Frank Martin to South Carolina: Basketball Coach Will Regret Leaving for Money

Frank Martin is bolting Kansas State for South Carolina, and he is going to regret it. While he isn't likely to come out and say as much, this move was done for the money. And in the long term, this is going to cost him money. 

Martin has no ties to South Carolina, nor is it a better basketball program. In fact, they are far worse. The Gamecocks finished last season at 10-21. Martin and Kansas State were 22-11. 

Martin can talk about the challenge of rebuilding the program, etc..., but he will be hard pressed to get me to believe it wasn't about the money. 

The biggest piece of evidence for this? The money. 

The Post and Courier's South Carolina beat writer, Darryl Slater, reported the details of the new deal.

"

@GoodmanCBS reports that Frank Martin's deal with South Carolina will be six years and $12 million.

— Darryl Slater (@DarrylSlater) March 26, 2012"

Why Martin Will Regret This Move

Martin enters a broken program with the expectation to turn it around. If he is able to do this, it is going to take time. 

The Gamecocks won just two games in the SEC last year. Rebuilding from that is going to be a slow process. And time is not a typical luxury for new coaches coming in with new contracts and big money. 

This is going to leave Martin looking for a new job before his contract runs up, and it will not be worth as much. 

Martin would have been far better served to wait for an opportunity to come around at a school with more recruiting power and in better shape than the Gamecocks. 

Even if that meant staying at Kansas State longer, it would pay off in the long run.