Ellie Martin goes back to where it all began

Owen point guard reunites with mom and coach at Warren Wilson College

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 8, 2024

Owen senior point guard Ellie Martin, center, will join her mother Robin, left, at Warren Wilson College, following a May 3 signing ceremony. Ellie’s brother, Asante, celebrated the occasion with his mother and sister. Photo by Fred McCormick

Basketball is woven into the DNA of Ellie Martin. The Owen senior has been handling the ball for as long as she can remember, often dribbling and shooting in DeVries Gymnasium, where her mother, Robin, has coached the Warren Wilson College women’s basketball team for 10 years.

As the Warlassies’ point guard and leading scorer embarks on the next chapter of her basketball career, she will return to the court on which she honed her skills, joining her mother and the Owls in Swannanoa.

Ellie, flanked by her mom and brother, Asante, committed to Warren Wilson, May 3, in a signing ceremony at Owen. The occasion celebrated a homecoming, of sorts, for the student-athlete.

“I was probably 6 or 7 the first time I shot around in the gym at Warren Wilson,” Ellie said. “So, there’s this really secure feeling I get from knowing I’m going to play there, and I’m really glad I’ll be sharing this experience with my mom.”

Ellie began playing in recreation leagues at the age of 8, going on to compete in an AAU travel basketball program a few years later. She played two seasons with the Owen Middle School program before earning a starting spot by the end of the freshman year in high school. While competition sharpened her skills on the court, guidance from her mother, who played collegiately before her nearly 20-year coaching career, provided additional motivation and insight.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” she said of growing up with a coaching parent. “But, it also helps that I’ve had an opportunity to learn so much about the game. She’s always had high expectations for me, and that’s definitely something that has made me want to constantly improve, as a player.”

Ellie Martin led the Warlassies with a career-high 13.6 points per game last season. Photo by Fred McCormick

That dynamic was tested last season, when Robin, who has won more than 100 games at Warren Wilson while leading the program to three championship appearances, stepped in to the same role for the Warlassies, coaching her daughter for the first time. While Ellie led the team with a career-high 13.6 points per game, her performance demonstrated that growing up in the gym gave her a keen understanding of her role on the court, according to Robin.

Ellie’s ball-handling, ability to create lanes and decision-making at the rim blend seamlessly into Owls offense.

“She’s a true point guard, so that’s added pressure on her, but Ellie is also a natural leader and she handles pressure well,” the coach said. “She has great court vision, and I think that’s something that we can truly unlock as she plays with other skilled players. I believe she can really flourish in that position.”

While Ellie has watched countless Warren Wilson basketball games over the past decade, joining her mother on the sideline was not always her plan.

“I didn’t even know if I was going to play basketball in college,” she said. “I wanted to go into the medial field, and they don’t offer that program at Warren Wilson, so I was looking at other places. But, after playing for my mom this year, it occurred to me that I could play there, stay close to home and enjoy that time with my teammates and family.”

It was a move her brother always “kind of expected,” however.

“I always knew Ellie was going to keep playing basketball,” said Asante, who led the Warhorses in scoring as a sophomore last season. “Mom has been coaching forever, so the two of them doing this together just made sense.”

Surrounded by her Warlassies teammates, Ellie Martin commits to play basketball for Warren Wilson College, where her mother has coached for 10 years. Photo by Fred McCormick

That shared passion for the game will add a unique, and potentially powerful ingredient to the team chemistry of the Owls.

“She knows what it takes at the next level because she’s been around it for so long,” Robin said. “Ellie has this strong ability to bring people together, and she brings a lot of energy to Warren Wilson. She is tough and has a desire to win, and that’s huge for us.”