Tyrese Martin to forgo extra year of eligibility, enter NBA Draft

The first of UConn’s seniors has formally announced their departure. Guard Tyrese Martin announced on Instagram Tuesday night that he would be departing the university and entering the NBA Draft.

Martin will be doing so after completing four years of collegiate basketball, forgoing the extra year afforded to student-athletes in the wake of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Originally recruited by Dan Hurley at Rhode Island, the Allentown, Pennsylvania native played his first two years in Kingston before joining the head coach at UConn. He played in 63 games for the Rams with 49 starts, adding six double-doubles.

After receiving a waiver to play immediately, Martin missed two of UConn’s 23 games in his first season in Storrs, but made 20 starts. Despite being a guard, he led the team and was sixth in the Big East in rebounds, grabbing 7.5 boards per game and adding 10.3 points. He also used his size, at 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, to play strong defense against bigger guards and smaller forwards.

As a senior, he missed four games with a wrist injury, but Martin was an integral part of UConn’s squad in the 2021-22 season, providing defense, rebounding and the occasional offensive outburst.

Martin was third on the team in scoring, grabbing 13.6 points per game, while adding a second-best 7.5 rebounds per contest. He broke the 20-point threshold twice and was named to the Big East All-Tournament team after averaging 18.0 points per game at Madison Square Garden.

RJ Cole also has a year of eligibility remaining, after being given an extra year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unclear at this time whether he will use it or opt to leave UConn.