S.J. girls’ hoops player of year: Martin

It's the first thing Jasmine Martin thought of when reflecting on her four years at Timber Creek.

Her coach, Donna Clark, recalled the exact same moment.

It's an image that's hard to forget, a snapshot that could define a career.

With three defenders in her face and less than a second left on the clock, a poised and confident Martin squared up and drained a three-pointer. The shot sent Timber Creek's South Jersey Group 3 quarterfinal against Kingsway on March 3 into overtime. Martin went on to lead the team to a 44-43 victory.

Clark said the play summed up four years of hard work.

Martin, The Inquirer's South Jersey Player of the Year, said it was more than just a moment she had dreamed about.

Both look at it as more of a statement than a play. It represented everything Martin had strived for. The entire game, in which Martin scored 29 points and went 14 for 14 from the foul line, showed all the traits for which the 5-foot-9 forward wants to be remembered.

"When things weren't going well for the team, she wanted to be that person. She wanted to take the game into her own hands," Clark said. "She just has a lot of leadership on and off the court. She's confident and she knows that she's prepared enough to be successful."

Martin averaged an area-best 26.4 points, which amounted to an eye-popping 739 points, a solid career's worth for many players. She finished her career with 1,780 points.

Martin also pulled down 11.8 rebounds per game this season. She recorded 24 double-doubles and one triple-double in 28 games.

"I've been blessed to have a wonderful career for these past four years," said Martin, who will play for Quinnipiac next season. "I just tried to go out there every night and play each game like it was my last.

"This year, I just tried to be a leader. I was the captain, and I knew the girls were going to follow what I was going to do. So all year, I just tried to set an example."

It's her leadership, even more than her immense talent, that set Martin apart this season.

"This team went as she went," Clark said.

And when asked what she hopes to be remembered for, Martin didn't immediately point to the stats she accumulated. Rather, she pointed to the hard work that helped that immense talent come to fruition.

"I hope to be remembered the most for how I played the game," Martin said. "How I never gave up and always kept fighting. Hopefully, people really recognize that about me. And hopefully, people will remember me for that."