Martin watch at USC intensifies Monday

Frank Martin appeared over the weekend on CBS' tournament coverage (WLTX-TV19)

Fresh off a gig inside the CBS NCAA Tournament studios over the weekend, Frank Martin is expected to be named the new basketball coach at USC, perhaps as early as Monday.  USC athletic director Eric Hyman made his decision on the highly successful Kansas State coach Friday opting for Martin over Minnesota coach Tubby Smith.  USC officially asked for permission to speak with Martin Friday night. 

Martin took four of his five Kansas State teams to the NCAA Tournament.  He was in the NIT that other season.  His record in Manhattan was 117-54.  Before Kansas State, he spent a season at Cincinnati with Bob Huggins, and five seasons at Northeastern.  He was a highly successful high school coach in South Florida before joining the college ranks.

Martin, who turned 46 last Friday,   made a base salary of 1.1 million dollars per season at K-State.  Hyman has said he would pay market value for his new coach which is expected to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.6 to 1.7 million dollars per season.