On Tuesday night, the South Carolina basketball team will host the fiery Razorbacks in what could be one of Frank Martin’s last games as a Gamecocks coach.
Martin, who took South Carolina to his only participation in the Final Four in 2017, had a difficult season. His Gamecocks are 6-12 overall and lost six consecutive SEC games before breaking that streak with a big win against Georgia last weekend.
Still, South Carolina basketball seems to be in trouble in Martin’s ninth season there.
He was recently dragged into an investigation into improper payments to a former assistant. In addition, today Martin said something at his press conference that could trigger memories of John Pelphrey’s famous line about simply lying down to “have a good bleed.”
Frank Martin said he received emails about being a “disappointing season”, but added: “There is nothing disappointing about this season”.
As he reiterated all day, Martin said that winning and losing is secondary to ensuring that his players are “at peace” during the pandemic.
New basketball coach from South Carolina?
Given the slowdown in Gamecocks, it should come as no surprise that there is a considerable boom in support of Martin’s resignation.
A fan started a firestorm by proposing an idea out of the box: go after Mike Neighbors, the head coach of the Arkansas women’s program.
Neighbors, who are turning Lady Razorbacks into a national powerhouse with a system similar to Alabama coach Nate Oats’ heavy three-point drive-and-kick system, have not yet contested a great Power 5 coach working on the men’s side.
For South Carolina fan Summerof66, it makes a lot of sense, though.
By hiring neighbors, South Carolina basketball would obtain “an offensive system that would be recruited.” Instead of going after a big name, you must find someone who is tactically brilliant and can build a winning culture with a high IQ and EQ.
“I am in favor of the offensive system used by Mike Neighbors in Arkansas (Rick Pitino ran the same 4-out, 1-in system with Jamal Mashburn while in the UK in the 90s),” wrote Summerof66 on the 247 Sports message board. from South Carolina.
“I can tell the kids that it’s an NBA system that will make you look and join the league. This system would space the floor to allow drives and kicks for players in the corners to shoot the 3 ”.
“The ‘pull’ for recruiting is not so much the coach’s personality and sales ability, but it is the fact that South Carolina plays this professional system that will take me to the NBA or the professional ball abroad.”
This fan also knows that Neighbors is a native of Arkansas and loves to train Razorbacks. He issues the warning: “Now, let me confess that he [likely] don’t leave Arkansas WBB in my opinion [as] it’s your dream job. “
I agree that the neighbors probably would not move on to another position as a head coach for the SEC, male or female, anytime soon. However, why wouldn’t he at least listen? His current salary is $ 600,000 a year, while Martin’s is almost $ 3 million.
In response to the idea of pursuing Neighbors, the opinions of South Carolina basketball fans spanned the entire range.
Some loved it.
“Mike Neighbors is a very good coach and he looks like a very stylish guy too,” wrote cockygal20.
Another said that there was no way for a female university technician to make the transition: “There is a difference between MBB and WBB. The schemes that apply and work in the WBB do not exactly line up with the MBB. There are many other options out there. “
Another simply dropped this GIF:
And one more fan was a difficult pass for the neighbors. “Give me Mike Anderson all day,” wrote Neverknown89.
This created this fun back and forth:
It is true that Mike Anderson never managed to have the Razorbacks play as well as the male Razorbacks team is now playing under Eric Musselman.
The Arkansas basketball team is currently 12th in the country, which the program has not achieved since 1998. It has also won nine consecutive SEC games, which has not happened since 1994.
Frank Martin has won his last two games against Arkansas. If he manages to do this three times in a row, it would give Gamecocks the victory of the season so far.
And maybe I’ll buy him another year in South Carolina.
Arkansas x South Carolina
WHEN 5:30 PM, Tuesday
WHERE Columbia, SC
RADIO The Razorback Sports Network can be accessed through local FM and AM affiliates. Not all affiliates will take the game. The game’s audio can also be accessed on the Razorback GameDay app, the TuneIn app, and the satellite radio via Sirius XM Ch. 191. The South Carolina broadcast can be found at XM Ch. 190. (via WholeHogSports.com)
TV The SEC Network. It will also be broadcast via WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app (operator login required).
ADVERTISERS Dave Neal (play by play) and Daymeon Fishback (analyst)
BETTING LINE The Arkansas basketball is a favorite of 7.5 points, according to Vegas Insider.
SOUTH CAROLINA PROBABLE STARTING THE LINE
POS., NAME, HT., YR .; PPG; RPG
G AJ Lawson, 6-6; Jr .; 17.4; 4.2
G TJ Moss, 6-4; Then.; 4.2; 0.8
F Keyshawn Bryant, 6-6, Jr .; 14.4; 5.3
F Justin Minaya, 6-9; Jr .; 7.6; 6.8
F Tre-Vaughn Minott, 6-9; Fr .; 2.0; 1.6
ARKANSAS PROBABLE TO START THE LINE
G Moses Moody, 6-6; Fr .; 16.6; 5.7
G Jalen Tate, 6-6; Mr; 10.8; 3.8
G Davonte Davis, 6-3; Fr .; 7.5; 3.6
F Justin Smith, 6-7; Mr; 12.1; 6.9
F Connor Vanover, 7-3; Then.; 7.3; 5.1
Listen to Eric Musselman reflect on the exciting victories against Bama and LSU, and see South Carolina here:
Undoubtedly, the incredible story below plays a role in minimizing Frank Martin’s importance of winning and losing: