South Carolina Basketball

Frank Martin's impact on the Gamecocks is being felt all over the state of South Carolina. 

Monday was a big step for the South Carolina basketball program as USC landed point guard Marcus Stroman for the 2014 recruiting class, according to TheBigSpur.com. 

South Carolina has been recruiting Stroman for a while now, dating back to the previous coaching staff under then head coach Darrin Horn. When Frank Martin was hired to replace Horn, he went to work on several in-state prospects.  Stroman was one of those recruits who was re-established as a priority for the South Carolina basketball program. 

Martin reaffirmed the scholarship offer to Stroman a few weeks back, and an unofficial visit this past week by Stroman to USC, gave him all he needed to know about the future of the South Carolina program. Martin was able to convince Stroman of his role for point guards in his offense and show him how he'd fit in as a Gamecock in the future. 

Stroman also wanted a school that was close to home in order to allow his family the chance to see him play as much as possible. It's hard to beat that aspect of the offer, seeing as though Stroman is from Columbia, South Carolina and plays basketball at Keenan High School. 

South Carolina is getting itself quite a point guard.

Stroman's still two years away from stepping on campus, but he's the kind of player that can be a floor general for the Gamecocks.

He knows how run the point position as a true point guard. He's a pass-first type of player that gets his teammates involved. He's also a speedy player who can get up and down the court. His quick step gives him the ability to get by his defender and to attack the basket or pass off to a teammate. 

The point guard depth is a question mark in Columbia right now, and while Stroman won't be on campus until 2014, he'll help solidify the depth and position immediately once he enrolls at South Carolina. 

Stroman chose USC over an offer from Clemson, as well as interest from Florida State and Georgetown. 

It's been a couple of years since South Carolina basketball had a star—someone the fans could rally behind and believe in.

Thaddeus Hall, Frank Martin's first USC recruit, could be just that.

Hall, a 6'5" wing from Thomas Jefferson High (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is just what the Gamecocks need to revive a recently stagnant basketball program. Hall has the star power to inspire Gamecock Nation if his ability to score at will isn't enough.

And that's what fans need in Columbia—not only a great player but an actual star whose presence can infect the entire campus.

The Gamecocks have sorely missed Devan Downey since the fan favorite graduated two years ago. Downey's exciting play and powerful charisma lit up the Colonial Life Arena. Fans would pile in to cheer on Downey's 30-point games and slap hands with the leader who would involve the crowd after every great play.

Fans wanted to believe Downey's heir was guard Bruce Ellington, who scored almost 13 points per game his freshman season. But Ellington didn't improve the team and fans became less interested. Two years after his arrival, fans are more excited to see Ellington on the football field than the hardwood, and the basketball team has hit new lows in both wins and attendance.

Hall is the kind of star that can fix all that.

He has a magnetic personality—almost 1,200 followers on Twitter and another 4,200 friends on Facebook—and the swagger to proclaim himself the best player in N.Y.

Coming into the business-driven world of college athletics, Hall has the marketability to promote and sell, and he knows it.

Hall told his Facebook friends, "UNDER ARMOUR BETTER CUT THE CHECK IF I GO TO THE NBA CAUSE I BEEN LOOKING GOOD / KILLING IN THEY GEAR SINCE 10TH GRADE!"

Under Armour just so happens to sponsor the Gamecocks as well as Thomas Jefferson High basketball.

And, boy, did Hall kill on the offensive end as a high schooler.

The southpaw led his team to the Public Schools Athletic League championship averaging 27 points, nine rebounds and almost four assists per game throughout the playoffs, including a 34-point first-half shooting barrage in the second round.

He has the height and length to rise over guards and drain threes, and the quickness to blow past forwards and explode to the rim—never forgetting to let his competition know about it on the way back down the court.

Skip Bayless would love his clutch gene. Hall is the type of player to call for the ball when the game is on the line and celebrate with the crowd in the stands after hitting the shot. In the PSAL playoff semifinal game, Hall scored five points in the final seven seconds to give his Orange Wave team a five-point victory and a ticket to the finals in Madison Square Garden.

Hall passed up offers from the likes of Virgina Tech, West Virginia and St. John's to join Martin in ushering in the new era of basketball at USC.

When Martin stood at the lectern addressing the USC fans and media at his introductory press conference he confidently stated, "We will put 18,000 fans in this arena."

"We're getting ready to go on a ride here," Martin said. "And it's going be fun ride." 

His soon-to-be star is the key to begin making good on that promise.

Big things were expected from Damontre Harris and Anthony Gill. 

