UMass is now targeting former South Carolina and Kansas State coach Frank Martin after St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt turned the school down on Wednesday, multiple sources confirmed.
Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com reported Thursday that the school had offered the job to Martin, 56, and “the two sides are now working through details of a potential deal.”
South Carolina fired Martin March 14 and then hired ex-Chattanooga coach Lamont Paris this week to replace him. Six SEC jobs have turned over during this cycle.
Martin had a 171-147 record as the Gamecocks' head coach, including a 79-99 mark in SEC regular-season games. The Gamecocks won 20-plus games twice during his tenure, reaching one NCAA Tournament and the NIT once. He led the program to the 2017 Final Four.
For his career, he is 286-201 with five NCAA Tournament appearances.
Martin’s wife, Anya Forrest, is a former star hurdler on the UMass track team.
As for Schmidt, 59, he opted to remain at St. Bonaventure after the Atlantic 10 school offered to up his salary to the $1.3-$1.4 million range (from the $1 million range) and upgrade staff salaries, sources said.
The Bonnies (23-9) will play Xavier in the NIT semifinals Tuesday at Madison Square Garden after beating Colorado, Oklahoma and Virginia. Schmidt is 268-194 in his career with the Bonnies.
