BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
The topic was broached around midway through South Carolina coach Frank Martin'spostseason news conference Wednesday, raised by a reporter that asked Martin whether it is possible that recently fired Alabama coachAnthony Grant could join the Gamecocks' coaching staff as an assistant.
Grant and Martin are close friends dating back to when they were classmates at Miami Senior High School, and Martin acknowledged that the two have spoken since Grant was fired by Alabama March 15 in the midst of his sixth season as the Tide's coach.
"He's going to get a head job," Martin responded to the question. "He's too good at what he does. The question is: Will he take a head job if offered? That's a question he's going to have to sit down and figure out. He's too good at what he does. Something's wrong in our society when people like him are viewed as failures."
Alabama was 117-85 under Grant and made the NCAA tournament in 2012 during Grant's third season as coach.
The Tide have missed the tournament each of the three years since and were just 15-21 in SEC play during the last two seasons.
After finishing the 2012-13 season 23-13, Alabama was 13-19 last season before finishing 18-14 under Grant this year.
The Tide began the season 12-3, including 2-0 in the SEC, before losing 11 of their final 17 games leading up to Grant's dismissal.
"Their team won 18, 19 games," Martin said. "Their team won eight or nine league games. Their team sustained injuries [to starting point guard Ricky Tarrant and starting forward Shannon Hale] that he had no control over this year. If they hadn't sustained injuries to his leading scorer [Tarrant], his power forward, his starting power forward [Hale] and his leading scorer, who was as dynamic a perimeter athlete as we had in our conference, maybe those 19 wins become 22, 23.
"It is what it is. The business is getting frustrating when people like him are viewed as failures."
Martin said he would explore adding Grant to his staff if Grant does not take a head coaching job and has interest in being an assistant at South Carolina.
"When he makes a decision in his mind whether or not he takes a job -- obviously he has to have a job offer first -- and if he decides I'm not doing that and we get deeper -- if he's willing to come work with us -- that's a conversation that [South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner] and I need to have," Martin said, "because if there's a better human being on the planet earth than him I want to meet him. I haven't met him in 49 years around here."
AL.com reports.
Grant and Martin are close friends dating back to when they were classmates at Miami Senior High School, and Martin acknowledged that the two have spoken since Grant was fired by Alabama March 15 in the midst of his sixth season as the Tide's coach.
"He's going to get a head job," Martin responded to the question. "He's too good at what he does. The question is: Will he take a head job if offered? That's a question he's going to have to sit down and figure out. He's too good at what he does. Something's wrong in our society when people like him are viewed as failures."
Alabama was 117-85 under Grant and made the NCAA tournament in 2012 during Grant's third season as coach.
The Tide have missed the tournament each of the three years since and were just 15-21 in SEC play during the last two seasons.
After finishing the 2012-13 season 23-13, Alabama was 13-19 last season before finishing 18-14 under Grant this year.
The Tide began the season 12-3, including 2-0 in the SEC, before losing 11 of their final 17 games leading up to Grant's dismissal.
"Their team won 18, 19 games," Martin said. "Their team won eight or nine league games. Their team sustained injuries [to starting point guard Ricky Tarrant and starting forward Shannon Hale] that he had no control over this year. If they hadn't sustained injuries to his leading scorer [Tarrant], his power forward, his starting power forward [Hale] and his leading scorer, who was as dynamic a perimeter athlete as we had in our conference, maybe those 19 wins become 22, 23.
"It is what it is. The business is getting frustrating when people like him are viewed as failures."
Martin said he would explore adding Grant to his staff if Grant does not take a head coaching job and has interest in being an assistant at South Carolina.
"When he makes a decision in his mind whether or not he takes a job -- obviously he has to have a job offer first -- and if he decides I'm not doing that and we get deeper -- if he's willing to come work with us -- that's a conversation that [South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner] and I need to have," Martin said, "because if there's a better human being on the planet earth than him I want to meet him. I haven't met him in 49 years around here."
AL.com reports.
