South Carolina’s last two games have been against opponents ranked No. 5 in the nation at the time they faced the Gamecocks, and as a result they have fallen to 4-6 on the season. But don’t try telling head coach Frank Martin that the schedule he put together this season is any tougher than in years past.
Following Wednesday’s 69-52 loss to Michigan, a reporter asked Martin if it is worthwhile to schedule tough opponents the way South Carolina did this season rather than have a more “soft” schedule like they had in 2016, when they were not invited to the NCAA Tournament with a 25-9 record. Martin was not happy with the question.
Here's Frank Martin's response to my question tonight when I asked him if it was worth it in the end to schedule top 10 teams, compared to two years ago when the schedule turned out (because of injuries/transfers to opposing teams) to be easier on paper than expected. pic.twitter.com/GACZxhfl35
— Mike Gillespie (@MikeABCColumbia) December 20, 2018
“We have to stop telling the news and the people that we schedule soft,” he said. “There’s nothing soft in my body — how I was raised, how I live, how I’ve ever coached. Go back and look at the schedules I put together as a head high school coach. I don’t believe in soft. Anything soft and me are never getting along.”
With regard to a few seasons ago, Martin noted that several of the teams the Gamecocks faced had players leave via transfer. He said he always schedules “real basketball schools,” but schedules are made well in advance and can’t account for transfers and other circumstances.
Should we be surprised that Martin took that much offense to someone using the word “soft” associated with his program? Probably not. This is the same coach who was suspended in his second season on the job at South Carolina for the way he berated one of his players. The next time a reporter asks about strength of schedule, the word “soft” should probably be avoided.
