Senior Luke Martinez’s leadership will be vital for the Cowboys this season.
As one of the only seniors on the University of Wyoming’s men’s basketball team, starting guard Luke Martinez will have to put forth a lot of effort this season if he wants to lead his team to great victories.
Martinez started his career playing basketball at his high school in Bismarck, N.D. After he graduated, Martinez was scouted and recruited to a junior college at Williston State. During his time at Williston, he was a First Team All-Conference and a part of All-Region Selection. As Martinez became more comfortable on the court, his talent began to shine through as he was ranked 25th nationally his sophomore year for his scoring. With this outstanding title, he was later nominated as being the team’s most valuable player.
After leaving the junior college, Martinez made the choice to come to Wyoming to play as a Cowboy. Head coach Larry Shyatt knew Martinez brought a special talent to the team, and he placed high expectations upon him his first year at UW. Unfortunately, during one of the first practices of the 2010-11 season, Martinez shattered his left elbow forcing him to receive an extensive surgery a few days later. Once out of surgery, doctor’s informed him that he was going to have to sit out for the season and redshirt until his elbow was completely healed. His injury healed quickly, and he was able to rejoin the team for practices during the stretch run of the Mountain West plays.
Coming into his 2011-12 season, Martinez wanted to make up for the time he missed the previous season. Starting in 31 of the season’s games, he was named by the MW as one of the top three-point shooters. According to reports from the Athletics Department, Martinez was named the MVP of the Jim Thorpe after posting three double-digit scoring games, including setting his career high twice during this season.
As Martinez has entered his final year of playing at the University for the 2012-13 season, he has already led the team in a positive direction. With the high expectations coming from the MW itself picking the Cowboys to come in sixth overall in the conference, it is going to take a lot of teamwork to get the team where it needs to be.
The Cowboy’s have come a long way from when they first began their fall practices. Martinez’s leadership will help the team reach new heights as he leaves his footprints in the men’s basketball legacy.
