SAN ANTONIO – A day later, the Alamodome still shook thanks to Alijah Martin.
No, not literally, but in the eyes of Florida basketball fans, it roared all night.
The Gators guard powered home a ferocious slam in the second half of UF’s 79-73 Final Four win over Auburn to advance to the NCAA Final Monday night vs. Houston.
For Martin, that slam and the emphatic nature behind it served as a metaphor of sorts. Two years ago, he suffered one of the more recent heartbreaking Final Four losses – a buzzer beater to San Diego State while at FAU.
Alijah Martin’s new memory
Martin called it “super satisfying” to create a new moment on the sport’s biggest stage.
“The way we lost, I hate being remembered by that,” he said. “Creates new members and have something else to look forward to when you when you think about the Final Four.”
Motivation isn’t hard to come by in the Final Four, but freshman Isaiah Brown said Martin’s loss added some extra for the team.
“We all as a team, came together and we all knew that as a team, we want this for us, but especially for Martin, knowing that he lost so tragically, last two years ago with FAU,” Brown said.
Coach Todd Golden spoke in a similar manner. He said Martin has provided a level of toughness and maturity that younger players are almost forced to emulate.
“Just works with great urgency on a daily basis. His leadership, along with Walt, Will has carried us all year, and raised the bar in terms of what the expectation is for the younger guys, and they have no choice but to meet it,” Golden said.
That mentality shined through in the first half Saturday. While much of the praise went to Walter Clayton Jr., Martin too provided 10 points to help counter Auburn’s punches.
LJ Cryer offers similar experience
Sunday, much of the attention shifted to a Cougar who offers similar experience to Martin:
LJ Cryer.
Like Martin, Cryer advanced to a Final Four before this season. That came in the redshirt senior’s first year of college. At Baylor, Cryer’s Bears won the National Championship over Gonzaga.
Golden likened the two Sunday.
“I was watching Scott Drew talk about L.J. on GameDay yesterday,” Golden said. “He had great things to say about him in that he wished he was still in a ...
