Michael Smyth / Tahoe Onstage
Last spring, Caleb Martin decided to forgo the NBA to return to Nevada baskeball for a senior season. Today, The Associated Press decided to put him on the preseason All-America team. He’s the first Wolf Pack player in school history to receive the honor.
Martin is joined on the AP All-America team by Carson Edwards (Purdue), Luke Maye (North Carolina), R.J. Barrett (Duke), Dedric Lawson (Kansas) and Ethan Happ (Wisconsin).
Martin was the 2017-18 Mountain West Player of the Year and he’s been picked by the conference’s sportswriters to win the honor again this year.
Martin and his twin brother, Cody, transferred to Nevada after playing two seasons at North Carolina State. They are from a small town, Mocksville, North Carolina, in the middle of the state. Both were highly recruited out of prestigious Oak Hill Academy.
Caleb Martin led the Wolf Pack averaging 18.9 points per game. He shot 45.4 percent from the floor and was among the conference leaders making 40.3 percent of his three-point attempts. In 33 games, he posted double figures and had a streak of 16 consecutive double figure scoring games. In 16 games he led the team in scoring and 14 were game highs. Twice he recorded double-doubles with 18 points and 10 rebounds at Fresno State and vs. Texas in the NCAA Tournament.
Last week, Martin was named to the 2019 Julius Erving Award watch list. The award recognizes the top small forward in Division I men’s college basketball.
Nevada tied the school record for wins (29) last season. The team came from behind in two thrilling victories in the NCAA Tournament before losing by a point to Loyola-Chicago in the Sweet 16, only the second time the Wolf Pack has advanced that far.
The Martin brothers and forward Jordan Caroline all considered making themselves available for the NBA draft before electing to return. Nevada is ranked No. 7 in the AP preseason poll.
Nevada hosts San Francisco State on Friday at 7 p.m. in its final exhibition game. The game is being played at the Virginia Street Gym. The regular season opener is set for Nov. 6 at Lawlor Events Center against BYU in a nonconference game.
