Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
Tori Martell Carries Sense of Confidence Into New Season
10/25/2018 2:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
“I think the biggest difference (this season) for me is confidence,” said Tori Martell, who figures to make a big impact for the Montana State women’s basketball team during the 2018-19 schedule
Tori Martell spent her freshman season transitioning from a do-it-all high school guard to a three-point specialist at Montana State. She finished last year shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, good for second on the team. She ended last season strong, finishing with a career-high 18 points and six rebounds against Eastern Washington late in the season.
Going into her sophomore season, the combo guard has a new sense of confidence.
"I think the biggest difference (this season), for me is confidence," said Martell. "Last year I came in – (as a) new player – you don't really know the offense. (You) don't exactly have great chemistry with your teammates. Getting a year of experience brings it all together. You know the offense, know what the coaches want, you just have a lot more experience."
The Somerset, Wisc., native comes from an active family. Her sister, Ashley, played college basketball at the University of Minnesota. Last season, Tori was a contributor from the start. She saw game action in 30 of the Bobcats' 31 games. Tori credits Ashley with helping her through a hectic transition of becoming a college student-athlete.
"She (Ashley) helped me through it a lot," said Martell. "She told me it's going to be hard, but you have to just get through freshman year, play as hard as you can and get better. Having a sister that had gone through it definitely helped."
Off the court, Martell was named to the All-Big Sky Conference Academic team last year and is on MSU's President's List with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. Martell studies nursing, which like basketball, runs in the family.
"My sister is a PA (physician assistant), so she went into the medical field," said Martell. "My grandma was a nurse so it's kind of a family thing. I've also just always been interested in nursing and that field."
Contributing on the court and dominating in the classroom, Martell showed an incredible work ethic her freshman year. She credits the competitive environment she grew up in for her work ethic.
"My family is really competitive, we worked out together my whole life," Martell said. "We've done everything together, we always tried to be better than one another. Me and my friends in high school competed in everything, whether it was grades, school, just trying to be the best."
Going into her sophomore season, Martell put that work ethic to use and used the offseason as an opportunity to expand her game.
"I worked on getting downhill a lot more, creating opportunities for teammates," said Martell. "I always just work on shooting too. I'm always in the gym, always getting up shots."
Martell, playing a larger role this year, hopes to show her expanded game and confidence against Big Sky opponents this upcoming season. The MSU women's basketball opens their season on Tuesday Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. against Montana Western in Worthington Arena.
Going into her sophomore season, the combo guard has a new sense of confidence.
"I think the biggest difference (this season), for me is confidence," said Martell. "Last year I came in – (as a) new player – you don't really know the offense. (You) don't exactly have great chemistry with your teammates. Getting a year of experience brings it all together. You know the offense, know what the coaches want, you just have a lot more experience."
The Somerset, Wisc., native comes from an active family. Her sister, Ashley, played college basketball at the University of Minnesota. Last season, Tori was a contributor from the start. She saw game action in 30 of the Bobcats' 31 games. Tori credits Ashley with helping her through a hectic transition of becoming a college student-athlete.
"She (Ashley) helped me through it a lot," said Martell. "She told me it's going to be hard, but you have to just get through freshman year, play as hard as you can and get better. Having a sister that had gone through it definitely helped."
Off the court, Martell was named to the All-Big Sky Conference Academic team last year and is on MSU's President's List with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. Martell studies nursing, which like basketball, runs in the family.
"My sister is a PA (physician assistant), so she went into the medical field," said Martell. "My grandma was a nurse so it's kind of a family thing. I've also just always been interested in nursing and that field."
Contributing on the court and dominating in the classroom, Martell showed an incredible work ethic her freshman year. She credits the competitive environment she grew up in for her work ethic.
"My family is really competitive, we worked out together my whole life," Martell said. "We've done everything together, we always tried to be better than one another. Me and my friends in high school competed in everything, whether it was grades, school, just trying to be the best."
Going into her sophomore season, Martell put that work ethic to use and used the offseason as an opportunity to expand her game.
"I worked on getting downhill a lot more, creating opportunities for teammates," said Martell. "I always just work on shooting too. I'm always in the gym, always getting up shots."
Martell, playing a larger role this year, hopes to show her expanded game and confidence against Big Sky opponents this upcoming season. The MSU women's basketball opens their season on Tuesday Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. against Montana Western in Worthington Arena.
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