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FAU transfer guard Alijah Martin commits to Gators

On3 imageby: Keith Niebuhr04/21/24On3Keith
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament - East Regional
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 23: Alijah Martin #15 of the Florida Atlantic Owls reacts during the second half of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers during the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Madison Square Garden on March 23, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

FAU transfer guard Alijah Martin will be a Gator.

The Owls standout, a key member of the program’s Final Four team in 2023, has announced he will use his final year of eligibility at Florida. Martin, a native of Mississippi, committed to Todd Golden’s program over Ole Miss. He visited both programs in April.

Martin played four seasons at FAU. In 124 games with Owls, he averaged 11.9 points, 5 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game. He shot 44 percent from the floor and 37 percent from 3-point range.

Last season, Martin averaged 13.1 points, but his shooting percentage dropped to 41.4 percent — his lowest single-season average at FAU. Meanwhile, the 6-foot-2 combo guard made 33.8 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Martin had one of his best games at FAU in the Owls’ 2023 Final Four semifinal vs. San Diego State, when he scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Per Zach Berry of OMSpirt, On3’s Ole Miss site, “Martin is a physical guard who can score in a variety of ways. He can shoot it from deep and is exceptional in off-ball motion sets. But he’s also an authority off the bounce at the rim. In high school, he was an all-state quarterback and it shows on the court. Martin threw for 2,100 yards and 20 touchdowns while also running for 1,300 more yards and 13 more scores.”

Martin is Florida’s third portal pickup this offseason.

On April 18, the Gators signed Washington State transfer center Rueben Chinyelu. Chinyelu just completed his freshman year with the Cougars and will have three seasons remaining. He is listed at 6-foot-11 and 245 pounds.

Chinyelu averaged 4.7 points and 5 rebounds a game while shooting 61.7 percent from the field during the 2023-24 season. He played an average of 13.9 minutes a game. Chinyelu reached double-figures in scoring six times and double-figures in rebounds in four games.

Additionally, he averaged a stellar 1.3 blocks per game.

The previous week, Chattanooga transfer Sam Alexis, one of the top top-ranked forwards in the transfer portal, picked Florida. Alexis, also a significant addition, chose the Gators over Xavier, Mississippi State, Providence and Georgia. He’s a native of Apopka, Fla.

The Gators went 24-12 last season, the second under Golden’s watch, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before losing to Colorado in the first round. Florida placed sixth in the SEC regular-season standings but reached the SEC Tournament finals.

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