Ohio State women’s basketball guard Bryn Martin joined the Buckeyes late into her college recruiting. Months after the Springsboro, Ohio guard committed to Washington, Martin de-committed from the Huskies.
Martin’s season confirmed the “better late than never” adage, and after early standout performances, the freshman earned playing time over more experienced peers in year one.
Now, Martin enters year two with expectations and more responsibilities on a lighter Ohio State bench.
Name: Bryn Martin
Position: Guard
Class: Sophomore
High School: Springsboro High School (Springsboro, Ohio)
2025-26 Stats: 3.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.0 apg, 44.1 FG%, 36.8 3PT FG%, 100 FT%
Last Season
Martin was consistently the second player off the bench for the Buckeyes during the 25-26 season. There was competition between the freshman and now-Ohio State transfer Dasha Biriuk. What set Martin apart was the work on the defensive side of the ball.
In high school, Martin played for a team with a full-court press and also had a smooth shot that led to her becoming the all-time leader in points scored. That showed on the court for Ohio State, especially against the West Virginia Mountaineers at the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Tournament.
The then unranked Buckeyes took on the No. 21 ranked Mountaineers and the Big-12 side played their strategy of earning whistles and frustrating opponents.
Although Martin played only 17 minutes, still above her 13.8 average on the season, the guard had 16 points, 3 assists and 2 steals before she became one of the four Buckeyes to foul out. Martin played important minutes in a late close game after point guard Jaloni Cambridge left the game.
With 3:48 remaining, West Virginia held an eight-point lead. Martin scored eight of the next 12 points in the game to put the Buckeyes down a single possession. That momentum led to an 83-81 Ohio State victory.
When Big Ten season began, Martin’s role was slightly diminished but the freshman still had a double-digit scoring performance against the Indiana Hoosiers and had overtime minutes against the Michigan Wolverines. Ohio State lost the game 88-86 in overtime and a young decision by Martin was part of the equation.
Tied at 86-86, the Buckeyes took a time out with 15 seconds remaining and possession. After the Scarlet and Gray inbounded, Martin took a three-point shot with 11 seconds remaining and missed. First Team All-Big Ten guard Olivia Olson led Michigan on the final drive with a layup the sealed the overtime away side victory.
While it was an open look, and it would not be questioned if Martin hit the shot, an upperclassmen may have held onto possession to go for the final shot.
What to Expect
Expect a guard that can play on both sides of the ball.
Martin will find open spots on the floor and make her shots. On defense, unless Martin comes in for any kind of point guard duty, will compliment the full-court havoc-inducing press and get more steals than her freshman season as the second guard off the bench.
Martin is more likely to come in as a shooting guard replacement for guard Ava Watson than point guard Jaloni Cambridge.
“There’s not a lot of room for error, so I think moving that forward into this season has been a lot. I’ve worked a lot on my strength over the off-season and just becoming faster, stronger, things like that, just to be able to help with the pace of the game and the physicality,” said Martin.
In year two, with more minutes and experience, Martin will get the chance to show what she has learned.
Prediction
It is likely between Martin and fellow underclassmen guard Atlee Vanesko for the first guard off the bench role. Unless Seini Henry, who moved from a forward to a guard in the offseason. However, the minutes McGuff gave Martin last season shows that there is a growing trust with the guard in big game situations.
Ohio State will need her offense off the bench. With that said, the Buckeyes will need someone to relieve Jaloni Cambridge. Martin and Vanesko were both high school point guards. There is a chance that McGuff uses Martin as a backup point guard too.
There will be a minutes jump for the guard from the 13.8 Martin played as a freshman to at least 20 minutes per game coming in off the bench. The beginning of the season will likely see Vanesko and Martin each getting more minutes.
Once the Buckeyes get into big games against UConn and Texas in the early non-conference season, how many minutes Martin and the group of players off the bench receive will become a clearer picture.
Highlights
Even though the game was nowhere close to competitive for the Buckeyes, the highlights show Martin’s deep shooting ability. Martin’s 21 points is a career high for the then freshman in her first collegiate season.
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