South Carolina Men’s Basketball head coach, Frank Martin, reflected on the season.

The University of South Carolina reached the first Final Four in school history before losing to Gonzaga University, which also reached the first Final Four in its school history. Gonzaga beat South Carolina 77 to 73, but Martin, who is known for his tough nosed, intense coaching style, reflected pensively on the season of his team.

“There’s something powerful when you impact others,” said the Gamecocks coach, Martin, who cried as he spoke. “And what these kids have done is pretty special. When you get people to travel across the country by the masses because they believe in what you do, it’s powerful stuff. And they’ve impacted our community in an unbelievable way, which is worth so much more than the score of a game. It’s what it’s all about. These kids are great role models. There’s a lot of young kids that want to be the next Sindarius Thornwell, Justin McKie, and I don’t get to coach them anymore, but they’re part of my life forever.”

Although the USC attempt at a furious comeback fell short, Martin expressed pride in his team.

“If you want to be good as a unit, and you need help to get off your back when you’re on your back, then you better be a good teammate,” said Martin. “And that’s what this team did tonight. That’s what they’ve done their whole careers. That’s what they’ve done the whole year, is we’ve gotten put on our backs a couple of times. But we don’t lay there.”