Frank is Frank again: South Carolina men’s coach enthusiastic about this year’s team
Midway through his first press conference of the 2021-22 basketball season, Frank Martin pulled off his Gamecocks hat and pointed to one faint, scraggly hair protruding from his bald head.
In the year since Martin’s two cases of COVID-19 triggered alopecia, that’s the lone hair Martin has grown back. His eyebrows have only partially returned, with him joking Thursday that he’s only got “an eyebrow and a quarter.” The South Carolina men’s basketball coach has spoken often about how the virus sapped him of his energy last year, made it difficult to eat and to even hold a basketball.
While his hair hasn’t returned — and might never return — Martin’s energy, fire and sense of humor are back in full force. The 55-year-old’s eyes lit up as he spoke about his new-look Gamecocks team. In an hour-long press conference, Martin used the word “enthusiasm” 12 times.
“My enthusiasm for this year is for Frank to be Frank,” Martin said, standing on the practice court at Carolina Coliseum. “Last year, Frank was not Frank.”
The Gamecocks could never get into rhythm last year. Positive COVID-19 cases within the program shut the team down three separate times, wiping out the majority of USC’s non-conference schedule. Both Martin and top assistant Chuck Martin contracted the virus in the middle of SEC play, and the Gamecocks managed just a 6-15 record, fueling rumors of a coaching change in the offseason.
Instead, the athletic department extended Martin without a raise and with a lowered buyout, putting the onus on winning this season. Martin will have to do it with a roster that features nine new players — the result of chaotic new transfer portal rules that had more than 1,000 players across the country changing schools.
But by all indications, Martin and his new collection of players have meshed well throughout the offseason, with practices beginning to ramp up in advance of USC’s Nov. 4 home exhibition against Benedict. Martin said he has sensed an eagerness to learn from the incoming transfers and freshmen. Whereas last year was defined by isolation and disconnection, this year’s players frequently stop by Martin’s office to crunch film and talk about basketball and life.
Veteran transfer guards James Reese and Erik Stevenson and forward A.J. Wilson visit with Martin the most, making an effort to connect and develop into team leaders. They understand that they have to adjust quickly for the Gamecocks to make a run at their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017.
“I told those guys, ‘We don’t have two years to figure this out,’ ” Martin said. “This ain’t about Frank Martin’s job. James Reese doesn’t have two years. Erik Stevenson’s got a chance to make money playing this game. He’s gonna have a degree at this time next spring. ... A.J. Wilson also doesn’t have a second year.
“We owe it to those guys to figure out a way to hit the fast-forward button in our relationship process. And they’ve done that.”
The moves that Martin and his staff made this offseason were in direct response to the weaknesses of last year’s team. Lacking big men and consistent inside scoring, the Gamecocks added Wilson, 7-foot LSU transfer Josh Gray and 6-8 freshman Ta’Quan Woodley to compete with Wildens Leveque, Tre-Vaughn Minott and Ja’Von Benson.
With the team’s top shooter A.J. Lawson turning pro, the Gamecocks brought in Stevenson, Reese and Chico Carter to bolster the team’s shot-making. Freshman wing Devin Carter made a loud first impression in a dominant S.C. Pro-AM appearance this summer, and Martin said he believes he can be an “elite scorer” once he adjusts to the college game.
Perhaps just as important as the influx of talent is the change in energy within the program. The physicality and toughness that Martin’s teams displayed in his first seven seasons in Columbia disappeared the past two seasons. This year’s roster appears to be a different breed, to the point that Martin said he’s had to “call the dogs off at times” in practice.
“What we do with physicality is not grabbing, it’s not pushing, it’s not holding, it’s not fouling,” Martin said. “Physicality is not accepting. Don’t accept screening. Don’t accept boxing out. Don’t accept that guy cutting harder than you. That’s where my whole physicality comes from, and we kind of lost that, but I think we’ve got that back.
“But the biggest thing is these guys, they rejuvenated me after a year that was very difficult for me, and they rejuvenated me with their enthusiasm. I’ve always been enthusiastic. But having these guys just as enthusiastic as me has got me excited for what’s in front of us.”
South Carolina 2021-22 basketball schedule
Times and TV listed if available
Nov. 4: home vs. Benedict/exhibition, 7 p.m.
Nov. 9: home vs. USC Upstate, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Nov. 12, vs. Princeton, 9 p.m. at Asheville Championship (ESPN News)
Nov. 14, vs. Western Kentucky/Minnesota, time TBD at Asheville Championship (ESPN2 or ESPNU, TBD)
Nov. 18: home vs. UAB, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Nov. 23: home vs. Wofford, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Nov. 28: home vs. Rider, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Dec. 1: at Coastal Carolina, 7 p.m. (ESPN Plus)
Dec. 5: home vs. Georgetown, 2 p.m. (SEC Network)
Dec. 12: vs. Florida State, time TBD at Rock Hill (ESPN2 or ESPNU, TBD)
Dec. 14: home vs. Allen, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Dec. 18: at Clemson, 8 p.m. (ACC Network)
Dec. 22: home vs. Army, 3 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Dec. 29: home vs. SC State, 3 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Jan. 4: home vs. Auburn, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 8: at Vanderbilt, noon (ESPNU)
Jan. 11: at Tennessee, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 15: home vs. Florida, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 18: at Arkansas, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 22: home vs. Georgia, 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 26: home vs. Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Jan. 29: at Texas A&M, 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 1: at Mississippi State, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Feb. 5: home vs. Tennessee, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Feb. 8: home vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2, TBD)
Feb. 12: at Georgia, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 15: at Ole Miss, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Feb. 19: home vs. LSU, 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 23: home vs. Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 26: at Alabama, 6 p.m. (SEC Network)
March 1: home vs. Missouri, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
March 5: at Auburn, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 4:29 PM.
