Senior Jace Martinez is Breaking Records and Looking to the Future

Martinez broke a school single-game scoring record this season, putting up 46 points against Ridgevue. Now, he has his sights set on the future beyond high school.

Jordan Poulsen, Staff Writer • February 8, 2024

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Jace Martinez’s head shot (courtesy of Vallivue High School Men’s Basketball’s Facebook page).

Starting Senior point guard Jace Martinez has been shaking down all the defenders and shooting lights out, leading the Vallivue Falcons to a 9-10 record so far. January 10 was a special night for Martinez as he tallied 46 points in a double overtime loss against Ridgevue, setting a new single-game scoring record for Falcon basketball

Martinez says getting shots up every day and always putting in the work at the gym has been his key to success. Martinez says, “It only takes one day to lose that groove.” He was able to pick it up in the second half of the season after a slow start in the first few games. Martinez picked up the pace because he knew that if the Falcons wanted to win he would have to step up, he didn’t want to leave his senior year with another losing record like last year. When Martinez thinks back on January 10, he says the moment was so surreal to him, and he didn’t even know he had that many points until he looked at his stats when the game was coming to a close.

The key to Matinez leading this team to nine wins so far is basketball practice. The intensity is very high and the way the Falcons compete against each other is how they get ready for games. When facing adversity/losses this season, Martinez wants to keep their heads up and stay motivated for the next game. In Martinez’s free time, you will find him playing “2k” and “Call of Duty,” and spending lots of time with his family.

Given Martinez’s fantastic season, recruitment for college ball is on the horizon for him. Some of the top choices are schools down in Florida and Treasure Valley Community College (TVCC). TVCC is very important because Martinez would like to stay local and provide for his family. Martinez is also still hoping for a couple of schools to reach out like the College of Idaho and the University of Idaho.

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You can watch Martinez and the Falcons on senior night tomorrow, February 9, as they take on Skyview (10-8) for the last regular home game of the season. Tip-off is at 7:30 pm, so come out and support the team as they look to close out the regular season with another win!

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About the Contributor

Jordan Poulsen, Staff Writer

I joined journalism because I have a dream to become a sports analyst and that requires journalism techniques to be the most successful. I love to write stories about people and just real life. I feel like the realest things are the most important things to be published. If I was writing a story I would love for it to be in the athletics department because that’s where I have the most knowledge. The biggest thing that I want to learn in journalism is the best way to interview people to get the best possible answers out of them. This will give my stories a natural flow which is what I want.