WVU assistant Erik Martin hired as South Carolina State head coach

Erik Martin, who has served on Bob Huggins‘ coaching staff for the last 16 seasons (15 at West Virginia), was introduced on Wednesday as the new head coach at South Carolina State. The hiring ends one of the longer coaching searches in recent memory, as SC State had been without a head coach since April 11th.

“Coach Martin is — without a doubt –a rising star in the men’s basketball coaching world,” AD Stacy L. Danley said in a statement. “During the search process, Coach Martin exuded an infectious will to win and the ability to develop a culture where winning will be expected on and off the court. I’m confident that he will represent our university in exemplary fashion, and we are undoubtedly well-positioned for success moving forward as one of college basketball’s elite programs under Martin’s leadership. I am absolutely thrilled for Erik to join Bulldog Athletics as we prepare to embark on the next chapter of our program.”

Martin played for Huggins at Cincinnati for two seasons, including the Bearcats’ 1992 NCAA Final Four run. He got into coaching in 2003 and was hired by Huggins at Kansas State three years later, working for him ever since. He has been to ten NCAA Tournaments as an assistant, including the Mountaineers’ 2010 Final Four.

“I’m so excited to be the next head coach at South Carolina State,” Martin said. “It has always been my dream to lead a Division I program as well as guide young men on and off the court as they prepare to graduate and move on to the next phase of their lives. It’s a great day to be a Bulldog.”

The school held a press conference on Wednesday to formally announce the hiring.

credit to Kevin Kinder/BlueGoldNews.com for the image