Frank Martin's staff is getting closer to finalized, and is expected to be the same one that he had at Kansas State.
South Carolina assistant Mike Boynton confirmed on Sunday night that he won't be returning to USC, and a source close to the program had previously confirmed that fellow assistant coaches Cypheus Bunton and Neill Berry had cleaned out their offices once coach Darrin Horn was fired. Matt Figger, who was Martin's assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Kansas State, has already accepted a position at USC and Martin's director of operations at K-State, Andy Assaley, will take on the same role at USC, the source said.
"Frank did the right thing," Boynton said. "He met with us and told us that he respected us for what we did, but he wanted to bring his own staff with him. I appreciate what he did but I'll be moving on."
Boynton, speaking from the Final Four in New Orleans, declined to say if he had a definite job waiting, but did say he had a couple of options. The former Gamecock point guard and member of USC's last NCAA tournament team has also coached at Furman, Wofford and Coastal Carolina, and would be a natural fit for any in-state team looking for a recruiting in.
"It's been a great ride," Boynton said. "I appreciate everything South Carolina did for me but it's time to move on."
Martin is expected to name Brad Underwood and Lamont Evans to his USC staff. Underwood was mentioned as a candidate to replace Martin at Kansas State, but the Wildcats hired recently fired Illinois coach Bruce Weber to take over.
Should Martin do as expected and fill out his USC staff with his former Kansas State staff, the first-year coach will have to hit the recruiting trail and begin building some of the bridges that Horn's staff had with the state's recruits. The state is putting out some major talent over the next two years, including rising seniors Sindarius Thornwell (Lancaster) and Matt Howard (A.C. Flora), and rising juniors Marcus Stroman (Keenan) and L.J. Peak (Gaffney).
None of the four have been contacted by Martin yet, as it is a dead period. But Martin and his staff are expected to hit the ground running once the recruiting period re-starts this week.
Link: http://southcarolina.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1350121
South Carolina assistant Mike Boynton confirmed on Sunday night that he won't be returning to USC, and a source close to the program had previously confirmed that fellow assistant coaches Cypheus Bunton and Neill Berry had cleaned out their offices once coach Darrin Horn was fired. Matt Figger, who was Martin's assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Kansas State, has already accepted a position at USC and Martin's director of operations at K-State, Andy Assaley, will take on the same role at USC, the source said.
"Frank did the right thing," Boynton said. "He met with us and told us that he respected us for what we did, but he wanted to bring his own staff with him. I appreciate what he did but I'll be moving on."
Boynton, speaking from the Final Four in New Orleans, declined to say if he had a definite job waiting, but did say he had a couple of options. The former Gamecock point guard and member of USC's last NCAA tournament team has also coached at Furman, Wofford and Coastal Carolina, and would be a natural fit for any in-state team looking for a recruiting in.
"It's been a great ride," Boynton said. "I appreciate everything South Carolina did for me but it's time to move on."
Martin is expected to name Brad Underwood and Lamont Evans to his USC staff. Underwood was mentioned as a candidate to replace Martin at Kansas State, but the Wildcats hired recently fired Illinois coach Bruce Weber to take over.
Should Martin do as expected and fill out his USC staff with his former Kansas State staff, the first-year coach will have to hit the recruiting trail and begin building some of the bridges that Horn's staff had with the state's recruits. The state is putting out some major talent over the next two years, including rising seniors Sindarius Thornwell (Lancaster) and Matt Howard (A.C. Flora), and rising juniors Marcus Stroman (Keenan) and L.J. Peak (Gaffney).
None of the four have been contacted by Martin yet, as it is a dead period. But Martin and his staff are expected to hit the ground running once the recruiting period re-starts this week.
Link: http://southcarolina.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1350121