Jan. 8, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina head men’s basketball coach Frank Martin is the recipient of the Jim Phelan Award Mid-Season Honors, as announced by College Insider on Friday. Martin’s Gamecocks are currently one of just two unbeaten teams in the country, entering Saturday’s matchup versus Vanderbilt with a 14-0 record, including a 1-0 mark in SEC games.

The Phelan Award is presented annually to the top coach in Division I men’s basketball. The award is named in honor of Jim Phelan who coached his entire career at Mount Saint Mary’s University. He led the Mountaineers to the 1962 NCAA Men’s Division II Basketball Championship.

When he retired in 2003, after coaching for 49 years, he had amassed 830 wins (overall record of 830-524) in over 1,300 games in all divisions. In those 49 years, 19 of his teams amassed 20 or more wins in a season.

The recipient of the 2016 award will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com Award Presentation on April 1 in Houston, site of the men’s Division I National Championship.