New Kansas State Coach Frank Martin's Unethical History

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A press conference has been called for Monday morning, where Kansas State will formally introduce Frank Martin as the school's new basketball coach. Much talked-about assistant Dalonte Hill, also known as Michael Beasley's best friend, is getting the title of 'Associate Head Coach.' If you look at the the press release linked above, K-State is already beginning to kiss Hill's butt; the 27-year-old is mentioned in the sub-head.

Just who is Frank Martin? Don't be fooled by the glowing press release. A little digging around the net turned up this gem: Martin got his start tearing up high school ball in Florida, winning State titles and getting ranked by USA Today. Except that he used unethical behavior to achieve success, stirring up one of the biggest scandals in Florida high school sports history.

Miami High was fined $2500 and forced to reimburse more than $5000 in expenses incurred during the FHSAA's investigation. Five players, including [Udonis] Haslem, were barred from ever playing for Miami High again. The school was required to return the 1998 state championship trophy. Head coach Frank Martin (lauded in the Herald article) was fired, along with the school's athletic director.
"This is one of the most, if not the most, blatant violations of FHSAA rules against recruiting that I have encountered in my seven years as commissioner of this association," said Ron Davis when he handed down the penalties in August 1998.

Sounds like a Bob Huggins kind of guy, doesn't he? Good luck, Kansas State. Enjoy Beasley next year, and then have fun watching him wave goodbye after one season for the NBA (where he'll probably take Hill with him, just as Tim Thomas took his 'cousin,' Jim Salmon, when he was drafted.) Then, you'll be left with a dirty coach like Frank Martin, who is going to have to bend the rules to get kids to school there. This will be a disaster.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

4-06-2007 @ 7:32PM

tony said...

Kansas State is the most short-sighted school in the country. They would have given the team to Bin Laden if he could have promised Beasley.

Desperate move by a desperate school.

4-06-2007 @ 7:33PM

TJ said...

Whoever wrote this is a Jackass - I can't find his name anywhere. I would like to watch his career go down in flames.

4-06-2007 @ 7:35PM

The Big Lead said...

Frank Martin's name is right there. He was fired for recruiting studs (Udonis Haslem and Steve Blake) to play for a high school. It was illegal.
He skirted the rules. His athletic director was fired, too.

What don't you get?

4-06-2007 @ 8:07PM

Thiswritersucks said...

Wow people like you need to get a life. Its a great moment in this man's life, hes worked hard to become a college coach and no more than a couple of hours into being hired you are writing article's about a situation that if you do a bit more studying you will learn it was not "recruiting" and the Principal threw the entire athletic department under the bus to save his own career. Get a life you bum of a writer.. Enjoy this website because its the farthest your garbage career as a writer will go.

4-06-2007 @ 8:29PM

sd said...

Let's not pretend there are ethics anymore--Eddie Sutton got a court named after him; was there a bigger cheater? Bruce Pearl should be in jail; Kelvin Sampson got one of the best jobs in the country while getting put on probation at his last school--shall i continue? Oh yeah and Bobby Knight is the bad guy right?

4-06-2007 @ 10:40PM

Steven A Hotchkiss said...

In response to #3. Since you aren't bright enough to understand the question posted in #2 i guess I need to point out e didn't see your name anywhere in the article. Who the hell is "The Big Lead"? What's your affiliation and why the dirt bag article? You obviously either have a beef with the school or the coach. Which is it and what are your credentials? Anyone that prints dirt like that should have to man-up to writing it. It's pretty easy to trash someone while staying anonymous

4-07-2007 @ 12:03AM

nikejockks said...

With the talent level coming into K-State, any coach can be successful just look @ Roy Williams and Bill Self.

4-07-2007 @ 12:56AM

quinton m. said...

i agree with sd since when is college basketball fair kevin sampson is living it up in indiana when ou is left with his screw ups !!!

4-07-2007 @ 1:12AM

Paintz said...

As a KSU alumni and fan. I am making the same pledge i made when they hired Bob huggins. As long as this guy is head coach, martin, i will never go to another mens game. OUr athletic director should be fired. He has failed to investigate the womens coach even with allegations levied by former players. Lost the largest radio signal in the state along with the play by play announcer (replaced with one of his buddies from colorado state Univ.) He wants to be remembered as some great visionary but is a disgrace.

4-07-2007 @ 10:15AM

Ian Tomasic said...

