Despite rumors, Frank Martin and the Gamecocks staff remain active
The rumors of a coaching change grew so loud that five members of Frank Martin’s 2017 Final Four team took to Twitter to defend him on Monday.
Yet the sun rose Friday morning with Martin still employed as South Carolina’s head men’s basketball coach.
Just this week, Martin appeared on two radio shows to discuss the NCAA tournament and wished 2021 USC signee Devin Carter happy birthday on Twitter. The Gamecocks coaching staff also reportedly checked in on two guards in the transfer portal. At least publicly, it appears to be business as usual for the Gamecocks program.
That doesn’t mean Martin’s situation looks any clearer. At some point the university and athletic director Ray Tanner will presumably take action — whether it be a public vote of confidence or the rumored change.
Martin has two years remaining on his contract, making around $3 million per year, with a $6.5 million buyout. Critics point to one NCAA tournament appearance in Martin’s nine years, while Martin has argued he’s elevated the program and created a winning mindset.
Despite all of the noise around him, Martin talked to Kansas City radio station 610 Sports on Thursday evening about putting the Gamecocks’ COVID-19 woes behind them and rebuilding. He also spoke about the challenges of building a team and maintaining depth under the NCAA’s current transfer rules.
“Sustaining a high level of winning only happens at a handful programs around the country; everybody else, there’s a rebuilding window,” Martin said. “What’s hurting ... schools like mine is this whole transfer stuff that we’ve been having. How about this — there’s over 700 transfers in the portal right now. We haven’t even started the NCAA tournament, and there’s already 700 transfers. We’ve averaged about 780 transfers a year over the last five years.
“... It’s made it real hard to sustain winning at high levels, so everyone’s going to take a step back and regroup and rebuild it again, and I know that’s what we’re doing.”
According to Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com, South Carolina expressed interest in Marquette transfer Symir Torrence and Cincinnati transfer Mike Saunders Jr., who is one of six Bearcats leaving the program due to a reported rift with coach John Brannen. Martin has notable connections with Cincinnati, having coached there as an assistant early in his career and briefly considering the Bearcats’ head coach opening in 2019.
As the week progressed, Martin drew other kinds of public support. On Friday, the National Association of Basketball coaches honored Martin with an inclusion award, alongside Kentucky coach John Calipari and Harvard coach Tommy Amaker.
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley told WLTX-TV’s Reggie Anderson this week that she saw “all the junk that’s on social media” about Martin and said that she’s behind her colleague, especially with the way Martin and his team were “hit hard” by COVID-19.
“If you get rid of Frank Martin, every coach, every candidate that you’re going to bring up in here, they’re watching it, too,” Staley said. “They’re watching how we react to what’s happening here. Frank’s given us some great years. I think there’s a lot more in the tank. I support him in that way. I support him publicly, and I support him privately.”
Though Martin’s Gamecocks 6-15 (4-12 SEC) did not make the NCAA tournament, he told 101 ESPN St. Louis on Monday that he’s keeping an eye on teams coached by former colleagues, like West Virginia’s Bob Huggins, Illinois’ Brad Underwood and Oklahoma State’s Mike Boynton — a coaching name that some Gamecocks fans have clamored for on social media.
“The guys that I’m really close to in this business, we either celebrate each other, or we commiserate,” Martin said. “And I’m lucky I get to sit back and there’s three guys, one guy I worked for, and the other two were kind of part of my organization. Bob Huggins, and then I’ve got Brad Underwood and Mike Boynton. So I’m tied to the tournament through those three guys right now.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 1:16 PM.
