Lobos Martin to transfer

Zane Martin, who would’ve been the Lobos leading returning scorer for the upcoming season, has announced that he is transferring from the University of New Mexico. The 6-foot-4 senior guard said on a twitter post on Tuesday morning that he is entering the transfer portal to seek a new school to finish his career and degree.

Martin’s post read, “The uncertainty around sports in the State of New Mexico and the Mountain West Conference, and also my own personal physical and mental safety, have made it impossible for me to stay here.” Martin went on to thank coaches, teammates and fans for his time in Albuquerque.

On Monday, the Mountain West Conference announced that it is postponing fall sports for this season and will try to play them in the spring. That announcement did not include basketball, of course, but there is beginning to be speculation that the winter sports could also be affected once again by the COVID-19 pandemic that shortened some seasons back in March.

Head coach Paul Weir released a prepared statement after Martin’s announcement. “I am totally supportive of Zane’s decision and we wish him all the best going forward. We are in incredibly uncertain times and his health and happiness is our top priority,” Weir’s statement said.

Martin transferred to UNM after playing at Towson University. At Towson, Martin averaged 19.8 points per game during his sophomore season. He transferred to UNM and sat out the 2018-19 season, before seeing action in 33 games as a Lobo, where he averaged 10.1 points per game.