Mustering up the courage to ask someone out on a date can be tough no matter who you are. Fear of rejection can be so crippling that it might stop you from asking a person – no matter how much you like them and are almost certain he or she will say yes – to go to dinner. South Carolina head coach Frank Martin knows a little something about rejection.

“My wife turned me down seven times to go on a date. Seven,” Martin told reporters after the Gamecocks defeated Florida to advance to the first Final Four in program history.

The story has a happy ending. Once he finally did get his future wife to agree to let him wine and dine her, he says he never let her go. Now, Marin and his wife, Anya, have been married for 11 years and it was clear from their post game embrace just how much they care for each other.

Martin said that even in his dreams, he didn’t imagine marrying a New York City girl, having three children with her and then, years later, playing and winning an Elite Eight game in Madison Square Garden.

“She mothers my children, puts up with my nonsense at work,” Martin said. “When we came to a new community where she knew nobody at, she’s been dealing with our kids while I’ve been running around the country trying to build a program.”

More March Madness coverage:
• Recently fired Tom Crean attends Indiana women’s basketball game
• Darius Rucker won’t miss South Carolina basketball, even when there’s a concert
• Frank Mason’s Kansas career ends without a Final Four appearance
• Oregon stuns Kansas to reach first Final Four in 78 years
• Gonzaga throttles Xavier to send Mark Few to his first Final Four