Lady Indians add highly-decorated Byers star Justice Martin
Justice is hands down one of the best shooters I’ve seen come through our program. ICC is getting a good one and she is leaving some big shoes to fill here at Byers next year. -- Byers head coach Jason Thompson
Lady Indians add highly-decorated Byers star Justice Martin
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com
FULTON, MS – Itawamba Community College head women's basketball coach Nanci Gray announced the signing of highly-decorated HW Byers star Justice Martin on Thursday.
Martin averaged 15.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game to help Coach Jason Thompson and the Lady Lions (24-5) win their third-straight Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 1A State Championship and earning her second All-State and All-Division honors.
"Justice is hands down one of the best shooters I've seen come through our program," said Byers head coach Jason Thompson. "ICC is getting a good one and she is leaving some big shoes to fill here at Byers next year."
In the championship game, she scored a game-high 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead her team to a 63-41 win over Hinds AHS and earn Most Valuable Player honors. The Lady Lions finished No. 10 in the Clarion Ledger's final Super 10 ranking of the season and help the No. 1 spot in the Class 1A rankings all season long.
Martin was also named MVP of the Mississippi-Tennessee All-Star game held at Olive Branch High School earlier this month.
She averaged 11.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game during her junior season as the Lady Lions finished 29-4 on the year and earn the New Comer of the Year award to go along with All-State and All-Division honors while being selected to Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) Junior All-Star game where she won the three-point shooting contest.
"We are extremely excited to have a player like Justice joining our program," said Coach Gray. "She is a proven winner coming from program like Byers and playing for a coach like Coach Thompson. We feel like with a pair of state championships under her belt she knows what it takes to play at a championship level and will hopefully bring a lot of that to the team both on and off the floor next season."
Martin joins fellow state champions Nikki McMillian and Anna Rosenbaum of Pontotoc High School and South Pontotoc High School standout CC Costilow as the newest members of the defending National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 Champion Lady Indians 2013-14 signing class.
For more information on ICC basketball, follow the Lady Indians on Twitter (@LetsGoICC).