(June 16, 2003) ?C Former Long Island University head coach Ray Martin was named an assistant men??s basketball coach at Fordham University by head coach Dereck Whittenburg.
Martin, who recently served as an assistant for Cy Alexander at Tennessee State University, reunites with Whittenburg after serving as an assistant coach at North Carolina State during Whittenburg??s playing days.
??Ray Martin is a wonderful guy with tremendous basketball experience,?? said Whittenburg. ??He is well thought of in the New York area, and his tract record and credentials are impeccable. Ray??s background is second to no other assistant coach. He is one of the most qualified coaches out there, and we are very fortunate to hire a person of Ray??s caliber and character to work with us.??
Martin arrives at Rose Hill with 25 years of coaching experience. Most recently, he was the head coach at Long Island University from 1998-2002. In 2000-01, Martin led the Blackbirds to a 12-8 conference record and a berth in the Northeast Conference Tournament, where they fell in overtime to Wagner College, coached by Whittenburg.
Martin also has ties to Fordham Executive Director of Athletics Frank McLaughlin, who recruited Martin to Notre Dame from Long Island City. At Notre Dame, Martin was a four-year letterwinner, serving as a team captain his senior year and helping Notre Dame to break UCLA??s 88-game winning streak in 1974.
McLaughlin then gave Martin his start in coaching, hiring Martin as an assistant coach and head freshman coach at Harvard University in 1977.
Following his stint in Cambridge, Martin moved onto North Carolina State in 1980, serving as an assistant under head coach Jim Valvano. In his eight years at N.C. State, the Wolfpack compiled a 169-93 record, advanced to six NCAA Tournaments, wining the 1983 national championship on a last second ??pass?? from Whittenburg to Lorenzo Charles for the game-winning basket at the buzzer.
From N.C. State, Martin moved on to assistant coaching positions at Southern Methodist (1988-89), Tennessee (1989-93), Shaw (1994-95), Florida Atlantic (1995-96), and Miami (Ohio) (1996-98).
