Timeline? Search firm? Answering key questions about South Carolina’s MBB coach search
South Carolina’s basketball program is going through a major transition.
The university will soon name its 33rd head coach in school history to replace Frank Martin, who was fired Monday after 10 seasons and one NCAA tournament appearance. Hired in 2012, Martin was 171-147 as USC’s head coach (79-99 SEC) — the third most wins in program history.
So, who’s next? And when?
What’s the timeline for filling the Gamecocks job?
There’s no official date for a hire to be made, but expect it to be quick. How fast? The first of next week is plausible, if not likely. The search extending beyond next week would be a surprise.
Less than 15 minutes after the official announcement Monday about Martin’s dismissal, national writer Matt Norlander reported via Twitter that “South Carolina has already begun interviewing for Frank Martin’s replacement, sources told CBS Sports.”
Basketball coaching searches can go very fast. Georgia fired Tom Crean last week and hired Mike White away from Florida three days later. Whether or not South Carolina targets a coach who’s still coaching in the NCAA or NIT tournaments will affect timing as well, though most teams’ seasons will be over by the weekend.
For what it’s worth, South Carolina took exactly two weeks in 2012 between firing Darrin Horn and then hiring Martin. There’s an expectation that the 2022 search won’t take that long.
There are a lot of reasons for urgency. One, there’s heavy competition in a coaching carousel with more than 30 vacancies across the country and counting — with LSU and Missouri open in the SEC, and Mississippi State expected to come available.
Two, the sooner a hire is made, the faster that coach can meet with current players, stabilize the roster and start working the high school ranks and transfer portal to help build next year’s team. Just Wednesday, South Carolina lost a commitment from its current recruiting class in Bryce Lindsay.
If being prudent and making the right hire are the top priorities, going fast isn’t far behind.
Is South Carolina using a search firm?
Yes, according to a university source, though the name of that firm was not immediately available.
South Carolina used Chad Chatlos of Ventura Partners Inc. in the search that led to Shane Beamer’s hire, but these firms are known to specialize in either football or basketball.
The consulting firm ran by former USC basketball coach Eddie Fogler is not believed to be involved with the Gamecocks’ current search. Fogler’s firm — Fogler Consulting — is helping Missouri in its search to replace Cuonzo Martin.
Why use a search firm? Their folks can reach out, make contacts, act as a go-between and help with the school’s vetting process.
Are there any top job candidates?
Last offseason when rumors circulated about Martin’s firing, Oklahoma State head coach and former Gamecock Mike Boynton was considered the favorite to replace him, and he likely tops the candidate list now. However, Boynton signed a seven-year contract extension with the Cowboys last offseason, and ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reported his “buyout is believed to be prohibitive.” According to The Oklahoman, if Boynton were to depart without permission of the athletic director in the first three years of that deal, he would owe the university 75% of his contract. That would be millions USC would be expected to pay Oklahoma State.
Other candidates include Murray State’s Matt McMahon, who led the Racers to a 30-2 season and their third NCAA tournament in five years. Chattanooga coach Lamont Paris, Cleveland State’s Dennis Gates and Appalachian State’s Dustin Kerns are among a bevy of other options.
The Gamecocks have already been in contact with former Gamecock star and current Wake Forest assistant BJ McKie as well as Furman coach Bob Richey, according to reports from SportsTalkSC. TheBigSpur’s JC Shurburtt reported mutual interest between USC and former Arizona coach Sean Miller, while Yahoo’s Pat Forde said Miller was “shopping for jobs.”
No clear front-runner has yet to emerge.
What’s South Carolina looking for in a coach?
Fit matters a lot. An active, sitting head coach — whether that’s from a Power Five school or a mid-major — is likely the preferred option, but it’s not a requirement. (See Beamer, who was hired to lead the South Carolina football program without head-coaching experience.)
In Monday’s official school statement on Martin’s dismissal, South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said, “We will hire someone with a winning coaching history, who has the energy, passion, and commitment to excellence in all areas of the student-athlete experience.”
It goes without saying that “a winning coaching history” is a requirement for the job. That being said, a university source confirmed that South Carolina’s coach will need to be coming from a place of success — ideally current success.
Will USC interview a minority candidate?
Martin is of Cuban descent and served as chair of a National Association of Basketball Coaches racial reconciliation committee during his time with the Gamecocks.
USC appears poised to interview minority candidates and has already reportedly been in contact with McKie, who is Black. Boynton, Gates, McKie and Paris are all Black candidates who could possibly interview for the position.
Will there be roster transfers?
Yes, it’s a safe bet to say some players with eligibility on the current team will move on.
Roster attrition has become the norm in any season. In the Martin era, a handful of underclassmen left every year for a variety of reasons. After the 2020-21 season alone, six players transferred out and nine new players were added to the roster.
The transfer portal allows any player to make one move to a new school without the old NCAA restriction of having to sit out a season.
When Martin was hired in 2012, the Gamecocks lost top players Anthony Gill (Virginia) and Damontre Harris (Florida) to transfer. Martin’s USC tenure began with two losing seasons (14-18 and 14-20) before six consecutive years of at least a 16-16 finish — with seasons of 25 and 26 wins at the era’s high point.
On the 2021-22 USC roster, James Reese and AJ Wilson were both graduate seniors who exhausted their eligibility. Keyshawn Bryant, Jermaine Couisnard and Erik Stevenson have professional options to consider.
One thing to watch: Anyone with eligibility could opt to follow Martin and play for him at his next school, if he opts to take another head-coaching job this cycle.
What about GG Jackson?
On3Sports’ Jamie Shaw reported Monday that five-star hometown recruit GG Jackson was a lock to pick South Carolina if Frank Martin had stayed head coach. Shaw went as far as saying Jackson told Martin’s staff that he planned to stay home and be a Gamecock.
Jackson posted a broken-heart emoji to Twitter shortly after the news of Martin’s dismissal broke Monday, but then removed that post from his social media feed.
A source close to Jackson’s recruitment confirmed that North Carolina and Duke are the current college favorites.
A big allure on the USC side of things for landing Jackson — a high school junior — was that he might graduate early, reclassify as a senior and enroll in college this summer. The times Jackson has spoken on the record about it, he hasn’t seemed overly enthusiastic about reclassifying.
Whether his college decision is imminent remains unknown, but expect the new Gamecocks coaching staff to at least make a push for him to play for South Carolina.
As of now, the odds of him playing his senior year of high school are high. Whether or not he plays that final year locally at Ridge View High School is to be determined. He could opt to follow departing Blazers coach Yerrick Stoneman to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia or attend another nationally known high school powerhouse.
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
