For Frank Martin, the 10-year reign as head basketball coach at the University of South Carolina came to an end the day after the regular season officially came to an end. The Gamecocks were snubbed for a bid to play in the NIT Tournament and were denied the opportunity for postseason play for a fifth consecutive season.
Ray Tanner, University of South Carolina Director of Athletics announced that Frank Martin was no longer the head men’s basketball coach, effective immediately.
“After a thorough evaluation of our men’s basketball program, we have decided to make a change,” said Tanner. “We are grateful for the dedication that Coach Martin has made to Gamecock basketball. We wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future.”
“Our expectation is to compete for Southeastern Conference and national championships,” said Tanner. “We have great facilities, a passionate fan base and we provide our student-athletes an outstanding experience at the University of South Carolina. 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.”
The Gamecocks finished this season with an 18-13 record, 9-9 during SEC regular season play. Carolina tied for fifth in the SEC standings and was the 7th seed in the recently concluded SEC Tournament in Tampa, Fla.
The highlight of the 55-year-old Martin’s tenure at South Carolina was the program’s only Final Four appearance in 2017. The Gamecocks lost to Gonzaga in the national semi-finals that year.
The biggest downfall for Martin may have been taking South Carolina to play in that Final Four. After the 2017 Final Four trip expectations became too high and fans expected the Gamecocks to be competing for championships and participating in the NCAA Tournament every year. That was something that Martin was unable to accomplish.
In recent year, Martin’s teams have been hard to watch play. They have been plagued by poor shooting, numerous turnovers, poor free throw shooting, excessive fouling and no offensive skills from their big men.
Rumors circulated at the end of last season about a possible firing after Martin’s team went 6-15 (4-12 SEC). Last season was a struggle on and off the court for the Gamecocks.
The pandemic forced USC to cancel or postpone seven games between December and January and activities were shut down three times. The Gamecocks went nearly seven weeks without practicing and then played just one non-conference game before moving into conference play. Martin contracted the virus twice and had to quarantine on both occasions. He said that he almost considered walking away from coaching altogether after battling through the COVID-19 year.
The Carolina coach has often said that he felt like his job was to help his players.
“My job is to help them find success. It’s always been that way. It’s all I ever care about,” he said.
Martin finishes his 10th season as the third-longest tenured head coach in Gamecock men’s basketball history. Only Frank McGuire (16 seasons, 1964-80) and Frank Johnson (14.5 seasons, 1940-43; 1946-58) have served longer as the head Gamecock men’s basketball coach.
He had a 171-147 record as the Gamecocks’ head coach, including a 79-99 mark in SEC regular-season games. His 171 wins ranks third in all-time wins at USC. The Gamecocks won 20-plus games twice during his tenure, reaching one NCAA Tournament and the NIT once.
He coached Carolina to its first-ever NCAA Final Four in 2017, being named the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com. In the previous season, 2015-16, the Gamecocks went to the NIT, earning its first postseason bid since the 2008-09 season.
Per Martin’s contract, the university will owe him a $3 million buyout.
A national search for his replacement is currently underway.
The Coaches Corner: Gamecocks Fire Frank Martin
