In an October press conference, long before this Cinderella season even began, coach Frank Martin sat in front of a group of reporters in Williams Brice stadium. Admittedly, he was tired, as his team had just finished one of their first real practices of the season. Yet he fielded all of the reporter’s questions on his team, offering insight that, when looked at now, shows just how accurate he was in predicting the future of this team.
Prediction 1: “I think Chris Silva is gonna take a huge step forward.”
When asked about his expectations for his front court in the coming year, Martin was unrestrained on how he saw one of his bigs performing this season.
And in that prediction, even Frank Martin may have undershot the importance that Chris Silva would eventually carry for this team.
In his sophomore season, Silva has seen statistical improvements in nearly every major statistical category. He saw his points per game nearly double, his rebounds per game increase by nearly one and a half, his free throw percentage increase by nearly 15 percent and his field goal percentage grow by just over five percent. He recorded nearly 20 more blocks in his sophomore campaign, and played almost seven more minutes a game.
Yet, possibly the most showing stat of Silva’s importance to the Gamecocks is how they did when he wasn’t on the floor. This season for Silva, foul trouble has been a major issue that reviewed his importance. In games in which he fouled out this season, South Carolina was 3-7. In games that he didn't, they were 23-3.
Prediction 2: “We’ve got some other guys there [at guard], as they continue to grow and get better [we] can continue to play PJ and Sin off the ball a little bit.”
In this comment, Martin didn’t quite specify who exactly these “other guys” were, and maybe at the time even he wasn’t positive, but its pretty clear in the emergence of Rakym Felder that he was right about the depth and the versatility his team.
Coming into the season, not many knew exactly what to make of the 5-foot 10-inch guard out of Brooklyn. In high school, he was labeled as a strong defender and finisher at the rim, but had been hampered by injury and suspension in the offseason.
Yet after his 15 point explosion against Duke in the Elite Eight that saw him go nine of 10 from the free throw line down the stretch to preserve his team’s victory, everyone in the country now knows just how gutsy this kid is.
And those guts have allowed Martin to play both Felder and Dozier together in the backcourt, even in the most important of games. It has taken pressure off Dozier, and allowed Thornwell and Dozier another playmaker to play beside them on the court.
Prediction 3: “I think [PJ Dozier’s] gonna have a really good year, I really do … he’s got star written all over him.”
With his most affirmative statement of the press conference, Frank Martin let it be known exactly where he stood with all the questions swirling around the development and play of his point guard.
This was long before Dozier’s mid-season nine game stretch where he caught fire while Sindarius Thornwell was forced to sit; months before his 21 point explosion in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Marquette.
Long before PJ Dozier was actually a star.
Now, Dozier’s name sits upon draft boards, and he has helped guide this team to the Final Four. His name is known among all who watch college basketball, and he is praised by Gamecock fans.
Yet it was Martin who, with absolute certitude, put his faith in PJ Dozier before the season.
Prediction 4: "I remember coming out and standing on the sideline, looking down the bench and saying, 'How the heck am I on the sideline against Mike Krzyzewski?'"
A little over half way through this press conference, Martin was asked just how he thought his team would react to playing the blue bloods of college basketball in venues such as Madison Square Garden. He laughed and reminisced about his first time.
Before the season, even Frank Martin could not predict that his team would actually end up in Madison Square Garden to play there an extra time or that his team would actually have to look across and see Coach K standing as their opposing coach.
Yet in this same preseason press conference, after laughing about his unfortunate first time coaching against Coach K, Frank Martin said one profound line.
“That’s what its about.”
And after the Gamecocks season-defining win over none other than Coach K’s Blue Devils in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Frank Martin was once again correct with his prediction.