Alijah Martin details transfer to UF, what he brings to the Gators

In an effort to improve defensively in 2024/25, Florida basketball added FAU’s Alijah Martin via the transfer portal, a 6’2, 210-pound guard who excels defensively with his athleticism and defense perimeter, which have been highlighted throughout Florida’s preseason practices.

Martin had a successful four-year career at FAU with two trips to the NCAA tournament, including a final four in 2022/23, which made it difficult to leave the school that had taken a chance outside of high school .

“It was tough, totally tough,” Martin said of his decision to leave FAU. “Boca, they took me in, made me a man, and I wanted to finish it there, but I feel like I’ve done enough there in Boca, so it’s time to deploy my wings. I tried to stay at FAU, I tried to stay at FAU a long time, even when Dusty was gone. I didn’t know I was leaving until I did a few visits. When I started receiving visitors, I realized I needed to spread my wings.

After FAU’s elimination in the first round of the 2023/24 NCAA tournament, head coach Dusty May took the head coaching position at Michigan. Although the graduate student could have followed May to Ann Arbor, what Todd Golden offered the Mississippi native was too good to pass up.

“It was good,” Martin said of his conversations with Golden during the offseason. “Me and Todd clicked really quickly, and what he offered me was to be myself and be able to play freely and stuff like that, which suits me perfectly.”

Golden also offered Martin a chance to play with the ball in his hands more often, as Florida hopes for a committee-style approach from its point guards this season.

“Yes, that was the main and key point in my choice of a school,” Martin said of the opportunity to be more in the mix.

Martin has averaged between 13 and 14 points in each of his last three seasons, but a preseason injury in 2023 contributed to a slow start where his field goal percentage and three-point shooting have significantly dropped.

“It was tough,” Martin said of being limited. “If I don’t work, I feel like someone is better off, and I don’t like that. I like to be the one who improves.

Martin is fully healthy for the 2024/25 season and has focused on ball handling and passing as he can expect to contribute as a facilitator this year, at least more than before.

“I handled the ball a lot,” Martin said of what he worked on offensively. “Ball handling and passing. Because I feel like I do everything else pretty well. I just stick to what I know, to my weaknesses.

Three-balls are certainly not a problem for Martin, who holds a career average of 36.9 percent from beyond the arc, but what he does best is on the defensive side of the ball. Martin is an excellent on-ball defender and has the athleticism to quickly close space and guard the perimeter. Martin’s steal percentage of 3.1 percent was the highest on FAU’s team last season and ranked 165th nationally.

“Just the IQ part, just being smart defensively,” Martin said of what he brings defensively. “We need to eliminate careless mistakes and games of chance. So if we can just be smart defensively, we’ll be honest.

Joining a backcourt featuring Walter Clayton, Denzel Aberdeen, Will Richard, Urban Klavzar and Isiah Brown, Martin projects as a starter on Florida’s talent-filled roster.

“There’s really no ceiling,” Martin said of Florida’s backcourt. “I can’t really give you all these expectations and feed you BS, but it’s going to be the real deal.”