South Carolina's coaching search is heating.
A source close to the situation told GamecockCentral.com that Kansas State coach Frank Martin has had contact with USC officials about taking over for fired coach Darrin Horn. The source said that "the ball is in (Eric) Hyman's court," in his ability to get Martin to take over at USC and that Martin is more than willing to come to Columbia.
Repeated calls to Kansas State athletic director John Currie and to Martin's agent have not been returned. Martin was reported to be in Hutchinson, Kan., on Wednesday for the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I basketball championships by Rivals.com's Eric Bossi.
Another target for USC, Wichita State's Gregg Marshall, is also at the championships, according to Bossi.
GamecockCentral.com first reported on Monday that Martin had leaped onto USC's radar. Hyman has not spoken publicly on the search since the announcement of Horn's firing on March 13, and the K-State brass plus Martin's agent, Richard Katz, have yet to return messages seeking clarification if Hyman has asked for permission to speak to Martin.
Martin will be heading to New York shortly after agreeing to be a CBS studio analyst for this weekend's batch of NCAA tournament games. Martin will join Greg Gumbel, Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony and Kenny Smith as an in-studio host on Saturday and Sunday as the field for the Final Four is decided.
If Martin was hired at USC, it would bring instant name recognition to a program that is seeking excitement and enthusiasm in a program that grew stagnant under Horn. The intense, dark-eyed coach is a natural for drawing TV cameras, adopting a drill-sergeant mentality on the sideline. He's also a winner, having taken Kansas State to four NCAA tournaments in five years, including a second-round appearance this year before bowing out with a 22-11 final record.
Martin has a good situation at Kansas State, making $1.55 million per year and only losing two seniors from this year's team. One of the seniors, Jamar Samuels, was declared ineligible less than a day before the Wildcats' final game due to accepting an impermissible benefit. Martin, discussing the end of Samuels' career, had to stop several times to compose himself.
The benefit was later discovered to be $200 sent to Samuels from his former AAU coach, and Martin was not implicated in any way. "Jamar, in my opinion, has done nothing wrong," Martin said last weekend. "But the school has to protect its integrity. I wasn't part of the decision."
Still, the Wildcats are set up for a strong team next season. Martin has two commitments in 7-foot, 245-pound center Robert Upshaw of Fresno, Calif., and 6-10 center Laimonas Chatkevicius of Lithuania by way of South Kent, Conn.
USC paid Horn $1.1 million. Hyman has said that he will pay "market value" for a new coach, and that is thought to be from $1.5-1.8 million. The athletic department has a reserve fund of over $12 million that can help defray the cost of Horn's buyout ($2.4 million) and a new coach's contract.
TIDBITS
Another source told GamecockCentral.com on Wednesday that Bobby Lutz was picking up steam in relation to USC's coaching search. Lutz, an assistant at NC State who is preparing for a Sweet 16 matchup with Kansas, has natural connections with the Carolinas after growing up in North Carolina and serving from 1995-2010 as an assistant and then head coach at Charlotte.
On the other hand, Tommy Amaker's name may be falling off the radar for USC. While Harvard officials have not confirmed or denied the approaching of Amaker to ask for permission to speak to USC, Amaker may not want to leave his present position due to his family. Amaker's wife teaches at Harvard Medical School.
I want to apologize now to Underdog Wildcat...I have not read the prior 6 pages of this thread closely. If you have already posted this info, i throw myself at your feet and beg forgiveness.
