Frank Martin, who led Kansas State and South Carolina to national postseason success, agreed late Thursday to become the men’s basketball coach at UMass, MassLive’s Matt Vautour reported Friday, citing multiple sources.
Martin, 56, has coached in five NCAA Tournaments, including a 2017 Final Four berth with the Gamecocks. That was his only tournament appearance in 10 seasons in Columbia, S.C., however, and he was fired in early March.
The Miami native brings loads of Massachusetts connections with him to Amherst, Mass. His first college coaching stop was as an assistant at Northeastern and his wife, Anya, competed in track and field as a student-athlete at UMass. In addition, Michael Beasley, the most notable player he’s coached, briefly played at Notre Dame Prep in Massachusetts, one of six high schools the former No. 1 prospect and No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft suited up for.
Martin replaces Matt McCall, who was fired earlier this month after five underwhelming seasons with the Minutemen.
