Reflecting on Frank Martin and the Final Four
By Jordan Jandreau
The Final Four got underway this weekend in Arizona between powerhouses #1 UNC and #3 Oregon and newcomers #1 Gonzaga and #7 South Carolina. The men’s collegiate basketball championship is an annual tradition that celebrates student-athletes, our nation’s top academic institutions, crazed fanbases, and a religious devotion to a game that unites students and alumni alike during divisive times. Three weeks of non-stop basketball action provide the stuff of sports legends and “One Shining Moment” opportunities for college kids who grew up practicing buzzer beaters in their backyards.
The South Carolina Gamecocks provided a sizable chunk of storylines heading into the Final Four weekend. Besides having star player Sindarius Thornwell with a character name straight out of Game of Thrones (star SEC guard or new Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch?), South Carolina garnered a lot of attention for its notorious celebrity coach, Frank Martin.
Frank Martin’s aggressive coaching tactics are perpetually swirling in controversy. However, Martin supporters tend to point to his individual and team accomplishments in an effort to silence critics. Martin won Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2010 in a power conference that includes Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Baylor. In 2010, Martin also lead the Kansas State Wildcats to the Elite Eight which is the farthest they had advanced in the tournament since 1988. Martin left Kansas State in 2012 to become head coach at South Carolina. In 2017, Martin led the Gamecocks (a traditional football school) to their first tournament win since 1973. Martin continued to lead the program over #2 Duke in order to advance to the first Sweet Sixteen in South Carolina history. The Gamecocks then defeated #3 Baylor and #4 Florida in order to advance to the program’s first Final Four before eventually losing to #1 Gonzaga last weekend in a 77–73 contest.
For basketball fans, it’s always exciting to see a historically unaccomplished program make it all the way to the Final Four. However, some question whether Martin’s extreme expressions of anger take Bob Knight-style coaching too far.
Below, some of the most controversial Frank Martin moments this tournament.
Originally published at medium.com.
