Highly-sought Canadian big man Cyril Martynov has signed a grant-in-aid to attend Georgia Tech and play basketball for the Yellow Jackets, head coach Josh Pastner announced.
The 6-11 center from Barrie, Ontario will enroll for the fall semester and be eligible as a freshman in 2022-23.
Rated a three-start prospect by On3 and 247Sports, Martynov (pronounced “KEER-ul MART-in-off”) significantly raised his profile during the 2022 AAU season, averaging 14.0 points and 9.4 rebounds during the spring and summer. Competing for the UPlay Canada team on the Nike EYBL circuit, Martynov scored in double figures in five straight games, including 27 against Vegas Elite, and averaged 17.2 points and 10.4 rebounds in the season-ending event at the end of July in Kansas City. Martynov chose Tech over Missouri, Northwestern and Wisconsin.
“We’re excited that we were able to add a player with Cyril’s capabilities so late in the process,” said Pastner, entering his seventh season leading the Yellow Jackets. “He has the potential to be a very good player in our program. Cyril is a very skilled player and will be a great fit in our system. We look forward to having him join us in the fall.”
Martynov, who recently turned 18, attended The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, N.J., which competes in the high-level Mid-Atlantic Prep League. Prior to that, he attended Innisdale Secondary School in Barrie and graduated from that school. He is part of the Canadian Junior National program and this summer was invited to play for the Canadian Junior National Team.
“The reason I chose Georgia Tech was because of all of the boxes that it checked off,” Martynov said to On3. “The level of basketball, academics, and development that the program offers is at a very high level which is really important for me when choosing my school. The coaches and staff were also incredible. I can see myself working with them for the time coming, which brought me to make this decision!”
Martynov becomes the fourth newcomer to the Yellow Jacket roster for the 2022-23 team, joining freshman Freds Bagatskis from Riga, Latvia, and transfers Lance Terry of College Park, Ga. (Gardner-Webb) and Ja’von Franklin of Little Rock, Ark. (South Alabama).
The Atlantic Coast Conference will announce the conference schedules for its teams, complete with dates, times and TV, later this summer. The Yellow Jackets’ non-conference schedule potentially includes three NCAA Tournament teams from 2022 – Georgia State (date TBA), Iowa (Nov. 29) and Marquette (if teams meet Nov. 23).
The Yellow Jackets return eight letterwinners for head coach Josh Pastner’s seventh season on The Flats, including senior point guard Kyle Sturdivant (Norcross, Ga.) and senior center Rodney Howard (Ypsilanti, Mich.) who are Tech’s top two returning scorers. The Jackets’ core includes a trio of rising sophomores in Dallan “Deebo” Coleman (Memphis, Tenn.), Miles Kelly (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Jalon Moore (Birmingham, Ala.) and junior point guard Deivon Smith (Loganville, Ga.).
