Is Frank Martin doing enough as USC men’s basketball coach?

On Frank Martin

Here’s a question for the USC trustees, athletic director Ray Tanner and Gamecock alumni and fans: When will someone put an end to the embarrassment our school continues to endure by having Frank Martin as our men’s basketball head coach?

Martin’s boorish and unprofessional courtside manner is the antithesis of that of legendary Gamecock basketball head coach Frank McGuire and McGuire’s winning ways. Martin is now in his eighth season as USC’s head coach, but he has won no conference titles and he has taken the Gamecocks to just one NCAA tournament appearance.

In addition to producing only middle-of-the-road results as USC’s coach, Martin has admitted that the only players he wants in his program are those who will put up with his outlandish coaching style.

But have any of the university’s administrators or trustees noticed that when USC’s games are on TV, the cameras are routinely pointed away from Martin when there are timeouts — or that it’s because of the way Martin behaves during games?

Martin’s behavior and won-loss record make him an embarrassment to our university and basketball program.

Ken Boiter, Spartanburg

On impeachment

First of all, I must state I did not vote for Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election; I felt that he was an inexperienced political novice and would not be the best choice for president.

That being said, the ongoing hearings to impeach Trump have my attention not as someone who is anti-Trump, but as a concerned American citizen. I believe that Trump deserves a fair trial, and I believe that the Democrats have moved too quickly in seeking to remove him.

But it is also striking to me that Trump is refusing to allow the very people who could exonerate him to testify during the impeachment hearings — and that one of Trump’s supporters, our own Sen. Lindsey Graham, has basically stated that he will not be impartial in judging the evidence that has been presented.

Isn’t Graham bound by duty and oath to be impartial? Would any respecting citizen want a juror in their trial to publicly announce they wouldn’t be impartial before the trial even began?

William Bunting, Loris

On Trump

While attending the recent Army-Navy football game, President Donald Trump wore his red re-election slogan cap; Trump had his cap on throughout the opening ceremony and also during the traditional crossing from the Army to Navy side during halftime.

In the process Trump turned his presence at the game as America’s commander in chief into a blatant re-election ad. As a military veteran, I particularly resent the neutral military being used in this way.

At the very least Trump’s appearance at the Army-Navy game should have been funded by his re-election campaign, and not by America’s taxpayers.

Elizabeth Karr, Columbia

This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 2:00 PM.