AMHERST — The search is over. UMass filled its open men’s basketball coaching job with former South Carolina coach Frank Martin on Friday, the school announced.
UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford tweeted an image of the signed contract around 2:30 p.m., assurance for fans after his last initial men’s basketball hire – Pat Kelsey – backed out between agreeing to the deal and signing the contract.
“This is an exciting time for Massachusetts basketball, our university and all who follow and support the Minutemen. First and foremost, Frank is a tremendous person. He is a proven winner and a highly respected coach and mentor who has forged deep relationships with the young men in his program, resulting in inspiring competitive success and a rewarding student-athlete experience,” Bamford said in a release. “Under Coach Martin’s leadership, the future is bright for Massachusetts basketball.”
Martin, 56, is succeeding Matt McCall, who was informed he wasn’t returning for next season on March 1 but finished the season out, leading UMass to three wins in its final four games and an A-10 quarterfinal berth.
Martin, a Florida International grad and the son of Cuban immigrants, has been a head coach since 2007. He’s amassed a 288–201 record at South Carolina and Kansas State. South Carolina let him go March 14, and he has been a part of CBS’ March Madness broadcasts and covering the tournament for TV since. His 10 years leading the Gamecocks included one NCAA tournament berth, but they went to the 2017 Final Four.
He won the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2010 at Kansas State and led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament four times in five years.
Martin previously spent time as an assistant at Northeastern and Cincinnati in the early 2000s.
Anya Martin, Frank’s wife, (then Anya Forrest) ran track for UMass in the mid-1990s and won Atlantic 10 championships.
“Anya and I have never been more excited to call a place home like we are with UMass,” Martin said in a release. “It is evident that there is tremendous alignment in place to win and do it the right way. We cannot wait to be in Amherst and represent that community and our incredible University. Let’s all get on this ride together, let’s dream big and let’s be relentless at making our dreams a reality. Let’s win! Go UMass!”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.