While there are no teams from the Sunshine State taking part in the final weekend of the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Glendale, Arizona, fans in South Florida still have a rooting interest – thanks to a Miami native who has taken Cinderella to the ball.
South Carolina head coach Frank Martin led the Gamecocks to the first Final Four in program history with a win over the Florida Gators last Sunday in the finals of the tournament’s East Region. It will also be the first time the 51-year-old coach has coached this far into the tournament.
The first member of his family born in America as the son of Cuban exiles, Francisco Jose Martin got his start coaching at the high school level – as an assistant at his alma mater, Miami High, while a student at FIU.
After graduation, Martin spent two seasons as the head coach before returning to the Stingarees in 1995 and leading the school to three state titles in a row with players including future NBA stars Steve Blake and the Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem.
Martin was fired after reports surfaced of recruiting violations and illegal gifts from boosters of the program. After one year at another area school, Martin spent seven seasons as a college assistant before getting his first head coaching job at Kansas State in 2007.
Following five seasons with the Wildcats – including four tournament appearances and an Elite Eight finish on 2010 – Martin moved on to South Carolina in 2012, where he overcame losing seasons in his first two years before going a combined 51-19 the last two seasons.
The Gamecocks will take the court inside University of Phoenix Stadium at 6:09 p.m. on Saturday to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs. A win would send Martin and his team to the national title game on Monday, where they would take on either the North Carolina Tar Heels or the Oregon Ducks.
