Frank Martin is a quote machine.  In fact, we should probably create a new icon that simply says “Frank Said It.”  Couple his loquaciousness with a miserable year on the hardwood — South Carolina is 12-13 overall, but 2-10 in SEC play — and you’re sure to get quotation gold.  Like these dandies Martin tossed out after his Gamecocks’ home loss to LSU last Thursday:

1.  “If you take (point guard) Bruce Ellington off our team, you’d probably have the 12 leading candidates for the starring roles in ‘The Return of the Living Dead,’ the zombie movie.”

2.  “I’ve been doing this for 28 years, nine of which as a junior varsity high school coach. That means I’ve dealt with 14-year-olds. I’ve never been more embarrassed to call myself a basketball coach than I am today.”

3.  “We lead the country in air-ball layups. If guys can’t make layups, it’s hard to win. You’ve got to invest yourself to be good. In life, you get what you deserve. If you don’t put in the time, that ball ain’t going to go in the basket. We’ve got guys that don’t comprehend that. They put in the time when I make them put in the time. They don’t put in the time for the love of the game. Until that doesn’t change, it ain’t going to get any better.”

4.  “If this was the NBA, we’d fine them, we’d take their money, we’d release them and say, ‘Good luck with ever finding another job.’ I shouldn’t coach basketball ever again if this is how my team plays.”

Yowza.  Those are the kinds of comments a coach can make in Year One because fans want to know that that the guy with the clipboard shares their pain.  After the honeymoon ends, however, those kinds of comments typically leave fans asking, “Well, why don’t you fix it?”

As for the comments themselves, don’t try to tell Martin that he was placing blame on his team.  Yesterday, he said that the above quotes dealt with the culture of his program, not his players:

“If you know anything about me, for 28 years I have never thrown my players under the bus.  I threw the culture under the bus.  I threw our approach under the bus. Don’t ever say I threw my players under the bus.

If you know anything about me that has never happened in 28 years. It didn’t happen yesterday; it ain’t happened today.  The day they kick me out of here and out of this business I still won’t do it. Now, our culture, our approach is no good.  That has to change.  But I am not throwing players under the bus.  I fight for my guys.  I don’t kick them.”

Our take?  He threw both USC’s culture and his players under the bus.  Though there’s nothing wrong with an occasional bus-throwing-undering if an entire team — and not just an individual or two — gets tossed onto the pavement.  Martin isn’t the first coach to rip his team in a moment of frustration.  Heck, John Calipari said on Saturday that some of his players are “uncoachable.”  It happens, even with some of the biggest “players’ coaches” out there.

But, “We’d release them and say, ‘Good luck with ever finding another job,’” is indeed a rip job of Martin’s players.  There’s no way to spin that one.

In his first season, trying to light a fire under his teams, we don’t see anything wrong with Martin’s tongue-lashing.  Again, it was aimed at the whole and not an individual.  But he’d better be careful with these kinds of remarks moving forward.  It doesn’t take long for fans to start blaming coaches for the underperforming athletes on their roster.

Les Miles staying at LSU – getting a raise and contract extension
Jon Gruden and the Cleveland Browns have denied reports that Gruden has been offered a stake in the NFL franchise if he accepts the Tennessee job
A meeting between UT and Gruden reportedly cancelled
MrSEC.com is reporting that Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher is at the top of the wish list for both Auburn and Tennessee
Kentucky has hired Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops as its new head football coach
Heading into the SEC title game, Alabama CB Dee Milliner On Georgia QB Aaron Murray: “He does all the little things right.”
If Alabama wins the SEC championship and BCS championship, Nick Saban will earn more than $6 million in salary and bonuses
Vegas odds have Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel as the favorite to win Heisman Trophy
South Carolina coach Frank Martin says two-sport standout Bruce Ellington is back with the basketball team until the Gamecocks start bowl practice next month
Follow all of the SEC coaching search news at MrSEC.com and twitter.com/mrsec

So much for the whispers that Darrin Horn would survive at South Carolina.  The school has fired the coach after four seasons.

In the end, not even the decision by Bruce Ellington to become a hoops-only player could save Horn from his overall record in Columbia (60-63), the horrible season that just ended (the Cocks’ 21 losses tied a school record for futility), and dwindling fan support.

Athletic director Eric Hyman has scheduled a news conference for 1:30pm ET today.  By firing the coach now — and not waiting until April 1st as some had suggested — Hyman will have to hand over a $2.4 million buyout to Horn, rather than $1.6 million.  But as we wrote last week, what’s $800,000 bucks to an SEC school that’s raking in more than $20 million per year?

The State in Columbia is already naming potential replacements as Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall — a Palmetto State native — and current Duke assistant Jeff Capel.  The paper reports that Hyman went after Capel — who was fired last spring from Oklahoma after five seasons — before hiring Horn four years ago.

Consider Marshall to be the fan favorite.  He took Winthrop to the NCAA Tournament in seven of nine seasons at the school.  His Wichita State program has gone from no tourney to the CBI to the NIT and now to the NCAAs in his five seasons in Kansas.  The Shockers — a #5 seed — will face VCU and “hot name” coach Shaka Smart in their opening game on Thursday.

