by Jason Cruz
Northwest Asia Weekly
From left; Remy Martin, Hyungjung Lee and Johnny Juzang
Welcome to another version of layup drills. In this issue, we take a look at the NCAA Tournament and March Madness.
Remy resurfaces to win title in Kansas
The NCAA Men’s Final Four featured the Kansas Jayhawks, who defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels in the championship game. The Jayhawks use Remy Martin as their point guard. Martin’s mother is Filipino, and the senior guard is proud of his heritage.
After four years at Arizona State, Martin used his final year qualification to transfer to Kansas. The transition proved to be a success for Martin and the Jayhawks.
He was considered this year’s Big 12 preseason player even before he played a game for his school. Martin was a central part of the team’s success this year. That adds to his list of accomplishments at Arizona State, where he averaged 20 points per game and made the first-team All-League twice as the Sun Devils. But the chance to reach the semi-finals never came. Martin, who did not waive eligibility, moved to Kansas after declaring that he was not selected for the 2021 NBA draft.
“I just wanted to show people the Filipino heritage that they can play at the highest level,” he told the Kansas City Star. “I’m not the tallest person. I’m not the most athletic person, but I love the sport and I’m here right now.”
The 6-foot guard uses his signature speed and explosiveness to support the Jayhawks offense. Martin contributed the most to the NCAA Tournament and Final Four at Kansas.In the British Championship, he scored 14 points to help win the championship
Kansas State National Champion.
Davidson junior following in Curry’s footsteps
Davidson College’s most famous basketball alumni is Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry.
The men’s team has had one of its best seasons this year since Curry played for the team.
Davidson played in the NCAA Tournament thanks in part to the contributions of Hyungjung Lee. The 21-year-old, 6-foot-7 South Korean plays after another Golden State Warrior, Klay Thompson.
He first started playing basketball in South Korea, and his family has a ball blood. His mother played for the South Korean national team and won a silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. His father was a basketball coach and athletic director at a local high school. His sister plays for the under-16 national team. Lee plays for South Korea on his under-17 FIBA basketball team. After that, he entered the NBA Global Academy, an academy for top young basketball players to train and finish high school.
In 2019, he participated in the G-League showcase, and after college scouts watched high school players play, he won college scholarships from different schools. He chose to play at Davidson instead of WSU.
Now a junior, Lee helped the Wildcats go 15-3 in the league and 27-7 overall. That record earned them an invitation to the NCAA Tournament this year.
Lee scored 11 points in an uphill battle in the first-round matchup against Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, Lee and Davidson lost to the Spartans by just one point, 74-73.
The Giant Tibetan Bears fell short this year
Last year was a breakout year for UCLA’s Johnny Juzang. After Juzang’s surprise run to the Final Four at UCLA, the 6-foot-7 guard decided to return to the Bears for another season. After initially naming the 2021 NBA Draft, Juzang reconsidered and believes a return to the Bruins will help his basketball development. Taking advantage of new college name, image and likeness rules that allow college players to make money based on their role in college, Juzang signed with WME Sports and an endorsement deal with Los Angeles-based performance apparel company Legends.
This year, Juzang, who is half Vietnamese, is averaging nearly 16 points per game for the Bruins. But unlike last year, the jubilant Bruins lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to the eventual Final Four, North Carolina.
The next time we see Ju Zang is likely to be in the NBA.
Jason is available at info@nwasianweekly.com.
