Maurice "Mo" Martin (born July 2, 1964) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. He played at
Saint Joseph's University
Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College. Saint Joseph's is the seventh olde ...
from 1982 to 1986
and was an
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
honorable mention All-American in his senior year. The 1986
Atlantic 10
The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...
Player of the Year, he was a three-time selection to both the All-Conference team and the All-Big 5 squad. He is one of five
Saint Joseph's Hawks
The Saint Joseph's Hawks are the athletic teams that represent Saint Joseph's University of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Hawks compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference a ...
to be chosen in the first round of the NBA Draft (drafted by the Denver Nuggets, taken 16th overall)
1986 NBA Draft. Martin played two seasons in the NBA, averaging 3.0 points per game in 69 games for the Nuggets.
Martin was then selected by the
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...
in the
1989 NBA expansion draft, but never played for the team, and ended up retiring completely from the NBA at the age of just 24 due to chronic knee pain.
He is still the only player from Sullivan County, NY to ever play in the NBA.
Following his NBA career, he became a certified electrician
and worked for the Pepsi Center for nearly 20 years as a supervisor that would transform the arena's playing surfaces
In 2016, he was diagnosed with
Amyloidosis
Amyloidosis is a group of diseases in which abnormal proteins, known as amyloid fibrils, build up in tissue. There are several non-specific and vague signs and symptoms associated with amyloidosis. These include fatigue, peripheral edema, weight ...
and as of 2020,
is currently seeking a kidney transplant following complications of Amyloidosis.
References
External links
*
1964 births
Living people
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from New York (state)
Denver Nuggets draft picks
Denver Nuggets players
Minnesota Timberwolves expansion draft picks
People from Liberty, New York
Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
Universiade medalists in basketball
Universiade silver medalists for the United States
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