created his own shots when his teammates couldn’t and knocked the bigs out when the Jayhawks needed them.

“I got there in the second half, I tried to do something, and I shot with confidence,” said Martin. He added: “I wanted to continue and extend this lead. And I’m happy we did it.

Martin’s late game three-pointer was fourth of the night, more than any other player.

And while his path to the men’s national championship game was perhaps more difficult than the route most of his teammates took, it ended just as well: standing in the middle of the stage at the Superdome, blue and red confetti clinging to his championship suits, picking up a car. national championship trophy.

“This year has been a tough one for me individually,” Martin said, “just injuries and sometimes it’s hard to find a place. But it felt great.”



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