KASCIUS Small-Martin hopes to score a knockout punch in the coming Season 50 PBA draft.
The Fil-Canadian guard named after legendary heavyweight champion Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) admitted Filipino basketball fans may not be familiar with him yet, but he’s ready to prove he can compete with the best and not just be remembered for being the namesake of one of boxing’s greatest of all time.
The 6-foot-2 guard played college ball in Brock University in Canada and had his first experience playing pro ball in the country when he suited up in The Asian Tournament.
“I know my name is not as known here and I don’t mind. I want to make a name for myself and this is just the start. So be ready for Kascius Small-Martin,” he said following a chat with Spin.ph during a pre-draft workout arranged by Titan Group Management.
The 25-year-old said his father was an ardent fan of the late Ali, boxing’s cultural icon and known as ‘The Greatest,’ that it never came as a surprise he ended up with the same name of the boxing hero just before he converted to Islam and adopted the name Muhammad Ali.
“My name is spelled a little bit different than Cassius. My parents made it a K and change the letters, so my name is Kascius. And that’s pretty much where it came from,” he said.
During his younger years, he also used to box.
“I used to box just for fun, maybe just because of my name, they put me on that (boxing),” said Small-Martin.
In The Asian Tournament, he suited up for the East Sea Pirates and played against local side Zamboanga Valientes.
“I really played well against them (Valientes),” said a smiling Small-Martin, citing one game where he proved to be a thorn on the Valientes side that reels and highlights of it were posted on YouTube.
He was also set to play for the Macau Black Bears in the East Asia Super League, but never got to officially join the team due to some paper work issues.
“I practiced with them and played in pre-seasons, but I didn’t end up playing with them,” said Small-Martin.
The Macau Black Bears of course, played a friendly against Gilas Pilipinas prior to the national team’s departure for the FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Filipinos stormed back from a 21-point deficit and beat the Black Bears, 103-98.
“I wasn’t part of that,” he said. “But it could have been a great experience, for sure.”
As one of the 128 prospects who applied in this season’s draft, Small-Martin admitted not having any expectations despite having done pre-draft workouts with Magnolia.
“I will just show who I am and from there on, bring my best effort every game, show who I can be, and what I know I can be,” said the Fil-Canadian guard who idolizes Robert Bolick of NLEX.
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