Early last week, most in Columbia believed Horn would be retained.  But as the week wore on — and as Carolina nosedived out of the SEC Tournament — murmurs increased that Hyman might pull the trigger on his coach.  We were told by a source as recently as yesterday evening that they believed Horn would “barely” survive. 

Not so.

South Carolina two-sport star Bruce Ellington has decided to focus on just one sport moving forward and that sport will be basketball.  That move could help save coach Darrin Horn’s job.

Ellington played basketball exclusively as a freshman in Columbia.  He started 30 games for the Cocks in 2010-11 and led them in scoring with 12.8 points per game.  But last fall, Ellington gave football a go.

Running, receiving and returning kicks he put up 780 all-purpose yards and scored a pair of touchdowns for Steve Spurrier’s squad.  But he also missed out on preseason basketball practices and the early part of the hoops season as Horn tried to break in several new players.  Having a veteran like Ellington around would have surely helped on that front.  (Sidenote — Ron Morris of The State was publicly called out by Spurrier last fall in part because he wrote that USC’s football coach had poached Ellington from USC’s basketball coach… a charge denied by Spurrier and Horn.)

Ellington returned in time to play in 24 games with Carolina this past season as a sophomore.  He started just 15 games.  His minutes played, scoring and rebounding were all down slightly from his freshman year.

“Basketball’s always been my first love,” he said in a statement.  “After giving it a lot of thought, this is the decision I’ve made.  If you want to be great at something, you have to commit to it full-time… I appreciate Coach Spurrier for giving me an opportunity to play football at South Carolina.  It was a great experience, but right now I want to focus on basketball.”

This can only be viewed as a positive for Horn.  Whether it’s enough to save his job — and from what we’re told he will likely hang onto his job — remains to be seen.

Ellington was good enough to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors in basketball and in football.

Three SEC basketball games on Wednesday night… three home teams victorious.  Such is life on the road in the SEC.  Or should we say death, because most SEC teams not named Kentucky are curling up and dying when they have to travel.


South Carolina 56, Alabama 54

No wonder the Gamecocks wanted Bruce Ellington back.  The two-sport star hit a driving bucket with 1.4 seconds left to lead Carolina to its first SEC win of the season.

Alabama, on the other hand, suffered its fourth straight defeat to fall to 2-4 in the SEC.  The loss to RPI #194 Carolina won’t help the Tide come tournament selection time… assuming they get things turned around and start living up to their preseason hype.


Arkansas 56, Auburn 53

It’s obvious now why Mike Anderson left Missouri for Arkansas.  He never loses at Bud Walton Arena.  Th Razorbacks’ 15-0 mark to start the season at home is their best since the 1997-98 season under Anderson’s old boss, Nolan Richardson.

Auburn — which fell to 2-4 in the league — actually shot better than Arkansas from the floor (40% to 35%) and outrebounded them 42-29. 


Mississippi State 76, LSU 71

The Tigers put up a nice fight on the road in Starkville, but in the end, Trent Johnson’s team had no answer for Arnett Moultrie.  The UTEP transfer scored 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for his league-leading 12th double-double of the season.

Jalen Steele continued his hot-shooting ways with a 15 effort on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.  LSU was led by Andre Stringer who tallied 17 points off the bench.


With Florida traveling to Ole Miss tonight, here’s a look at the current SEC standings:

1.  Florida’s Erik Murphy should be able to play in the Gators’ SEC opener tomorrow despite needing stitches over his eye after a collision in practice yesterday.

2.  Orson Charles and several other Georgia players are still deciding whether to stay in Athens or head to the NFL early.

3.  Kentucky will try to stop two-sport star Bruce Ellington when South Carolina visits tomorrow.

4.  Carolina’s football team will lose four starters on offense (including three on the line) and seven on defense.

5.  Kevin Steele has denied any connection to Tennessee, but he reportedly remains a viable candidate for the Vols’ defensive coordinator slot.

6.  A healthy Festus Ezeli makes Vanderbilt a much more complete team.

We’ll kick the day off with a few headlines, then we’ll dig back into the SEC schedules for a bit more examination.  So first, here’s what’s happenin’ around the league…


1.  With Mike Dyer suspended, Tre Mason is looking forward to being Auburn’s big back in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

2.  Gene Chizik got a 50th birthday serenade from his Tiger players yesterday.

3.  Nick Saban enjoyed Christmas, but he has watching film by 1pm.

4.  Alabama’s players are excited to play “arguably” the best team in the country… again.

5.  Arkansas hasn’t decided which of next year’s home games will be in Fayetteville and which will be in Little Rock yet.

6.  Ricky Scott led the hoops Razorbacks to an 80-67 win over Charlotte last night.

7.  Its holiday break over, LSU hits the court tonight against Grambling State.

8.  Mississippi State’s 11-game win streak came to an end in a tight 54-52 loss to #6 (and unbeaten) Baylor in Dallas last night.

