Frank Martin officially announced as next head coach at UMass

UMass officially announced on Friday the hiring of Frank Martin as its next head men’s basketball coach. Martin has fifteen years experience as a head coach – five at Kansas State and ten at South Carolina – and is 288-201 overall in his career. Five years ago, he led the Gamecocks to their first-ever Final Four in an improbable run as a 7-seed.

“We are thrilled to welcome Frank, Anya ’98 and the Martin family back to the Commonwealth to lead our proud basketball program,” said AD Ryan Bamford. “This is an exciting time for Massachusetts basketball, our university and all who follow and support the Minutemen. First and foremost, Frank is a tremendous person. He is a proven winner and a highly respected coach and mentor who has forged deep relationships with the young men in his program, resulting in inspiring competitive success and a rewarding student-athlete experience. Under Coach Martin’s leadership, the future is bright for Massachusetts basketball.”

Martin is a Miami-native and a first-generation American of Cuban descent. He coached at Northeastern earlier in his career before linking up with Bob Huggins at Cincinnati in 2004. His wife, Anya, is a UMass graduate.

“Anya and I have never been more excited to call a place home like we are with UMass,” Martin said. “It is evident that there is tremendous alignment in place to win and do it the right way. We cannot wait to be in Amherst and represent that community and our incredible University. Let’s all get on this ride together, let’s dream big and let’s be relentless at making our dreams a reality. Let’s win! Go UMass!”

credit to UMass Athletics for the image