UMass targeting Frank Martin as next head basketball coach

On3 image — Frank Martin (Photo by Chris Gillespie)

Frank Martin won’t be unemployed for long — potentially not even two weeks. After being relieved of his coaching duties at South Carolina back on March 14, UMass is targeting the 56-year-old as its next head coach.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the news Wednesday afternoon, adding that Martin met with school officials on Tuesday and the two parties will meet again in person on Thursday.

Source: Former South Carolina coach Frank Martin has emerged as the target of the UMass basketball search. Martin met with UMass officials Tuesday and the sides are expected to meet again in person on Thursday.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 23, 2022

South Carolina finished the 2021-22 season with an 18-13 final record, including 9-9 in the SEC. The school ultimately decided to fire Martin after ten years in Columbia, with the Gamecocks finishing with a 171-147 record in that span. USC made just one NCAA Tournament with Martin leading the program in 2017, a year in which the Gamecocks made their first Final Four run in school history.

“Our expectation is to compete for Southeastern Conference and national championships,” South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said in a statement. “We have great facilities, a passionate fan base and we provide our student-athletes an outstanding experience at the University of South Carolina. We will hire someone with a winning coaching history, who has the energy, passion, and commitment to excellence in all areas of the student-athlete experience.”

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In Martin’s place, South Carolina is expected to hire Chattanooga’s Lamont Paris as its next head coach, with Thamel reporting that a five-year deal has been finalized. The school has yet to officially hire Paris, though a board approval is expected later this week.

Paris has been the head coach at Chattanooga for five seasons, going 87-72 in that span, including 65-29 over the last three years. The Mocs won the Southern Conference regular-season and conference tournament titles to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament this season.