South Carolina Fires Frank Martin After 10 Seasons

South Carolina has fired head men’s basketball coach Frank Martin after 10 seasons, the school announced Monday.

There are now four openings in the Southeastern Conference after LSU fired Will Wade, Missouri parted ways with Cuonzo Martin and Florida’s Mike White left for Georgia. Mississippi State’s Ben Howland has also been on the hot seat.

Louisville, Maryland and Kansas State also have coaching openings.

Dennis Gates of Cleveland State, Lamont Paris of Chatanooga and possibly Mike Boynton of Oklahoma State are expected to be in the mix at South Carolina.

“After a thorough evaluation of our men’s basketball program, we have decided to make a change,” said South Carolina AD Ray Tanner in a statement. “We are grateful for the dedication that Coach Martin has made to Gamecock Basketball. We wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future.”

“Our expectation is to compete for Southeastern Conference and national championships,” Tanner added. “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.”

Martin finished his 10^th season as the third-longest tenured head coach in Gamecock men’s basketball history. Only Frank McGuire (16 seasons, 1964-80) and Frank Johnson (14.5 seasons, 1940-43; 1946-58) have served as the head Gamecock men’s basketball coach longer.

The Gamecocks finished this season with an 18-13 record, 9-9 during SEC regular season play. Carolina tied for fifth in the SEC standings and was the 7^th seed in the recently concluded SEC Tournament in Tampa, Fla.

The Miami, Fla. native had a 171-147 record as the Gamecocks’ head coach, including a 79-99 mark in SEC regular-season games. The Gamecocks won 20-plus games twice during his tenure, reaching one NCAA Tournament and the NIT once.

He coached Carolina to its first-ever NCAA Final Four in 2017, being named the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com. In the previous season, 2015-16, the Gamecocks went to the NIT, earning its first postseason bid since the 2008-09 season.

On the recruiting front, South Carolina had three commits in the Class of 2022 and was heavily involved for five-star forward GG Jackson of South Carolina.