Frank Martin details – the best he can – Rakym Felder's departure from South Carolina

Rakym Felder has reportedly moved on to a new school. The former South Carolina point guard, dismissed from the program April 23, has signed with New Mexico Junior College, where he'll soon begin the next chapter in his career.

But don't think Frank Martin is gone from his life.

The USC coach, speaking during a Wednesday press conference at Williams-Brice Stadium, opened the 44-minute session by addressing Felder's departure. He made sure to note: "I’ll continue to be a human being with him."

Felder – arrested in October 2016 and then again in July 2017 – was twice suspended by Martin before he was permanently let go. Martin took Felder back in January and had plans for him to play on the 2018-19 team.

“It breaks my soul that he’s not going to play for us," Martin said. "But I’m very clear with all my guys – not just the ones that made mistakes – on a daily basis on what’s expected of them. And I put in place a very detailed understanding as to what would be non-negotiable with me moving forward.

“He’s a great kid, he’s got a great heart. Decision-making, when he’s got free time, is a problem for him. He made some poor decisions that put me in a spot where I couldn’t trust (him) moving forward. He’s an unbelievable kid. His personality, his spirit are great. "

Martin, despite obvious point guard issues, chose not to play Felder in games as the Gamecocks went 17-16 last season. The Brooklyn native was a walk-on player who only practiced with the team. He had to earn back a scholarship, as well as the trust of his coach.

"He was doing everything right," Martin said, "but he ended up making a poor decision."

Martin spoke generally about what led to Felder's ultimate dismissal.

“My heart goes out to him because he’s very dear to me," Martin said. "I’ll continue to be a human being with him, but unfortunately the privilege of playing basketball here – not anywhere else, here – he didn’t meet the guidelines that we both agreed to put in place before he agreed to come back. So I couldn’t do it anymore."

Martin, in relation to Felder, shared a message that he tells his players daily.

“When someone makes the same mistake over and over and over, that’s no longer called a mistake," he said. "That’s called a problem. And when I deal with mistakes – which is an everyday thing for me – I’m OK with mistakes. I can live with them.

"I’m going to stay in your corner when you make mistakes. When I start sensing problems, which is the same mistake over and over and over, I can’t help problems. I got to get rid of problems."

This story was originally published May 9, 2018 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Frank Martin details – the best he can – Rakym Felder's departure from South Carolina."