15 questions with... Max Martz, a Penn men's basketball sophomore

The Daily Pennsylvanian asked Max Martz 15 questions about Penn men's basketball, his time in college, and his life overall. Here's what the sophomore had to say.

1. Where did you grow up?

I’m from Columbus, Ohio. I went to public high school, so I played in a public basketball league there which was also filled with pretty good talent for a long time, so that was awesome. I did play AAU with a bunch of local guys from Columbus, Ohio, and we were pretty solid and got the chance to travel around the country playing in some pretty big tournaments.

2. How did you get started in basketball?

It runs in my family. My dad played college basketball and I was always tall for my age so I’ve been playing for as long as I can remember. It just kind of felt like a given that I was going to start playing basketball.

3. How did you choose Penn?

I knew I wanted to go to a high academic school and I knew I wanted to play college basketball, so I ended up visiting Penn my junior year of high school and went to the basketball camp there and met the coaches and toured the campus. I really fell in love with it and I ended up committing to Penn shortly after, so that is how it all started.

4. How was your summer?

Summer was definitely a little interesting. We weren’t able and are still not able to get into any Penn basketball facilities — everything is closed up. It was definitely a struggle to find open spaces to work out and practice so I kind of just stuck to my driveway and worked out outside.

5. How has your team coped with COVID-19?

It has definitely been difficult. Now there are some guys on campus so we are able to see each other as long as we are getting tested and make sure we are social distancing. Over the summer and this entire semester really, we have been doing weekly or twice-a-week zoom calls with the coaches and the whole team so we have been able to stay connected that way.

6. How do you think the basketball landscape has changed with COVID-19?

It has changed a lot. Right now, everything is still up in the air with Ivy League basketball so we will see how that ends up. Obviously, the entire college basketball landscape is going to be changed pretty drastically. There are going to be testing regulations, I would say, at least a few times a week. I don’t know how March Madness is going to pan out but I think the vaccine will hopefully play a role in that if it comes up soon.

7. Favorite moments with Penn men's basketball so far?

Last year, we opened up the season and got to play at Alabama which was definitely an awesome experience. We also played in a Thanksgiving tournament out in Anaheim, Calif. It was a three-day event and that was a blast so I would say those two experiences.

8. Any matchups you're looking forward to?

I’m always looking forward to playing Villanova. Obviously, they’ve had some great success especially in the recent years but that’s always a challenge that me and the whole team are looking forward to taking.

9. Favorite place to eat at Penn?

I would say Baby Blues. It’s actually the first place that I ate on campus when I got here and it’s got some great barbecue.

10. Favorite place to study at Penn?

I would say Van Pelt has been my go-to.

11. Who is your favorite professional player?

LeBron James, he’s definitely my favorite athlete of time. I’m from Ohio so I’ve got a little bit of bias but it’s definitely LeBron and hopefully he gets his fourth championship coming up pretty soon.

12. What is your dream job? Any league aspirations?

I don’t think I necessarily have league aspirations but I’m definitely going to keep my options open after college. If I could potentially play overseas for a couple of years, I’m definitely going to try to do that.

13. Favorite Quaker basketball player of all time?

Honestly, I’d have to say AJ Brodeur. He broke Penn’s all-time scoring record and recorded the first triple-double in Penn history last year.

14. Giannis or LeBron for MVP?

LeBron, easily, he makes everybody better on his team.

15. What are you listening to currently?

I listen to a bunch of different stuff. My main thing is alternative. The Strokes, the band, just released an album recently so I’ve been listening to that pretty frequently.