Basketball recruiting: Bordentown’s Jordan Martin still has decisions to make about college

Jordan Martin's Bordentown boys’ basketball team entered this season under the radar, somewhat overlooked in the statewide conversation.

That was before they beat perennial power Trenton Catholic — for the first time in program history — last week. The very next game, Bordentown gave another storied program, St. Augustine, all it could handle in a close loss.

The Scotties surged to a 10-3 start. To the surprise of many, they’ve looked like one of the area’s most balanced teams even while playing a top-notch schedule.

For Martin, it sort of reminds him of his own recruiting process, and it’s a role he’s glad to play.

“I love when people don’t know about me so I can show them,” said Martin, a 6-foot-2 guard and a natural scorer with a long range from beyond the arc and the ability to get to the rim at will. “That’s on my mind, and that’s what keeps my motor going, to know that people don’t know me.

“I know that there are people out here with high-level mix tapes or high rankings. And I cant wait until the day we play them so I can show them. ‘You’re not the only one out here putting in work.’ ”

Martin said that attitude was largely instilled in him by his father, Stacey Martin.

“My dad tells me the most important thing is just to go out there and play basketball. Never back down from anyone. Show them that you belong. Show them that you have heart,” Martin said. “I take that into every game that I play. People don’t know who you are, so you make a name for yourself.”

Martin has done that all season, and he’s flashing the consistency on both ends of the floor that he’s worked for since his freshman season.

He averages 21.4 points per game. He’s scored more than 20 points in nine of the team’s 13 contests.

And, yes, colleges are finally taking notice.

Martin said he’s had conversations with high-level Division 2 schools such as Caldwell and competitive junior college programs such as Harcum.

It’s left him with a decision many athletes face. Does he go to a program where he can start right away, such as Harcum or Caldwell, or does he aim for a school where playing time wouldn’t be guaranteed?

It’s something he’s talked about frequently with his family and another mentor, his coach at Bordentown, John Myers.

“Jordan has matured tremendously this season, and I’m so proud of him. But I want to make sure, first, that he gets a college education,” Myers said. “And one of the things he’s never had an experience with is sitting [the bench]. He’s always been the best player on the team. He played for me as a freshman. So it’s like: Does he go somewhere [bigger] and maybe have to pay his dues for a bit or does he go to a place like Harcum, play against really top-notch talent, get to play right away and work on his education, and then be ready [for a bigger college] in two years?”

It’s a question with which Martin continues to wrestle. He said he’s open to anything, and he’s weighing each option as it comes in. Playing for a Division I program, he said, would be great.

But playing for a team that is under the radar — a team that has something to prove, that he can help put on the map — is something he’s thrived on in the past, and it just might be a perfect fit for college.

“Part of me does feel like I could go somewhere and join a ranked squad. But what does that prove?” Martin said. “It’s the same as being at Bordentown. I like being somewhere where we are going against the top schools and we have a chance to make a name for ourselves. That’s what I like to do.”