9.  In the Music City Bowl, MSU hopes to run right over Wake Forest’s small defensive line.

10.  Murphy Holloway’s high ankle sprain is a tough, tough blow to Ole Miss.

11.  For Gator Bowl combatants Florida and Ohio State, their January, 2007 national title bout seems like a long time ago.

12.  The spotlight will be on UF’s interim offensive coordinator Brian White on Monday.

13.  More Georgia underclassmen are considering a jump to the NFL.

14.  Leading Dawg receiver Malcolm Mitchell says he’d be willing to moonlight at corner if the coaches need him.

15.  Terrence Jones was back as Kentucky toppled Lamar 86-64 last night… and now the Cats’ attention can turn to Louisville.

16.  John Calipari prefers winning, but he says “at some point you’ve got to get stepped on” to learn a coach’s lessons.

17.  Bruce Ellington drained five 3-pointers to lead South Carolina past Wofford 57-45… and then he left to join the football team in Orlando.

18.  A number of Gamecock underclassmen are considering a jump to the NFL.

19.  Receiver DeAnthony Arnett is leaving Tennessee to move closer to his ailing father in Michigan.

20.  Cuonzo Martin wants his team to play better defense tonight against The Citadel.

21.  Vanderbilt will ease Festus Ezeli back into action tonight at Marquette.

22.  The football Commodores appear loose as they prep for their bowl game with Cincinnati.

1.  While a number of Alabama juniors might consider an early jump to the NFL, right tackle DJ Fluker says he’ll be back in Tuscaloosa next year.

2.  Auburn running back Onterio McCalebb might think about turning pro early.

3.  Tony Barbee hopes his team’s light early-season schedule — the Tigers have played just five games to date — will pay off in the long run.

4.  New Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Haynes thinks his philosophy meshes well with Bobby Petrino’s.  (Looks like a really sharp hire by the Razorbacks, by the way.  If UA gets a defense… look out.)

5.  LSU tailback Spencer Ware hasn’t been as involved in the Tiger offense since his suspension for the Auburn game.

6.  It’s official, Matt Luke is returning to Ole Miss to coach the Rebels’ offensive line.

7.  Seventeenth-ranked MSU will be aiming for revenge when they face Florida Atlantic tonight… a team that beat the Dogs last season.

8.  This writer has five tips for how Florida can improve its chances of winning the Gator Bowl (and avoiding the school’s first losing season since 1979).

9.  Senior center Ben Jones was voted Georgia’s most valuable player this season.

10.  From the folks in the stands to Dick Vitale, everyone’s wondering what was wrong with Kentucky’s Terrence Jones in Saturday’s loss to Indiana.

11.  The battle over Rupp Arena rolls on… and now there’s a debate over who’ll pay for whatever is finally done on that site.

12.  This writer believes Bruce Ellington should pick basketball over football at South Carolina next year.

13.  A look at the contracts of Tennessee’s assistant football coaches reveals that coordinators Justin Wilcox and Jim Chaney each have million-dollar buyouts.

1.  Harris Poll voters don’t expect to see Oklahoma State jump Alabama.

2.  Roy Kramer — the Father of the SEC Championship Game — talks about his baby and the BCS — which he also helped create — right here.  (Great read… like everything else from Jon Solomon of The Birmingham News.)

3.  This writer says Gene Chizik is making excuses at Auburn and Tiger fans are “beyond irritated with the program’s apparent loss of even regional relevance.”  (Didn’t Chizik lead Auburn to the national championship less than 12 months ago?  A national title used to be a pass for life… now it only ups a coach’s salary.)

4.  Alabama’s hoops team will get a big test from visiting Georgetown tonight.

5.  Arkansas rolled past Mississippi Valley State last night and now focuses on UConn.

6.  LSU’s secondary features playmakers galore.

7.  Ole Miss will be at DePaul tonight as part of the SEC/Big East Challenge.

8.  Dan Mullen says he’d be okay with playing Southern Miss in the Liberty Bowl if things broke in that direction.

9.  Florida forward Erik Murphy won’t need surgery on his injured knee and could return to action next week.

10.  Mark Richt is tired of talking about his tailback situation — Isaiah Crowell’s rumored attitude issues might be one reason.  (Also, Georgia won’t be wearing their ghastly Power Rangers uniforms on Saturday.)

11.  Kentucky’s next two games with St. John’s and North Carolina will reveal a lot about the young Cats.

12.  Bruce Ellington is back with the South Carolina basketball team.

13.  The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that Tennessee receivers coach Charlie Baggett will not return in 2012.  (It’s rumored that star wideout Da’Rick Rogers showed him little respect this season.)

14.  Don’t go writing off Vanderbilt just because of two early season losses.

Steve Spurrier wants the record set straight — he didn’t coax receiver Bruce Ellington to play both football and basketball. 

On Sunday, Carolina’s coach referred to a March newspaper column and then took a not-so-subtle dig at the media:


“There was a misleading, fabricated story that I tried to recruit him and took him from the basketball program.  It wasn’t true.  But a lot of things we read aren’t true.”


Ouch.