'Our group chat name is 2025 Big Ten champs': Zach Martini expects big things as team captain for Rutgers men's basketball
Graduate student forward and center Zach Martini is bringing a whole lot of leadership, experience and success to the Banks in his first season with the Rutgers men's basketball team.
As a high schooler playing at Gill St. Bernard's, Martini led his squad to the Somerset County Championship in 2019 while surpassing both 1,000 points and rebounds throughout his career.
After a three-year tenure at Princeton — which included a Cinderella Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament — Martini transferred to the Scarlet Knights in hopes of some more March magic in New Jersey.
Before even playing a game in a Rutgers uniform, Martini has been named one of the captains for this year's team to lead what is primarily a young and inexperienced group.
"It means a lot to me, it's obviously a great honor," Martini said. "One thing that I want to tell everyone is do what you do really well, and just bring that strength to the team."
The 6-foot-8 Warren, New Jersey, product brings some much-needed size to a Knights squad that lost their most reliable big man, Clifford Omuruyi, who transferred to Alabama. But it's not just Martini's physical presence, it's the combination of his size and shooting ability that will provide great spacing for the team's offense, after averaging career highs with 38.5 percent from three-point range and 8.4 points per game last season.
"The type of player I am … stand in the corner, shoot when I'm open and crash the offensive glass, play hard," Martini said about his game. "I think I can adapt to most systems."
He won't be the focal point of the offense but should be a solid complementary piece playing next to the likes of freshmen Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.
"I'm not the star of the team, but I can be a star in other facets of the game," Martini said. "I take pride in being someone who these young guys look up upon."
After the addition of four new programs this year to the Big Ten, the standings are only going to be more of a log jam. Martini knows what it takes to get to the NCAA Tournament and win while you're there.
"There's no doubt in my mind. It starts with a great work ethic. 1 through 15," Martini said when asked if this team has what it takes to make a run in March.
The newly named captain has high hopes for this Rutgers team and hopes to help lead the squad in accomplishing them.
"We've got some high goals. Our group chat name is 2025 Big Ten champs and we believe that," Martini said. "We're working towards that every day … Running through the fire is one thing that we want to embrace."
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