Frank Martin is back for South Carolina. Gamecocks’ coach recovered from 2nd COVID case
On Monday afternoon, Bruce Shingler and the South Carolina men’s basketball team heard a familiar voice directing practice.
After more than a week away from the team due to a second positive COVID-19 test, head coach Frank Martin ended his isolation Monday and will make the trip with the Gamecocks to play their Tuesday night game at No. 19 Missouri.
Shingler, who stepped in as the acting head coach in the absence of Martin and assistant coach Chuck Martin, said Frank Martin’s return provided a jolt for the entire team. He said Martin was his typical exuberant self on Monday.
“His poise, his leadership, his command — when you’re used to something for your whole basketball career and you’re used to being coached a certain way, when he’s back it brings that spirit and that uplifting (feeling) back,” Shingler said Monday. “His voice and his attention to detail, Frank sees everything. Those guys were excited to have him back.”
Before Saturday’s game at LSU, the Gamecocks had played just two games in 41 days, shutting down three separate times due to positive COVID-19 tests within the program. The team announced two days before the LSU trip that Frank Martin, Chuck Martin and student-athlete development director Doug Edwards wouldn’t travel with the team.
There have been no updates on the status of Chuck Martin and Edwards. Shingler said Chuck Martin had not returned to practice as of Monday.
Frank Martin opened up to reporters prior to USC’s game against LSU, saying his second go-around with COVID-19 was much more difficult than the first.
“I think it’s so important for so many out there to understand that this is the second time I’ve gone through this,” Martin said. “The first time didn’t kick my tail the way this one kicked my tail.”
Martin did not speak with reporters Monday, deferring to Shingler, who due to the quick turnaround between games, led the charge in preparing for Mizzou.
The Gamecocks (3-3, 1-1 SEC) are coming off an 85-80 loss to LSU, a game that they led for 33 minutes. Much like their Dec. 5 loss on the road to a top-10 Houston team, the Gamecocks held a lead at halftime but were unable to finish strong.
Though Shingler was adamant about not making excuses for the team, he admitted after Saturday’s game that fatigue could have played a factor late in the game, due to the Gamecocks’ long layoff in between games. The team could only practice at 25% effort starting at midweek last week, before gradually building up to a full practice by the end of the week.
Shingler said the team returned to Columbia around 2 a.m. Sunday, then tested for COVID-19 later that morning. The Gamecocks spent Sunday’s practice watching film and focusing on small details before “revving up” on Monday, Shingler said.
The only two players who have not yet returned to the active roster for USC since the initial COVID shutdown in early December are forwards Alanzo Frink and Jalyn McCreary, and Shingler said he didn’t know if either player would suit up against Mizzou. McCreary returned briefly to play in USC’s Southeastern Conference opener against Texas A&M on Jan. 6 but did not play against LSU.
In good news for the Gamecocks, junior forward Keyshawn Bryant returned for his first action since Dec. 5 and provided an immediate spark against LSU, setting new career highs with 26 points and four blocks. Junior guard A.J. Lawson, the team’s leading scorer at 18.5 points per game, continued his hot play with 22 points.
No. 19 Missouri (8-2, 2-2) represents the first ranked opponent South Carolina has played since Dec. 5 at Houston and just the seventh opponent USC has played overall. Like LSU, these Tigers boast depth and experience. Four of the team’s five starters — and the team’s four leading scorers — are all upperclassmen. Three of them are seniors.
Junior guard Xavier Pinson leads the offense with 14 points per game.
“What stands out to me the most is their experience,” Shingler said. “They got guys that have been in the league. They’re returning their top nine guys, so their guys have been in the wars. They don’t pass the eyeball test when it comes high level or five-star players, but they got three-, four-year guys that (have) been in the program. And that’s why they’re ranked top 25 in the country — because of the experience and the depth.”
Shingler said he and Martin talked briefly about the LSU game and what adjustments the acting head coach possibly could’ve made late in that contest.
But as much as Shingler enjoyed his experience at the helm, the fifth-year USC assistant said he’s ready to hand the keys to the program back to Martin.
“I learned that it’s very hard,” Shingler said, laughing. “And Frank, my hat goes off to him because it’s a lot. For the couple of days that I had the responsibility, it felt like I had been been doing it for a year. That’s how much was put on my plate.
“It was a good experience, but it’s time to move on and get back to Gamecock basketball.”
NEXT USC BASKETBALL GAME
Who: South Carolina (3-3, 1-1 SEC) at No. 19 Missouri (8-2, 2-2, SEC)
Where: Columbia, Missouri
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published January 18, 2021 at 5:44 PM.
