Despite Limelight, Martin Focuses on Game

Erik Martin has had plenty of success this season, but he has tried his best to keep a level head about it.

Martin, a 6-foot-6 forward, has set the single-season Rancho Santiago scoring record. He and teammate Corie Blount have been named the Orange Empire Conference’s most valuable players.

Martin, a sophomore transfer from Texas Christian University, has been the Dons’ leading scorer in 23 of their 34 games and been tops in rebounds 21 times.

He is one of the main reasons Rancho Santiago again has advanced to the state tournament, which begins Thursday at the Bren Center.

Martin’s name is constantly in the newspaper and he has been interviewed on television.

“I’ve watched the video of my interview once,” Martin said. “I remember when I was at TCU, I had a couple of good games and I let it go to my head. As soon as I did, my game went down.”

After graduating from Whittier Christian High School in 1988, he signed with TCU and spent the 1988-89 season as a redshirt. He came off the bench last season.

Frustrated by TCU’s slow-down style of play, he looked for a school that employed a more wide-open format. Martin considered some community colleges outside the state, but settled on Rancho Santiago, where his brother Chris had played from 1987-89.

Martin, 19, is averaging 23 points and nine rebounds. He broke the single-season scoring record last Saturday in the Dons’ 90-74 victory over Los Angeles City. He has 775 points in 34 games. Edgar Wickliffe scored 758 points in the 1978-79 season.

“I had a lot of confidence coming to this level,” he said. “I’m not surprised how many points I scored, just how I scored them.”

He planned on playing more away from the basket, as he did at TCU, but Rancho Santiago Coach Dana Pagett had worked Martin at the post position, where he often takes advantage of taller and slower player with his quickness.

Martin is helped inside by the 6-10 Blount, who averages 19 points and nine rebounds. The two have been compatible from the start.

“I was kind of looking forward to having to do a lot of scoring this season,” Blount said. “But he has made it a lot less hectic for me. We always seem to know what the other is doing.”

Added Martin: “Corie opens a lot of things up for me. We talk a lot off the court about what we see on the court and how teams are trying to stop us.”

Said Rancho Santiago Coach Dana Pagett: “Eric can be very explosive and he has a good feel for the game. People tend to overlook Corie because Erik is so flashy, but both have done a good job.”

Martin and Blount will be together next season as well at the University of Cincinnati. The pair signed with the Bearcats in the fall. Once back on the Division-I level, Martin plans to return to his outside game, with which he’s more comfortable.

“I’ve been waiting to go outside,” Martin said. “That will be fine with me. It’s a little more fun and you get to be a little more creative.”

Rancho Santiago and Chabot, the teams that played for the state title last season, are the only returnees in this season’s eight-team field.

Rancho Santiago (32-2) plays Kings River (26-9) at 8 p.m. Thursday in the Bren Center.

In Thursday’s other first-round games: Chabot (24-7) plays Compton (27-6) at 2 p.m.; Long Beach (30-4) plays College of the Sequoias (22-11) at 4 p.m., and Cypress (25-10) plays Columbia (31-4) at 6 p.m.

If Rancho Santiago can repeat, the Dons would become the first team to do so since Riverside in 1966. The Tigers also won titles in 1964 and ’65.

Riverside’s coach back then--Jerry Tarkanian--is currently looking for back-to-back NCAA titles with Nevada Las Vegas.

Cypress, the 10th-seeded team in the tournament, hung on for a 70-68 victory over Ventura, the No. 2 team Saturday.

Cypress (25-10) appeared to have the game well in control, holding a 66-57 lead with 3:32 left, but Ventura (30-5) rallied to tie it at 68 with 42 seconds left.

Sophomore Charles Lockard drove under the basket looking to pass with about six seconds left. He and Uba Satterfield of Ventura collided. Lockard fell to the ground in a heap, and Satterfield was called for a foul.

Lockard was replaced by freshman Sam Sabbara, who went to the line for a one-and-one. He made the first to give Cypress a 69-68 lead. His second try bounced away long and Brian Kenney got the rebound for Cypress with three seconds left.

“Flip (Banks) was the only one lined up,” Kenney said. “I was at the top of the key. He (Banks) got a hand on it and tipped it to me.”

Kenney was quickly fouled and went to the line with three seconds left. He made the first, missed the second and Ventura’s Jerry Dalton fired a desperation shot from about 50 feet that went over the backboard.

“Our kids were not intimidated (in Ventura) and I thought they might be,” Johnson said. “To get to the state tournament is quite an accomplishment. I’m happy for the kids that they got this far.”