Arizona’s Esmery Martinez didn’t just impress the Conference of Champions this past weekend. After garnering Pac-12 Player of the Week honors on Monday, Martinez is the Associated Press Player of the Week. She becomes the first Wildcat to win the award, which is in its inaugural season. It is also the first time Martinez received Pac-12 or national honors in her career.
In Arizona’s road sweep over the Bay Area schools, Martinez averaged 18.5 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Martinez finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, and one assist in the Wildcats’ win over No. 3 Stanford. She also scored her 1,500th career point against the Cardinal, and is the only active player in the country with 1,500 points, 1,200 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 steals, and 100 blocks.
Martinez followed it up with a season high-tying 20-point performance, along with nine rebounds, and a season-high seven assists in Sunday’s win over Cal at Haas Pavilion.
Esmery Martinez and the Wildcats continue their late season push for an NCAA Tournament bid. After the historic road sweep featuring two Quad 1 wins over No. 3 Stanford and Cal, Arizona’s NET ranking rose from 42 to 33. Even after the impressive weekend, ESPN’s Charlie Creme still has the Cats on the bubble. His latest bracketology currently has Arizona, a .500 team in the country’s toughest league, as a “First Four Out” team.
The fifth-year senior looks to extend Arizona’s four-game win streak, as the Cats return home to host No. 7 USC and No. 8 UCLA to round out the regular season.