Martin Twins Update (Capital Classic Highlights)

Caleb and Cody Martin have been committed NC State for a while. The twins committed in late 2012 and stood firm, signing with the Pack when they were first allowed. This type of thing doesn’t usually happen with kids as talented as these two. Usually, if a kid knows where he wants to go, he’ll drag it out to keep his name in the news and his stock high. These two are different. The twins are well-spoken, humble, coachable and hard working. Right now Caleb is ranked 46 overall and Cody is unranked if you go by the Scout.com ranking. The insanity of this is that just a year ago these kids were teetering around the top 25 mark. Had they held out and created a massive buzz, listing big name schools and taking visits all over the country, they’d still be up there. That’s how these recruiting things work. We’ve seen in time in and time out. “Oh, you didn’t choose Duke, UNC, Kansas or Kentucky? You must not be a top 25 player.”

The truth of the matter is, Gottfried and his staff are identifying and locking down top tier talent before the elite schools even get involved. This is what happened with the Martin twins and what needs to keep happening going forward if the Pack wants to nudge itself into that ‘elite’ category.

Caleb and Cody (along with Malik-Abdul Abu) are a different brand of player than Pack fans are used to. These guys aren’t just athletes or high IQ guys, they are total packages. They are explosive players, students of the game and they check their ego at the door. These are the type of players championship teams are built of and now that Gottfried has built a foundation, they are the type he seems to be targeting (and somehow landing).

So while all the rankings seems to be coming out with unsigned guys creating all the buzz and jolting up in the rankings, make sure you realize how this game is played. Don’t disregard the talent that is being brought in this coming year. These guys are high impact, high character, leaders who will give NC State the boost it’s been looking for, for a long time.

MARTIN TWINS UPDATE (CAPITAL CLASSIC)
A few days ago Caleb and Cody were invited to play in the Capital Classic. A high school all-star game that takes the best players in the DC area and puts them up against some of the best players nationally. The Martin twins were on the nation team and played extremely well, even in an All-Star game atmosphere. Their team took the 139-134 win. Here are the stat breakdowns….

Caleb Martin: 6-10 shooting, 1-3 from 3pt range, 4 boards, 13 points, 3 assists, 1 TO, 1 block and 2 steals in 19 minutes.

Cody Martin: 5-11 shooting, 3-7 from 3pt range, 4 boards, 13 points, 1 assist, 1 TO, 1 block and 1 steal in 23 minutes.

Both kids played well and but up eerily similar numbers in the game. Here are the highlights from the night. Caleb is #1 and Cody is #11.

and in case you need a reminder….