Alijah Martin transfer: Florida basketball lands key player from FAU Final Four run

Todd Golden has added a veteran presence to Florida basketball's 2024-25 roster as the Gators look to build off of this season's success in the postseason.

On Sunday, Florida Atlantic transfer Alijah Martin announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he will be transferring to play for the Gators for this upcoming season.

"I wanted to stay in the South to play in the SEC, the strongest conference in America. I wanted a chance to be a primary ball handler and compete for a national title, at a program known for NBA talent and developing players for the next level," Martin told ESPN's Jonathan Givony on his decision to transfer to Florida.

REQUIRED READING: Former Florida football great has high praise for UF freshman RB

According to Givony, the FAU transfer chose to play for Golden over his former coach Dusty May, who left FAU for Michigan last month, Nate Oats (Alabama), John Calipari (Arkansas), Chris Beard (Ole Miss) and Eric Musselman (USC).

With the addition of Martin, Golden has now added three players from the portal alongside Washington State's Ruben Chinyelu and Chattanooga's Sam Alexis. Martin, who was a key player in FAU's Final Four run in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, earned All-American Athletic Conference second-team honors this season after averaging 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Here's what you need to know about Martin as he heads from Boca Raton to Gainesville:

Alijah Martin Stats

• Career: 1,476 total points, 616 total rebounds, 171 total assists, 155 total steals, 11.9 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, 1.4 assists per game, 43.8% shooting from the field and 36.9% shooting from 3-point range

• 2023-24: 444 total points, 201 total rebounds, 55 total assists, 56 total steals, 13.1 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, 41.4% shooting from the field and 33.8% shooting from beyond the arc

• 2022-23: 484 total points, 189 total rebounds, 13.4 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 43.8% shooting from the field and 37.2% shooting from 3-point range

• 2021-22: 459 total points, 175 total rebounds 53 total steals, 12 total blocks, 13.9 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 1.5 assists per game, 45.8% shooting from the field and 40.0% shooting from 3-point range

• 2020-21: 89 total points, 51 total rebounds, 4.2 points per game, 2.4 rebounds per game, 47.1% shooting from the field and 34.9% shooting from 3-point range

Alijah Martin Highlights

Martin served as a prominent player for the Owls during their historic Final Four run in 2023, which included wins over Tennessee and Kansas State. He averaged 15.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting 42.1% from the field in the NCAA Tournament that season.

Here's some highlights of Martin from FAU's Final Four run in the 2023 NCAA Tournament:

Alijah Martin 247 ranking

• Transfer: Four-star | No. 107 overall prospect | No. 15 ranked combo guard

• Recruit: N/A

The 6-foot-2 guard was ranked as a four-star recruit in the transfer portal according to his 247 Sports Composite ranking profile. Additionally, he was the No. 107 ranked overall prospect and No. 15 ranked combo guard amongst those who entered the portal following this past college basketball season.

Martin was not ranked by 247 Sports coming out of high school.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Alijah Martin transfers to Florida: Stats, 247 rating, more to know