After guard Kemery Martin transfered from Utah to Cal, and looked good in some early outings, Utah coach Roberts said: “Her knees aren’t bothering her”.Which I thought was one of the funniest things she ever said, though maybe you had to be there.
I thought Kemery was a better cultural fit for Berkeley than Salt Lake. She looks like a free spirit, and if growing up in Utah didn’t let her express herself, living in Berkeley surely would.
She’s back in the portal.
I like the kid. She’s been one of my favorite players at two schools to which I pay attention.The last players I said that about were Dru Gylten (who had to wear two jerseys to South Dakota State’s NCAA first round game at Utah) and Heidi Heintz (whose roles at San Francisco and UC Davis were markedly different, and she stood out in both: she’s now an assistant at Cal). Maybe we could put Brynna Maxwell in this company, though I don’t pay attention to Gonzaga as much as get out of their way while they steamroll past.
I’ll give Kemery a pass — again. I thought it made sense for her to leave Utah for Cal. And I’ll assume she’s leaving Cal because she’d prefer not to travel to ACC opponents.
After the dissolution of Pac-12 women’s basketball, I’ll give each of its portal travelers the same pass. Kiki Iriafen and Kemery Martin didn’t want to play in the ACC — logical reasons for jumping. The Oregon State Eight didn’t want to play in the West Coast Conference — I’ll buy that. I hope I’m right, and that these aren’t a bucket of cases of the portal making it too easy for young adults to act on their whims.