MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — What if?
It’s a simple question that has dogged both Tynice Martin and the West Virginia women’s basketball team for the past two seasons.
As in what if Martin hadn’t fractured her foot in the summer of 2017 and was able to play alongside Teana Muldrow during the 2017-18 season?
Or what if De’Janae Boykin had received a waiver from the NCAA to play last season and guard Kysre Gondrezick hadn’t left the team after just five games for personal reasons?
Two seasons that began with high NCAA tournament aspirations ended in NIT disappointment.
The results of which will be seen this season. Mike Carey brought in two new assistants and a director of operations.
I want to leave a mark. Of course being the all-time leading scorer here is a big deal, but it’s about more than just scoring. It’s more than just being a basketball player. It’s also about academics. I want to leave a legacy behind.
Tynice Martin
A year later, both Boykin — a former UConn recruit — and Gondrezick are eligible and practicing with the team as the Mountaineers prepare to embark on a trip to Italy and Greece in August to play in three exhibition games.
Freshman standouts Madisen Smith and Kari Niblack also return, as does senior guard Lucky Rudd, who developed into a defensive standout after transferring from North Carolina State.
Carey’s 2019 recruiting class includes two national top 100 players in guards Kirsten Deans and Leilani Correa.
And then there is Martin, the fifth-year senior who is on pace to become the school’s all-time leading scorer, who passed up a chance at a professional career in order to return to school for one last go-round.
Why?
“I want this to be the best year that coach Carey has ever had,” Martin said. “I want to make history. It’s not a lot of pressure, but there’s a lot on my plate that I want to get accomplished before I leave.”
On paper the Mountaineers look … and that is where Martin wants to stop that conversation, because she’s gone down that “on paper” road one too many times the last two seasons.
“It’s very dangerous, because a lot of things can go wrong,” she said. “A lot of things you can see on paper, but you don’t see it in person.”
Martin has embraced the changes to the coaching staff and has begun to help the new recruits adjust to life at West Virginia.
“For me, it’s been bittersweet, because for the last four years, I’ve pretty much had the same coaches and the same teammates,” she said. “It’s completely different for everybody. It’s a different culture and a different setup. We’re a younger team.”
But one with potential, which Martin can’t ignore.
“The only thing I can think of is a lack of experience,” Martin said. “I’m the only one left from our (Big 12 tournament) championship team my sophomore year. I think we have ball-handling. We have shooting. We have height and defense. I think we have all the pieces, but we just need to bring them all together.”
Martin announced her return at the end of last season by saying she wanted to become one of the all-time best players at WVU.
Putting off the pros for a year has not hurt. She’s already projected as a first-round pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft.
Statistically speaking, she could have an off season and still become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
Martin needs 526 points to pass Cathy Parson’s mark of 2,113 points. She’s scored more than that in each of her past two seasons, but the mark of being the best means more than just numbers.
“I want to leave a mark,” Martin said. “Of course being the all-time leading scorer here is a big deal, but it’s about more than just scoring. It’s more than just being a basketball player. It’s also about academics. I want to leave a legacy behind.
“I want people to say, ‘Oh, that’s Tynice and I want to be better than her.’ When I was a freshman, Bria Holmes was a senior and I looked up to her. I wanted to be just like her when I was a senior. I wanted to be the go-to person.”
There are banners to be hung and a deep run in the NCAA tournament to be had. That’s what Martin covets more than stats.
Take away a few what-ifs this season and Martin and the Mountaineers just might get there.
“I just want to leave this state having made a lot of history,” Martin said. “That’s pretty much it.”
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