Mart happy with success, but hungry for more

Anyone who watched Rayshawn Mart during his time at H.L. Bourgeois saw right away that he was a special player – a true, next-level talent.

This past season, he proved it – earning immediate success during his freshman season at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Mart was an instant standout at XULA, posting big numbers and earning recognition for a Gold Rush team that won more than 20 games and achieved postseason success.

Mart averaged 10.7 points per game as a true freshman, while playing a team-high 30.3 minutes per game.

He was efficient as can be, shooting 51.5 percent fom the field, while also recording more assists than turnovers.

For his efforts, Mart was named the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year – the third-ever XULA player to win the honor.

The former Brave said he’s proud and happy to earn the recognition, calling the award a blessing.

But he quickly said that his work is just getting started, adding that he plans to have bigger and better things come his way in the final three seasons of his career.

“My freshman season was pretty good,” Mart said. “I really enjoyed it. I’m blessed to have had a healthy season and also do as well as I was able to do. Don’t get me wrong, it all feels great. But I’m staying grounded because I know I’ve got a lot more work to do.”

For Mart, the success was not unexpected.

As H.L. Bourgeois, the man known locally as “Ray-J”, was a dominant force – one of the top players in a stable of Braves that have enjoyed several-straight 20-plus win seasons under coach Andrew Caillouet.

Mart was a huge player for the Braves in the final two seasons of his prep career, averaging 17 points per game as a senior. He routinely would go for 30 or even 40 or more points, if needed, to help the Braves win.

After the season, Mart fielded interest from several schools in the Southeast before picking XULA – his current home.

At the time of his decision, Mart said he was eager to join the Gold Rush because he believed the team’s coaches had great chemistry with him and could make him into a top-flight player at the next level.

That decision proved to be a good one.

Mart had a fantastic freshman season for the Gold Rush – showcasing his talent from the earliest minutes of the season.

Mart said he had some growing pains early. He started shooting just 7-of-23 from the field in his first three games, then played just 9 minutes and 8 minutes in the sixth and seventh games of his career.

But in late-November, Mart started to soar, posting seven-straight games with double-digit scoring from Nov. 20-Dec. 18 – a run which entrenched him as a full-time starter.

In the back-end of the season, Martin accelerated his game even further, including a 20-point game at Jarvis Christian, a 21-point game at Suno and an 18-point game against Tungaloo.

In all of those games, Mart shot better than 50 percent of the field, showcasing his ability to get into the paint and either finish at the rim or get fouled.

Mart said he had to make some early-season adjustments to allow himself to shine and excel.

“This year taught me a lot,” he said. “I learned how to play off the ball more and move better without it. I think I got a lot better in a lot of different ways.”

But now, the focus is on making even more progression so that he can take the next leap forward in his career.

Mart said winning Freshman of the Year is exciting, but now he want to take steps to become Conference Player of the Year or an All-American – or both.

He said he’s spending hours in the gym throughout the offseason, working on all phases of his game.

He said he wants to be a team leader next year for an Xavier team which won 24 games in 2017-18 – a huge leap from the 10-20 season they had in 2016-17.

The Gold Rush made the finals of their conference tournament this season, falling to Dillard. They also reached the NAIA Division I National Championship, falling to No. 8 Oklahoma City in the opening round.

“I’m working on getting in better shape,” Mart said. “I also want to improve my jumpshot and get even more athletic. Anything I can do to be better, that’s what I’m focused on in this offseason.”

Mart said he is working hard for himself, but also to help put the Houma-Thibodaux area on the map.

He said he still talks to H.L. Bourgeois players and other prep standouts in the area, adding that the biggest piece of advice he’d give them is simple: the body is an awfully important thing at the next level – something worth cherishing and protecting at all times.

“I would stress to them the importance and taking good care of their body and also to tell them to keep working hard because it only gets harder moving on up to the next level,” Mart said when asked to give advice to prep players. “Also, I would tell them, ‘Don’t make each moment more than they really are.’ It’s a big stage playing on a collegiate level, but at the end of the day, it’s just basketball and that’s something we’ve been doing all our lives.”

Ray J

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