by University of Wyoming Cowboy Basketball Player Invited to Wyoming Indian High School and St. Stephens Indian School
Press Release
(Laramie, Wyo.) – University of Wyoming men’s basketball student-athlete Luke Martinez has been invited by the Northern Arapaho Tribal Education Department to speak at two schools on the Wind River Reservation this weekend. Martinez will address the 23 graduating seniors at Wyoming Indian High School’s commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 20, before visiting St. Stephens Indian School on Monday, May 21.
“Luke is a good representative of a Native American doing well at the University of Wyoming as an NCAA Division I player,” said Alfred Redman, Northern Arapaho Tribal Education Director. “We hope that our students and parents will catch on to what he has to say about pursuing athletics and education after high school. We invited Luke to show the success Native Americans can have.”
Martinez completed his junior season with the Cowboys during the 2011-12 school year. He established himself as one of the top shooting guards in the Mountain West by averaging 11.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, while hitting 81 three-pointers during the season. His 2.5 treys per game led the MW, as he has hit one three in 29 consecutive games for the longest active streak in the conference. He sits 28 threes short of UW’s career top 10 after one season.
“It’s a great honor for me to be invited to speak with these students, especially the graduates,” Martinez said. “Our team always appreciates the strong support we get from Cowboy fans and this is a wonderful opportunity for me to give back to them.”
A native of Bismarck, N.D., Martinez is enrolled as a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, which is located in the north central part of North Dakota.
“I’m very proud of Luke’s improvement off the court during the 12 months we’ve been with him,” UW head coach Larry Shyatt said. “Any time we can reach out to the community in a positive way, it’s a valuable experience for our student-athletes. The greatest gift in life is giving and we’re proud Luke has this chance to give back.”
