By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's been right at 15 months since former Missouri Southern All-American Cam Martin played a college basketball game, making the decision to sit out the 2021-2022 season as a redshirt after transferring to Kansas.
But although the long layoff has been hard on the 6-foot-9 super senior forward, he feels confident that his decision is going to pay dividends this coming season.
Kansas super senior forward Cam Martin assists campers during Tuesday's Washburn Basketball Camp at Lee Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Kansas super senior forward Cam Martin signs an autograph for a fan during Tuesday's Washburn Basketball Camp at Lee Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"It was definitely mentally tough just because I love the game so much,'' Martin said during a Tuesday appearance at Washburn University's basketball camp. "I think it was a unique situation, redshirting so late in your career and it was something that was never really on my mind, but everything happens for a reason and I take the best of every situation and I'm just excited to be able to have basketball back and I'm ready for this next year.
"It was a great decision I think for the team this upcoming year but also for me individually. I think it was a really good decision for me and I'm glad I made it.''
Martin was a two-time NCAA Division II All-American and MIAA All-Conference first-team pick at Missouri Southern and averaged 25 points and 9.0 rebounds in 2020-2021.
Martin left Southern as the school's second-leading career scorer with 2,040 points in three seasons after transferring from Jacksonville State following his freshman year.
Martin said he has spent the past year preparing himself to play at the Division I level.
"The game is played way differently at this level, just the physicality and being able to be repped different,'' Martin said. "I think just being able to adjust was what I did a lot this past year.''
But after starring in the MIAA, considered by many the toughest Division II conference in the nation, Martin is confident he can make the jump.
"I don't think it was as big of an adjustment as I thought it was at all,'' he said. "You look at the kid from Northwest Missouri, Ryan Hawkins. He went to Creighton and he was arguably Creighton's best player. He had some 30-point games against big teams, so it's an adjustment for sure, but I think it's very doable.''
Martin's priority right now is just getting back on the court.
"I definitely think this upcoming year is going to be the most aggressive I've played for sure,'' he said. "Just having the game kind of taken away from you takes it to a whole new perspective. Everybody always talks about how the game can be taken away in a split second and you don't really realize it until something like that happens.
:"I think it was a great thing for me individually to grow on and I'm super excited for next year.''
