Tuesday, March 9, 2010
A funny thing happened last Wednesday, as Kansas and Kansas State battled in what was then still a close second-half game. It happened as Frank Martin flew into one of his signature tantrums. From my vantage point in the corner of Allen Fieldhouse, huddled amongst a mass of fellow sportswriters like chickens in a factory farmhouse, I heard the chant of “Sit down Frank!” begin to waft from the student section.
The game was tight and intense, and Martin was livid. He drew the ire of KU students and fans like no other opposing coach to enter Allen Fieldhouse since Norm Stewart.
That’s when it hit me — a sudden wave of nostalgia and realization — Martin had transformed K-State into something of a genuine rival.
Of course, the Wildcats couldn’t handle the Jayhawks that night and ended up losing by a margin that suggests a real rivalry might still be a little ways off.
But for that rivalry to truly be realized, K-State needed to lock up Frank Martin. And now, after more hand wringing than was probably necessary, K-State has done just that.
On Sunday, Martin put pen to paper on a contract that extended his stay in Manhattan to the 2014-15 season. Martin had been the Big 12’s lowest-paid coach, making $760,000 dollars this season. His new deal bumps him to fourth in the league — behind Bill Self, Rick Barnes, and Travis Ford, who earn $3 million, $2 million and $1.8 million respectively — at an average of $1.55 million per season.
Of course, none of this guarantees Martin will stay in Manhattan beyond the rest of this year. The current climate of college sports makes it quite clear contracts don’t bind coaches to universities with any pretense of permanence. So it is certainly possible that Martin leaves as soon as a semi-prestigious east coast program comes calling.
But that doesn’t seem likely. If Martin were looking to use K-State to springboard himself to a different job, he wouldn’t have signed this new deal. He could have simply finished out this season and let the offers come flying.
But he didn’t. Instead, Martin committed himself to K-State, choking back tears as he spoke of achieving a dream. And while college coaches are generally not noted for their outward transparency, Martin seems incapable of masking his emotions (recall the court side antics).
In an odd sort of way, this is good news for Kansas and its fans. In Martin, Jayhawk fans now have a charismatic villain at whom to direct their chants, as well as a strong local rival that looks likely to factor into conference championship races.
Who knows? Maybe it was the chants that prompted Martin to extend his stay in Manhattan. Maybe he relishes the potential for a genuine Sunflower State rivalry like I do. Or maybe he just took the advice to “sit down” and opted to settle in state.
Whatever the motivation, Kansas fans should be glad he did.
— Edited by Becky Howlett
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