Jeremiah Martin proved his worth last season, making it to the VTB United League All-Star Game and being an integral part of Enisey’s success. This summer, the American left Krasnoyarsk for Yekaterinburg, signed a contract with Uralmash and is confident of the success of his new team. The legionnaire gave the Championship his first interview after a high-profile transfer within the league.
— How did you spend your summer holidays, what did you do? — This summer I spent a lot of time with my family. I had the opportunity to visit friends, I visited several cities and I trained a lot. I played in the Memphis Pro-Am (Pro-Am is a series of amateur tournaments held in several cities in the USA – Note from the “Championship”) with Jaylen Burford and other guys.
— You moved from Yenisei to Uralmash in the off-season. How long did you think about the offer? – Yes, it took me a while to think. I talked to Octavius …
— Did you have any other offers besides Uralmash? – I’ll keep it to myself.
— Uralmash director Sergei Domanov said that the club was following you even before you moved to Yenisei. Have you heard about this? — I didn’t know they were following me, but we had a great conversation with Sergei during the negotiations. He talked a lot about the team, the president and I’m looking forward to the start of the season. He’s been a very helpful person and I look forward to working with them this season as well.
Jeremiah Martin
Photo by: BC “Uralmash”
— Tell us about your friendship with Octavius Ellis. “I’ve known him since high school, we played against each other in college. He was older than me, but we crossed paths everywhere, even outside of schools and college. We became close about two years ago, we train together, we have the same coach in Memphis.
— What did he tell you about Uralmash? – Yes, we talked about the team, the city, life and everything. Everything was positive, he liked everything and made it clear that he would have a great time in Ekaterinburg. We will have a good team that will try to win as many games as possible.
— How do you remember Uralmash from last season? “Enisey” even lost in Yekaterinburg. – Yes, I remember that game. We should have won. But it was a good and close game. It was a close game. Uralmash played very well. I even remember our pre-season game. In the second half of the season we found our game and beat Uralmash, this victory helped us get to the playoffs.
— How was your first communication with Uralmash coach Rostislav Vergun? — We had a good conversation, he told me a lot of interesting things, he told me how he studied and played in the United States. I didn’t even know that! We talked about how he sees me in the team, his goals for the season, his style. He also asked me what I do on vacation.
– And how does he see you in the team? — There are many nuances, but the main goal is to win. We will try to win every match and I think that with the team we have, we have a chance to do so against any VTB team.
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— Has the Uralmash management already announced its goals for the season? – Not yet. I recently returned to Russia. But I think we all have the same goals: victory, no matter what. I don’t see a team in the United League that is the best. I feel that, especially with our team, with the players we have, we can compete and beat anyone.
— How do you like your first training sessions with the team? Is there anything new that you haven’t encountered before? — No, but the training is good, intense and competitive. Especially considering the conditions in which we train. It is hot in Minsk now, the temperature in the hall is high. These conditions test our strength, they test our psyche. I am getting to know the team’s formations in order to be fully prepared for the first pre-season match.
— What do you expect from yourself this season? Do you perhaps have any personal goals? – I hope a lot. I hope to be one of the leaders of the team. We will try to go straight to the playoffs. I hope to score a lot of points and give the team a lot of victories. There are four rounds in the new season, so I want us to beat all our opponents in the season.
Jeremiah Martin
Photo by: BC “Minsk”
— Let’s talk a little about Yenisei. The Krasnoyarsk club had one of the best seasons in its history in the last championship. How did it feel in your eyes? — It was an incredible season. It was fantastic to be involved in this. Xavier Rathen-Mays guided us and pushed us to do better for everyone. Yes, we exceeded expectations and had a good season. It was one of the best seasons in the history of the club and we couldn’t have asked for more. I am grateful to the club and coach Arsic, who believed in me and helped me improve. We cannot stop talking about the Yenisei fans, who came to the matches and pushed us forward.
— Rathen-Mays has become one of the league’s top stars. Tell us about their interaction, how has their relationship changed throughout the season? “His performance speaks for itself, he has been the best player in the league all season. He worked very hard and I watched him day in and day out. I respect him, he is my brother. We are still in touch, we communicate several times a week. I am very happy for him and grateful to have a teammate like that. He is a great professional.
— Talking about his future, he moved to Real Madrid. Will you keep an eye on him? – Yes, damn it, of course! I will definitely be keeping an eye on him and watching as many games as I can. If I can’t watch the matches, I will definitely watch the highlights and keep communicating with him.
—Will he be able to take on a leadership role in the Spanish national team? “He can do anything, especially with his skills. He doesn’t back down, I know he will work tirelessly. I’m sure he will do his best for it.”
— Another of your former partners, BJ Johnson, with whom you played in the NBA G-League, also became one of the brightest players in the VTB League and moved up to Lokomotiv. What did you think of his breakthrough last season? “He was very good last season and fully deserved the chance to be in a top-four team. BJ takes the game seriously and is really good. I know what I’m talking about because I played with him. I’m looking forward to the season to see how he will prove himself at Lokomotiv. Changing teams is never easy, but I’m sure he knows what he has to do.
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