It didnβt take long for Esmery Martinez to know she belonged at Arizona.
Soon after she visited Tucson in April, she decided to become a Wildcat.
Arizona wasnβt her first choice β she originally made a verbal commitment to transfer from West Virginia to LSU β but there were still lingering questions. She kept thinking about her conversations with UA coach Adia Barnes and wanted to learn more. She took a trip out West and that was it.
Now, after nearly two weeks of being in Tucson β even in the 100-degree heat β she knows she was meant to be a Wildcat, not a Tiger.
βCoach Adia and the (other) coaches made me feel like Iβm at home β like I am among family,β Martinez said. βThey just made me feel comfortable. Thatβs why itβs just Arizona. (Coach Adia) made me feel good. β¦
βI made the right decision. Iβm happy to be here. I am excited and I canβt wait to play for coach Adia.β
Martinez entered the transfer portal after three seasons at West Virginia after longtime coach Mike Carey retired. In her sophomore year she averaged 13.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game and made first team All-Big 12. Last season, she improved on her 3-point shooting, going from 25% to 40% while averaging 11.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game to earn second team all-conference honors.
The 6-foot-2-inch forward had 128 steals and 71 blocks and 25 double-doubles in her three years at WVU.
Martinez
Martinez said during games youβll usually find her in the paint, rebounding.
βI can help the team (rebounding) thatβs why Iβm here,β Martinez said. βI think God gave me a gift. I feel like I know where the ball is going to go, and I just go for that. I donβt know how I do it.
βI am a really good defender, but I like shooting the ball. Thatβs my favorite thing. On defense, I feel like I can guard anyone. If I canβt, Iβm going to work hard to guard anyone in any position.β
Martinez is smiling a lot these days even when she tries to figure out her way around campus. Her path to Tucson wasnβt always so smooth.
Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, things βwere hard, but fun.β
βBecause everybodyβs got their own problems,β Martinez said. β(But), itβs fine. I love my country.β
Martinez didnβt start playing basketball until she was 14 when she followed her younger brother, Lando, into the gym.
Once Martinez started making some shots, all her focus turned to basketball and in just a few years, she was on the Dominican Republic National team. She played in the 2018 FIBA Caribbean Championships and averaged 8.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a teenager.
Her teammates didnβt make it easy for Martinez, who was the youngest one on the team.
βIt was tough because I was like 16-17 playing with grown women who were like 27-28, but it was a good experience playing with them,β Martinez said. βThey made me strong. I worked hard.β
βIβm happy to be with family now. Everybody has to come to the games," said Esmery Martinez, here fighting for the ball in an NCAA Tournament game against Lehigh in 2021.
Martinez played in the NBAβs Basketball Without Borders camp in the Bahamas in 2017 and came away with MVP honors. Martinez joins a select group of former UA menβs basketball standouts who have also played in this event over the years β Deandre Ayton, Lauri Markkanen, Josh Green and Bennedict Mathurin.
Many scouts were at the tournament and one in particular who was from the Dominican Republic suggested she play two years of high school in the U.S. so she could earn a scholarship to college.
Except that Martinez had no idea what college was.
βBefore I came here, I didnβt know about college. I didnβt know about NBA. I didnβt know about anything,β Martinez said. βI thought I was going to play professionally. Back home we just play professionally. We donβt play college, not like here.β
She played her junior year of high school for powerhouse Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She led her team all the way to runner-up of the GEICO High School Nationals Tournament. In that one season she averaged 18.3 points, 14.3 rebounds and 5.9 blocks per game. In her senior year she tore her ACL and was out for the entire year.
Even though Martinez has been away from her family for many years, it never gets easier. Thatβs why that family environment for her next spot was so important to Martinez.
βIt is still hard for me because my family right now is not close to me,β she said. βIβm just keeping my mind up. I keep telling myself Iβm here for a reason. Iβm here for them β to help them.β
She is excited to be with her new teammates, playing the pro-style system that Barnes uses and is looking forward to playing in a packed McKale Center. Sheβs seen large crowds before when West Virginia played at Baylor.
However, nothing with prepare her for having all the UA fans cheering for her, not against her. She canβt wait for the experience.
βIβm happy to be with family, now,β Martinez said. βEverybody has to come to the games.β
Rim shots
Former UA standouts have been making noise around the world. Dominique McBryde played in Greece and Luxembourg this past winter and finished her Euro Cup season averaging 21 points on 61% shooting and 35% 3-pointers to go with 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3 steals per game. She is playing in New Zealand this summer for Whai Stingrays in the G.J. Gardner Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa. Meanwhile, Trinity Baptiste won a championship in the South American Basketball League with FΓ©lix PΓ©rez Cardozo, a the team from Paraguay. Baptiste, who is playing at the power forward spot, averaged 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds in nearly 35 minutes per game in the five-game tournament.
Arizonaβs incoming freshmen Kailyn Gilbert (USA Basketball) and Lemyah Hylton (Team Canada) played in the FIBA U18 Americas Tournament over the weekend. USA won its 11th gold medal in the event, beating Canada 82-77.
