Atlantic 10 Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

24. Hassan Martin

An impressive forward from Staten Island, Martin was an essential weapon at Rhode Island was part of Dan Hurley’s first recruiting class with the Rams. He arrived in 2013 and was a starter in the frontcourt for nearly all of his four seasons with Rhode Island, helping to engineer the program’s turnaround by the end of his career.

After decent run as a freshman, Martin was already proving to be a dominant force as a sophomore, averaging 11.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks a game, emerging on both sides of the ball as a threat. Martin’s offensive output would only increase later in his career, later averaging 13.6 points a game as a senior. His defensive contributions were just as important, especially with other offensive weapons leading the way on the team. He had a 10-block outing against La Salle as a sophomore and helped lead Rhode Island to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the program’s first in nearly two decades.

Martin was active on the offensive end but is certainly remembered for his defensive prowess. Not only did he lead the A-10 in blocks per game in all four of his collegiate seasons, but he was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year as both a junior and senior. His presence was of an utmost importance as Hurley turned this Rhode Island program around, plus he actually led the league in field goal percentage during an excellent senior campaign.