When most basketball people think about a Frank Martin style of team, “defense” is usually the first word that comes to mind. The 55-year-old head coach is known for a defensive system that matches his fiery on-court persona: aggressive, attacking, and unrelenting. In the 10 years, he’s coached the South Carolina men’s team, Martin’s Gamecocks have played a physical, pestering man-to-man defense with the goal of clogging up passing lanes and controlling the glass. But as much as Martin believes in that genre of defense, he’s not too stubborn to change when a change is needed.
During the team’s 2017 Final Four run — the height of USC men’s basketball in the Martin era the coach recognized an opportunity to utilize a 3-2 zone defense, a scheme that allowed the Gamecocks to take advantage of their length in the backcourt with guards Sindarius Thornwell, P.J. Dozier and Duane Notice creating a formidable wall. And because of the mobility of big men Maik Kotsar and Chris Silva behind them, the corners of the perimeter weren’t left exposed. The 2022 Gamecocks (14-10, 5-7 SEC) are much different from that 2017 team.
They don’t have the same length in the backcourt, nor are their bigs as mobile as Kotsar and Silva were. But with the Gamecocks dropping three straight games in SEC play, Martin unleashed a 2-3 zone look against Georgia on Saturday. It made all the difference in an 80-68 losing-streak-snapping win, with Martin saying “it saved us” after the game.
“Playing the 2-3 zone was a better option for this team, I felt,” Martin said. “I don’t like the passive nature of 2-3 zones. And when Chuck convinced me over the summer to give this zone a look, as we entered this year, and we tried it, I really liked it. “I kind of put it on his plate, and I let him run with it. And he’s coached it up, and he’s taught me the intricacies of the zone. He’s taught the players, and the players believe in it. And I’ve committed practice time to it. I believe in it for this team. And so it’s really helped us.” Saturday’s game at Georgia wasn’t the first time USC has used the zone this season, as Martin has sprinkled it in throughout the SEC slate. But Saturday’s game might’ve been the clearest example of its effectiveness.
During the team’s 2017 Final Four run — the height of USC men’s basketball in the Martin era the coach recognized an opportunity to utilize a 3-2 zone defense, a scheme that allowed the Gamecocks to take advantage of their length in the backcourt with guards Sindarius Thornwell, P.J. Dozier and Duane Notice creating a formidable wall. And because of the mobility of big men Maik Kotsar and Chris Silva behind them, the corners of the perimeter weren’t left exposed. The 2022 Gamecocks (14-10, 5-7 SEC) are much different from that 2017 team.
They don’t have the same length in the backcourt, nor are their bigs as mobile as Kotsar and Silva were. But with the Gamecocks dropping three straight games in SEC play, Martin unleashed a 2-3 zone look against Georgia on Saturday. It made all the difference in an 80-68 losing-streak-snapping win, with Martin saying “it saved us” after the game.
“Playing the 2-3 zone was a better option for this team, I felt,” Martin said. “I don’t like the passive nature of 2-3 zones. And when Chuck convinced me over the summer to give this zone a look, as we entered this year, and we tried it, I really liked it. “I kind of put it on his plate, and I let him run with it. And he’s coached it up, and he’s taught me the intricacies of the zone. He’s taught the players, and the players believe in it. And I’ve committed practice time to it. I believe in it for this team. And so it’s really helped us.” Saturday’s game at Georgia wasn’t the first time USC has used the zone this season, as Martin has sprinkled it in throughout the SEC slate. But Saturday’s game might’ve been the clearest example of its effectiveness.