Both players have showcased plenty of talent during their young careers at South Carolina and were expected to step up for new coach Frank Martin in 2012-2013. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, Gill and Harris elected to seek transfer to another school and the Gamecocks' roster took a hit. 

Gill has decided to transfer to Virginia but Damontre Harris appears to be having some second thoughts after being granted his release to transfer to another school. 

The initial request from Harris was a bit of a surprise. He had been attending workouts with the Gamecocks after Frank Martin was hired at South Carolina a few short weeks ago. Everything appeared set for Harris to make his return to Columbia for his junior season. 

Something changed for Harris, and thus the request for the release to transfer was asked for and then granted by USC. 

Harris has set up official visits to the University of Florida and Kansas. Two dominant basketball programs of recent years; losing a player who could play at either of those schools would be a big loss for the Gamecocks. This is where there is a bit of hope for South Carolina. 

Carey Rich of 560 The Team mentioned on Twitter that Harris was having second thoughts about his decision to transfer. He was reportedly getting the push from an old high school coach to explore options outside of South Carolina. This has left Harris conflicted in his decision. He even attended an awards banquet for student-athletes at USC this past weekend in Columbia. 

South Carolina does have two open scholarships available so Frank Martin has the option of allowing Harris to remain a part of the Gamecock basketball team. 

It definitely sounds plausible that Harris could return to South Carolina. He could just as easily transfer to another school. This one appears to be up in the air and time will tell if Harris is a Gamecock next season. 

Frank Martin has been on the job for a few short weeks but has the Gamecocks on fire on the recruiting trail in the past 24 hours. 

Martin has landed four commitments for the upcoming 2012-2013 season to go along with current Gamecock signee Tyrone Haughton to give the Gamecocks five fresh faces for next year. 

The first commitment for Frank Martin was Thaddeus Hall, a 6'5" wing player from New York. Hall has had some issues during his high school career ranging from academics to being homeless his first few seasons. Things are looking up for the young man now that he's on the verge of becoming a Gamecock. 

Hall is the confident scorer who will bring a much needed boost to the backcourt in the form of a scorer from all ranges. His coach mentioned on the radio that Hall scored 30 points in six minutes during one of their recent playoff games. The talent is there. 

Academics are the issue for Hall right now, but he is close to qualifying and will take the SAT on May 5th with hopes of landing the qualifying score. 

The next commitment of the night was from Mindaugas Kacinas. Kacinas is from Lithuiania but was playing at Word of Life Prep School in Witchita, Kansas at the placement of Frank Martin during his time at Kansas State. Kacinas plays the post at 6'8" tall but will probably be able to play outside given most Europeans style of play. 

The connection he had with Frank Martin at Kansas State helped lead the way for Kacinas to come to South Carolina. 

The third commitment for the Gamecocks is another Lithuanian player by the name of Laimonas Chatkevicius. Chatkevicius was a former signee with Kansas State when Frank Martin was the coach there but got his release and decided to follow Martin to South Carolina. 

Chatkevicius is a bigger player than Kacinas standing 6'10" tall but has an outside game that can stretch all the way to the three-point line. He's also a player that can run the floor. The Gamecocks need another big man in the middle and Chatkevicius could be that player. 

The final commitment for the Gamecocks was guard Tarik Phillip from New York. Phillip played at Brooklyn College Academy before transferring down to Charlotte to play at Queen City Prep School. Phillip is capable of playing both guard positions for the Gamecocks with his height of 6'3" and weighing 195 pounds. 

Phillip scored 26 points a game and also had seven assists and is considered a "true" point guard according to his coach. The Gamecocks needed a point guard in this class and found one with Tarik Phillip. 

These new players bring a lot of variety on the court and can hopefully re-energize the Gamecock program under new coach Frank Martin. 

South Carolina has one scholarship remaining for the 2012-2013 season. 

One of South Carolina's top young players has been given permission to seek a transfer from the university after the recent coaching change.

Anthony Gill was granted permission from USC to be released from his scholarship in order to find another school to continue playing college basketball.

Gill was a top recruit for the 2011-2012 season for former coach Darrin Horn and showcased loads of potential that had him ranked as one of the top high school basketball players in the country. South Carolina underwent a coaching change from Darrin Horn to Kansas State's Frank Martin in the offseason, and this gave Gill some uncertainty for continuing his South Carolina career.

Frank Martin released a statement today in regards to the news of Anthony Gill receiving his release:

"We're going to allow Anthony to go through the recruiting process again, and South Carolina will be involved in that."

Martin commented earlier this week about how he'll have to re-recruit the current players at South Carolina, and this holds true with Anthony Gill.

