We couldn't quite grok the idea of Frank Martin to South Carolina, but things have certainly changed down there: first a Republican Indian-born woman governor, and now a Cuban-American coach. Within living memory of many people, Cubans and Indians just didn't live in South Carolina, much less Republicans. It was as rigidly segregated as any place in the country and it didn't change quickly, either.
Not all that long ago, a black Duke basketball player said he just didn't get off the bus in Clemson except at the gym and hotel.
Odds are Martin, who was a bouncer earlier in life, won't have that problem. He's a fairly intimidating figure, perhaps the most intimidating coach since Big John Thompson roamed the Hoya sidelines. After a lot of skepticism, he carved out a great niche at K-State and in the Big 12.
So why did he make this unusual move? He's leaving a great basketball conference and a distinctly basketball school to go to a mediocre (at best) basketball school in a football conference. Why would he do that?
Well, in a nutshell, apparently he wasn't happy with the administration at K-State, and particularly not with his A.D., John Currie, who he felt micromanaged far too much.
Specifically, he was said to be enraged when Currie held Jamar Samuels out of the tournament over an eligibility question.
- K-Stateâs Frank Martin appears South Carolina bound
- Gamecocks tab Frank Martin to lead hoops
- K-State's big mistake
| The Duke Basketball Blue Book |
| DBR Auctions! |
| New T-Shirts! |
 |
| DBR Is On Twitter!(DBRTweetz) |