South Carolina basketball coach ducks political question, then gives unexpected answer

Basketball coach Frank Martin has never been shy about sharing his views. The Miami native was outspoken as a high school coach in South Florida in the 1990s, continued to speak his mind as coach at Kansas State, and still does so at the University of South Carolina.

So, when a reporter asked on Monday (Presidents Day) whether Martin would have a problem with players boycotting a White House visit were they to be invited, Martin first hid under his shirt, drawing laughs, and then got serious.

The son of Cuban immigrants, he said he appreciates the freedom to disagree in this country.

“I haven’t agreed with every President that’s been in the White House in my lifetime. But I love this country, and I love what this government stands for as a whole. I’m not going to judge our country based on who I like and who I don’t like.

“I think we do an injustice to young people when we make them think this country is run by one person. I think it’s an injustice. Any time we take a stand against one person ... I think we do an injustice. The beautiful in our country is that we all have different voices, and we can all express our voices and our views.”

This story was originally published February 22, 2017 at 11:14 AM with the headline "South Carolina basketball coach ducks political question, then gives unexpected answer."