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Learning More About Anja "Red" Martin
September 29, 2015 10:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Over the next few weeks, WVUsports.com will highlight members of the 2015-16 West Virginia University women’s basketball team. The second installment of this feature includes freshman forward/guard Anja Martin.
When you hear the Mountaineers coaches and teammates yell out “Red” this year, it’s not about a play or an opponent. They are referencing freshman forward/guard Anja Martin.
While in middle school, Martin worked with a trainer who could not pronounce her first name correctly. One day the trainer asked Anja “what’s your favorite color?” in hopes of finding an alternative to mispronouncing her name. It was to this question that Anja simply responded “red” thus sparking a nickname that has stuck with her throughout her basketball career.
Martin arrived in Morgantown by way of John Paul Stevens High School in San Antonio, Texas. While in high school, she put up impressive numbers by averaging 24.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game during her senior year on her way to Class 6-A First Team All-State honors by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.
While Martin’s journey from San Antonio to Morgantown was a long one, the support of her parents as well as some familiar faces on the Mountaineer roster have helped make the change of scenery less difficult.
Fellow WVU newcomer freshman Katrina Pardee was an AAU teammate of Martin’s on TeamXpress under the direction and coaching of two-time National Player of the Year and Olympian Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil.
Martin cites the presence of another San Antonio native Arielle Roberson, as being a positive influence on her transition to college.
“I used to go and watch her play at Wagner (High School) and then we ended up playing for the same AAU team, but she was on the older team,” said Martin. “I remember looking up to Arielle Roberson and watching her, and now to be here and play with her is pretty cool.”
When asked on the influence that Roberson has had so far, Martin responded “great words of advice, during conditioning telling me to keep pushing through. If I mess up on a play she tells me to just make it up on the next one”.
Enrolled in time to travel with the Mountaineers on their trip to London and Spain, Martin was able to obtain valuable practice time as well as competitive experience against quality opponents.
“It really helped a lot because we got some early practices in,” exclaimed Martin. “It’s a huge difference from high school, adjusting to college. It was a great experience to go over there and play against teams.”
Off the court, Martin is also already beginning to give thought about her future career. As a broadcast journalism major, Martin has high aspirations to work in the sports field. Ironically, that’s the same degree Roberson obtained as an undergraduate at Colorado.
“I really think I want to work for ESPN, but I don’t know if I want to do some behind the scenes stuff or actually be on camera yet,” Martin noted.
While she may not have her mind made up entirely yet, Martin has plenty of time to perfect her craft on and off the court with a little guidance and support along the way.
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