Resolution near for Frank Martin, USC? Athletic contracts part of Friday meeting
South Carolina’s board of trustees will meet Friday morning and discuss contractual matters involving “athletics employment agreements” at the university, according to the official agenda.
It is not yet clear which specific athletics department employees the university will be discussing at the meeting. The State reached out to USC on Thursday morning seeking clarification.
The Friday meeting was on the school’s schedule for meetings, with the athletics item one of many things the board of trustees will review. Such athletic discussions by the board are typically to amend coaches’ salaries or contract terms.
On the heels of a women’s NCAA tournament Final Four run, Dawn Staley or members of her staff could be in line for contract extensions. Staley, who made roughly $1.7 million this season, is signed for the next four years and scheduled to make $2.1 million in her final season in 2024-25 under her current contract.
The school is also in the midst of searching for a new swimming and diving head coach after parting ways with McGee Moody last month, and the status of head men’s basketball coach Frank Martin remains up in the air.
There were rumblings of a potential coaching change in the men’s basketball program after the Gamecocks’ season ended March 11 in the SEC tournament. The whispers grew so loud that five members of Martin’s 2017 Final Four team spoke out in support of their former head coach, as did Staley and local politicians in the Columbia community.
All the while, neither the university nor Martin has commented on the situation publicly. Martin and his coaching staff have remained active despite the rumors, adding guard Chico Carter Jr. and forward A.J. Wilson to the roster as transfers just this week. Martin has also appeared on several radio shows in the past month to discuss the NCAA tournament.
The nine-year Gamecocks head coach has two years remaining on his contract, making roughly $3 million per year. The buyout in his contract — valued at $6.5 million — has reportedly been a sticking point for the university as it has evaluated its options over the last few weeks.
All indications point to Martin remaining in Columbia.
