Sacramento State won 2 of its final 4 regular season games last month but was unable to get by Weber State in the Big Sky tourney last Monday. Back in the 1980s they were in D-2 and their star was Robert Martin, who remains the school’s all-time leader in PTS/3PM despite having graduated more than 3 decades ago. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Robert’s former coach Joseph Anders about his star player. Today marks the 35th anniversary of Robert playing his regional semifinal game in the D-2 tourney on March 11, 1988, so we take this time to remember his remarkable career.
What made Robert choose Sacramento State? We had a new staff/program that had aspirations of making it to the next level as a D-1 institution, which they achieved soon after Robert graduated. It was my motivation as well.
His nickname was “Money”: who gave him the nickname, and how did he like it? He loved it! We came together at the right time because it was the era where they introduced the 3-PT line. Rob and Alex Williams would just spread the floor and knock down shots from behind the arc, which is how he got the nickname.
He remains the all-time leading scorer/3-PT shooter in school history: did you realize at the time how prolific a player he was, and do you think that anyone will ever break his records? I did not know that but the guards on that team were great. Rob was good but Alex was even more proficient from 3-PT range. Rob learned a lot from Alex in terms of practice habits/training regimen, which he would tell you himself.
In December of 1987 you had a 3-PT win over Texas A&M: how were you able to pull off the upset? We knew how to play basketball: the game does not change no matter who your opponent is.
That team set a school record with 22 wins: what made those guys such a special group? We believed in 1 another and grew together. We all trusted each other and those young men lifted me to an almost-40-year career because of the way that they responded. I love those kids because they gave me the opportunity to live my dream. The games were fun because we practiced so hard: our success was driven by everything they brought to the gym every single day. Rob was the leader: he became “Money Rob” because he always showed up.
They also had the highest scoring average with 93.1 PPG: what made the offense so effective? We had a PG named Chris Farr who loved to pass the ball to open people: he created the most artistic ways of feeding the shooter. I just let my players play: Chris practiced 1 play where he would drop the ball off between his legs to the trailer in Rob/Alex! We had a couple of games over 120 PTS: everything just clicked and it felt right. We always prayed for no injuries and it was fun to watch. I wish someone could put together the films from that season.
They made the NCAA tourney but lost twice to Cal State-Hayward: how big a deal was it at the time to make the tourney? It was huge. I actually received the Northern California COY award over guys like Mike Montgomery.
As a senior he led all of D-2 with 118 3PM: what was his secret for making shots from behind the arc? Trust from a coach who let him do it and believed in him. I had some incredible talent: we led the nation at 1 point with 10 3PM/game. I knew those kids could shoot and told them that I preferred threes over layups. I had some big-time risers as well so if we could spread the defense then we became the hottest ticket in town. I usually got to the game at least 2 hours early. I remember arriving to 1 game where people were actually waiting on the sidewalk and backed up into the street. I walked into the gym and there was simply no more room for anyone to enter. It was not me: I give my players all of the credit.
In 2017 he was inducted into the Sacramento State Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of his career? I have not had a lot of contact with Rob since then but he was an incredible young man: he was 1 of the crown jewels that we had.
When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? He took the school to heart and graduated and played the game the right way. He played hard all the time and could shoot the basketball because that is who he was. I had the pleasure of watching him grow into an incredible player/young man.