Bill Self reveals why Remy Martin is different than any player he's ever coached

The Kansas Jayhawks are onto the National Championship against the North Carolina Tar Heels, and guard Remy Martin is a big reason why. This season has been a bit of a rollercoaster for Martin, his first at Kansas following four years at Arizona State.

Despite battling a knee injury since February, Martin has been a steady force for Kansas on and off the court. When asked about the presence of Martin during Final Four weekend, Kansas head coach Bill Self said that he’s not like anybody he’s ever coached before.

“Well, Remy is probably different than anybody I’ve ever coached, but I’ve loved coaching him because I love his personality and I love his energy and these things,” Self said of Martin. “It’s just been unfortunate for him this year because he’s probably had as frustrating a year as I can ever remember somebody that wasn’t out with a season-ending injury.

“He comes to practice, works hard every day, does an extra two to three hours of treatment, whatever it is, and you get to practice and some days maybe he can go and some days maybe he can’t even go. We recommended that he shut it down. He shut it down.”

Martin has played in 29 games for Kansas this season with 13 starts. He is averaging 21.2 minutes per game, posting a line of 8.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.

Self: Martin found a way to ‘fit in’ with what Kansas does

As Martin transferred to Kansas ahead of this season, he was coming off of two consecutive seasons where he averaged 19.2 points per game. He hasn’t been the focal point of the Kansas attack offensively, but Martin has undoubtedly found his role and filled it successfully.

Even when Martin wasn’t on the court, Self believes that he played a big role in the success of Kansas.

“Now I see and have seen what his presence can actually mean and how it can benefit a team,” Self continued. “I’m still trying to figure it out, to be honest, how to incorporate him the best I can, but to give him credit because he’s figured out how to fit in with what we do.

“So I give him the credit. He’s been awesome. But we didn’t have anybody that you could run bad offense and come away with a basket, and he’s one of those guys, and that’s so important this year.”

In the first three games of the NCAA Tournament with Kansas, Martin has 15, 20, and 23 points as the Jayhawks continued advancing. He has just 12 total points over the past two games, but Martin’s value is still prominent in the eyes of Self. He will look to prove that again in the title game on Monday against North Carolina.