The true freshman averaged 7.6 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds. He had double-digit scoring in seven games, and either led or shared the team lead in scoring six times.

South Carolina upgraded by hiring Frank Martin to replace Darrin Horn. He will, however, need some players to work with, and Anthony Gill could play a big role next season.

The Gamecocks hope Martin can convince him to return, or else there could be some growing pains for the new coach of South Carolina.

To call South Carolina's basketball program an afterthought wouldn't quite do it justice.

The Gamecocks haven't made a trip to the NCAA tournament since 2004. Worse, they haven't won an NCAA tournament game since 1973. 

It is now Frank Martin's job to make sure all this changes.

As reported by ESPN's Andy Katz on Monday, Martin has agreed to become the new head basketball coach at South Carolina. He will leave his post at Kansas State after five seasons, in which the Wildcats went 117-54 and made four trips to the NCAA tournament.

In other words, Martin accomplished more in five seasons than the Gamecocks have in almost four decades. The phrase "just what the doctor ordered" comes to mind.

Martin knows what it's like to revive a sagging basketball program. He coached under Bob Huggins when he took over at Kansas State in 2006, replacing Jim Wooldridge. The Wildcats went 15-13 under Wooldridge in 2005-2006, and 23-12 under Huggins in 2006-2007. They didn't skip a beat under Martin after Huggins left town, going 21-12 in 2007-2008.

In fact, Kansas State never won fewer than 20 games under Martin's watch. The Wildcats have consistently been one of the top teams in the Big 12 since he and Huggins arrived.

Things will be a little different in SEC country, but it's not like Martin will be a stranger in a distant land. He's a Florida native, and he used to coach high school basketball in Miami. He'll be a threat to take recruits away from other top coaches in the SEC, and he most certainly has the personality to fit in with the general culture of the conference.

Making a powerhouse out of South Carolina is something that will be much easier said than done, as doing so will require top recruits, and recruiting will be an uphill battle for Martin given South Carolina's basketball reputation (or lack thereof).

But in the short term, South Carolina's athletic department can rest comfortably knowing that it has at least secured a good basketball coach who will make the players the Gamecocks currently have that much better. Over time, Martin could very well turn South Carolina into perennial participants in the NCAA tournament.

The Gamecocks have waited this long for that kind of success. They can wait a little longer.

Frank Martin is bolting Kansas State for South Carolina, and he is going to regret it. While he isn't likely to come out and say as much, this move was done for the money. And in the long term, this is going to cost him money. 

Martin has no ties to South Carolina, nor is it a better basketball program. In fact, they are far worse. The Gamecocks finished last season at 10-21. Martin and Kansas State were 22-11. 

Martin can talk about the challenge of rebuilding the program, etc..., but he will be hard pressed to get me to believe it wasn't about the money. 

The biggest piece of evidence for this? The money. 

The Post and Courier's South Carolina beat writer, Darryl Slater, reported the details of the new deal.

@GoodmanCBS reports that Frank Martin's deal with South Carolina will be six years and $12 million.

— Darryl Slater (@DarrylSlater) March 26, 2012

Why Martin Will Regret This Move

Martin enters a broken program with the expectation to turn it around. If he is able to do this, it is going to take time. 

The Gamecocks won just two games in the SEC last year. Rebuilding from that is going to be a slow process. And time is not a typical luxury for new coaches coming in with new contracts and big money. 

This is going to leave Martin looking for a new job before his contract runs up, and it will not be worth as much. 

Martin would have been far better served to wait for an opportunity to come around at a school with more recruiting power and in better shape than the Gamecocks. 

Even if that meant staying at Kansas State longer, it would pay off in the long run. 

Frank Martin hasn't officially left Kansas State for South Carolina yet, though if the move goes through as expected, then the Gamecocks will have themselves one heck of a coach.

Martin took the reins of the Wildcats program from Bob Huggins, who left Manhattan after one year to take his dream job at West Virginia, and promptly put together a 117-54 record in five seasons, making him the fourth-winningest coach in school history behind only Jack Hartman, Tex Winter (the father of the Triangle offense) and Jack Gardner.

Over that same span, Martin guided the Wildcats to four NCAA Tournament appearances and oversaw the development of his fair share of K-State stars, most notably Wally Judge and Rodney McGruder.

In other words, Frank can coach and he has the "Steely Gaze of Death" to prove it.

More importantly for folks in Columbia, Martin is set to arrive in the Palmetto State as a program builder.

Martin won't have "Huggy Bear" to prime the pump for him this time around, though he will be much closer to his south Florida roots now, which should, in theory, enhance his ability to recruit.

