Deidra Bowling-Meade
The Ashland Beacon
Athlete Michael Phelps once said, “You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.” Dreams are becoming a reality as Holy Family Catholic School in Ashland, Kentucky builds its athletic program with the expertise of Frank Martin. Martin is no stranger to athletics, especially when it comes to basketball.
Martin envisioned success from a very early age in his hometown of Washington D.C. Martin played high school basketball from 1988-1990 at Anacostia High School in Washington DC. As a senior, Martin averaged 24.4 points, 4.5 assists and 3.3 steals a game. He was selected as a McDonald’s All-American and ranked 30th in the nation coming out of high school. Martin earned a basketball scholarship from Marshall University where he played from 1990-1994. In the history of Marshall University Basketball, Martin holds the seventh place record in three-point attempts, 16th in three-point field goals, 21st in assists, and 27th in steals. Martin was inducted into the Black Legends Hall of Fame, as one of the 125 Most Impactful Black Athletes at Marshall University during the 20th Century. After college, Martin played in Iceland and for the Delaware Blue Bombers.
Martin has over 20 years of experience coaching numerous youth leagues and basketball teams and training numerous NBA, college, and youth athletes. Fortunately, Martin made his way back to the Tri-State area and brought his expertise and love of the game to help others find success. Martin served as an assistant coach at St Joe High School in Huntington WV from 2005-2009. From 2019-2021, Martin was the head coach for Huntington Prep Regional and Post Grad teams.
This school year, Martin serves as the athletic director at Holy Family Catholic School. He also has the opportunity to work with the students in gym class throughout the week to get them excited about sports and recreation. Holy Family parishioner and parent, Annie Zacur states, “ From talking to him you can tell he is extremely passionate about expanding the access to different sports and helping teach the kids how to be healthier and more physically active. He has a great work ethic and is so excited to grow Holy Family’s presence in the local sports community. The kids love him! My son in particular looks forward to the gym this year and learning new games and skills.”
Martin’s reasoning for coming to Holy Family is that he “wanted to change how people look at Holy Family Athletics.” Martin continues, “ I believe it would be a great opportunity for me to help build Holy Family Athletic programs. My goal is to bring back all sports like girls' and boys' basketball, tennis, softball, baseball, soccer, and track. Also, to keep kids at Holy Family going into their middle school.” Several families choose to leave Holy Family School due to the lack of sports. Martin doesn’t want that to be the reason parents won’t continue to send their children there.
While Martin’s resume is quite impressive, his ultimate goal is to make a difference. Martin knows what it means to be part of a team and that it takes more than just an individual for any team to be successful. Martin comments, “With help of the community supporters, we can make a change at Holy Family Catholic School.” Martin has already been establishing relationships with Holy Family parents who want to be active participants in the building of Holy Family’s athletic programs. Holy Family Cross Country coach and parent Jennifer Darnell gives Martin praise, “Frank Martin is a wonderful asset to Holy Family. He has a great wealth of knowledge and experience with athletics, basketball in particular, and can teach our kids high-skill development and aptitude while they gain confidence and discipline with a sport. He can stretch our athletic reach very wide, and gives parents every confidence that Holy Family will be dominant in the future!”
Martin’s latest venture includes conducting basketball clinics to help students grow in their athletic abilities. Students who have worked with Martin enjoy the experience. Holy Families 3rd grade student Apollo Darnell says, “Coach Frank is a good coach. He challenges me and makes me work hard. Coach Frank can be really tough, but I know he just wants me to do my best and be the best player I can be.” The clinics are open to all students, regardless if the student attends Holy Family. Martin says, “We are adding homeschoolers to our basketball teams where we are short of student-athletes at Holy Family. We want kids that are serious about playing basketball. My goal is to draw kids to Holy Family as full-time student-athletes.” Martin will be working with K-5th graders in the Little Rising Stars Development Training & League. This program will be for five weeks starting November 2nd-December 10th and focus on teaching the proper fundamentals of passing, dribbling, shooting, and footwork. Each training session is an hour, and parents are allowed to watch. The Basketball Camp or Training is for athletes that want to develop their skills. The clinic fee is $225 and includes a reversible jersey. Only 10 kids per grade will be accepted to provide a supportive environment. The deadline fee is October 17. Those interested in registration should contact Frank Martin via phone or email: at 304.690.1813 or