Andy Katz: Arizona State’s Remy Martin is a top 5 returning player

Arizona State guard Remy Martin’s decision to withdraw from the NBA draft and suit up with the Sun Devils for his senior season made him one of the top returning players in the country, according to NCAA.com analyst Andy Katz.

Katz ranked the top 20 returning players in the country and placed Martin at No. 4 on the list.

“(Remy Martin) is one of the most undervalued players in the country,” Katz said on his ‘March Madness 365’ podcast on Aug. 25. “One of the better scorers in the country and the Pac-12, (he) can distribute the ball, make money shots.”

Martin was the second-leading scorer in the Pac-12 last season, averaging 19.1 points with 4.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds.

Over the course of his three seasons with the Sun Devils, Martin has averaged 13.8 points, 4.0 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per game.

“Remy Martin is one of those players who has got better and better throughout the course of his career,” Katz said.

Martin in the podcast with Katz explained he decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft due to uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Not being able to know where I’m going to land or if I’m even going to have the right opportunity to be able to play and show my abilities, that really got to me a little bit,” Martin said.

Martin’s decision to play again with the Sun Devils for his senior season places him on a team that has lofty expectations for the upcoming campaign.

Fellow guard Alonzo Verge Jr., who averaged 14.6 points per game with 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season, is joining Martin in returning to the Sun Devils for another season initially declaring for the NBA Draft.

The team also features a stellar recruiting class headlined by incoming freshman Josh Christopher, a five-star prospect.

The Sun Devils have made the NCAA Tournament in each of Martin’s three seasons with the team, but he wants more to cap his career in the desert.

“Arizona State has really been a winning program, but not where I want it to be,” Martin said. “I want to win a National Championship, I want to win the Pac-12.”

“I have so many things I want to do before I leave… I just want to leave a winning imprint on this organization,” Martin said.

Katz can see that happening as he said the team has a legitimate shot to not only win the Pac-12 but be a team that makes a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.