It's also a golden opportunity to breathe life into another dormant doormat in a Big Six conference without the burden of great expectations. The Gamecocks haven't been to the Big Dance since 2004, when Dave Odom guided the team to a 23-11 record and a first-round exit.

Martin's fire-breathing ways figure to ignite at least some measure of excitement and discipline in a team that won just 10 games this past season under Darrin Horn, whose resume was devoid of coaching experience at a major conference school prior to his arrival at USC.

Turning around a disharmonious beat of that sort will be no easy task for Martin—and won't get any easier if the NCAA starts sniffing around him in light of his recent comments about paying his former players—though if there's any comfort to be taken in his next assignment, it's this:

The last time South Carolina employed a man named "Frank" to coach its men's basketball team, he lasted 16 years, won 283 games and led the Gamecocks to four March Madness appearances.

Not that Frank Martin is anywhere near the level of Frank McGuire, who won a national title at North Carolina before he switched south, but at least he has something to fall back on if/when times get tough.

Follow @J0shMart1n 

South Carolina basketball will be looking for a new head coach after Darrin Horn was fired early Tuesday morning.

Horn went 60-63 during his four seasons in Columbia including three straight losing seasons after winning a share of the SEC East in his first year back in 2008-2009.

Things seemed to spiral out of control for Coach Darrin Horn this year as South Carolina finished with a 10-21 record overall and was dead last in the SEC with a 2-14 record.South Carolina's SEC record the past three seasons was 13-35.

Coach Horn guided USC to a berth in the NIT Tournament after the 2008-2009 season but lost in the first round to Davidson. Horn also failed to win an SEC Tournament game in his four seasons at South Carolina.

The chatter began to increase each week from the fanbase that they were upset with the direction of the basketball program. Athletic Director Eric Hyman listened, evaluated the program and decided it was time to go in another direction.

Here's what Hyman had to say about Horn this afternoon:

This was a very difficult decision.Darrin has done a good job in areas in which we place great value. Under his leadership our academics have improved immensely, he has run a program of integrity and his student-athletes have represented the university and department appropriately. However, we could not overlook other factors that led to this decision. In the world of college athletics, wins and losses and being competitive in the SEC had to be considered. Recruiting, player development and diminishing fan support also was considered when making a decision like this.

Our goal for our men's basketball program is the same as all of our athletics programs at South Carolina - to be a nationally-prominent program that battles for championships. With that in mind, we will begin a national search immediately to find the very best coach possible for the University of South Carolina.

The positives with Darrin Horn was an improved academic focus within the men's basketball program. The players also stayed out of trouble for the most part and were in good-standing with the university and the community. These were definitely upgrades from the Dave Odom era but, in the end, it all came down to wins and losses. 

South Carolina will pay Darrin Horn $2.4 million as part of the buyout clause that was in his contract. He will also earn $800,000 for each year remaining on his contract. Horn had three years left before he was fired by the university today.

The search for a new head coach will begin immediately and while AD Eric Hyman mentioned no names, there are plenty of favorites already on the minds of Gamecock fans. Look for Wichita State's Gregg Marshall, VCU's Shaka Smart and Tennessee State's John Cooper to be early candidates for the open position.

There is currently no timetable for the hiring of the next basketball coach at South Carolina.

Darrin Horn came into the SEC from Western Kentucky. The hype surrounding him was unbelievable. In his first year at South Carolina, he rode Devan Downey to a 21-10 record and a NIT berth. Since then the Gamecocks have disappointed.

Downey was back in 2009/2010. The fire wasn't. South Carolina would struggle to a 15-16 record. Year three for Horn was his first without the great Downey. He and the Gamecocks struggled to a 14-16 record. The Gamecocks lost 11 of their last 13 games.

South Carolina started this year with a win. There hasn't been one since. Back to back loses to lesser opponents have fans wanting blood. Horn is a decent coach but he has not found that winning touch.

I can understand losing to ranked teams or tough teams in your conference. The problem for Horn has been ugly loses. Since he has been there, Carolina has lost five games to much lesser opponents.

South Carolina is not a major player in the basketball world. Fans still want a winner. Following after two legends in Dave Odom and Eddie Fogler, Horn has a lot to live up to. Losses to the likes of Elon, Tennessee State, Furman, Wofford and Charleston will not cut it.

Horn needs to change around this season fast. To me it's too late. Entering his fourth season, if he doesn't win it's time to go. With the exposure and money flying around the SEC, teams can get a good coach at any time.

The remaining non-conference games for Carolina are a help. Carolina should go 7-3 the rest of their out of conference schedule. With that 8-5 record heading into SEC play, Horn probably needs 10 wins to have any shot at saving his job.