Recruiting during COVID-19 isn’t easy, but here’s what Frank Martin likes about it
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the recruiting landscape for college teams, but that doesn’t necessarily mean recruiting has become more difficult.
At least, Frank Martin doesn’t think so.
The South Carolina men’s basketball coach said there are elements of recruiting during the quarantine that he’s actually enjoyed — and it shows. The Gamecocks have picked up three 2021 commitments since the end of April, constructing a class that ranks 34th in the country in the 247Sports rankings.
A big believer in relationship-building on the recruiting trail, Martin said the pandemic has made communication with recruits all the more important.
“It’s made recruiting — I don’t even know if this is a word — realer,” Martin told The State. “It’s made it clearer, which then allows it to be real. ... We don’t have all these countless opportunities all summer to go watch other people play. We’re not chasing the guy that we can’t get. On the contrary, we’ve built a relationship with the guy that actually loves us the way we love him.
“And from the athlete’s standpoint, I truly feel that it’s allowed them to realize that certain schools that just come and watch you play, that doesn’t mean they’re being recruited by those schools. That means they’re being evaluated by those schools. So amongst athletes, they know who’s calling. They know who are the ones that are engaging them in real conversation, not just sending a generic text.”
That conversation-driven style of recruiting suits a coach like Martin, who is known for being direct and vocal.
Guard Devin Carter from Miami, the first of the Gamecocks’ three 2021 commitments, cited his relationship with Martin and assistant Chuck Martin as a key factor in his decision, saying, “They’ve always been in contact with me.”
The program’s most recent commitment, 6-foot-6, 230-pound power wing Carlous Williams out of Mississippi, said he had heard Martin was “a hard coach” and liked his style, something that point guard commit Jacobi Wright echoed.
“I know he coaches his players hard,” Wright said. “I know he’s going to stay on his players, but I feel like that’s a great asset to have when you are trying to get better as a player because you don’t want somebody to be easy on you and let you make mistakes and be OK with it.”
From Legacy Charter in Greenville, Wright represents yet another in-state recruiting win for Martin and the Gamecocks, who bring in South Carolina natives Ja’Von Benson and Patrick Iriel as freshmen this season.
That momentum doesn’t seem to be slowing down, even during a pandemic.
“If you kind of pay attention, we’re getting a lot more commitments right now at an early stage than we did a year ago where things were getting drug out till November and even into the spring,” Martin said. “So I think it’s different. Does it mean it’s better? I have no idea.
“But I think I’ve enjoyed recruiting the way it’s happened over the last four months.”
