Mike Martin
When Thomas Wolfe wrote, “you can never come home again,” he didn’t have Mike Martin in mind. Brown University named former Brown basketball standout Mike Martin ‘04 the 31st head men’s basketball coach in the program’s 106-year history on June 1, 2012. Martin (born July 4, 1982) launched his Brown career in 2012-2013 as the fourth youngest head men’s basketball coach in Division I.
“Mike Martin brings tremendous energy, enthusiasm and leadership to the Brown Basketball program,” said Brown Director of Athletics Jack Hayes. “His experience in the Ivy League as both a successful student-athlete and coach has prepared him for this opportunity. We are excited that he is returning to his alma mater and look forward to the program returning to the top of the Ivy League."
In six short years at the helm of the Brown Basketball team, Martin has changed the direction and culture of the program, with the building blocks in place to develop an Ivy Championship team.
In his first year as head coach of the Bears, Martin was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award as the nation's outstanding first-year head coach after leading the Bears to a turnaround season with a 13-15 overall record, including a fourth place finish in the Ivy standings with a 7-7 mark after winning four of its last five games.
Martin instilled a defensive work effort on the court that translated into an improvement in team defense of five points per game from the previous season. He also coached Brown's first ever Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, Cedric Kuakumensah '16.
Martin's 2013-2014 team posted a 15-14 overall record and hosted Brown's first ever postseason game, playing Holy Cross in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament at the Pizzitola Sports Center. In addition, Kuakumensah was named the Ivy League's Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
Martin's first recruiting class proved to be one of the most honored in Brown basketball history, with three different freshmen being named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week a school record 10 times - forward Leland King '17 (four times), forward Steven Spieth '17 (three times) and guard Norman Hobbie '17 (three times).
A four-year starter at Brown, Martin was part of the winningest class in the Bears' basketball history, posting a 63-45 four-year record from 2000-2004. He also helped the Class of 2004 to a school-record 39-17 Ivy League mark during that period -- the best by an Ivy League team other than Penn and Princeton since 1970.
Mike is being inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in the Perry Category for distinguished achievement in two categories (player and coach), and was inducted along with his dad, Mike, who was inducted into the Icon category, his uncle, Buddy, who played at Dartmouth and was inducted in the Prep School Category, cousins Colin and Sean Tabb, representing their high schools, and his late grandfather, William, who played at Providence College and was inducted in the high school category.
"I'm honored and thrilled to be the head coach at Brown, a school at which I have so many fond memories,” said Martin. “I believe strongly in all we have to offer at Brown and am eager to connect with all the current players, Brown alumni, fans, and supporters."
An economics concentrator as an undergraduate, Martin was co-captain of Brown's 2003-2004 team that finished second in the Ivy League standings for the third time in his four years, and defeated Princeton for the first time ever in Princeton, New Jersey. He also helped the Bears to a school-record four straight winning seasons.
A native of Agawam, Mass., where he starred at Cathedral High School, Martin averaged 11 points per game for Brown as a senior. He also played a major role on the Bears' 2003 team that posted a 12-2 Ivy League mark and earned a berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). When he graduated, Martin ranked third all-time at Brown in career treys (143), ninth in career steals (113), and tenth in career assists (232).
After graduating from Brown, Martin spent the 2004-05 season playing professionally for Dart Killester in Ireland's top division of professional basketball.
Martin launched his coaching career at Brown on head coach Glen Miller’s staff as an assistant coach in 2005-2006. He joined Miller at Penn in 2006-2007 as an assistant coach and enjoyed a memorable season, with the Quakers posting a 22-9 record, winning the Ivy League Championship with a 13-1 League mark, and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
At Penn, he helped head coach Jerome Allen and the Quakers post 20 wins overall in 2011-2012 for the first time since 2006-07, finishing second in the Ivy League at 11-3, one game behind Harvard in the standings. Penn then played in the postseason College Basketball Invitational, defeating Quinnipiac in the opening round before falling to Butler in the quarterfinal round.
Martin has helped recruit and mentor some of the Ivy League's top players during his time at Brown and Penn, including Sean McGonagill '14, Brown's third all-time leading scorer and a two-time first team All-Ivy selection under Martin; Matt Mullery ’10, Brown’s all-time leader in blocked shots; and Penn’s Zack Rosen, the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2011-12 and the program's all-time assist leader. He also developed Kuakumensah ’16 into the greatest shot blocker in Ivy League history and the only player in Ivy annals to score 1,000 points, grab 800 rebounds and block 300 shots.
Martin and his wife, the former Kristin Ferrell ’04, who played soccer at Brown, have three daughters, Keira, Avery and Teagan, and reside in Barrington, Rhode Island.