OTC: Frank Martin Acting More Clown Than Coach

 

Frank Martin Head coach Frank Martin of the Kansas State Wildcats yells toward players during the second half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks on March 1, 2008 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.“These young men have worked hard to represent themselves and Kansas State in a positive manner. Having said that, they made a mistake in judgment and have to pay a price for that decision.”
Frank Martin, in official statement regarding the suspensions of Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly
GH: This bombshell hit the news only an hour before the game. No media outlets I know of had even a whiff that there were any issues with K-State’s best two players. This is a story that should have been broken earlier by good reporting but was not. It appears everyone in the media got caught overlooking what is going on in Manhattan, KS yet again.
“These two young men did not make a ‘mistake.’ They knew what the rules are and they did what they did. I think too often people try to use that word to get out of what they did. … Don’t try to pretend that it happened by accident.”
Mike DeCourcy, in an interview with Steven St. John on Wednesday morning, 810 AM
GH: DeCourcy is as opinionated as almost any college basketball analyst out there – Gottlieb included. He often takes the less popular road and never shirks from an argument. He ripped into St. John when he mentioned that Pullen and Kelly had made a “mistake.” It would have been fun to have had DeCourcy at Sprint Center last night for Martin’s postgame presser. Read on.
“I defy most people to say they wouldn’t take an extra shirt from a buddy working at a store. Any act that’s not a violent act, I really have a lot of tolerance for.”
Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: Pullen and Kelly aren’t “most people.” They are recognized everywhere they go in Manhattan. They are cheered and idolized by a fervent fan base that loves them. They are the leaders on a top-10 team that was picked to win the Big 12. They have been lectured and prepped for four years on NCAA violations. They don’t get to make the same mistakes that Joe College in Chem 101 gets away with.
“Assistant sports information director Tom Gilbert began the postgame news conference by announcing K-State would not comment beyond the statement it released.”
Austin Meeks, columnist, Topeka Capital Journal
GH: So K-State’s All-American guard Jacob Pullen, the bearded face of the basketball team, along with preseason All-Big 12 pick Curtis Kelly, get suspended for stealing clothes from a department store and Martin refuses to discuss this with the media? Frank loves to preach to us about accountability and his honesty and blah, blah, blah. But when the pressure is on and he’s on stage under some media heat, he’s just another coach hiding behind a tough-guy glare.
“You fucking asshole!”
Frank Martin, to one of his players as he approached the bench during the INLV game, ESPN2
GH: I watched Martin’s crazy-man act again for two hours on ESPN2 Tuesday night. It has lost its humor. He screamed expletives all game long in his players face and to those who were on the court. Almost 19,000 K-State fans made the effort to be at Sprint Center for this game. Some elementary age fans sat no more than a couple of feet from the K-State bench, well within ear shot of every f-bomb Frank dropped. I was embarrassed for him. Apparently he doesn’t get embarrassed. That’s not a good trait when you are a head coach and representing a proud fan base.  
“I got no idea. I don’t know. I broke my nose three times. It’s part of playing sports. He’ll be all right.”
Frank Martin, when asked if Rodney McGruder lost a tooth during the game, during Martin’s post game press conference
GH: How can Martin not know one of his players lost a tooth? He plays up this Soprano image to make us all fear him. But it is starting to make him look like a troubled adult who has some serious issues with reality. We don’t care that you broke your nose as a kid, Frank. But you should damn well care that one of your kids just lost a tooth playing his ass off for you.
“You guys are trying to get under my skin today, aren’t you? I’ve been pretty respectful of the media my whole career.”
Frank Martin
GH: Respect is a two-way word Frank. Earn it and we’ll see about returning the favor. Blackballing questions about Pullen and Kelly was the coward’s way out – no matter how many pinstripes on your suit.
“Look, you’re missing two starters, including an All-American and your asking not to answer questions about how that impacts your basketball team? Frank always likes to talk about how he’s been around for awhile, even though he hasn’t been a head coach all that long, there’s no way you can’t talk about that! It’s the story! It’s the whole deal!”
Mike DeCourcy, 810 AM
“I don’t want to hear anything else about leadership about anyone other than the guys on the basketball court. I do not want you to refer any questions again about anybody who was not dressed and in uniform here today.”
Frank Martin
GH: Since when does Martin get to dictate what questions he’s asked? You are a state employee, Frank. You make more money than almost every other state employee in Kansas. The Governor doesn’t get to glare at the media and dictate what he or she is asked. Why do you think you get handled like a little girl?
“Until this team doesn’t find that character and that leadership, we’re going to continue to flounder around.”
Frank Martin
GH: Leadership starts with the guy in charge. That’s you, Frank. You looked like an out-of-control lunatic on the sideline and a bully in your presser. Time to grow up beyond your Huggy Bear roots.
Greghall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24
 
http://www.mb-kc.com/
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19 Responses to OTC: Frank Martin Acting More Clown Than Coach

