Frank Martin: Coaching basketball and LIFE.

04/06/26

Massachusetts head basketball Coach Frank Martin was named the 23rd head coach in men’s basketball history in March of 2022.

Martin brought 15 years of head coaching experience to Amherst after spending 10 seasons prior as the head coach at South Carolina, where he led the Gamecocks to the program's first ever NCAA Final Four in 2017.

Martin began his 10-year run in Columbia, S.C. prior to the 2014-15 season and went on to match the program's record for wins in a season as his team finished the 2015-16 campaign with a 25-9 record. The squad rose to as high as 15th in the USA Today Coaches Poll following the Gamecocks' best start since the 1933-34 season.

Under Martin, South Carolina broke the record for wins in a single season with 26 in 2016-17 on the way to the best NCAA Tournament run in program history. Martin led the Gamecocks to their first NCAA Tournament win since 1973 and to the program's first-ever Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four. The No. 7-seed squad defeated No. 2 seed Duke in the round of 32 and earned wins over Baylor in the Sweet 16 and Florida in the Elite Eight before falling to Gonzaga in the national semifinals.

He was named the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year. The Gamecocks were ranked in the AP Poll for nine weeks and the Coaches Poll for 10 weeks and finished as the No. 6-ranked team in the final USA Today Coaches Poll. Sindarius Thornwell was named a CBS Sports First-Team All-American and the NCAA East Regional Most Outstanding Player.

Martin got his first head coaching opportunity at Kansas State in 2007-08 and brought the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in four of his five seasons at the helm. He guided the Wildcats to their first win over rival and No. 2-ranked Kansas since 1983 and took the team to its first NCAA Tournament since 1996.

In 2009-10, Martin led Kansas State to a 29-8 record and an Elite Eight appearance. The Wildcats earned their first win over a No. 1-ranked team in Texas since 1994 and finished the year ranked inside the top 10 in both major polls. Kansas State went into the 2010 NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed and defeated North Texas, BYU and Xavier in postseason play. He was recognized as the Big 12 Coach of the Year.

A Miami, Fla. native, Martin began his coaching career in the high school ranks in Miami, earning his first head coaching job at North Miami High School before moving to Miami Senior, where he led the team to three straight state championships. His first collegiate coaching job came in 2000 as he was named an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Northeastern University. From there, he joined Bob Huggins' staff at Cincinnati and was part of Huggins' coaching staff at Kansas State during the 2006-07 season.

A fixture off the court and in the community, Martin and his wife, UMass track and field alumna Anya (nee Forrest), have hosted numerous philanthropic events and have been key investors in the UMass women's track and field program. In 2019, Martin was introduced into the Naismith Coaches Circle that was created by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to recognize coaches who have impacted their communities, players, other coaches, and society in a positive manner.

Martin earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Florida International in 1993. He and his wife, Anya, have three children: Brandon, Amalia and Christian.


Takeaways:

1. Coach’s anchor. From listening to him, it’s clear to see what makes up Coach’s anchor or internal foundation. Family – starting with his grandmother, a rock-solid work ethic, his faith and, related to and largely gained from his work ethic – a clear knowledge of how to treat people. It’s not hard to see how Coach is so admired and respected.

2. Don’t worry about what you don’t have. What a great lesson for us all. This one started with his grandmother – the source for a lot of his lessons as you heard. Coach Martin mentioned it in the context of telling young coaches to just take care of the job they have and not to worry about chasing that next job. He also mentioned that this came from growing up and building furniture with his grandmother, noting that they didn’t have much at all – but they didn’t know it because they just appreciated what they DID have. What a great lesson for all of us – especially in today’s comparison world led by social media. We all need to stop, appreciate what we DO have and take care of the people around us NOW. Like Coach said, it’s far better to do it this way and more often than not, ascension up that mountain will come. And, even if it doesn’t, the genuine peace and fulfillment that comes from enjoying the journey and the people around you are worth it.

3. Spirituality and the Pursuit of Complete. As you heard, Coach had a couple of amazing experiences that made it very clear to him that God has a plan for him. It’s now very clearly a part of his life’s pursuit of complete – a main part of his set of priorities - as he continues to impact lives. Another great reminder to, at the very least pay attention to the spiritual side of ourselves as we build and maintain our own pursuit of our complete selves.

4. Culture. This one is hard to beat. Coach Martin mentioned that his culture is based on four building blocks - honesty, loyalty, trust, and love. I love how he explained how each building block built off the previous one. I also love how he started with honesty and the truth as the first building block, or foundation, for it all. Then, if you get to love – that’s when you arrive at a family…and, if you get there, you can deal with the storms. When it comes to culture, it’s hard to say it all any better than that.

5. Winning + Class. Coach Martin described this by saying it’s about how we should strive to focus our energy on uplifting the lives of those around us. As coach said, when we can show up the next day excited regardless of the previous day’s outcome because we’re inspired this way, that’s winning with class. It’s clear that Coach lives this notion and it’s a great one for all of us to follow as well.

Links:

Website: https://umassathletics.com/sports/mensbasketball/roster/coaches/frankmartin/2452

Instagram: @frankmartinumass; @umassbasketball