A late surge through the final week of the regular season propelled the Southwestern University Pirates men's basketball team up the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) standings, earning the top seed in the upcoming SCAC Tournament.
One of the main factors in the Pirates' four-game winning streak to end the season was the play of Joel Martinez, who was named the SCAC Player of the Week for his efforts.
Martinez entered the starting lineup on Feb. 9 against Trinity University and helped to snap the Pirates' three-game losing streak with 12 points and nine assists.
In his three games last week, Martinez averaged 14 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 60 percent shooting (15-for-25). He was dynamic off the dribble against Texas Lutheran University, scoring 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting with six rebounds and four assists to keep the Pirates' regular season title hopes alive.
He followed that performance with 16 points and nine rebounds against Centenary in a 72-61 win and made several big defensive plays to help Southwestern to an incredible comeback win against Austin College, securing the SCAC regular season title.
Martinez is the second Pirate to earn a Player of the Week award this season. Teammate Brandon Alexander won the award on Jan. 7. With the regular season title, the Pirates earned a bye in the first round of the SCAC Tournament and will play the winner of Schreiner and Dallas on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 5:00 p.m.