UNC Basketball Recruiting: How Frank Martin’s firing could help Tar Heels

The firing of South Carolina head coach Frank Martin is a potential game-changer for the UNC basketball recruiting class of 2023.

The University of South Carolina has fired men’s head basketball coach Frank Martin according to a Monday afternoon report from CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein.

Martin spent 10 seasons as the Gamecocks’ head coach following a five-year stint in the same position at Kansas State. After making four NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons with the Wildcats, Martin reached the big dance just once during his decade at South Carolina. That lone appearance in the NCAA Tournament led to a remarkable Final Four run in 2017, which was the pinnacle of a 26-win season, but he’s gone just 75-72 in the five years since.

With Martin now gone, a lot of things are up in the air for the Gamecocks basketball program, particularly with incoming and prospective recruits. One of the recruits in question, and the most high-profile of the bunch, is 2023 standout, Gregory G.G. Jackson.

Jackson has been linked to Frank Martin and the South Carolina basketball program for some time now, with many believing them to be the favorites in his recruitment. Recent changes in Jackson’s 247Sports Crystal Ball as well as the intel we’ve gotten from a number of recruiting insiders have also suggested as much.

The overwhelming feeling in his recruitment has been that there is a three-team race for Jackson’s commitment that involved the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils. A couple of weeks ago when Jackson named a list of finalists and said that his decision would be made in a matter of weeks — which his father quickly debunked — we assumed it would be in favor of South Carolina.

But now that his would-be head coach at South Carolina is gone, you have to wonder how it will affect his recruitment and if it changes which of the schools is in the lead. The Tar Heels have recruited Jackson about as hard as anyone and the feeling is that as long as the five-star big man doesn’t reclassify to the 2022 class, Hubert Davis and company have a chance.

This development can’t hurt their chances and would seemingly improve them. The No. 1-ranked prospect in the Rivals150, Jackson is also considering Auburn, Georgetown, and the NBA G-League, though his parents don’t seem to be incredibly keen on the idea of him taking the professional route straight out of high school.

Anyone that tells you they know for sure what’s going to transpire in this recruitment is either a member of Jackson’s family or lying to you. Suffice to say that this thing could get really exciting before it’s all said and done.

We’ll stay as close to this as we can and keep you up to date on all of the latest.

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