COLUMBIA – The game is organized so that the coaches know most of the other coaches. There is always a recruiting function, a game or banquet where they meet.
By replacing assistant Perry Clark after his retirement, South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin achieved his training. His first college job was as an assistant at Boston’s Northeastern University and, during the 2002-03 season, he saw a young ex-player on the other line.
Almost 20 years later, Will Bailey is working for Martin at USC.
“I’ve known Frank since he was at the University of Maine, (and) he was at Northeastern,” said Bailey. “He was always personal, someone I have followed over the years.”
Martin knows what Bailey brings to the USC program.
“He has a relentless work ethic that he uses in recruiting and developing players,” said Martin in a statement. “It is no surprise that wherever he goes, the program starts winning.”
Gamecocks are winning (Martin has posted six consecutive seasons without defeats, something not seen since the Frank McGuire era) and will return a team in 2020-21 that will give them a great chance to make the NCAA tournament, although much depends on the return yet. question of guard AJ Lawson. But they want to stay on their perch and the only way to do that is to continue to recruit at a high level.
Clark was instrumental in planning the game and formulating strategies for opponents. Most of the recruitment was carried out by assistants Chuck Martin and Bruce Shingler.
With Bailey, the Gamecocks added a recruiter who undermined the territory along the east coast, the south and the midwest for 20 years.
“With me, I’m obviously from Chicago and the Midwest. I’ve been to St. Louis (University), I have ties in those areas, I have relationships in those areas. The only important thing about recruiting is relationships,” Bailey said. “I don’t consider myself a guy who’s just stuck in one area. Even though I’m from that area, I’ve been to many different places. I consider myself a national recruiter.”
Bailey played and started his coaching career at UAB, where he learned from another Martin confidant, Andy Kennedy. This led to stops in Chicago State, Maine, La Salle, East Tennessee State and St. Louis.
He was not on programs blessed with great pedigrees, strong leagues or constant NBA products. But he found a way to get players, and that resulted in five appearances in the NCAA tournament. He was part of the La Salle team that guided the Explorers to Sweet 16 in 2013, when they were led by the South Carolina transfer, Ramon Galloway.
Galloway was from Philadelphia and returned to his hometown after two years with Gamecocks from coach Darrin Horn. Bailey heavily recruited Philly and New York during his days at La Salle and is working for Martin, who has always emphasized New York in his recruitment and programming.
“When I was in Maine, we recruited junior colleges and prep school students, the entire New England prep school circuit, which is probably the best prep school basketball in the country,” said Bailey. “I was in East Tennessee State for seven years. I recruited Virginia, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina. ”
His first squad at the USC contains two players from Tennessee, two from New Jersey, one from Massachusetts and one from East Chicago, Indiana, just beyond the state line of Chicago. Bailey mentioned how Martin wants to return to a strong position in the Midwest, built from his days in Cincinnati and the state of Kansas.
“I will be (in Chicago) and in the Midwest, but we are wide open,” said Bailey. “It is not really classifying anyone in a specific area. I definitely spent a lot of time in the South and obviously in the Midwest. “
So, it’s about finding the right players. Gamecocks are always looking for players who can not only play, but thrive on Martin’s system.
“The only thing I’m looking for is endurance, work ethic and an engine,” said Bailey. “I think there is a foundation. Yes, you are looking for talent, obviously, but when you have toughness, work ethic and an engine, and you have talent, now that player gets better and better. “
It is the same model that Bailey followed as a coveted assistant coach.
Follow David Cloninger on Twitter @DCPandC.