44 Gimel Martinez

Gimel Martinez was born Gimel Jose Martinez on June 14, 1971, in Miami, Florida, to Sonia and Jose Martinez. Martinez played forward for the University of Kentucky Wildcats from 1990 to 1994. He was part of the “Unforgettables” team that reached the Elite Eight in 1992 and lost to Duke in one of the greatest games in college basketball history.

In high school, Martinez averaged 24.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, four blocked shots, and three assists per game his senior season.  He led Miami Senior High School to a 33-3 record and its second consecutive Florida 4A state title.  He shot 62% from the field.  Martinez scored 33 points and had 16 rebounds against Ed O’Bannon, considered the nation’s best high school center.  Martinez earned All-State honors in his junior and senior years.  He was named to the All-Tournament team and was runner-up for MVP of the state tournament the past two years.  His teams compiled a cumulative record of 137-9 and won three state titles—as a freshman, junior, and senior.

He was recruited by coach Rick Pitino and verbally committed to Kentucky on January 26, 1990.  He made it official by signing a national letter-of-intent on April 11, 1990.  He chose Kentucky over Miami and Florida State. He joined Jamal Mashburn and Carlos Toomer in that year’s recruiting class.

Martinez was a 6-foot-8 forward who could shoot from the outside and play tough defense. He was part of the “Unforgettables” team that reached the Elite Eight in 1992 and lost to Duke in one of the greatest games in college basketball history. He was also part of the “Bombinos” team that won the SEC regular season and tournament titles in 1994 and advanced to the Final Four.

Martinez struggled as a freshman at Kentucky playing in 26 games, averaging only 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.  He was nicknamed “Jimmy” by the coaches and teammates.

As a sophomore, Martinez started 21 of Kentucky’s 36 games.  He would have started more games had he not been so prone to foul.  He averaged a foul every 5.8 seconds.  He worked hard and improved to 6.9 points per game, improved to 53% percent field goal shooting from 33.8%, and improved to 88% free throw shooting from 63.6.  He scored a then career-high 17 points at Auburn and a follow-up new career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds against Alabama, making 9 of 10 shots from the field and 5 of 5 from the line.  He was awarded the team’s Most Improved Player award at the end of the season.

On November 13, 1992, Martinez fractured a bone in his right foot at practice.  And junior college transfer Rodney Dent, who was bigger, stronger, and quicker than Martinez, became the man in the middle for Kentucky.  On December 12, 1992, Kentucky was down 30-20 to Louisville just past the midway point of the first half when Martinez found himself open for a 3-pointer and drilled it, drawing Kentucky within 30-26 and sparking Kentucky to an 88-68 rout.

The 1993-94 season was Martinez’s final year at Kentucky, where he played in 33 games, logging 609 minutes. His field goal percentage was 45.16, with 84 field goals made from 186 attempts. His three-point shooting improved to 19 made out of 63 attempts, and a 30.16% success rate. From the free-throw line, he made 44 out of 56 attempts, achieving a 78.57% success rate. Defensively, he recorded 59 blocks and 34 steals.

He finished his career with 719 points, 338 rebounds, 137 assists, 58 blocks, and 53 steals in 127 games. He shot 49.4% from the field, 33.9% from three-point range, and 78.2% from the free throw line.

After graduating from Kentucky with a degree in business administration, Martinez played professionally in Japan for the Panasonic Trians from 1996 to 1997. He then returned to Miami and worked as a financial advisor and a basketball coach. He is married to his wife Jennifer and has two sons, Jaden and Jace.

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