http://uponfurtherreview.kansascity.com/?q=node/1723
Sorry, Frank
There it is. An apology. In a bizarre world in which Frank Martin actually reads this blog and cares what it said, hopefully we're cool now.
Because, man, most of us really thought he was a dope, right?
He was a high school coach, and a reportedly shady one at that. He wore his suits too big, his hair too slick, and his players too hard.
K-State hired him in some sad desperation after Bob Huggins left, like a Harrah's degenerate doubling down with his rent money. They kept him to keep Michael Beasley*, to keep Bill Walker, to keep some relevance in the wild world of college basketball -- a world that's stacked against Kansas State in the first place.
* Speaking of Beasley, good to see him playing so well in his second NBA season, particularly after the troubles over the summer.
Once Beasley left, K-State would be exposed as a sorry program and Martin as a high-profile babysitter who would be fired and then disappear into the AAU circuit.
At least, that was the script. Except here he is anyway, head coach of the 9-1 Wildcats -- No. 17 in the polls and No. 1 in RPI -- with a beautifully put together roster of strong and experienced guards with an athletic frontline that's navigated through a tough schedule and looks every bit like the third-best team in a strong Big 12.
They've blown out Xavier, Washington State and UNLV. They've beaten Atlantic-10 favorite Dayton.
Most of us thought Martin got the job just so Beasley would come to K-State. It was a short-sighted decision, we said. Instead, Beasley is long gone and the Cats have their highest ranking since 1988. Martin is building a program.
Martin and his staff have built the kind of team that most every coach in the country would love to have, and the kind of team that most every fan in the country would love to cheer for -- sort of like Mizzou last year.
Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente lead the team in scoring (and in general), two combo guards who can switch on and off the point depending on the game situation. Curtis Kelly and Jamar Samuels give the Cats strength and athleticism on the front line, complemented nicely by Dominique Sutton and others.
All that's nice, but perhaps the most encouraging part is that freshman Wally Judge has essentially been a non-factor so far.
In another world -- the world we expected -- this would be an NIT-at-best situation. Judge was a McDonald's All-American, a top 20 player nationally, and an early commit to K-State which allowed the hype to grow.
Judge was expected to be a star, at least on some nights, and instead is playing 13.9 minutes a game with 3.8 points. He's started the last three games, but still hasn't played as much as some of the reserves coming in for him and here is where we might be seeing just how wrong so many of us were about Frank Martin.
Judge isn't playing more, it seems, because he's not giving the sort of consistent effort and defense that Martin demands. This is much different than the Martin we expected, the coach who would've ignored the deficiencies of his most talented players, or maybe panicked, but either way would be incapable of leading a 9-1 team through a difficult schedule without its hotshot, future pro freshman doing much.
The message, now, is clear. Judge can either do what Martin is expecting, or the Wildcats can continue to play well without him. Martin holds all the cards, all the credibility.
This is a long way from the charicature many of us saw, of a guy who put Beasley in the game and then screamed from the sidelines while his players called him "Frank."
Martin's reputation now is of a coach whose team plays as hard as anybody in the conference. His situation now is leading a top 20 team that he put together.
Good for him, for making it happen. And good for us, for being able to watch.
Submitted by Sam Mellinger on December 17, 2009 - 9:50am.
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