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South Carolina coach Frank Martin is one of the most animated coaches on any sideline in college basketball, and he’s not known for hiding his emotions. Whether he’s mad, happy or sad, he doesn’t hold back in letting his players know how he feels.

That goes for the public, too.

After his team fell short to No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the Final Four 77-73 on Saturday night, Martin was brought to tears when reflecting on an incredible 2016-17 season that ended in an unlikely Final Four appearance as a 7-seed. Instead of reflecting on what could’ve been with this team coming up shy of a first national title game appearance, Martin chose to focus on what the team accomplished off the court and how they impacted him.

“People keep score when you play games 35, 36, 37 times a year,” Martin told Tracy Wolfson after the game. “Sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t. That score eventually goes away. When you impact people by the masses the way these kids have, that means you’re a winner.”

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Martin shared a similar sentiment in his postgame press conference, too. 

“There’s something powerful when you impact others,” said Martin. “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. They’ve impacted our community in an unbelievable way, which is worth so much more than the score of a game.

“That’s what it’s all about. These kids are great role models. There are a lot of kids that want to be the next Sindarius Thornwell, Justin McKie. I don’t get to coach them anymore, but they’re part of my life forever.”

It’s a tough ending for any team in the NCAA Tournament that doesn’t cut down the nets. Being this close to winning it all makes it tough to swallow, but South Carolina has nothing to be ashamed of. The Gamecocks knocked off three teams seeded higher than them, including Duke in a massive upset in the second round, and nearly battled back from a 14-point second-half deficit on Saturday to Gonzaga.

It’s a tally in the loss column, but as Martin notes, this team won in many more ways.