Time for a new coach

[Plano Minuteman]

It's time for both.

That's fine, but it needs to be Ryan first and foremost.

Agreed!

[NilesGold]

What is franks buyout? Anyone seen his contract?

Frank Martin is signed through the 2028/2029 season and has huge buyout money if he is fired without cause. They will owe him his full salary $1.6M per year plus a buyout on his bonuses which would be in the $2-$3M range alone. Add that to the salary buyout, roughly it would cost UMass $7m-$8M if they fired him after this season in a buyout.

I think I’ve said this before, the extension was one thing, but it’s unconscionable that Bamford gave these contract terms to Frank.

Wonder what would happen if UMass offered Frank a reduced buyout and told him if he doesn’t accept they won’t fund MBB NIL until he leaves?

[Juice Stand]

Wonder what would happen if Frank got tossed in a game and Brian Steele or another assistant took over.
Would the players respond & play better? Would the game patterns change? Substitution patterns?

I've thought this same thing before and I think you're correct. Brian Steele pays attention to things like analytics and details, instead of just vibes and who's the toughest. He might not be ready to be a full time head coach, but for a game or two I could see the players responding well to his style and the coaching decisions being better.

I've recently wondered why Steele is still here. Does a young coach really want to hitch their wagon to the S.S. Frank Martin as it takes on water and goes under? I guess Frank is well liked enough that he could help Brian get a job if it comes to that, but I'd be testing the waters out there if I were him, for sure.

[69MG]

I'm looking for anything I can post to help lift our collective spirits, but it's a difficult task. One thing to keep in mind, if Frank resigns or gets fired we will lose Christian Martin as a recruit for next year.

[eldonabe]

There is no way Frank resigns and gives up that truckload of money. That is a pipe dream at best.

This is gonna cost Umass no matter what, be it in cash payout or riding out his contract and suffering with 3 more awful seasons and 45 new players along the way (right? 15 players on the roster x 3 years) Sorry 43 new players - his kid is not going anywhere if Frank stays put.



Given the financial impact, I can live with at least one more year of Frank as long as Bamford is shown the door now no matter that cost. Let a new AD work with Frank for a year and see if anything can be salvaged first.

[Juice Stand]

Frank is now under .500 overall at UMass against D1 competition. His record of 62-61 includes two D3 wins, dropping him to 60-61 against Division 1.

[fenway617]

There is no way Frank resigns and gives up that truckload of money. That is a pipe dream at best.

This is gonna cost Umass no matter what, be it in cash payout or riding out his contract and suffering with 3 more awful seasons and 45 new players along the way (right? 15 players on the roster x 3 years) Sorry 43 new players - his kid is not going anywhere if Frank stays put.



Given the financial impact, I can live with at least one more year of Frank as long as Bamford is shown the door now no matter that cost. Let a new AD work with Frank for a year and see if anything can be salvaged first.

The reality is, it wouldn't be three more years because there is no chance he'd be coaching in 28-29 on the last year of his deal. He'd be a lame duck coach and get almost no legit players to come to UMass knowing he might be gone after the season. So it's either they buy him out sometime between now and the end of the 2027-2028 season OR they extend him beyond the 2028-2029 season. Either way, if Martin is coaching Umass in 2028-2029 he is doing so with an extension already in place.

[eldonabe]

There is no way Frank resigns and gives up that truckload of money. That is a pipe dream at best.

This is gonna cost Umass no matter what, be it in cash payout or riding out his contract and suffering with 3 more awful seasons and 45 new players along the way (right? 15 players on the roster x 3 years) Sorry 43 new players - his kid is not going anywhere if Frank stays put.



Given the financial impact, I can live with at least one more year of Frank as long as Bamford is shown the door now no matter that cost. Let a new AD work with Frank for a year and see if anything can be salvaged first.

The reality is, it wouldn't be three more years because there is no chance he'd be coaching in 28-29 on the last year of his deal. He'd be a lame duck coach and get almost no legit players to come to UMass knowing he might be gone after the season. So it's either they buy him out sometime between now and the end of the 2027-2028 season OR they extend him beyond the 2028-2029 season. Either way, if Martin is coaching Umass in 2028-2029 he is doing so with an extension already in place.

How is that any different than right now?

[ZooMass84]

Without Bamford being fired, you could have Jim Boeheim or John Wooden or Bobby Knight coaching and this team and program and UMass sports in general would be a basketcase. My freshman season we went 2- 24. There is no way they were paying Ray Wilson $2 million a year (or the 1979 equivalent). I have to believe Ryan Bamford was hired and is being retained by someone behind the scenes who wants UMass to fail. Don't know if this is a "grassy knoll" thing or a 9/11 truther thing but there IS NO WAY any other state university would put up with this. I hope I'm wrong but God forbid football goes 0-13 then I think all alums who give a damn about UMass sports would storm Marty Meehan and Javier Reyes' office.

[inthescoop]

Without Bamford being fired, you could have Jim Boeheim or John Wooden or Bobby Knight coaching and this team and program and UMass sports in general would be a basketcase. My freshman season we went 2- 24. There is no way they were paying Ray Wilson $2 million a year (or the 1979 equivalent). I have to believe Ryan Bamford was hired and is being retained by someone behind the scenes who wants UMass to fail. Don't know if this is a "grassy knoll" thing or a 9/11 truther thing but there IS NO WAY any other state university would put up with this. I hope I'm wrong but God forbid football goes 0-13 then I think all alums who give a damn about UMass sports would storm Marty Meehan and Javier Reyes' office.

LOL no one is storming shit, it's UMass

[UMassFan99]

Without Bamford being fired, you could have Jim Boeheim or John Wooden or Bobby Knight coaching and this team and program and UMass sports in general would be a basketcase. My freshman season we went 2- 24. There is no way they were paying Ray Wilson $2 million a year (or the 1979 equivalent). I have to believe Ryan Bamford was hired and is being retained by someone behind the scenes who wants UMass to fail. Don't know if this is a "grassy knoll" thing or a 9/11 truther thing but there IS NO WAY any other state university would put up with this. I hope I'm wrong but God forbid football goes 0-13 then I think all alums who give a damn about UMass sports would storm Marty Meehan and Javier Reyes' office.

I mean nobody is keeping him on to tank UMass but the fact that’s a theory is all that needs to be said!

[Floyd]

I have to believe Ryan Bamford was hired and is being retained by someone behind the scenes who wants UMass to fail.

I agree we need a change , but Zoo, this is just a crazy take

[TheInsider]

^^ I think Ryan has done a great job telling those people the constraints UMass has, and thats why they can't get it done... becaise you know.. a system that can pay 100k for someon to give a lecture cant invest in sports.. while at the same time stroking thier ego.. it's actually political savvy

[Sheck]

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.

[Carl Spackler]

Suppose we go 1-1 in our last 2 and lock up the 8 seed. We play Miami in the 1st round and get beat by 10-15 points. Seems like a pretty likely scenario. Frank gets fired. His son decides to go somewhere else. I would assume Frank wants to watch his son play. I've personally had 2 children play college sports, both at the D3 level and I wouldn't have missed their games for the world. Assuming the kid is pretty good and has a solid college career that's 4 or 5 years of college basketball. Frank turns 60 in about a month. Not super old but certainly not young. Does Frank get another D1 head coaching gig? Would he possibly accept an assistant role like Phil Martelli did at Michigan?