Arizona's Esmery Martinez up for latest challenge: Facing former teammates in NCAA Tournament

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Throw a challenge at Esmery Martinez, and she’ll take it head on with a smile on her face. She doesn’t care what it is; it’s never too big or too small.

Earlier this season Arizona make a video and asked all Wildcats who would save them if there was a zombie attack. All her teammates said with no hesitation that it would be Martinez. She is the protector — on and off the court.

Martinez will do whatever it takes and whatever she can do to help her UA teammates and coaches.

When that means going against taller post players — like Stanford’s Cameron Brink or Oregon State’s Raegan Beers — she stands her ground. Martinez will go toe to toe with anyone.

Martinez never backs down.

That’s why Friday’s challenge is no different as No. 7 seed Arizona takes on Martinez’s former team, No. 10 seed West Virginia, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the XFINITY Center.

Martinez said she is preparing for this matchup just like it is any other game, even if she is playing against familiar faces.

“I’m excited to play. I’ve been working on not getting in foul trouble, my 3-point shot and my defense. That’s all we do,” Martinez said with a laugh during the Wildcats’ media availability Thursday. “Expect to see everything from me tomorrow.”

All-around player

When Martinez says everything, she means it. The senior two-way player can do it all.

Martinez is averaging 8.3 per game. She has pulled down more than any other player in College Park this weekend. So far this season she’s corralled 249 rebounds, putting her in the 10 spot on UA’s all-time list for a single season. She has 1,034 rebounds in her career.

Martinez is averaging 10.5 points per game. She can muscle her way inside or knock down 3-pointers. She is shooting at an overall 50% rate and 34% from beyond the arc.

She also has picked 47 steals, blocked 16 shots and dished 54 assists.

Then there is her physicality. One of the strongest players on the team, Martinez is typically taking punishment and giving some out as well. That’s why having a long break between the end of the Pac-12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament was beneficial for her.

“I think having that time just to be able to rest your body a little bit was good for her,” said Bett Shelby, UA’s special assistant to the head coach. “Being a post player, she takes a lot and she’s a physical kid. That’s her game. She likes to bang (down low) and she likes the physicality of that.

“She does take some beatings sometimes. I think anytime we can find a break in the schedule to rest her body for a couple of days, that’s a good thing and it will pay off dividends here in the postseason.”

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Don’t let all this toughness fool you. There is a much lighter side to Martinez. She is always smiling, joking and even tickles her teammates, freshman Paris Clark said. Mainly, Martinez is one who “brings the energy,” Clark said.

Familiarity factor

This is Martinez’s second shot in the NCAA Tournament. In 2021, when all games were played in San Antonio in a COVID bubble, West Virginia lost in the second round to Georgia Tech.

Martinez played well in both games, putting up a double-double against Lehigh (16 points, 11 rebounds) and coming close against Georgia Tech (13 points, 9 rebounds). She watched Arizona’s run to the title game along with the rest of the country from home.

When Martinez thinks about going against former West Virginia teammates in guards JJ Quinerly and Madisen Smith, who she faced every day in practice last season, it doesn’t faze her at all.

All three players said there won’t be even a little trash-talking going on this week. Mountaineers coach Dawn Plitzuweit, who took over the helm from longtime coach Mike Carey this season, said they’ve also approached preparation this week the same as for any other game.

“We go about it as it is very similar — it’s, this is what we do,” Plitzuweit said. “This is personnel, this is who we have to guard in this, how we have to guard her. These are her tendencies and those type of things. But I think they (Smith and Quinerly) obviously know her tendencies probably as well as any player that we have played against all year.”

Martinez said it was crazy when she saw the matchup flash on the screen during Sunday’s NCAA Selection Show. She wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Shelby was an assistant coach for the Mountaineers last season.

“I was surprised; it’s a one-in-a million-time draw,” Shelby said. “You gotta be ready to play. So, that’s how it goes.

“Esmery is mature. She’s a competitor. She’s a fighter. I think maybe it adds a little bit of another element of excitement, but I’m just telling her to have fun. She’s earned this. I want her to enjoy the moment. Enjoy the stage she’s on. I don’t want her to treat this game any differently than any other. I think she’s got a little bit of a leg up because she knows these players. She should find great comfort in that.

“Esmery is hungry. She’ll be extremely motivated and she likes the big stage.”

This isn’t the first time this season that Martinez has played a former teammate. She faced ASU’s Treasure Hunt, who she played with at Chattanooga’s Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, twice this season. Martinez excelled both times with double-doubles. On Dec. 30, Martinez had 21 points and 10 rebounds. On Jan. 13, she put up 13 points and 15 rebounds.

Arizona coach Adia Barnes thinks that this battle against West Virginia will bring even more out of Martinez.

“As a coach, you don’t want your players to be too high or too low. You want them consistent,” Barnes said. “I think she’s probably very excited.

“When she played against one of her old high school teammates at ASU, she played really well. I think that anything that can motivate your players or give them an extra focus is always a positive thing. I think it’s a good thing for Esmery.”