NOTE: This is probably one of the coolest things I have ever done. At Western Carolina, I served on the staff of the Western Carolinian Student Newspaper. In my senior year, I had the opportunity to do a one-on-one interview with former Western Carolina superstar Kevin Martin when the Sacramento Kings came to Charlotte to take on the Bobcats. This was awesome. Here is the story attached with photos.
The King of ‘Kings’: Kevin Martin’s NBA Success
By Ryan Sarda
Sports Writer
Former Catamount Kevin Martin is making huge strides in the NBA as the face of the Sacramento Kings franchise.
CHARLOTTE—With the 26th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings selected little known shooting guard Kevin Martin from Western Carolina University, making him the first Catamount to ever be selected in the first round of any draft.
Despite much skepticism from critics, the 6’7 185-pound Martin declared himself eligible for the draft following his junior season at Western, and has proven all the doubters wrong as he has made some huge strides in his fourth season in the league. He is living his dream proudly as the face of the Kings franchise.
“It’s a great feeling. Everyone who plays basketball wants to become an NBA player, but for most guys it doesn’t happen. This is a dream come true to me, and I am just taking advantage of it,” said Martin, right before his Kings took on the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday Feb. 22 at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
Coming from such a small school, Martin knew that it would take hard work and extreme determination for him to make an immediate impact in the NBA. He remained optimistic about his chances of ever playing at the next level and about becoming the Kings go-to guy.
“You have to overcome a lot of boundaries and have to ignore what a lot of people say about you when you come from a small school,” said Martin, “Many people from small schools don’t succeed in the NBA, so they didn’t want to take a chance. Hopefully, I opened a couple of people’s eyes and gave some guys an opportunity.”
Thus far into the season, Martin has played in 37 of the Kings 54 games this season and is averaging a career best 25.1 points per game, and 4.6 rebounds. He has missed 17 games this season after sustaining a groin injury on Dec. 4 against the Utah Jazz, and was out for roughly six weeks. He scored 39 points in his second game back from the injury on Jan. 14 against the Dallas Mavericks.
“I started the year great, and then I was injured. Now, I am trying to come back to being productive again. My teammates have kept on giving me the ball and when they do that, eventually you are going to start playing well again,” said Martin, “I give them credit for helping me get back into game shape and to the coaching staff for giving me another opportunity this year.”
In his rookie season, Martin only averaged 2.9 points per game and played very little. In a shocking move, he was left off of the Kings 2005 playoff roster, triggering a wake-up call for the 25-year-old to play better in his second year.
He improved drastically in the 2005-2006 campaign averaging 10.8 points per contest and played a pivotal role in the success of the Kings in their first round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs. He scored 26 points in game two of the series, and hit the game winning lay-up in game three, emerging as one of the league’s most improved players.
Last season, Martin had a breakout year leading the Kings in scoring with 20.2 a game. He played in 80 of the team’s 82 games that season, and the Kings finished last in the Pacific Division with a 33-49 record.
Against the Bobcats, Martin struggled to get it going offensively as he finished with 15 points, shooting just 1-of-8 from the floor and 13-of-18 from the free-throw line. The Kings managed to win the game in overtime 116-115, their third straight win since trading Mike Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks.
Martin remembers his days at Western very well and enjoyed the three seasons he spent as a Catamount. To this day, he still keeps in touch with former Catamount basketball players Terrence Woodyard, Kyle Greathouse, and David Berghoefer.
“It was a good experience for me and I enjoyed every day I spent there. They gave me three really good years and accepted me for what I did there, and that’s all you can ask for,” said Martin, a native of Zanesville, Ohio.
‘K-Mart’ was coached by former Catamount head coach Steve Shurina, but was recruited by former assistant and current VMI head coach Duggar Baucom. After being fourth in the voting for Ohio’s Mr. Basketball, Martin was only recruited by two schools: Buffalo and Western Carolina.
Western Carolina was the only school to offer him a scholarship, and Martin wholeheartedly accepted. He chose Western because he felt that he could come in and make an immediate impact for the Catamounts.
“They had four seniors on the roster, and did not have a starting shooting guard,” said Martin, “I felt like I could go there and contribute right away. It doesn’t matter what college you go to, it’s all about opportunity and that was the best situation for me.”
As a freshman, Martin averaged 22.1 points per game, and averaged 22.8 points while winning the SoCon’s scoring title in his sophomore season. In the 2003-04 campaign at Western, Martin won his second straight SoCon scoring title, and was either first or second in the nation in scoring with an average of 24.9 points per game.
When he declared for the draft, Martin was told by critics that he would never make it at the next level due to his size, shooting ability, and his strength. But Martin never gave up hope and hired personal trainer David Thorpe to help him make the transition.
“I didn’t really listen to that. David (Thorpe) let me know my chances and he had faith in me, so we just went from there. I was not really worried about the negatives that people were saying, because I that knew coming from a small school I was up against a lot already,” said Martin, who is currently ranked fourth on WCU’s all-time scoring list with 1,838 career points.
Martin worked out for over 17 teams and always had a gut feeling that his name would be called on draft night, but was unsure as to where he would end up and how long he would have to wait before he was selected.
“You never know what’s going to happen. I was just worried about where I was going to end up and where my life was going to take me if I wasn’t selected,” said Martin, “Luckily, I made it and I am thankful for everyday that I get to step onto the court.”
When he was selected by the Kings, Martin became the first player from a Southern Conference school to be selected in the first round of any draft in 40 years. The Catamounts also became the only school in the Southern Conference with at least one player representing the school in the three main sports: basketball, baseball (Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jared Burton), and football (Carolina Panthers fullback Brad Hoover, and New Orleans Saints wide receiver David Patten).
“It was a big relief to be drafted; I fought off a lot of critics so I was thrilled to prove all of them wrong. It was time for me to start my real life and thankfully it was in the NBA,” said Martin.
Even with Martin’s tough NBA schedule conflicting with the current schedule of the Catamounts, he still takes time out to keep up with what is going on with his former team.
“They have a good head coach who has proven that he can win in Larry Hunter,” said Martin, “He is going to take that program in a positive direction and turn things around; he just needs some time.”
Earlier this season, the Catamounts dismissed three players in Nick Aldridge, Michael Porrini, and Camden Miller. The Catamounts current record stands at 9-18 overall and 5-12 in the SoCon.
Despite the struggles from his former team, Martin has some advice for the young and depleted Catamount program that has been through some rough patches this season.
“Just enjoy playing in the college level. Play basketball like it is going to be your last year, because you never know what’s going to happen afterwards,” said Martin.
Former Catamount player Corey Muirhead was very complimentary of his former teammate and all of the success that he has endured on the professional level. Muirhead believes that Kevin is the best scorer he has ever played with.
“Playing with Kevin at Western was great. He had a knack for scoring and getting to the free-throw line and was a pure shooter. I knew all along that he had amazing potential and I am very proud of him,” said Muirhead.
Muirhead averaged 12 points per game in his senior year at Western and currently plays for Cholet Basket, a basketball club located in Cholet, France. Muirhead is very proud of everything Martin has accomplished.
“I am happy for him and he will definitely be a great player in the NBA, he’s getting there,” said Muirhead.
From being a little known high school basketball player to a Southern Conference standout and now as a perennial NBA All-Star, K-Mart has embraced success in the NBA and is living proof that players from mid-major programs can make it big on the next level.
