FRANK MARTIN’S TEAM MUST SHOW PROGRESS … NOW
By FITSNEWS || The University of South Carolina men’s basketball team hosts Baylor this week (12:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday at Columbia, S.C.’s Colonial Life Arena, to be precise). The game – which will be televised nationally on ESPN – is the first real test of the season for third-year head coach Frank Martin, whose seat has grown incredibly toasty in recent months.
Bottom line? The Gamecocks need to show some real progress this season – especially after Martin put an embarrassing exclamation point on the end of his team’s disastrous 2013-14 season.
In five years at Kansas State (from 2007-12), Martin’s teams only lost 32 conference games. By contrast, the Gamecocks have already dropped 27 conference games in his first two years in Columbia. After racing out to a 10-3 start in 2012-13, Martin’s team finished the year 4-15. Last season, the Gamecocks limped to a 14-20 mark without the services of two-sport star Bruce Ellington – who chose to forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft.
South Carolina’s best player heading into the current campaign is 6-foot-5, 215-pound sophomore guard Sindarius Thornwell – who averaged 13.4 points per game last year. The Gamecocks will also benefit from having senior guard Tyrone Johnson – a transfer from Connecticut who missed the second half of last season with a foot injury – back in the lineup. Sophomore forward Demetrius Henry is also expected to star this season.
Baylor is unranked this season despite making a deep run in the NCAA tournament last year – winning 26 games and reaching the Sweet Sixteen. The Bears narrowly defeated the Gamecocks 66-64 last November in Waco, Texas.
Like last year’s game, this year’s contest is part of ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-off Marathon.
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19 comments
Hot Seat????? Are you crazy?? When he got here, there was ZERO talent. I am sure he will get at least another 2 years, if not 3. He is signing some good local players. BTW, did you write about that?
it’s a lazy article. Martin is going to get 3 years and anyone who knows anything in the slightest about basketball can see the team is light years ahead of where it was in 2012. And he’s brought in multiple top 100 recruits the last two years.
Like I said, it’s a lazy article with no substantial research done to back up the “hot seat” claim.
Somebody needs to stop smoking the ganja at FITS. His seat ain’t “toasty” at all. The Dozier kid is a better version of Jamey Watson and Silwa is better than any big man we have on the team.
Basketball. What is that?
A sport they play in North Carolina.
Maybe this is the year Clemson breaks that streak. No, it won’t be in football vs. THE USC, I mean the one vs. UNC in basketball. Yeah, you’re right, probably not.
As if USCe would stand a chance against UNC. Their only chance would be if they sent the women’s team up there.
If you cheat at least 18 years in a row, you’ll do well
Duke cheats?
At least USC has beaten UNC in chapel hill. The team you weren’t even good enough to play for still hasn’t done that. Good try Rudy, oh wait even Rudy played d1. couldn’t play at USC, couldn’t play at Clemsux, so played JC (tells people he played D2 but really didn’t) and thinks he is good. I heard you even sat the bench there. keep on trolling, trolling, trolling, trolling (it sounds like a Limp Bizkit song, but even that’s better than you)!
Yardstick Time! Maybe a ruler, no yardstick yet.
“The Gamecocks will also benefit from having senior guard Tyrone Johnson – a transfer from Connecticut….”
I’m trying to figure out where you got Connecticut from. He transferred from Villanova. He did once play UCONN while at Villanova.
Time for FITSNEWS to issue an ultimatum like they did to the football team several years ago?
He ain’t no Jake Penland or Herman Helms, TBG.
MaYbe he should renew the football ultimatu while he is at it.
TBG was going to say that…but, to be totally honest, seeing Watson clutching his knee last Saturday scared all of the trash talk out of him…
Go Gamecocks!!
His seat is barely lukewarm at this point. He’s brought in a few big recruits and appears to be on an upward trajectory. Furthermore, Ty Johnson went to Villanova, not UConn.
Columbia used to be a basketball town.Here’s a great moment in Carolina’ sports history/I was there,and it was good/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88sI41IsN-E