Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Kemery Martín: Staying Close To Home
1/13/2020 4:39 PM | Women's Basketball
When five-star and top-100 recruit Kemery Martín signed with the University of Utah women’s basketball program in November of 2018, the Utes’ coaching staff could feel the electricity surrounding the program increase.
Like the talented Utes before her, Martín chose to come to Utah, but unlike her teammates, Martín’s journey to the U. began just a few miles away. Martín grew up in Sandy, Utah, just a 20-minute drive from the Utah campus and became the first local recruit to sign with the Utes since head coach Lynne Roberts took over the program in 2015.
Martín took a familiar route for young Utah basketball players to becoming one of the top recruits in the country, getting her start with a Junior Jazz team. Her start to basketball had a family feeling attached to it, thanks to her father and her older sister.
“When my sister started getting involved in basketball, my dad made a Junior Jazz team with her age group, so I played up with them,” she said. “My dad was my first real coach and that was in fifth grade. I actually started playing in third grade for another Junior Jazz team and I remember being the tallest on the team with low hoops, so I remember thinking ‘man this is so easy,’ so it is probably good I started playing up an age group.”
Martín was extremely active during her younger years, playing soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, ballet and cheer. While she enjoyed the experience of getting to play multiple sports, she quickly realized how much passion she was developing for basketball.
“I just love the competitiveness that basketball brings,” she said. “Those others sports were fun, but basketball is great because you don’t have to stress too much about it. You get to just have fun and compete and it gave me something to look forward to.”
Being active was easy for Martín, growing up with three siblings in the same house for 12 years. She has an older sister and then two younger siblings, a brother and a sister, giving her a reason to constantly be out doing something with friends and family.
“We would always be running around the neighborhood,” Martín said. “Me and my younger brother would go out and try to find a small basketball hoop to play dunk ball or go play football with the guys. I was always finding sports to play. It was just fun having that type of community and it was a blast growing up here.”
That active lifestyle would translate into Martín’s basketball game. When college coaches started paying attention when she was in middle school, Martín came to realize that her passion for the game could turn into a way to also receive a top-tier education and basketball career.
“Eighth grade year I started getting looks from college coaches and that is when I decided that going to college to play basketball would be something I would want to do,” she said. “From there, I just had the mindset and determination to work for that and try to get better every day.”
That determination and mindset would translate into her outstanding high school career. Martín was a four-time all-state selection and the Utah Gatorade Player of the Year, also earning the title of Ms. Basketball as a senior.
Although it was Martín getting in the gym to do the work, she gives a lot of credit to her older sister. The duo would train together, talk recruiting together and simply be there for each other.
“She is very determined in what she does, and I love that about her,” Martín said. “I have followed in her footsteps with that. She is always there to push me and encourage me, but we also have a good balance of not letting ourselves burn out. We work hard and we work a lot, but we also make sure to set aside time for just ourselves to hang out and have fun.”
When it came time to choose a college to play basketball, it was easy for Martín’s older sister to step in and help her weigh the decision. Mariah Martín, who is currently a junior for Westminster College in Salt Lake City, went through the recruiting process two years prior and was a valuable tool for Kemery to use in her recruiting experience.
When it came down to it though, Martín’s decision was an easy one.
“I did take other visits and it was a neat experience, but just being here and having the support that I knew I was going to have here was super helpful in my decision,” Martín said. “When I came on my visit here, I got to know the team and I was super comfortable with them. The coaches were honest with me and getting to build relationships with them was good.”
Martín is currently 16 games into her true freshman season, playing in every game this year. She has started nine games, averaging 3.7 points per game. She recently had a breakout game, putting up a collegiate career-high 12 points in helping the Utes to their first conference victory of the season.
While Martín isn’t necessarily putting up the numbers she did at Corner Canyon High School, she knows the process of becoming a Division I athlete is important. Even though she is just in her first season with the Utes, every day confirms that she made the right decision in staying in Salt Lake City.
“It has been a learning process, which has been good,” she said. “I feel like I am taking steps forward and I am being pushed here, which is what I needed. High school was fun, but here it is all business. I’ve just been taking it day-by-day and learning something new every day. It has been a cool experience and I am looking forward to the rest of the year.”
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