University of Connecticut Athletics
Tyrese Martin Selected In NBA Draft
6/24/2022 12:29:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Picked By Golden State, Traded To Atlanta
UConn Athletic Communications / June 23, 2022
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Tyrese Martin, coming off two outstanding seasons at UConn, was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft Thursday night at Barclays Center and immediately traded to the Atlanta Hawks.
Martin, a 6-6 guard out of Allentown, Pa., was taken with the 51st overall pick. He becomes the 45th UConn player all-time to be taken in the NBA Draft and the 33rd Husky taken in the first or second rounds. He was the only player from the BIG EAST Conference to be selected in the draft.
Martin was a two-year starter at UConn after transferring from the University of Rhode Island and was a major contributor as the Huskies successfully transitioned to the BIG EAST Conference and made two straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
Last season as a senior, Martin averaged 13.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He shot 44.9 percent overall and an impressive 43.0 percent from 3-point range. He had 21 double-figure scoring games and five double-doubles. As a junior, he led the BIG East in offensive rebounds (3.0) and led UConn in rebounding (7.5). He was selected to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team.Â
Combining his statistics at Rhode Island and UConn, Martin scored 1,271 points and grabbed 767 rebounds in his college career.
Atlanta went 43-39 during the NBA's 2021-22 season and finished in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks were eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Miami Heat, 4-1.
With the No. 16 pick in the first round, Atlanta drafted 6-6 wing A.J. Griffin from Duke. With the No. 44 pick, the Hawks selected Ryan Rollins of Toledo, and immediately sent him to Golden State. Golden State then completed the trade by selecting Martin and sending him to the Hawks.
Martin made the most of his opportunities since the UConn season ended and he earned his UConn degree in Sociology.
On Final Four weekend in New Orleans, he led all scorers with 22 points to spark the East Team to a 115-103 victory in the NABC-Reese's College All-Star Game. He then joined UConn teammate R.J. Cole to win the Dos Equis 3x3 National Championship, which was worth $17,500 for each of them.
He then went on to the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational and was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 19.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in the three games.
That performance earned Martin an invitation to the NBA G League Elite Camp, a four-day showcase in Chicago, where another solid performance, including a 13-point,14-rebound game, earned him a spot in the NBA Draft Combine.
And each successful opportunity led him to his NBA Draft dream coming true.
Two of Martin's UConn teammates also made news on NBA Draft night. Guard R.J. Cole, the Huskies' leading scorer for the last two years, will play with the Los Angeles Lakers' team in the NBA Summer League, while forward Isaiah Whaley signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Charlotte Hornets, earning him an invite to their training camp. Â Â Â Â
