AAC Basketball: Breaking down the stars on each team in the conference

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MIAMI, FL – NOVEMBER 27: Jeremiah Martin (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

Memphis Tigers – JR Jeremiah Martin

Losing both Dedric and K.J. Lawson will greatly affect the Memphis Tigers. Dedric was named to the All-Conference First Team last season while K.J. was named to the All-Rookie Team. Yet, in the offseason, they have both decided to transfer. Without the duo on the roster, Memphis will need to turn to a new star.

Enter Jeremiah Martin.

After an unspectacular freshman season two years ago in which Martin played just 13.8 minutes per game and averaged 2.7 points per game, he took a massive jump in production as a sophomore. Last season, Martin nearly tripled his minutes per game to 34.8 and became a major part of the team’s offense, scoring 10.3 points per contest. Remember, this breakout season also happened with both Lawson’s on the roster.

Now that Dedric and K.J. (in addition to Markel Crawford) are gone, Martin’s role will be even bigger this year. Martin is the only returning double-digit scorer for Memphis and he could easily increase his average to 15+ points per game.

Couple Martin’s scoring potential with his playmaking (4.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game) and you have a potential All-Conference player on your hands.