How Lexi Martins has become the nation’s second-leading rebounder

Junior forward Lexi Martins first picked up a basketball in third grade, not because she had any interest in the sport, but to hang out with her best friend more.

Now, in her third season on the Lehigh women’s basketball team, she is second in the nation among all Division I players in rebounds per game.

Lehigh women’s basketball coach Sue Troyan and her coaching staff first caught wind of Martins as a freshman in high school when her team was competing at the New York state tournament.

“She was a great scorer and came from a great high school program,” Troyan said. “We probably evaluated her in 20 to 25 different settings before she (verbally) committed, so we knew she could play at this level.”

Troyan calls Martins tough-minded, and while she stands out nationally as a top rebounder, she isn’t exactly built like one. However, she finds ways to make up for her build.

“She’s 6-foot averaging 14 rebounds per game when the person in front of her is 6 feet 4 inches,” Troyan said. “She’s really long with her arms, and she’s smart. She knows how to go after rebounds.”

Martins said she has liked rebounding since high school and finds it interesting because even if she isn’t having a great night scoring the ball, she can still grab rebounds to help the team.

“(Rebounding) is something I’m naturally good at, but it’s also half being in the right place at the right time and half being lucky,” Martins said. “The ball doesn’t always bounce your way.”

Martins averages 14.2 rebounds per game, which is an improvement from last season when she averaged 11.1 rebounds per game.

After spending the past two summers studying and training at Lehigh, Troyan has seen improvements in both Martins’ playing and athleticism.

“(The team) has the choice to stay here and train over the summer,” Troyan said. “Lexi has chosen the last two summers to stay up here and take advantage of what Lehigh has to offer.”

In addition to her athleticism, Troyan also noted that she has seen a great improvement in Martins’ consistency this season, which has made her a strong member of the starting lineup.

Senior teammate Liz Sharlow said she has seen Martins’ role on the team change a great deal since her freshman year.

“During her freshman year, she played well with the opportunities she was given,” Sharlow said. “However, her sophomore year she busted through the gates and showed everyone how gifted and talented she really is.”

Martins is humble about her improvement. While she admits that she came into this season in better physical shape, she adds that there are more rebounds to get this year since the team graduated two guards last year that rebounded the ball a lot.

In addition to her strong rebounding, Troyan said she is also a strong scorer. She’s second in the nation in double-doubles as well, averaging 13 points per game.

“The fact that she’s not only able to rebound the ball but also score the ball pretty consistently for us, and has the ability to do that in a number of ways, sets her apart on the team and in the league,” Troyan said.

Troyan calls her the full package. In addition to being an outstanding basketball players, Troyan also said she is an outstanding student with a 3.62 GPA and plans to graduate this May and pursue her graduate degree next year. She is also involved in athletic leadership.

“She’s really the poster child for what you want (in a player),” Troyan said.

With five games left in the season, Martins and her team are looking for greater success at this year’s Patriot League Championship.

“It felt really bitter losing last year, and I think that’s something this team has took with us and remembered all season long,” Martins said. “I think we’re playing really good basketball right now, and right now, it’s about playing for your seniors because they only have a few game left.”

As for moving into the No. 1 spot for rebounds per game, Martins says there is still time left and sees this feat as a possibility. The person in first place, Jonquel Jones of George Washington University, averages 14.8 rebounds per game.

“That would be awesome,” Martins said. “I would love that.”