| 6/26/2025 | Men’s Basketball BOCA RATON, Fla. – Two Florida Atlantic men’s basketball alumni joined the NBA on Thursday evening. Alijah Martin was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 39th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, becoming the first alum to be drafted in program history. Following the conclusion of the draft, center Vladislav Goldin agreed to a two-way contract with the Miami HEAT.Entering a program that previously did not have an NCAA Tournament win in its history, Martin and Goldin were integral star players in FAU’s legendary 2023 Final Four run and its ensuing 2024 tournament appearance, a stretch that saw the team win the fourth most games in the nation.  . Martin (2020-24) finished his run with Florida Atlantic as the sixth highest scorer in program history with 1,476 points. In 124 career games, he made 86 starts and earned spots on an All-Conference team in his last three seasons. Martin was named the Most Outstanding Player in the 2023 CUSA Championship after a 30-point, 11 rebound performance to give the Owls their first tournament title and bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2002. He later led Florida Atlantic in its first Final Four appearance with 26 points and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team. Martin remained an all-conference player in the following season and won the MVP in the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational.After graduating from Florida Atlantic in the spring of 2024, Martin was a starting guard for the national champion Florida Gators and averaged 14.4 points per game. He converted the game-winning free throws in the final minute of the championship to secure the title.Goldin (2021-24) started 106 games in three seasons with the Owls and scored 1,162 career points. He is FAU’s all-time leader in field goal percentage (.621) and is second in rebounds (665). He was a key a piece in Florida Atlantic’s Elite Eight victory over Kansas State to send the Owls to their first Final Four, recording a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. After earning All-Conference Third Team honors in 2023, Goldin was All-Conference First Team in his first season in the American Athletic Conference, averaging 15.7 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game with eight double-doubles while leading the AAC in field goal percentage (.673).Following his spring 2024 graduation from FAU, Goldin followed his former Owls Head Coach Dusty May to Michigan. Goldin led the Wolverines in scoring (16.6 ppg) on the way to the Big Ten title, where he was named tournament MVP. He was a top five finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation’s top center. With Goldin’s leadership, Michigan made a run to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. FOLLOW THE OWLS To stay up to date on all things FAU men’s basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB. |
