Martin Honored as IBCA Hall of Fame Inductee

Loras College men’s basketball coach Chris Martin joined an elite group with his induction into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Hall of Fame as one of 24 players in the Class of 2021. Martin was honored for his achievements as a member of the Eureka, Ill. boys basketball team and a standout student-athlete at Elmhurst College, now Elmhurst University, from 2001-2005.

Martin, in his fourth season as the head coach of the Duhawks, ranks second in the Bluejays’ program history with 1,763 career points and owns the single-season record for steals (78), career record for steals (249) and single-game record for free throws made (20). He became the program’s first three-time College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) First Team All-Conference honoree. He was twice named a D3hoops.com All-American and was inducted into Elmhurst’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
 
Following graduation and three seasons playing professional basketball in Luxembourg and Germany, Martin returned to Elmhurst as an assistant coach and helped take the Bluejays that went 14-36 in the two seasons prior to his arrival to a 42-15 record over two seasons, which included a No. 2 ranking in the D3hoops.com poll during the 2015-16 season. Martin’s Bluejays finished the season ranked 18th after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. For the first time in Elmhurst history, the Bluejays qualified for the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons.

He continued his success as a coach at Loras and in his first season with the Duhawks, guided the team to its first Iowa Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (IIAC) title since 2006-07. In the 2018-19 season, Martin’s Duhawks advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament after a 23-7 record and made the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance. He coached Ryan DiCanio ’19 to become the program’s first three-time American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) First Team All-Conference selection and saw four Duhawks earn All-Conference honors.
 
The Duhawks posted a record of 17-9, 10-6 in A-R-C action in 2019-20 and begin the 2020-21 season on Saturday, Jan. 23 on the road at Buena Vista University.