South Carolina’s unprecedented success is due to its Latino coach
NEW YORK — First off, the University of South Carolina’s head basketball coach is not “Frank” Martin.
His real name is Francisco Jose Martin. And his journey in taking the Gamecocks to the first Final Four in program history is a story of perseverance and toughness that is emblematic of the defensive intensity that his team has utilized to become the most surprising story of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
In a life defined by unexpected twists and turns, he has taken a non-traditional program in the Southeastern Conference, which has long been defined by its football program, and turned it into a budding basketball powerhouse.
Martin grew up in Miami, Florida, the first American-born member in a family of Cuban exiles.
As a kid in 1970’s Miami, football and baseball reigned supreme in his world. His initial plans, like most children of Latin-American immigrants, was to become a star on the diamond. The local outdoor fields were jammed with fans rooting on pee wee football and baseball programs, while most basketball courts were empty.
But something in Martin’s life vision changed once he got to high school, where he came under the tutelage of the legendary Miami-area prep coach, Marcos “Shakey” Rodriguez; he fell in love with basketball.
But Martin came very close to being someone you might have never heard of due to an incident while he was in college. While completing studies towards his bachelor’s degree at Florida International University, the burly, no-nonsense man, who is now recognized as one of the best college basketball coaches in the country, was working as a part-time bouncer at local nightclubs to make ends meet.
