Former Utah guard Ian Martinez transferring to Maryland men’s basketball
Former Utah guard Ian Martinez is transferring to the Maryland men’s basketball team, he announced Tuesday.
Martinez, a four-star recruit in the Class of 2020, appeared in 25 games this past season, averaging 5.2 points and 1.9 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game. The 6-foot-3 and 183-pound Martinez also shot 49.5% from the field and 32.4% on 3-pointers. His playing time increased as the season continued and he capped the year with a career-high 18 points against USC in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.
When Martinez committed to Utah, he joined his father, Henry, who became a full-time assistant on staff the previous year. But Martinez opted to enter the transfer portal in early April after head coach Larry Krystkowiak was fired March 16.
A native of Heredia, Costa Rica, who played high school basketball in San Juan Capistrano, California, Martinez becomes the third transfer this offseason to join coach Mark Turgeon and the Terps, along with former Georgetown center Qudus Wahab and former Rhode Island point guard Fatts Russell.
With Martinez set to join the program, all of Maryland’s 13 allotted scholarships for the 2021 season are filled. However, more spots could open. Junior guards Aaron Wiggins and Eric Ayala have declared for the NBA draft but are retaining their eligibility, keeping the door open for a return.
Senior guard Darryl Morsell has also entered his name into the NBA draft, as well as the transfer portal, but has not ruled out a return to College Park. If Morsell, a Baltimore native and Mount Saint Joseph graduate, opts to come back for a fifth season, he would not count against Maryland’s scholarship count, a provision awarded by the NCAA as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.
This article may be updated.
