South Carolina Basketball: 7 candidates to replace Frank Martin as head coach

Mike Boynton

The last time South Carolina was looking for a head coach, they managed to lure Martin from Kansas State, plucking him from a successful Big 12 job and bringing him back to the South. There’s no reason to believe the Gamecocks couldn’t try to do something similar again, and it just so happens that there’s a perfect candidate at a Big 12 school, one who was actually an aide under Martin.

Boynton played point guard for the Gamecocks in the early 2000’s before beginning his coaching career at several colleges in the area. He returned to South Carolina and spent five years as an assistant coach. After four years under Brad Underwood, Boynton succeeded him as head coach at Oklahoma State and has been leading the Cowboys since 2017. He recruited Cade Cunningham and led the Cowboys to an NCAA Tournament appearance and first-round victory last season.

Boynton’s success at Oklahoma State has been limited, but he’s a South Carolina alum who has worked with the program and understands what it needs to succeed. He’s clearly got connections on the recruiting front and he’s actually done a solid job these last few seasons in a very strong Big 12. He recently signed a contract extension and it would boil down to South Carolina’s willingness to bring him back to Columbia.