Elite Owen hooper takes all the tools to King University
Asante Martin caps prolific Warhorse career with signing ceremony
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 14, 2026
Asante Martin is joined by Owen basketball players and coaches, May 12, as the senior signs with King University. Photo by Fred McCormick
Over the past four years, evidence of Asante Martin’s abilities on the basketball court at Owen High School was conspicuous in every facet of the game. Last winter, tasked with playing point guard, the senior led the program in points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks.
While his final campaign cultivated in Martin establishing himself as the second leading scorer in Warhorse history, he will embark on the next chapter of his basketball career in Bristol, Tennessee, carrying an array of tools to King University.
The four-year starting guard on the Owen varsity team was surrounded by family, friends, coaches and teammates, May 12, in a signing ceremony commemorating the milestone.
Martin finished his high school career with over 1,850 points, including a 50-point performance in a victory on the road against Avery. He posted double-digit scoring efforts in 43 consecutive games to close his tenure at Owen.
While his senior campaign, in which he reached or eclipsed the 30-point mark in seven contests and averaged a career-high 27 points per game, demonstrated his scoring prowess, it also highlighted Martin’s versatile skill set, according to Owen head coach Joe Valencia.
“He’s the complete package,” Valencia said. “He’s a true point guard. The scoring ability is there, but he’s somebody who gets the ball to open players. He can draw a defense and create opportunities for everybody around him.”
The son of two college basketball coaches, whose mother, Robin, has led the Warren Wilson College women’s program since 2014, the lifelong student of the game possesses a keen ability to process the action around him, the coach added.
“A lot of people think of today’s point guards as score-first, and Asante obviously has that ability, but he reserves it for when it’s necessary,” said Valencia, who accepted his position during Martin’s freshman year. “That’s what he has always done. All of his effort has been on embodying that idea of a point guard who gets everybody going.”
As a junior shooting guard, Martin was a key piece on a senior-laden roster that won 19 games in 2024-25, before returning for his final run as the facilitator of a young starting lineup. His ability to adapt his role to suit any game plan will likely make the player a valuable asset for the Tornados, who compete in the NCHSAA Division II Conference Carolinas,
Owen senior Asante Martin averaged 27 points per game for the Warhorses last winter. He will continue his basketball career at King University, following a May 12 signing ceremony. Photo by Fred McCormick
“They’re getting a five-tool point guard with Asante, and he’s worked so hard to hone that game,” Valencia said. “When I think of him I think of one word: ‘complete.’”
Celebrating the event with a room full of supporters marked a special moment for Martin. who has been playing the sport his entire life.
“It feels great, honestly,” he said of his commitment to the college. “For a while, I didn’t really know where I was going to go. So, to have something to look forward to, now I’m not satisfied, knowing I have something to work toward. It lifts something off my shoulders and puts something new there.”
King University, a Presbyterian-affiliated private institution with around 1,300 students, offered an appealing option for Martin.
“I really just loved it out there,” he said. “I really liked the campus and the coaches are great. It’s a small space, which I like, so it felt like the right fit for me.”
While he will graduate as the undisputed leader of the Owen basketball program, Martin began his career as a “quiet” freshman, according to his coach. His skills and knowledge of the game were immediately apparent.
“He needed someone to tell him how talented and gifted he was at that time, because he really needed to believe in himself,” Valencia said. “All we wanted to do was put some pressure on him and let him become a diamond.”
His career at Owen provided a crash course on adaptation, Martin said.
“I’ve had so many different roles. We lost like eight seniors going into this past season, so I had to learn to be more of a leader, and more of a scorer,” he said. “But, in my first couple of years we had a lot of ball-dominant seniors, so I learned how to be unselfish. I feel like I’ve gotten a look at all kinds of systems in my time here, and that helped me grow.”
Owen head coach Joe Valencia, right, congratulates senior Asante Martin, May 12, as the point guard signed with King University. Photo by Fred McCormick
Martin’s legacy at Owen will be the far-reaching impact he’s had on rebuilding the foundation of the program, according to Valencia.
“He’s really created an environment that revolves around work, discipline and respect, on and off the court,” the coach said. “That’s what we want, complete players who represent this program wherever they are. Asante is exactly that.”
Martin credits his teammates for four “special” years.
“They’ve really been everything. Eli (Lewkowicz), who went to Milligan, worked out with me every single day for three years,” he said. “This team has always been like family. Everything we did was together, even outside of basketball. We went to church together, went on on our journey with God together, and that’s more than basketball. Even after every game, you’d see us smiling and laughing because we love being around each other.”
As he prepares to head to King University, Martin is embracing the opportunity to begin a new chapter.
“A lot of people talk about all of the levels there are of basketball, so I’m excited to see what it’s like at that level of competition,” he said. “I’m looking forward to knowing I’m not the best person out there and working as hard as I can to always make myself better.”