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“He’s a sparkplug,� Lloyd said after Martinez arrived in the summer of 2023. “He’s a great little guy.�

But The Little Boss played only sparingly in 41 games over two seasons with the Wildcats, so there likely will be no long term — at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, anyway.

Martinez not surprisingly became ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s fourth player to jump into the transfer portal in a week since their season ended, along with guard KJ Lewis, forward Henri Veesaar and center Emmanuel Stephen.

Martinez played six minutes in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s season-ending loss to Duke on March 27, but declined to comment when asked if he wanted to return.

“I don’t think it’s a moment to talk about that,� he said.

In an NIL era when players can now chase money, as well as playing time in the portal, Martinez also became the fourth international recruit to enter the portal after failing to break into the Wildcats’ playing rotation as freshmen or sophomores.

Adama Bal (Santa Clara), Filip Borovicanin (New Mexico and now Xavier) and Martinez all spent two seasons of limited playing time with the Wildcats, while Lithuanian forward Paulius Murauskas left after a one-season audition in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and became the WCC’s Newcomer of the Year this season with Saint Mary’s.

While Lloyd mostly played Martinez in lopsided games or situations where starting point guard Jaden Bradley was in foul trouble, he began sprinkling Martinez in more often as the season went on, most notably playing him for 11 minutes in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s 84-67 loss at Iowa State on March 1.

Lloyd inserted Martinez with UA trailing 62-40 midway through the second half, saying “the kid deserved an opportunity� at that point, and the Wildcats outscored the Cyclones by six when Martinez was on the floor.

“I don’t want to put him in those situations when we’re down two or four, because what if it goes bad?� Lloyd said after that game. "I’m trying to build the kid’s confidence and he was great today. So, we’ll just see what happens going forward. I’m really proud of Conrad.�

Martinez said at Iowa State that it had been “tough mentallyâ€� to play the limited role, and while he did play in five of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s last eight games after that evening, it appeared a minimal reward for someone used to playing major roles on club and national teams in Spain.

Martinez played for Spain in the FIBA U18 European Cup in 2023 and in last summer’s FIBA U20 EuroBasket, where he averaged 3.3 points, 3.7 assists and 1.4 turnovers in seven games as a top backup to help Spain (5-2) to a seventh-place finish.

After the U20 tournament, Martinez returned to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ as a sophomore, where Lloyd indicated initially he would have a chance to become Bradley’s top backup.

“It’s so early but Conrad is somebody I have a lot of belief in,� Lloyd said before this season. “Maybe I believe in him more than others. I think he's going to definitely be able to provide a spark for us but we're not going to just put 100% of that burden on him.�

As it turned out, Bradley rarely left the floor in tight games unless he was in foul trouble, while Lewis and Caleb Love also helped out with ball-handling duties. Bradley averaged 36.3 minutes in Big 12 play, and 36.2 in Big 12 and NCAA tournament games, while Martinez played briefly in 14 games between Big 12 regular season, Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament games.

“I’ve been working in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ for two years,â€� Martinez said after the March 27 loss to Duke. “I feel like this year I could improve my time in in the court. So I just keep working, and I think my time will come.â€�

Martinez’s limited appearances toward the end of the season, and his play in Europe, could increase his marketability as a starting or top backup guard elsewhere in Division I.

He generally held his own in UA’s home finale against ASU on March 4, as well as in Big 12 Tournament games against Texas Tech and Houston, while also playing against Akron and Duke in the NCAA Tournament.

In the Wildcats’ Sweet 16 game against Duke, Martinez came in with 6:07 left in the first half and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ trailing 28-27. Martinez threw a pass over the head of teammate Anthony Dell’Orso that went out of bounds, leading to a layup from Duke’s Cooper Flagg, but sank a 3-pointer from the right corner on UA’s next possession.

“Before the game, you always are a little bit nervous,� Martinez said when asked how it felt to take the 3 in the high-pressure game. “But once you're in the game, you know that you shoot 3,000 of those a week, so it's just a 3.�

Martinez wound up playing six minutes against Duke and recorded a steal, helping the Wildcats cope with foul trouble to Bradley and Lewis.

“I just went in there. I gave my best,� Martinez said. “I executed the plan, and I (hit) a corner 3. Caleb (Love) passed me the ball and I just gave it my effort.�

For the season, Martinez averaged 1.3 points and 0.8 assists while averaging 5.0 minutes in 22 games, with career highs of nine points and five assists in UA’s 94-41 win over Central Michigan on Dec. 21.

Martinez played 19 minutes against Central Michigan, while the Wildcats’ easy win that evening also allowed Lloyd to play Stephen a season-high nine minutes.

“It’s important for all those guys" to get experience, Lloyd said after the CMU game. “Conrad is a good player. When I put my head on the pillow at night, I want to play him. I want to play him more.