Junior point guard Dallas Martinez left Hawaii to start her college basketball journey in California. Little did she know, two years later she would be back on the island leading the Chaminade women’s basketball team.

Martinez spent her first year of college basketball at Whittier College in Whittier, California. After her first season, her sophomore season was shut down because of Covid-19 and she did not touch the court. Without being able to play basketball and being away from home, she made the decision to commit to Chaminade and come home to Hawaii.

“I didn’t see the point in paying out-of-state tuition to go to school online and not play basketball. It was just the smartest thing financially for my family and I to leave,” said the Kaneohe native.

After touring the campus of Chaminade, two weeks before school started, she made her made her final decision to sign her letter of intent. 

Martinez was named Academic All-PacWest and team’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game last season. Similarly, so far this season she is averaging 9 points and almost 30 minutes per game. The 5-foot-8 point guard is the floor leader who has a keen eye to finding open teammates. Outside of dribbling and passing she uses her quickness to blow by defenders and attack the rim consistently.

As a returning upperclassman, Martinez was named captain for the 2022-23 season.

“Dallas being a junior brings experience to our team, but also joining CUH as a sophomore transfer allows her to now understand better what our current freshman class and transfer are going through,” CUH head coach Michael Edwards said. “Those past experiences plus an ability to lead are why she was named our sole team captain and why she has had such an impact on our program this season.”

“We have 5 new freshmen and a transfer. I feel like my role is to be the glue of the team and leading by example,” she said. “Bringing the energy and effort in everything we do.” Being the starting point guard she is able to control the pace and call out plays that can help lead her team. 

Winless in four games so far this season, the team will kick off PacWest Conference play with a trip across town to face Hawaii Pacific University on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in The Shark Tank. After, the Silverswords will play UH-Hilo on Saturday in McCabe Gym before departing next week for a three-game road trip in Northern California.

“It was rough losing but it was a great experience for my team and I so we can use that in future regular season games,” Martinez said. “Preseason clearly showed what we need to do to better ourselves to have success. and we have worked extremely hard for the upcoming regular season.”

Martinez feels that this season and the players have a different feel than the past. The women’s basketball team has never had a winning season and has just one win since the start of the 2020-21 season.

“This year is different, we have people that are hungry to play and get better. We have a coaching staff that pushes us, trusts us and wants to see nothing but us get better and succeed, not just on the court but in life as well,” Martinez said. “We have put in literal blood sweat and tears to prepare for the season. This just shows how much we want to change the culture and stigma there is around the program.”

With a new head coach and six newcomers on the team, there is hope and drive to make a change in the basketball program. While the team has struggled to win on the court, some of Martinez’s best memories and experiences have come from hanging out with her teammates and traveling. 

“This game has given me some of the best people that I have in my life,” she said. “I also love the closeness that I have with my professors and faculty members.”