Nice-guy Martin nasty on defense
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Even with his overshadowing defense, Phil Martin is often overshadowed by inconsistencies.
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Martin is a 6-foot-8, 235-pound junior on the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team. He is the best defensive player on a team most often recognized for its offense.
If Phil Martin elevates his game every night, he'd be "an all-star player."
He is a gentleman playing a position — power forward — that often requires brute force; a charming face in a rugged world.
His career as a Rainbow Warrior has been defined by such contradictions.
As UH head coach Riley Wallace put it: "He's got all the talent. We just don't know which Phil Martin will show up sometimes."
At his best, Martin can be very good.
During a five-day, three-game stretch that ended Monday, Martin recorded 34 points on 15-of-22 shooting, and 14 rebounds. The 'Bows won all three games.
"There are nights where you can see my game is where I want it to be," said Martin, who is from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
He is one of the strongest players on the team — he has clean-lifted a team-record 254 pounds — and one of the most athletic.
"Phil has the potential to be the best player on this team if he wanted," said teammate Carl English, who would be considered the best player now. "When he turns it on, he's an all-star player."
The problem has been turning it on for every game.
Entering tomorrow's road game at San Jose State, Martin has started 52 consecutive games, a streak that began in his freshman season. For his career, he is averaging 9.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Yet, he has never scored in double figures in more than three consecutive games during any stretch of his UH career.
This season, he is averaging 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. However, his point totals have ranged from 0 to 19, and his rebounds from 1 to 9.
"I don't know how to explain it," Martin said. "It's not like I'm trying to be inconsistent."
Some of it has to do with nerves. Martin has been known to get a nervous stomach minutes before big games. Other times, he's content to take a supporting role.
"You can't have everybody blasting away, shooting 20 times a game," Martin said. "If my shots are limited, I'm OK with it."
But for all his reluctance on offense, Martin is a fearless defender. Although he scored only four points in a victory over Fresno State Monday, Martin helped hold the Bulldogs' leading scorer, Jonathan Woods, scoreless.
"It's all about footwork," he said. "And it helps to have long arms to contest shots."
Martin will often be asked to defend the opposing team's best player, regardless of size or position.
"That's why we keep him in there," Wallace said. "He's earned his place (as a starter)."
In perhaps the best example of his prowess, Martin alternated defending both speedy Tulsa point guard Greg Harrington and bruising forward Kevin Johnson during last season's WAC Tournament championship. At the end of last season, Martin became the first sophomore to win the team's Best Defensive Player Award.
"I totally take pride in my defense," Martin said. "There's a lot of pressure when I have to go up against all these big-time scorers, but I like the challenge."
It's a challenge he has been meeting since his days at Cathedral High in Hamilton. On a team that won Canada's national championship during his senior year, Martin's role was similar to what it is now.
"He was our defensive stopper," said his high school coach, Mark Walton. "It might not have been in his personality to dominate a game on the offensive end, but he certainly could do it on defense."
Like his defensive reputation, Martin also forged his nice guy personality in high school.
"The most polite kid you could find," Walton said. "I can see how his good character can hold him back on the court sometimes."
Still, his coaches and teammates await the day when Martin can become as mean as he is lean.
English, who has been Martin's roommate for three years, said: "I couldn't (tick) him off even if I tried. If there is a downfall, he's too nice of a guy. We're like brothers, and even brothers fight sometimes. But we don't because he's just too nice."
That attitude has also made Martin a fan favorite, especially among the females. "They make me feel like I'm in the movies or something," he said.
For now, his character is still building toward a happy ending.
"What it comes down to is winning games," he said. "If I don't score, but play my usual defense and we win, I'm fine with that."
