Martin Riley

Martin James Riley (born May 8, 1955) is a former Canadian basketball player and Olympian. Riley has been described as “one of the finest basketball players to emerge out of the province of Manitoba”.

Riley played for the Canadian men's national basketball team from 1973 to 1980. Riley made the national team when he was 17 years old, being the first player to make the national team immediately out of high school and being one of the only 17-year-olds in history to make the Canadian national basketball team. Riley was later named the captain of the 1980 Olympic team. a three-time First-team All-Canadian (1976-1978), Manitoba's athlete of the year (1976) CIAU tournament MVP (1976) and Great Plains Athletic Conference player of the year (1978), where Canada finished fourth overall. Riley was Canada's fifth overall scorer in these Olympic games. This 1980 Canadian Olympic team was positioned to be a medal-contender with this time of Canadian basketball being described as "arguably the Canadian national team's greatest era" and "Canada's golden age of basketball".

Riley was also offered a place on the 1984 Olympic team; however, seeing that taking the offer would have resulted in him losing his head coaching position at the University of Manitoba, Riley declined. Riley performed well in these tournaments; for example, Riley was Canada's second-leading scorer in the 1978 FIBA World Championship, where Canada finished 6th overall.

University Before attending university, Riley was the point guard and captain of the Sisler High School basketball team in Winnipeg during the 1972–73 season. This team was the only undefeated varsity boys basketball teams in Manitoba for several decades. This was a satisfying win for the Bisons after losing in the CIAU national finals game by one point the prior season. the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) player of the year in the 1977–78 season a basketball program for high school athletes, the 1976 University of Manitoba men's basketball team was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (2011); and the 1973 Sisler boys basketball team was inducted into the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association Hall of Fame (2011), with Riley being a member of each of these teams.

Personal life Riley was born May 8, 1955, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was raised in Winnipeg as one of five children raised by his single mother. Riley eventually became a high school teacher, teaching psychology, law and geography at the high school level.