Cincinnati Basketball: 5 candidates to replace John Brannen as head coach

Frank Martin

If the Bearcats want to bring aboard someone with extensive head coaching experience, then there are a few intriguing names that pop up. For a program fighting turmoil in a conference that’s underwhelming, there are still a number of coaches who would be great hires for Cincinnati, with one in particular with winning experience and a connection to the school.

Martin grew up in Miami and coached there at the high school level for 15 years. He became a collegiate assistant twenty years ago and soon worked under Bob Huggins at Cincinnati. He followed Huggins to Kansas State and succeeded him in 2007, leading the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in his third year. In 2012, Martin took the head coaching job at South Carolina and led the Gamecocks to an unexpected run to the Final Four in 2017.

Martin fits much of what the Bearcats are looking for, but he did just sign a contract extension with South Carolina very recently. Aside from those few seasons under Huggins, Martin is certainly more familiar and comfortable with the southeast. However, Martin’s spent nine years at South Carolina and could jump at the chance for new surroundings, especially since it’s much easier to build sustained success with these Bearcats.