Andy Amey
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Molly Martin wasn’t sure she should accept the Facebook inquiry. The e-mail to her mother was a little more persuasive.
As a result, the former Terre Haute North and current Hanover post player — with, fittingly, her parents — is preparing for a basketball trip to Brazil next month with the USA D-3 All-Stars.
Martin will be joined on the NCAA Division III women’s team by at least one familiar face, Rose-Hulman’s Alisa Dickerson. Coach Jon Prevo of the Engineers will be head coach for the all-stars, Rose-Hulman sports information director Kevin Lanke confirmed, and is excited to be able to coach Martin — rather than coaching against her — for a couple of weeks. A Division III men’s all-star team will also be making the trip.
“We’ll spend two days in Orlando at a camp, getting to know each other,” Martin said this week, “and then we go to Brazil.
“We’ll play games at night, and we’ll go to local schools down there — they’re in school, because it’s winter there — and run clinics during the day.”
Martin suspects the people organizing the team heard about her after she was named to the All-Great Lakes Region team at D3hoops.com following the 2009-2010 season — and it’s certainly possible Prevo put in a good word for her too.
The 6-foot-1 senior-to-be at Hanover has already been an all-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference player in each of her first three years of college, leading her team in scoring and rebounding each time. During the past season she was also Most Valuable Player at the HCAC tournament, scoring 89 points — including 36 in the championship game — and grabbing 36 rebounds in three games while leading the Panthers to a runner-up finish.
“She’s been pretty invaluable to our program,” said coach Molly Jones of Hanover. “She’s a great team player, very unselfish … she’s been a good leader for us, and we’re looking for another good season yet to come.
“This is obviously the opportunity of a lifetime for her,” Jones added. “It’s pretty exciting.”
“It will be the first time I’ll have been out of the country,” Martin said. “I’m excited about being able to work in the schools, which will be a great experience.
“It’s a whole different atmosphere, and we’ll have a lot of free time to see the country on our own.”
Molly’s parents, Jim and Cindy Martin, will also be making the trip.
“My dad had to go,” Molly confirmed. “He hasn’t missed one of my games yet.”
Martin is currently working as an intern at Union Hospital’s Center for Fitness and Performance. At Hanover, she’s taking education courses with the idea of becoming a strength and conditioning coach and/or a basketball coach, and she’s already certified as a personal trainer.
But while the upcoming Brazil experience will be valuable to Martin’s future career plans, she’s also planning to use it to help further some still-unfulfilled basketball goals too. Remember, that was a runner-up finish in the HCAC tournament a few months ago.
“It’s been great [at Hanover], definitely a lot of fun,” she said. “And with five seniors [returning to the lineup], we’ve experienced the pressure of a championship game [twice in the past three years].
“This year we hope we don’t crack under it and win [the conference tournament] ourselves.”
