What Andy Kennedy told Frank Martin during USC’s rough start to season
Should South Carolina beat LSU on Saturday, it’ll move Frank Martin into a tie with Eddie Fogler for the fourth-most wins as Gamecocks coach.
Fogler’s 123rd and final victory at USC came at the end of his eighth season. Martin is 16 games into Year No. 7 in Columbia.
It was a trying first couple months, but the Gamecocks (9-7 overall) have caught fire in January and have shot up to the top of the SEC standings.
It’s all been a thrill for the man who sold Martin on the Carolina job in spring 2012.
“I thought it had a lot of potential,” said Andy Kennedy, the former Ole Miss coach and current SEC Network analyst. “I think it’s in a great area. I’ve grown up in the SEC. I knew when they were going through the lean years in football, they were still getting 70-some-thousand people, so I knew they had a passionate fan base.
“I knew it was in a fertile recruiting area and I knew it had a lot of upside. They hadn’t won a game in the NCAA Tournament since ‘73. If you get to the tournament — forget the Final Four — if you get to the tournament and win a game, that’s something that hadn’t happened in 40 years.
“There was a high ceiling, I felt, and I think Frank has experienced that and I’m happy to see him rolling along right now.”
Kennedy goes back a couple decades with Martin. They were on the same Cincinnati staff in the early 2000s and faced each other 10 times from 2013-18.
The State caught up with Kennedy for his take on Martin and how he’s helped turn around South Carolina’s season.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Question: While South Carolina was struggling in November and December, did you and Frank have any conversations? How was he feeling then?
Andy Kennedy: With coaches, because even though I’m not coaching this year, I stay very cognizant of the fact that those guys have very, very busy schedules. The coaching profession is a very consuming way of life. So I would reach out, if I saw things watching his team or just to kind of encourage him or whatever. But you also have to kind of be careful because as coaches, you get texts when you lose and you don’t want to be patronized.
With Frank and I, we’re like brothers so we can go from A to Z pretty quickly. We don’t mince any words and we don’t worry about feelings and what have you. We’re good sounding boards for one another. So, yeah, we had communications as he was trying to figure out, ‘OK, how do we get this team performing the way that they currently are?’ And I just tried to encourage him. ‘Man, you’re one of the best in the business. You’re with them every day, you trust your instincts and then hopefully guys will respond.’
And that’s what happened.
Q: Putting your analyst hat on, what’s different about this team now versus last last month?
AK: Chris Silva, coming into the year, was in the conversation for preseason player of the year. And the same problems that have plagued him throughout his career there is his foul trouble. He was having foul issues early. They lose Justin Minaya right out of the gate, who was their best perimeter defender and their biggest wing with an ability to make shots. They’re playing a true freshman who’s dominating the ball in A.J. Lawson. So with that there’s going to come inconsistencies.
And some of the other upper classmen were then put into roles where they had to take on more responsibility. And you gotta be more accountable. Everyone wants to have more responsibility, but less accountability. So they were given more responsibility they had to be more accountable. So now you see a lot of the upper classmen, whether it be (Maik) Kotsar or (Hassani) Gravett, stepping up, taking some pressure off those young guys that I think are really good players.
Keyshawn Bryant has really improved, I think, as he has kind of settled down into what it takes to be successful at this level. A.J. Lawson, now a lot of the pressure’s off of him because some of the other guards are stepping up. He’s settled back into the way that he was playing in the non-conference. Silva is on the floor more times than not, (Wednesday night) notwithstanding. And they’re just getting contributions from a number of guys.
And winning close games. It’s such a razor edge between winning and misery. They were on the opposite side of that for a long time. But now, from the Florida game and they beat Mississippi State at home and then I was there during the Missouri game and they were pretty much in control of that game. And then (Thursday at Vandy), you’re down 10 in the second half and you make a great run and you’re sitting there 4-0.
Q: We live in a microwave society. When this team was 4-7, fans weren’t happy. The Final Four run was a distant memory. What’s that like as a coach? How does Frank handle it?
AK: Frank is a passionate guy. He coaches with passion and sometimes that’s misconstrued. But you see the way his players react to him. And that really means ultimately they know it’s coming from the right place and they proceed accordingly. And that’s really all you’re striving for as a coach.
I always have to remember this: The word fan is short for fanatical. People are fanatical. The most consistent people in the world in their day-to-day lives are inconsistent as it relates to their fandom. That’s just part of the deal. You gotta accept it. Again, I’m not saying it’s easy, but you gotta try to get your team focused on just the day-in and day-out battles.
And that’s what Frank is very, very good at. And I think we’re seeing the results of that, them just staying in the moment, one game after another. And now, because he does have a lot of young guys, they’re tasting success for this first time. How will they handle that? A lot of the times that’s more difficult to handle than adversity.
Q: Statistically, this team is playing at the quickest pace of any Martin-coached team. Does this style surprise you?
AK: No, because it’s the DNA of that team. They’re not a typical South Carolina defensive team. When I say typical, I’m referring to the group that he had that made that run to the Final Four that would really grind you up and would take you out of your offense. You had to beat them strictly off the bounce because they weren’t going to let you run offense.
This group is different than that. He’s got good length, good shot blockers, good athleticism on the perimeter. They’re switching on more ball screens than I’ve ever seen him do before. That’s just based on bigger guards and guys that I think give him a little more versatility.
But I think he’s trying to score early in the clock. If they can’t get something, they’re going to be disciplined and run their actions in the half-court.
Q: How would you scout this team differently than the 2017 team?
AK: Well, (Sindarius) Thornwell was a special player. Thornwell was a guy that at the end of the clock would go make pays. Duane Notice could go make plays at the end of the clock, P.J. Dozier could go make plays at the end of the clock.
I think A.J. Lawson is tremendous. He’s probably their best end-of-shot clock maker. Hassani Gravett can do it as well. This group, you want to make sure in transition you get in front of them and try to build a wall and then guard at the end of the clock and then keep them off the offensive glass.
Typically when you think South Carolina under Frank Martin, you think grind you defensively, pound you on the glass, not give you anything free and grind it out games. This team is totally different just based on personnel. That’s a tribute to Frank in making that adjustment. And that’s why I think you’re seeing the success.
Q: You coached against Hassani Gravett for two seasons. What’s different about him this season that’s led to his success?
AK: The kid has obviously been through the wars, been through these battles. He’s always trying to make the play and sometimes that aggression has worked against him.
But I think he’s settled into a role. I think he understands. He’s wired to score, he’s wired to make plays. And that’s what he’s doing right now. And I think it’s taken some pressure off A.J. Lawson and creating better spacing on the floor, which lets Lawson do what he does.
And then you throw in Keyshawn Bryant, who’s as athletic a guy as there is on the wing in the SEC. Kotsar’s playing better. Obviously Silva always draws attention. He’s always going to be the first name on the opposing team’s scouting report.
So I think the collection of those guys emerging has given them good balance.
NEXT GAME
Who: South Carolina (9-7, 4-0 SEC) at LSU (13-3, 3-0)
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
TV: SEC Network
This story was originally published January 19, 2019 at 9:15 AM.