  1. Guy Who Says What Others Think says:

    KSU getting what they deserved with Martin.
    Here’s a guy who was fired down in Miami for illegally recruiting players from out of district to play for him and had their entire state championship season forfeited. Then he goes to work for that bastion of NCAA ethics, Bob Huggins. Huggins drags he and AAU Pimpmeister General Dalonte Hill to Manhattan in order to seal the deal on Beasley, and continues to use Hill’s shady AAU ties to drag in top recruits. Oh and don’t discount Martin’s part in the NCAA not ruling on Tony Mitchell yet. It was Frank Martin who sent Mitchell down to Florida for school in order to get him qualified, and it’s Frank Martin who is now leaning on said school to not cooperate on sending the paperwork to the NCAA regarding Mitchell took while he was there. It doesn’t take this long to figure out if a kid got the correct test scores and grades. Fact is, Martin is still pissed off at Mitchell’s mother for making her son back off his KSU commitment and visit other schools. If you want to see coaches who act with decorum and class on the sideline, look no further than Mike Anderson and Bill Self. Oh you can go the KK route and say that Martin never gets technicals. But that doesn’t prove he’s not a complete buffoon on the sideline during a game. Or in a press conference. Know what’s scary? The team KSU put on the floor last night is the same one you’ll see more or less next year.

  2. Arte says:

    Getting Old
    Count me as one that’s falling off the Frank Martin bandwagon. The tough-guy act is getting old. It’s almost as if he’s not even on the same team as his players. And throwing a fit because a reporter asked a legitimate and relevant question is just rather immature on his part.
    Speaking of acts getting old–how many stories about how tough and rough Steve St. John’s old man was or is do we have to hear? Word is the old man was two-bit flunkie who St. John makes out to be some godfather. Worse than that–none of his stories are funny

  3. Mick says:

    Martin = Pelini
    It will be interesting to see what Kietzman has to say today about Frank Martin. He is the first person to rip Pelini for his behavior towards his players, the officials and the media. KK constantly talks about how embarrassing it is for Nebraska to have a guy dropping f-bombs on the field, getting in the face of T-Mart, and acting like an ass in his post game pressers. Now I usually enjoy that, since I do not care for the Huskers or Bo, but KK better man up and call out Frank for his dispicable behavior. I really doubt if he will since he is usually a spineless p.o.s., but turn about’s fair play. Call out Frank you pussy!

    Also, for anybody who says what Pullen & Kelly did was just a “mistake”, or being a dumb kid, or bitches that schools make millions off of these kids, so they deserve some extra perks, what they actually did was CRIMINAL. They’re lucky the didn’t get hauled to the police station for theft, along with their friend that gave them the clothes. I’m sure it’s not in the best interest of the store owner to press charges, but it sounds to me like he could. It’s not like they were late for curfew, or got a speeding ticket, they were stealing, so don’t be an appologist for them, which is what KK will probably be today. Time to Man Up!

  4. hammy says:

    Martin is dirty
    and I think we all really knew it all along whether the guys in purple want to admit it or not.

  5. bschloz says:

    Meltdown In The Little Apple
    KSU has the greatest fans loyal and loud….but this guy is Bad News Bears.. his act is brutal…not so easy being the hunted ehhh Frank?
    I knew this would end badly after he nudged that ball player last year. I also think they would of got beat by 15 with Pullen/Kelly–meltdown started in FLA at the 8 min mark…..thought the suspensions rallied the troops a little. KSU will be lucky to finish 4th in Big 12….KU..TX..MU..??
    KSU may set the record this year for most attempted Free Throws— LOL

  6. OlatheCat says:

    It’s interesting that people that are fans of what might be the dirtiest program in the history of college basketball, the University of Kansas, are calling Martin dirty. Laughing my f*cking ass off at that.

  7. anthony davis says:

    Bingo …
    ..Leadership starts with the guy in charge. That%u2019s you, Frank. You looked like an out-of-control lunatic on the sideline and a bully in your presser…

    Good call, Greg.

  8. Heath says:

    What would you expect?
    I don’t understand why the press is up in arms about about Frank starting his presser by saying he won’t speak of the two. What answer did you expect? Coaches never talk about the details of personnel matters, and never share all of the information. That’s just the way the game is played. I can only imagine how upset Frank was with his two seniors paired with a second consecutive loss to solid team. Of course it affected the team to lose their two leading scorers and only seniors, what answer would you have expected?

  9. Michael says:

    Links in your twitter feed don’t work
    When you put http://www.kcconfidential.com in your twitter posts it isn’t clickable. Maybe putting the “http” in front of it would fix it.

    The lunatic act that Frank pulls was inevitably going to wear thin.

  10. Kerouac says:

    ROLL CALL
    To be Frank, he’s not alone: bobby knight… woody hayes… ‘the duffer’ (haley)… frank kush; what a disgusting collection of rabble…

  11. BPR says:

    Haters
    I don’t think anybody can get too cocky seeing an opponent’s team get into trouble for crap like this. I read it was something about the sales clerk giving them the employee discount on their clothes. How many times does this kind of thing happen with every school but doesn’t get revealed? I’m sure it NEVER happens at KU or Missouri.