As a student at Kansas State currently and having been a fan my entire life I think the move to get Bob Huggins and now to hire Frank Martin are smart moves. If Kansas State ever wants to be as good as Kansas we need to make some moves to get our name on the map as Bob Huggins did. Because Huggins came to Kansas State we did get big name players to sign with us and if we do as well next year as we did this year we will continue to get names. So for you people who want Kansas State to continue to be bad go ahead and hire some nobody that has no connection with the big McDonald's All-American players and play it safe never finishing better than 6th in the Big 12 as we did beore Huggins.

4-07-2007 @ 10:18AM

HOTCHKISS -

Most of my points were facts. My last paragraph - that it's a mistake of a hire - is an opinion. And when you blog, you state opinions.

If the facts bother you, I'm sorry. I realize you're probably one of those fans who was throwing chickens on the court, but at some point, reality has to set in. Martin was dirty, he was busted.

4-07-2007 @ 10:40AM

Hawksj said...

K-State (again) sold it's soul, but this time for a one-year pay-off.

After Beasley, Walker, and David Hoskins are gone, the Asbury and Wooldridge years are going to be remembered as the "good ole days" of K-State hoops.

What desparate K-State fans don't realize is that Martin and Hill aren't "recruiters" - they're "handlers". They aren't going to get anybody else to go to Manhattan.

This is going to make the Quin Snyder program look like Dean Smith.

4-07-2007 @ 11:00AM

don lindley said...

K has had a focky road since Altman and Kruger have all gone on to other universities. Hartman was consistent and was a good teacher needs a solid person and coach who can add to the total university. Huggins to me is a fly by night and leaving after 1 season shows what he is all about. Good riddance and lets move on.
Cheers for KSU

4-07-2007 @ 11:09AM

John Vivian said...

The whole thing is a knee jerk reactionb to a bad and emotional situation.

4-07-2007 @ 11:51AM

stayoutoftrees said...

As expected, the parasites come out to feed on the suffering of others. Enjoy your meal.

4-07-2007 @ 1:30PM

Ian Tomasic's a dork said...

Anyone who actually believes this is a good hire is out of their mind. Frank Martin was an assistant coach at Northeastern (Who? Exactly) for four years. He then spent two years at Cinci, one of them with Huggins, and then spent a year at KSU. That's the guy KSU hired to take control of their program? Are you serious? That resume makes Quin Snyder look like a basketball god. Seriously, what were you thinking?

There is absolutely no way to justify this hire. Frank Martin is not qualified at this point to be a Big XII head coach. He just isn't. You could have at least taken a little time to interview a few candidates, but you didn't even do that. Why? Because then you'd risk losing Beasley. This was a desperate move made to save a couple of recruits, and it's going to cost your program in the future, KSU fans.

4-07-2007 @ 1:54PM

Powercat said...

Oh my god. A high school student faked an address to get into a particular high school??? SCANDALOUS INDEED. It doesn't make it right, but this type of horrible injustice happens every day in Texas and Oklahoma (for football). It even happens all over the country just to get kids into better schools FOR ACADEMIC REASONS!!!!

And I hate to play dumb here, but in neither this blog piece nor the article linked to, does anyone tell us what FRANK MARTIN actually did or knew. Not saying he didn't know, but there is very little mention of Martin's actual conduct.

4-07-2007 @ 2:55PM

No Mr "Big Lead" I was not one throwing chickens, but thanking you very much for ducking the question of "Who are you?" I also like the chicken thing, but that's beside the point. I know he was fired as a high school coach, etc. But that doesn't explain the hatchet job. What is your beef? Why the need to trash him and KSU? Again if you're going to trash someone be a man and put your name out there. You have mine. Coward.

4-07-2007 @ 3:02PM

enh said...

When does football start?

4-07-2007 @ 5:19PM

BleedPurple said...

You know, in the press today, it doesn't take much to be an a-hole and put things in print anonymously. Looks like another media hack taking shots at KSU. My God, someone had some problems. What's his record since then?

I for one was not in favor of this move. I'm more of the take the hit, and come back swinging hard type. I was in favor of getting rid of anything associated with Huggie if he chose to leave.... even if it meant losing these recruits. Another fair point is KSU hasn't done much in the last 20 years, how much worse could this be? I guess we'll have front row seats for it. Now, it also wouldn't surprise me at all if past conduct became an issue and a move was made if it was deamed bad enough to justify someone's release.

610 Sports in KC was all over this and honestly, it sounded like the KU alum that ran the show was scared to death of what might happen if the prized recruits stayed. You know what KU talkshow loser? Here's to getting your butt kicked twice by an "unethical" high school coach. You can put that up there with the Bucknell and Bradley games that all of your Bic Mac all-americans couldn't get the job done in.