Alijah Martin's four NCAA Tournament wins at FAU are more than the rest of his UF teammates' (and their head coach) have won in the tournament combined.
RALEIGH, N.C. — On a scorching summer morning, the Florida basketball squad had just finished a demanding workout that began and ended with rope runs across campus, sandwiched around uphill sprints. As strength and conditioning coach Victor Lopez gathered the team for the usual “Gators on 3!” send-off, the routine was abruptly interrupted.
"No, we ain't done!" shouted Alijah Martin.
Despite being new to the program, Martin—also the oldest player on the roster—challenged his teammates. He criticized their effort, pace, and overall energy, insisting it wasn’t up to the standard for a team with championship aspirations. He even called out coaches and staff for lacking sideline intensity.
It was a moment of raw honesty from someone with the credentials to back it up.
"I can't speak for everybody who was there," said associate head coach Korey McCray. "But I liked it."
Eventually, the team embraced Martin’s mindset. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound fifth-year guard quickly established a culture of accountability. His reputation preceded him—Martin was a key figure in Florida Atlantic’s remarkable run to the 2023 Final Four, one of the most memorable Cinderella stories in recent tournament history.
After helping Florida Atlantic return to the NCAA Tournament in 2024, Alijah Martin entered the transfer portal just as Florida was seeking a defensive game-changer—an area where the team had struggled despite a 24-win season.
But bringing in Martin meant embracing everything that came with him: intensity, accountability, and a relentless drive to win.
"That was just my passion and experience coming out. I know what it takes to win and what everybody has to put into it to win," Martin said Thursday from Lenovo Center, where he was set to take the court Friday night for fourth-ranked and top-seeded Florida (30–4) in its NCAA Tournament opener against No. 16 seed Norfolk State (24–10).
"I didn't come here because of the [NIL] money or to get another year of college. I could have got a two-way [contract] in the NBA. I came to Florida to win and solidify my career in college. I said what I said and I hope the guys remembered it."
They did.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
"Everyone knew the great player he was, but we saw the greater leader he was that day," said sophomore forward Alex Condon, reflecting on Martin’s impact. Martin’s FAU teams had won 60 games over his final two seasons, and he brought that championship mindset with him to Gainesville. "He came in and wasn't scared to take the reigns and bring that winning mentality to us."
Walter Clayton Jr., who had just wrapped up a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year campaign at Iona, happened to be on his official visit to Florida when he and Coach Todd Golden watched Martin and FAU upset third-seeded Kansas State in the Elite Eight. That win sent the Owls to the Final Four—and set the stage for a future reunion in Gainesville.
Fifth-year grad guard Alijah Martin ranks second on the team in scoring (14.5 points per game), fourth in rebounding (4.5 pg), second in assists (2.3) and second in steals (1.6).
While Walter Clayton Jr. was earning second-team All-SEC honors during the 2023–24 season, Alijah Martin was leading Florida Atlantic back to the NCAA Tournament—though the Owls exited in the first round. Just months later, the two guards became teammates in Gainesville.
Martin quickly made his presence felt in a locker room that already featured strong personalities in Clayton and fellow senior Will Richard. His assertive leadership style wasn’t met with resistance—it was embraced.
"We definitely welcomed it," Clayton said. "You need multiple leaders on the team and we have a team full of them. So for Alijah to come in off the rip and be comfortable holding people accountable by saying something they don't want to hear, yeah, that was a good thing. And it got us to this point."
That “point” is Florida earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history. The team’s defense, which ranked 94th in efficiency last season, surged to No. 10 this year. And the Gators now have a Southeastern Conference Tournament championship trophy sitting in Coach Todd Golden’s office.
Charting the Gators: Rookie 1-seed coaches
UF coach Todd Golden will try to join a small group of coaches whose first NCAA Tournament victory came as a No. 1 seed.
* NCAA began seeding teams in 1979
Martin’s track record in the NCAA Tournament stands out, with four victories—significantly more than the combined total of his teammates and head coach. Sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu, who logged eight minutes in Washington State’s opening-round win over Drake last season, is the only other UF player with an NCAA win.
"It's the biggest stage," Chinyelu said. "It's the games everybody wants to be in. The intensity is very different, but beautiful."
Head coach Golden has yet to secure a tournament win, holding an 0-2 record. His final game at San Francisco ended in a first-round loss to Murray State, just before he accepted the UF position. Last season, the Gators fell in a dramatic 102-100 first-round defeat to Colorado, a game where the Buffaloes shot 63 percent from the field and strung together 11 consecutive baskets during one stretch.
Martin’s addition was seen as a response to that need for proven postseason success.
Florida 2024-25 at the NCAA Tournament
"We had a lot of guys who were talented and competed last year, but one of the things that maybe was not a strength of ours was communication. Calling guys out. Accountability," said UF assistant and director of player development Taurean Green, a guy who knows a little something about winning NCAA games (12-0 with two championship rings his last two seasons as Florida's point guard in '06-07). "Now that we're here, first and foremost, we've got to play defense. Winning in the tournament starts on the defensive end. We've addressed that."
Martin has consistently risen to the occasion when needed most. The standards he established—through both his words and actions—have been reflected across the entire team. Whenever he spoke, the Gators paid attention. His presence is a major factor in why this group now finds itself in such a strong and uncommon position.
Their early efforts last summer fell short of expectations, but a commanding voice emerged and unified the team. That collective response has carried them all the way to where they stand today.
"You really have to get that first one under your belt and use it as momentum, use it as confidence and get the ball rolling in a tournament setting with the quick turn-arounds," Martin said. "That first time, yeah, it felt special. I'm hoping to get that same feeling again."
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
