“The most valuable thing we each own is our mind. Educate your mind and you are a very powerful person,” said Frank Martin, Kansas State University’s head men’s basketball coach.
Martin spoke to Iola High and Iola Middle School students Wednesday afternoon. Then he spoke to the USD 257 teachers.
Both messages were about taking responsibility and being accountable. Martin, who was a high school math teacher and coach for 16 years before moving into the college coaching ranks, shared his experiences growing up in Miami, Fla., and teaching in his hometown.
“I have three simple rules. Be on time. Be prepared. Give me what you’ve got,” Martin said to the students.
“When you are on time, you get chances to do more. If you come prepared for math class or prepared for basketball practice, you learn more. And all I ask is give me all you’ve got every day.”
Martin told of his parents coming to America from Cuba. He said his father was not in his life but his mother worked hard to make a life for Martin and his sister.
“When I was 15, I was just like all of you right here. I thought I was big and bad and challenged my mom. My high school basketball coach got me and said ‘you can do it the right way or the hard way. The right way is that you will listen to your Mom and you will respect her.’”
Martin said every one of us has people in our lives who cares — they maybe the ones who are the most difficult on us but they are there to support us and help us develop skills to get through the tough situations.
“As an adult, my job is to hold you accountable not to make it easy for you or do your work for you. I will help you through it so you learn.
“Listening is the most important skill because it opens your mind. That allows you to make better decisions. Knowledge is power.”
Martin said he wanted to play college basketball but wasn’t good enough. He even tried out for the area community college and didn’t make the basketball team but he was enrolled.
Then at the end of that first semester, the community college put a call out for those who had tried out earlier because there were spots on the team. Martin said he was practicing one day in his high school gym and severely injured his knee.
“I couldn’t play basketball so I didn’t want to go to college. I quit. My high school coach called me and asked me to come help him coach the junior varsity at the high school,” Martin said.
Martin took the opportunity then made the decision to return to college. He proudly told the Iola students he was the first person in his family to go and graduate from college with an education degree.
He spent 16 years teaching and coaching at the high school level.
“When you listen, when you work hard, opportunities are there for you. My family showed me a work ethic which I followed and my coach, who I feared would put me on my head if I didn’t listen, became one of my best friends,” Martin said.
“Quitting is cowardly. Life is not easy but it is fair. There are positive people in your lives. You go for a dream. You work for that dream and chase it. I’m in my dream job. I wanted to coach at the Division I college level and K-State took a chance on me and gave me a great opportunity.”
Martin said he told the teachers not to fall into the wave of our society of blaming the kids. “Kids are kids and we have to except more from them than we do.”
KSU coach brings education message
