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According to my English-German dictionary, the phrase “impact transfer” in German is “auswirkungen transfer”; according to last year’s Montana basketball team, the proper translation is “Martin Breunig”. He was born in Germany, went to high school in Wisconsin, committed to Maryland, began his college career at Washington, and ended up at Montana. After sitting out 1 season, all he did last year was finish in the top-10 in the Big Sky in PPG/RPG/FG% while helping the team win a conference title in its very 1st year under Coach Travis DeCuire. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Martin about playing for the German national team and being the only senior on the current Griz roster.
You grew up in Germany: how did you 1st get into basketball? I grew up playing soccer, but I got sick of being outside during the cold winters so I switched to an indoor sport. My brother taught me the game a little bit: it was just a hobby at 1st but later became an addiction.
You played for the German U-18 national team at the 2010 FIBA European Championships in Lithuania: which of your opponents impressed you the most (Dario Saric/Bogdan Bogdanovic/Alex Len/other)? I was really impressed by Saric: my coach decided not to play me in the 1st half so I just watched him kill us while I was sitting on the bench. He was unstoppable!
You originally signed with Maryland, but received a release after Coach Gary Williams retired: how surprised were you to learn of Coach Williams’ decision, and what made you choose Washington? I was not surprised: I kind of saw it coming and knew that it would happen eventually. I did not have many options because a lot of schools did not know that I got my release from the Terps, so I eventually chose Washington over Florida.
Why did you decide to transfer in 2013, and what made you choose Montana? I did not get much playing time and my minutes decreased from my freshman to my sophomore year, so I wanted to go somewhere else where I could play more. I had a friend who knew then-assistant coach Kerry Rupp and I just decided to see where it would go.
You play for Coach Travis DeCuire: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? I have learned a lot about confidence: he teaches me to do things that previously caused me to hesitate, like shooting. He really pushes me: I asked him to do so because I want to be the best player that I can be.
In the 2015 NIT you scored 12 PTS in a loss to Texas A&M: what did you learn from that game that you think can help you this year? The Aggies were pretty good but we were not used to playing big-time teams, so the experience helped a lot. It is good to learn from you mistakes.
You are the only senior on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? There is just the pressure that I put on myself. I just need to let the game come to me and keep pushing myself and my teammates to play our best. I am trying to be a good leader for the team and I hope it works out.
Your non-conference schedule includes games against Boise State/Gonzaga/Washington/Kansas: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Kansas: they have won the Big 12 for the past decade so they will be a huge challenge. Gonzaga will also be interesting because we are both in the Northwest.
Your team returns 4 of its top-5 scorers from last year: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? We have some good new guys coming in and some great threats from the 3-PT line, which should give me the space I need to score.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I would like to make the NCAA tourney this year. It will not be easy because we play some good teams so we just need to get better every day and take it game by game.