South Carolina basketball: Frank Martin takes jab at Coach Krzyzewski
By Jacob Elsey
South Carolina basketball’s Frank Martin takes shot at Coach K.
Frank Martin held his weekly press conference on Zoom this past Tuesday, giving insight into the Gamecocks’ regular season struggles, preparations for the upcoming SEC Tournament, and his status moving forward with the South Carolina basketball team.
While discussing his career thus far with the Gamecocks, Martin took a shot at college basketball legend and current Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
"“This is the first time we’ve had six non-losing seasons since the 70s. The last five years, we have the third-most SEC wins—third most—in the SEC. Everyone says one postseason in nine years. Yeah, you can say that. That’s what’s on paper when you write it down. But when I got here nine years ago, you could have hired Coach K, Pat Riley and Phil Jackson as the staff. If they cheated, they would have fixed the problem a lot quicker.”"
Intentional? Inadvertent? Is Martin referencing a certain situation in particular?
One could point to the recruitment of a couple of players over the last few seasons, most notably, Zion Williamson.
Many remember the scandal surrounding Williamson’s recruitment, which ultimately ended in a lawsuit that alleged he and his family received money from Duke boosters, shoe companies, and marketing agencies prior to his commitment to the Blue Devils.
It also notes that the payments from boosters and Nike were used specifically to sway his decision to join Coach K’s roster in 2018.
The Palmetto State native ultimately picked the Blue Devils over South Carolina, who finished runner-up for the five-star player’s services, before his going on to be a first-round selection in the 2019 NBA Draft.
One can directly link Martin’s comments to the foul play that the Duke basketball program is accused of using, particularly when considering that one of Martin’s biggest criticisms has been his inability to land high profile, in-state prospects on the recruiting trail.
Or maybe it was just a slip of the tongue.
What we do know is that Williamson was a program changing player that could’ve kept South Carolina’s momentum alive following its 2017 Final Four run, a run that included a second round upset of Coach K’s Blue Devils. Instead, the Gamecocks took a step back, and are still working to get the program back to the postseason.
Martin still seems irked with how things played out, and this latest comment could be his way of poking Krzyzewski and the other blue blood programs that are beginning to be exposed by the NCAA.