AMES, Iowa — On some days, in the metaphorical world of Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, seldom-used point guard Conrad Martinez is a “pinch-hitter.” During Arizona’s 84-67 loss Saturday at Iowa State, Martinez was a “curveball” thrown at the Cyclone defense.
If he really wanted to confuse his Spanish sophomore, Lloyd might have told Martinez to come out of the “bullpen” and help the Wildcats avoid a blowout loss at the rowdy Hilton Coliseum.
A bullpen where, unlike in Martinez’s homeland, there is no bull.
Told of Lloyd’s comparisons after Arizona’s 84-67 loss, Martinez predictably produced a blank stare and a faint smile. Baseball culture isn’t exactly strong in Catalonia, the Spanish region where Martinez grew up.
All Martinez knows is that his role, whatever you call it, is difficult. This season it has involved getting extended tryouts before some mid-major opponents but sitting completely out for 12 games and playing only spot minutes in a handful of others.
Arizona guard Conrad Martinez (55) looks for room to maneuver under Old Dominion forward Ben Nacey (42) in the second half of their game, Nov. 9, 2024.
“It’s been tough mentally, but I work every day and I just try to stay ready, because you never know,” Martinez told the Star after Saturday’s game. “Games like these, you don’t expect to play in them but something happens and you have to play.”
What happened Saturday was Iowa State took a 13-point halftime lead after throwing in nine first-half 3-pointers and then took leads of up to 24 points in the second, threatening to put together what Lloyd said “could have been a 30-piece.”
So, after Jaden Bradley scored inside to cut UA’s biggest deficit to 22 points at the 12-minute mark, with potential embarrassment still looming for the Wildcats, Lloyd backed off the pitching mound during a media timeout.
Then he gripped the ball for a curve.
Lloyd put Martinez in and took him out only for 13 seconds the rest of the way. Martinez missed both shots he took and threw a pass out of bounds while passing up another shot coaches wanted him to take. But he helped run the show while UA whittled the Cyclones’ lead down to just nine points with three minutes left, adding a dash of suspense to an otherwise decisive game.
Arizona guard Conrad Martinez puts up his shot in the crowd against Central Michigan in the first half of their nonconference game at McKale Center on Dec. 21, 2024.
“I tried to put rhythm in the game, play faster, try to tip some balls, try to set up my teammates,” Martinez said. “I feel like giving energy to team was very important because we were down.”
The Wildcats’ late surge gave Martinez, not surprisingly, UA’s best plus-minus rating – plus six – on a night when all the Wildcats except he and Trey Townsend (one) were in the negative.
“His stat line won’t show it, but I thought he really impacted the game,” Lloyd said. “It was a spark.”
Lloyd called Martinez “an amazing kid,” “high character” and an “incredible player,” and he has issued those kinds of compliments to him many times before. But he hasn’t trusted Martinez in high-pressure, high-major games, at least not enough to take minutes away from ball handlers such as Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis.
Until Saturday’s game. It was a high-major game but not high-pressure. Not after Iowa State threatened a blowout, anyway.
“We were down 20 points. You’ve got to try something and the kid deserved an opportunity,” Lloyd said. “If we were down four, I probably wouldn’t have done it.
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd, front right, watches from the bench during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Ames, Iowa.
“I don’t want to put him in those situations when we’re down two or four, because what if it goes bad? I’m trying to build the kid’s confidence and he was great today. So, we’ll just see what happens going forward. I’m really proud of Conrad.”
But not playing at all in some games has presented a different challenge. Martinez started for his Spanish youth club, Joventut of Badalona, and he played a regular rotation role for Spain’s U20 team last summer. Helping lead Spain to a 5-2 record in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket event, Martinez averaged 3.3 points, 3.7 assists and 1.4 turnovers.
“It’s very different,” Martinez said of his role at UA. “When I used to play back in Spain, I was used to be a starting point guard or playing a lot of minutes. But I feel like you learn from everywhere you play and you’re gonna try to embrace your role, and try to do as best you can.”
Behind the scenes, Martinez said he’s gained strength working with conditioning coach Chris Rounds, and on the court with extra work under assistant coach Ken Nakagawa. Also, Martinez gets to practice against the same guys who receive the majority of the minutes in Lloyd’s rotation.
“My teammates are great players,” Martinez said. “It helps me a lot.”
On Saturday, Martinez went against more of the country’s top guards and, for once, they were guys on the other team.
Lloyd said Martinez’s performance was something he would “put in my back pocket,” indicating that maybe he might play Martinez some in future high-stakes games. Maybe even ones in which Arizona is within a possession or two of its opponents.
But if not, Martinez will just stay in the bullpen, warming up and waiting.
“I always try to be focused,” Martinez said. “I do my warm up like if I am gonna play a lot. I just try to be prepared in case they need me.”
