SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Boasting a combined 30-plus seasons of basketball coaching experience and featuring familiarity with head coach Marty Richter, Bryan Martin and Cavel Witter join the USC Upstate men's basketball program and coach Richter's inaugural coaching staff.
 
Martin joins the Spartans following a 12-year run as the head coach at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, leading the Kohwaks to a 22-6 mark this past season. In 2023-24, Coe College earned a share of the American Rivers Conference Regular Season Championship, going 13-3 in league play before earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament and advancing to the Round of 32, closing the season ranked No. 23 in the D3Hoops.com National Poll.
 
The Kohawks trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24 marked the second straight appearance for Coe College after earning the program's first trip since 1976 behind a berth in 2022-23. The berth followed the Kohawks' first-ever A-R-C Tournament Championship, coming as the team won five straight games in the postseason, including three straight road victories for the title upon entering the tournament as the No. 6 seed.
 
Martin also led Coe College to its first 20-win season since 2005-06 during the 2021-22 campaign, finishing the year 20-7 overall and 11-5 in the A-R-C. He stands as the winningest coach in Coe College history as his team won 166 games during his 12-season tenure with 19 of his players earning a combined 30 All-Conference honors while also taking home three A-R-C Defensive Player of the Year accolades. His Kohawk teams also excelled in the classroom, earning 11 consecutive National Association of Basketball Coaches Team Excellence Awards.
 
Before joining the Coe College program, Martin spent four seasons as the Associate Head Coach at North Dakota, helping the Fighting Hawks transition to NCAA Division I, serving with the program during its first four years at the D1 level. He helped North Dakota to 60 wins during his four seasons, including leading the program to two of its three winningest seasons since joining the D1 ranks, winning a pair of Great West Conference Championships, and earning consecutive CollegeInsider.com National Tournament bids.
 
Martin joined the Fighting Hawks following a three-season stint as the head coach at Northern Iowa Area Community College, accruing 50 wins, including a school-record 22 victories during the 2006-07 campaign, finishing the season with a No. 15 ranking. Before joining NIACC, he had coaching stints at Indian Hills Community College (2002-05), Simpson College (2001-02), and South Dakota (1999-01).
 
A three-year letterwinner at Simpson College—playing alongside Richter—Martin graduated from Simpson College in 1999 before earning his master's from South Dakota in 2001. He and his wife, Angie, have three children, Pearson, Evan, and Kellan.
 
"Bryan brings a great passion for the game of basketball and is an excellent teacher," expressed Richter. "I love Bryan's work ethic and his attention to detail. We have known each other for a long time and I couldn't be more excited to be on the same bench together. Upstate fans you're going enjoy getting to know Bryan."
 
Witter joins the Upstate program following a season as an assistant coach and chief of operations at Drake. In 2023-24, he helped the Bulldogs to a program-record-tying 28 wins, earning a berth to the NCAA Tournament following an Arch Madness—Missouri Valley Conference—Championship.
 
He joined Drake following a two-season stint at Georgia Southern, serving as a graduate manager with the program where he helped the Eagles to 30 wins during his time in Statesboro, Ga. Before joining Georgia Southern, he spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Lincoln University of Missouri, helping the program to 41 victories, including 18 in his first season, leading the team to a fourth-straight postseason appearance and a trip to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament.
 
A three-year letterwinner at Creighton, Witter helped the Blue Jays to 67 wins and three consecutive postseason appearances, including a pair of NITs, as he appeared in 101 career games. He earned All-Bench Team honors from the Missouri Valley Conference in 2008 and closed the 2008 regular season with a 42-point effort against Bradley on March 1, 2008—a then-CHI Health Center Omaha single-game scoring record.
 
After graduating from Creighton in 2010, he played professionally in Portugal and Germany before competing in the G League for the Iowa Energy. He was named All-Bundesliga in 2013, a First Team All-Import Selection in 2014, and Eurobasket.com All-German Team in 2015-16.
 
"We are thrilled to have Cavel join the Upstate family," Richter expressed. "His ability to relate and communicate with the players is going to be a great asset to the coaching staff. He is going to help us in the recruiting process with his connections in the south."
 
All hires by the University of South Carolina Upstate athletic department are subject to an approved background check.
 
Tickets on Sale for Sparty's Ball – Saturday, May 18
Support USC Upstate Athletics at Sparty's Ball, the largest fundraiser of the year for the Upstate Athletic Fund. The UAF impacts current and future generations of Spartans, developing champions on the field, building scholars in the classroom, and preparing leaders for life. Presented by the Sports Medicine Institute, a division of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Sparty's Ball features live and silent auction items, delicious food from Cribbs Catering, beverages, and live entertainment from Under the Sun, and held at a new location, Indigo Hall in downtown Spartanburg. Come dressed in your Spartan best—cocktail attire is required. For details and tickets, log onto www.upstatespartans.com/spartysball.

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