Frank Martin had a difficult Saturday night. His South Carolina Gamecocks saw their dream NCAA tournament run end in a national semifinal against Gonzaga, 77-73.
Frank Martin’s tearful answer to a question about South Carolina will probably make you cry too
The Gamecocks had an incredible run that seems like it’ll stick with Martin forever.
After the game, Martin sat for his customary press conference. A reporter asked Martin a pretty good question about dealing with disappointment and his message to fans who’d so enjoyed watching the Cocks play this March.
“There were a lot of kids back home in South Carolina who were cheering their hearts out for you today,” a reporter told Martin. “They dream of playing for you one day. What do you want to say to them as fans of you and the team, and also about how to respond to disappointments like this?”
Martin started to speak through tears, which lasted through his whole answer.
“There’s something powerful when you impact others,” he said. “And what these kids have done is pretty special. When you get people to travel across the country by the masses because they believe in what you do, it’s powerful stuff.
“And they’ve impacted our community in an unbelievable way, which is worth so much more than the score of a game. It’s what it’s all about. These kids are great role models. There’s a lot of young kids that want to be the next Sindarius Thornwell, Justin McKie, and I don’t get to coach them anymore, but they’re part of my life forever.”
Martin’s one of the sport’s most interesting coaches, for reasons that don’t have a lot to do with basketball. He’s also built South Carolina into something it’s so rarely been in the past: a nationally relevant basketball program. His team had some kind of run.
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