The Downward Spiral of an Aztec : Weak-Kneed John Martens Has Fallen on Hard Times

SAN DIEGO —  ‘It has been especially frustrating because I played in organized leagues since I was 9 years old, and I was never really injured until I came to San Diego State.’

--John Martens

In many ways, San Diego State forward John Martens’ first visit to Hawaii and his most recent one epitomize the direction of his college basketball career.

During his first trip to the islands, Martens was a starting forward for the University of San Francisco. The Dons were ranked sixth in the nation and were playing in the Rainbow Classic. Martens was a freshman. His future looked bright.

That was about three years ago.

During his last visit to Honolulu four days ago, Martens was attempting to come back from his third knee injury in two years. He came off the SDSU bench and played 13 ineffective minutes against the University of Hawaii.

He did not score, missing both of the shots he took from the field. He got only two rebounds and was hampered by his limited mobility. He looked out of sync with the Aztec offense and was not the strong presence on defense he used to be. Now, the future looks bleak for the 6-foot 8-inch junior.

“It’s the running that’s hurting him,” Aztec guardAnthony Watson said. “He could do a great job if we played halfcourt.”

In late December, Martens underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and was forced to miss six games. Thursday night’s game against Hawaii was Martens’ fourth appearance since he began his latest comeback. He scored 11 points and got 10 rebounds in the Aztecs’ lopsided win over United States International University last Tuesday, but has been ineffective in the other three games--at Hawaii, New Mexico and Texas El Paso.

“It’s frustrating not being able to perform the way I want to,” Martens said. ‘I depend on finesse and on having that split-second timing, and whenever I get close to being able to perform the way I want, I get hurt.”

The question now is, how much playing time will Aztec Coach Smokey Gaines allow Martens during the team’s important Western Athletic Conference games down the stretch?

“Some guys can play on ability alone,” Gaines said, “but John depends a lot on timing. His timing is way off. Gerald (Murray), Jeff (Konek) and Bobby (Owens) might give us more right now. I might play John some on Monday (tonight) against Air Force.”

SDSU (14-4, 5-2 in the WAC) plays host to Air Force (4-12, 0-7) at 7:35 tonight at the San Diego Sports Arena. UTEP leads the WAC with a 7-1 mark, followed by BYU at 6-2, and SDSU and New Mexico at 5-2.

The Aztecs easily defeated the Falcons, 88-73, on Jan. 5 in Colorado Springs. If that game is indicative of the disparity between the clubs--and it probably is--then Gaines should be able to give Martens ample playing time tonight.

Though tonight may be one of Martens’ final chances this season, frustration is not new to him.

It’s been one step forward and two steps backward for Martens since he came to San Diego in 1982.

Because USF--which will return to the West Coast Athletic Conference next season under former University of San Diego Coach Jim Brovelli--temporarily dropped basketball the year Martens transferred to SDSU, he did not have to redshirt a year and was eligible to play immediately for the Aztecs.

He won a starting job in early in the 1982-83 season but suffered a broken right kneecap in practice and eventually missed 11 games. He averaged only 6.3 points and 1.6 rebounds the first year.

After just six games of the following season, he reinjured the same knee. Because he played sparingly in those six games, Martens received a retroactive redshirt from the WAC and the NCAA.

This year, Martens started at forward and was instrumental in six of the Aztecs’ first seven wins. He was second in rebounds on the team behind center Leonard Allen and was a stabilizing force on the court.

But Martens said his other knee--the left one--became swollen and started making a “clicking sound” a few days before a Dec. 11 game against UC Santa Barbara.

He missed that game. The left knee was drained and he sat out a week. When the swelling did not subside, he underwent arthroscopic surgery.

“It has been especially frustrating because I played in organized leagues since I was 9 years old,” Martens said, “and I was never really injured until I came to San Diego State.”

Martens averaged 32 points and 15 rebounds per game during his senior year at Newbury Park High in Thousand Oaks. Now, at 22, his career is in jeopardy. And it is affecting his personality. The normally reserved Martens has been even quieter than usual lately.

“John is a likeable person,” Watson said, “but you go through a hard time when you come back from an injury. You want to come back 100% and contribute to the team right away.”

Because he is not contributing much, Martens feels like an outsider on the team.

“Every year I try to get into things,” he said, “but you don’t really feel like part of the team when you’re sitting on the bench in street clothes.

“It’s been so disappointing the past few years. It has to go right sooner or later.”

Sooner would be tonight. Later would be next season, if ever.