  12. Ptolemy says:

    Frank
    A good question for Frank that nobody has asked is what do you now say to KState fans that you challenged to fill the Sprint Center and in response to that admirable effort, you give them a team whose senior leaders are not able to participate because of illegality? Why would you expect them to turn out after something like this?

    Regarding his tirades on the court, who cares? He isn’t paid to serve as role model/entertainer for the fans on the sidelines. His main concern is the same as Pelini faces – losing his players. The f-bombs and boorish behavior wears thin on young people. The person top watch on that issue – somebody ask him – is John Curry. He has cracked the whip before on Martin. He doesn’t sniff at questions in that regard like Tom Osborne does.

  13. dp says:

    It’s all about the Win and Losses
    When things are going well and you are winning, everybody loves you, when things are going bad, everybody hates you. Last year, everybody loves Frank because they were a nice story and surprised some people. This year, he’s a goon and a cheater and everything else. Wins and losses will tell the story. Unless the team does a Quinn Snyder Elite 8 to the NIT nosedive, Frank will be fine. And while I do think his act gets old, it’s not like the players didn’t know what they were getting in to. He does need to improve his X’s and O’s on the offensive side of the ball, as a K-State fan, that is my big complaint.

    About Pullen and Kelly taking the clothes a mistake. You could call it a mistake, but is it as bad as say, taking at least $6500 cash like Selby did, right? Was that a mistake?

    It cracks me up when the media like DeCoursey and Hall in this case whine when a coach won’t answer a question they want answered. Sorry media, you aren’t entitled to every answer you want. I loved it when all the national writers came out imploring Tiger to give his side of the cheating story. He told them to go f-ck themselves and a year later the story has mostly blown over and he didn’t say anything.

    And Hall, you must not be following politics, Martin answered more questions last night than Gov-Elect Brownback has during his whole campaign.

  14. jjskck says:

    @1:46:46

    Sorry, but yes: there is a difference between having a person you’ve known most of your life buy you things (Selby) and stealing shit from a store (Kelly/Pullen).

  15. dp says:

    Justify it anyway you want
    Kelly and Pullen got a couple hundred dollars of clothes put in shopping bags of clothes they already bought. Selby took thousands of dollars in straight cash. He is a bigger cheater than Pullen and Kelly combined.

  16. harley says:

    Martin is just a hothead….
    Maybe marrrria can settle this hotheaded cuban down. he makes ricky ricardo look like a good guy.
    Okay….he’s going off the deepend….but thats the pressure you face in the big time college play.
    He needs to settle down…maybe clear his head….maybe even get counseling from our hothead: Todd
    Haley…who used 4 letter expletives like candy.
    he’ll be okay…but his team has to calm down withhim….maybe he can’t handle the big time…
    the pressure is getting to him this year. His guys arent playing well…
    BUT IT ONLY BACKS UP MY CLAIM…THE 2 DIRTIEST SCHOOLS IN COLLEGE TODAY ARE
    IN ONE STATE. KANSAS. after warning the fans and alumni of the steep slippery slope that they
    were headed in (yes…i warned the state of kansas over a year ago that storm clouds were forming)…
    they failed to listen to me.
    Now with this outburst and all the ticket/player/etc scams being pulled by ku and kstate…i believe
    that the state of kansas will become the cesspool of college athletic.
    I am right now predicting that ku will get into recruitment problems as will k state. Its coming and the
    sooner it is brought into the open the better for both schools.
    bubba knew what was happeing…he’s recruited against both schools many times and has seen and
    heard what and how ku and kstate worked.
    I predict severe problems for both state schools……….it’s coming…. i have the information that was
    received….bubba knows whats happening…..lew and his gang of theives are more involved than
    anyone realized….LAWYER UP KU AND K STATE…..THE SMELL OF VIOLATIONS IS STINKING UP
    THE ENTIRE STATE…DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH.
    AS FOR K STATE AND KU ALUMNI….YOU HEARD IT FIRST FROM HARLEY……THE
    CRAP IS JUST STARTING TO HIT THE FAN. EVENTUALLY THE PLAYERS ON KSTATE WILL
    TELL THE TRUTH……ITS COMING….I TOLD YOU SO.

  17. DPW says:

    Criminal charges
    I haven’t heard any discussion of charging, or at least investigating, Pullen and Kelly (and the store clerk(s) ) for theft. If I remember right KU had a player a few years back who had a clerk charge him way below cost for electronics at a Wal Mart. The Riley County sheriffs office has always taken it easy on Snyder’s football players so this might be the case here.

  18. Monkeyhawk says:

    Martin Can’t Take the Pressure
    Not just on the sidelines. And not just in the pressers.

    He hasn’t coached the team to be Top 10 contenders.

    I had my doubts when Martin got the job. And last year he put a respectable team on the floor.

    But he’s not capable to live up the hype the ‘Cats got pre-season.

  19. Merle Tagladucci says:

    FRANK FRANK FRANK
    You immature, tantrum throwing, composure lacking, downward spiraling a-hole…already headed down the same road as Mark Mangino, Bob Knight, Woody Hayes, Jim Leavitt, Mike Leach, Norman Dale…all of their asses got fired ya know. Here’s an idea…watch yourself on tape sometime. Brutal.

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