Martin ready to move forward at South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Frank Martin says he had a great first year at South Carolina, even if some comments in the midst of his debut season didn’t make it sound that way.

Martin was routinely tested throughout his team’s 14-18 season and grew frustrated as the losses mounted. He finished with a losing record for the first time in his college coaching career. Martin, though, said he was rarely disheartened and knew the process to get the program turned around was a bigger than a one-year job.

Martin has reinforcements coming next season with the addition of seven first-year players and new assistant coach Perry Clark, the former head coach at Tulane and Miami. The Gamecocks did lose experience as four upperclassmen left the team since year’s end.