Perth Wildcats star Damian Martin is rapt with his selection for the Boomers' World Championship team as he looks back on an amazing 12 months since heading west to join the 'Cats.
Martin finished the 2008/09 NBL season with the now defunct Sydney Spirit unsure where his basketball future lied, but when his coach Rob Beveridge got the job with the Wildcats he quickly signed up and it has led to the best year of his career.
Martin shone last season as the starting point guard in the Wildcats' championship-winning season and that put him right in the radar of Boomers coach Brett Brown.
After being involved in the training camps, series with Argentina and Stankovic Cup, Martin was one of just two NBL players, the other being Gold Coast's Adam Gibson, to make the Boomers team for the World Championships starting in Turkey on August 28.
Martin was back in Perth today to join in the first day of official pre-season training with the Wildcats and will be in town with the team until Wednesday where he'll embark on a journey to Turkey that likely wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t join the 'Cats.
"I leave on Wednesday to go to the Hall of Fame dinner where Ricky Grace is getting inducted, and then we fly out on Thursday for our pre-tournament in France. The last 12 months have been the best of my career from a lifestyle and professional perspective," Martin said.
"I love Perth the city and obviously in basketball to win a championship is one dream come true and to make the Australian team as well is great. It has just been a fantastic 12 months and it still has another month or so to go, I'm just loving it.
"Now that the team has been officially announced there has been a few restless nights with excitement and now I just can't wait to head overseas to begin the few weeks we'll have over in Turkey."
Martin isn’t sure how much court time he'll see in Turkey with Patrick Mills and Brad Newley likely the starting guards, but just to be involved in a group featuring some stars of the game playing in the NBA and Europe has already been a massive thrill for the 25-year-old.
"Brett's pretty honest and up front and he'll rotate probably eight guys predominantly. If I can make that eight it will be great and give me good minutes, if I'm outside it then I'll just have to work hard in the camp and see if I get some minutes. I'm just over the moon to be part of it though," he said.
"After coming back from last week you realise how good players like David Anderson, Matty Nielsen, Aleks Maric and Patty Mills are. They are world-class players so to be in that squad I see no reason why not only can we get through the first stage and then finish second or third in our group.
"If we can do that then anything can happen once making the final eight. Realistically getting through the first round and making the top eight is the first goal, but we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves."
Martin copped some ribbing from his Wildcats' teammates on arrival for weights this morning, but is looking forward to a few days at home before returning in a month's time to ramp up preparation for the 'Cats season-opener on Sunday October 17 in Adelaide.
"The boys were giving me a bit of a hard time at weights this morning introducing themselves to me again and things like that, but it's great to be back in Perth even though it's just for a few days," Martin said.
"I can't believe how quickly the off-season has come and gone and that we're back into pre-season training again. This is our first full session as a team and I'm excited. Last year we didn’t get together really until a few days before our first tip-off game so it's a good start for us.
"Just being part of a squad where we came in every day and worked so hard, and did a little bit extra on the side is what has helped. Just having 12 months injury-free with all the training with these great blokes is why I've been able to have some personal success on the side."
Martin has one-year left on his Wildcats' contract and has quickly fallen in love with the club and lifestyle of Perth that he feels the bigger money of Europe is unlikely to lure him away.
"You go into a camp with a couple of NBA guys that most Australians know about but then you've got guys like Matty Nielsen and Aleks Maric who are playing for the top two teams in Europe going against each other with supporters who are fanatical and crazy, and live and breathe basketball. The door for Australians to play overseas is wide open and they are making the most of it," Martin said.
"It's hard to say no to half a million Euros but I'm not getting ahead of myself. It's a lifestyle choice as well and I love Perth so if there was ever an offer I'd look at it, but I love playing in the NBL and for Perth so I don’t think Europe is for me. Other guys love their life over there, though, so it provides an opportunity for other Australians."
Wildcats' coach Rob Beveridge has seen Martin grow from a tenacious teenager into national star, and helped him get there, and always felt that he deserved his spot in the Boomers team and couldn’t be happier to see him get the chance to play at the World Championships.
"From day dot I was talking about how he should be in that team. Every team he has ever played for he has led them to win something and he's just a winner. He's a real competitor and you need a player like Damian Martin in the Boomers," Beveridge said.
"He's the best defensive guard in the league and actually shot over 49 per cent from the three-point line last year so that dismissed a lot of people's judgements that he couldn’t shoot the ball. It's thoroughly deserved and we here at Perth are very proud of him for making it.
"He showed that he was the premier point guard this year in the NBL but now he's going to go and play against the very best players in the world. He'll be able to see where he's at against NBA players from around the world and knowing Damo he likes to have a yard stick and he'll see how good they are and raise himself to that level so when he comes back with us he'll be a better player."
