Insult to Injury — UConn and Hurley Land URI Transfer Martin
Wednesday, April 08, 2020
It was bad enough that rising junior star Tyrese Martin was leaving the University of Rhode Island, now the kick in the shins is even worse.
Martin has announced he is going to transfer to the University of Connecticut and play for former URI coach Dan Hurley.
As a sophomore at URI, Martin averaged 12.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He shot 43.3 percent from the floor and 32.1 percent from the 3-point line in 30 games.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“That’s the kind of work ethic we’re talking about,” said Martin’s AAU coach, James Johns, according to the New Haven Register.
From Ram to Husky
“The history behind UConn, the relationship I have with Coach (Dan) Hurley,” Martin said. “The Big East is always a conference I dreamed of playing in as a kid.”
“He wanted to challenge himself to compete at the highest level,” said Johns, who coached Martin for two seasons with the We R1 AAU team that won consecutive Under Armour national championships. “When it came down to it, it doesn’t get much higher than UConn, especially going into the Big East.”
Less than a week after committing to the Rams, Brooklyn forward Abou Ousmane has recommitted. The 6’9” power forward made the decision this week.
In March, the URI basketball program lost two key players.
Martin is the fourth player that URI has lost to transfer just this season.
Earlier in March, forward Mekhi Long announced that he was leaving the program after just one season.
Transferring In
Former University of Maryland players Makhi and Makhel Mitchell announced that they are coming to Rhode Island. The twins picked URI over other reported suitors including Georgetown University and Providence College.
And, former URI star Hassan Martin's younger brother Malik announced that he was transferring from the University of Charlotte. The younger Martin averaged 9.2 ppg.
Moving forward, URI Coach David Cox has two vacant roster spots.
