After establishing himself as a 3-point threat last season, Neuqua Valley junior guard Mason Martin expected defenders to begin face-guarding him when he was more than 20 feet from the basket.
That’s exactly what happened, but the 6-foot-5 Martin was ready, having developed a lightning-quick release.
“I’ve always been working on just trying to get my shot off quick because they’re going to guard me a lot tighter,” he said. “It’s been a big focus getting it off quick and getting it off high so I can get my shot off any time.”
Martin said he tries to take 300 shots every day.
“I know it’s all just practice,” he said. “I know I’m in the gym every day, and it’s getting me that confidence that every one is going to go in.”
Not all of Martin’s shots go into the basket, of course, but it sure seems that way at times.
“He’s had some amazing games,” Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton said.
The first was a 41-point performance in the Wildcats’ 88-60 win over West Aurora in the season opener. Martin also scored 34 points in three quarters as the Wildcats beat Rockton Hononegah, which was 13-1 at the time, 76-45 in the Chuck Dayton Holiday Classic championship game at DeKalb on Dec. 30.
While much of the attention has been on sophomore forward Cole Kelly, who is considered one of the best players in the state, Martin is enjoying a breakout season. The Wildcats are reaping the benefits.
Martin went into a DuPage Valley Conference game against DeKalb on Tuesday averaging 19.9 points and 3.8 rebounds while making 95% of his free throws, 60% of his 2-point shots and 41% of his 3-point shots.
Martin continued his hot shooting, sinking 8 of 11 shots, including 6 of 7 from beyond the arc, en route to a game-high 22 points as the host Wildcats won 67-37 in Naperville.
After missing his first shot, Martin made four consecutive deep 3-pointers. The plays were eerily similar, with junior guards Danny Mikuta and Carter Coviello and senior forward Andrew Hoffmann sending short passes to Martin, who launched shots instantly and accurately.
Just call it the dish-and-swish.
Kelly, who had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats (15-1, 4-0), is having fun playing with Martin. Both have an offer from Illinois.
“The ceiling for him is as high as it gets,” Kelly said. “Standing alongside him, obviously he’s the best shooter in Illinois, obviously one of the best shooters in the country in my opinion.
“But there’s so much room for him to get better. Like him going to the rim and him being more physical is only going to help him. Obviously, in the Big Ten, you watch all those games, and it’s physical. It’s an intense game. For him, it’s just keeping getting the work in, but that’s what he does. He works super hard.”
Junior forward Lucas Balgro, who had 10 points and eight rebounds against the Barbs (5-8, 0-3), said Martin is much more than a shooter.
“We like to find him a lot,” Balgro said. “His shooting everybody knows. Another thing benefiting his game is just him getting to the rim, and we usually put Mason on one of their better guys because he’s quick and he shuts them down. So us getting him the ball and him being a two-way player just helps us a lot.”
Sutton has been pleased with the maturation of Martin, who was primarily a standup shooter, and a streaky one at that, last season.
“He’s got some work to do, but he’s worked and improved all aspects,” Sutton said. “He’s a much better defender this year. He handles the ball better.
“Last year, he never drove to the hoop. Tonight, he was going to the hoop all night long. He can post up now. He’s really improved.”
As have the Wildcats, who have no seniors in their starting lineup.
“(The goal) is just playing as best we can as a team, just winning as many games as possible, and working every day to get better physically and shooting too,” Martin said.
Ah, yes, the shooting. Martin’s long-distance shots are falling like rain, but so are some of his others.
“I’ve definitely gotten a lot more consistent, and it also opens up the driving lane and the midrange too,” he said. “Because if they’re all going to go out on the three, with a shot fake and one dribble it’s a lot easier to open up the game.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.