Head
Coach
- Frank Martin
One of the nation's most successful assistant coaches and a member of
Kansas State's men's basketball staff during the 2006-07 season, Frank
Martin was promoted to become the school's 22nd head men's basketball
coach on April 6, 2007.
“We feel Frank was an integral part of the growth and success of
Kansas State basketball this past season and deserves the opportunity to
lead this program and continue to build on the foundation that has been
established,” Weiser said. “One of the important factors in our decision
to promote Frank was a desire to maintain the continuity of the current
program and provide a stable environment for our student-athletes.
Frank was a valuable member of a team that achieved some remarkable
milestones this past year and we believe he will continue to move this
program forward.”
University president Dr. Jon Wefald echoed Weiser’s sentiments
regarding Martin and acknowledged his contributions to the program since
arriving at Kansas State.
“The course we charted a year ago resulted in some wonderful
accomplishments,” university president Jon Wefald said. “Frank has
played an invaluable role in the turnaround of Kansas State basketball. I have the utmost
confidence in Frank’s ability to lead this program while continuing to
attract high-caliber student-athletes who can compete for championships
in the Big 12 Conference.”
A veteran coach with over 22 years of experience, Martin helped guide Kansas State to a 23-12 record in 2006-07.
K-State’s 23 wins were its most wins since tallying 25 during the
1987-88 season, while the 21 wins prior to the Phillips 66 Big 12
Championship were the most in the regular season since the 1981-82 squad
also collected 21 en route to the advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA
Tournament. The Wildcats posted 10 conference wins for the first
time in the Big 12 era and for the first time since the Mitch
Richmond-led ‘Cats earned 11 Big Eight wins in 1987-88.
The 2006-07 season also saw Kansas State
break an eight-year postseason drought with its invitation to the
MasterCard NIT as the Wildcats earned their first postseason win in
nearly 13 years with a 59-57 first-round victory over Vermont.
Under Martin’s tutelage, two Wildcats earned all-conference honors
following the 2006-07 season. Senior forward Cartier Martin and junior
forward David Hoskins were both named second All-Big 12 by the league’s
coaches, with Martin also earning the league’s inaugural Sixth Man
Award.
Martin joined the Kansas State staff on April 5, 2006, after spending
two seasons as an assistant coach at Cincinnati, first for Bob Huggins
in 2004-05 and then for Andy Kennedy in 2005-06. He helped guide
the Bearcats to a 46-21 (.686) overall record and back-to-back
postseason appearances from 2004-06, including a trip to the NCAA
Tournament in 2005. Among Martin’s duties with the program was the daily
development of the program’s big men.
Before joining Huggins’ staff at Cincinnati in 2004, Martin
spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Northeastern from 2000 to
2004, where he earned much acclaim for his abilities as a recruiter.
After back-to-back sub par seasons, he helped the Huskies post their
first winning season in eight years in 2002-03 with a 16-15 overall
record and a win over crosstown rival and NIT participant
Boston
College. The
following year, the team collected the school’s best record in 11
seasons with a 19-11 overall record and a third-place finish in the
America East Conference with a 13-5 mark. The 19 wins were the
most by the school since the 1992-93 season, while the 13 league wins
were the most since the 1986-87 season.
Martin helped coach eight all-conference players at Northeastern,
including first team All-America East Conference selection Jose Juan
Barea in 2004. Barea became the first Husky player since 1989-90
to earn first team all-league honors. In 2005, Barea was named an
honorable mention All-American by The Associated Press, the Mid-Major
Player of the Year by Collegeinsider.com and Colonial Athletic
Association Player of the Year. Martin also coached three players
on the league’s all-rookie team.
Prior to entering the college ranks in 2000, Martin spent 15 years in
the high school coaching ranks in Miami, Fla., including the last seven as a head
coach. He was a part of five state championships as an assistant
at powerhouse Miami Senior High School from 1985-93 before collecting
two titles as the Stingarees’ head coach from 1995-99. In
addition, Martin served two seasons as the coach at
North Miami Senior High School
(1993-95) and one season at Booker T. Washington High School
(1999-2000).
Before leaving for Northeastern, Martin became head basketball coach
at the newly-created Booker T. Washington High School in
Miami, Fla., in 1999 and his efforts enabled the
first-year high school to garner Nike Elite honors, one of only 15
schools in the nation to earn that honor that season.
Martin returned to
Miami
Senior High School as head
varsity coach in 1995 after longtime coach Marcos Rodriguez left to take
the head coaching position at Florida International. Highlighting
his three-year stint with the Stingarees were back-to-back 30-win
seasons and consecutive Florida 6A State Championships in 1996 and
1997. Martin’s 1996-97 squad posted a 36-1 overall record and was
ranked No. 4 in the USA Today Top 25 poll. He helped develop 14
players who went on to play in the NCAA Division I ranks, including
present NBA players Udonis Haslem (Miami Heat) and Steve Blake (Denver
Nuggets). In addition, Martin saw all 21 of his players graduate
with 19 of those attending college. When he left in 1999,
Miami was one of only 12
Nike
Elite High
School programs.
Martin launched his career as a varsity head coach in 1993 when he
took over at North Miami
Senior High School. He earned 20 wins
in his first season as head coach, which was the school’s first 20-win
season in 22 years. During his two-year tenure with the Pioneers,
Martin posted a 39-16 (.709) overall record, which represented the most
wins in a two-year period in school history in 35 seasons.
Martin began his coaching career at Miami Senior High School in 1985, where he
served as the head junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach.
During his eight-year stint with the Stingarees, he compiled a 140-30
(.824) overall record as the head junior varsity coach and guided the
program to the city championship in six of his eight seasons. In
the process, he also helped the varsity program achieve impressive
heights while assisting legendary head coach Marcos Rodriguez.
Martin helped guide the Stingarees to five Florida 4A State
Championships (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993) and an impressive 273-19
(.935) overall record. The team finished among the nation’s top 10
in the USA Today Top 25 poll on six occasions during his tenure,
including a program-best No. 2 following the 1988-89 season.
Martin has served as an instructor at several of the nation’s
exclusive summer basketball camps. He served as the head coach in
the PAC-10 division at the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis, Ind., from 1997 to 1999. In the summer
of 1998, Martin was an NBA coach at the Five-Star Basketball Camp during
the elite week of action in
Pittsburgh, Pa. He also tutored future NBA stars
Tracy McGrady and Stromile Swift while at the ABCD All-American
Basketball Camp in Teaneck, N.J.,
in 1996.
A native of Miami, Fla.,
Martin, 41, earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from
Florida International in 1993. He and his wife, Anya, have a
daughter, Amalia (2) and a son, Christian Francisco, born April 26,
2007. Martin also has a son, Brandon (7), from a previous
relationship.
Kansas State
Football
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