Missouri Tigers Hire Cuonzo Martin as Head Basketball Coach
The Missouri Tigers have a new head basketball coach.
Just over a week after announcing that Kim Anderson would depart as their head coach at the completion of the 2016-17 schedule, the Missouri Tigers have found the next man to lead their basketball program. Cuonzo Martin, a native of East St. Louis, Illinois, who began his head coaching career at Missouri State University, will take over after resigning from his position as the head coach at the University of California earlier on Wednesday.
Martin apparently got a seven-year, $21 million-dollar deal to become the Tigers’ next coach, as first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum reported on Wednesday that Martin turned down an $18 million-dollar offer at the University of Illinois, though those reports have since been denied.
The 45-year-old Martin saw NBA action with the Vancouver Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks following a successful collegiate career at Purdue. He went back to his alma mater to serve as an assistant under Gene Keady (and later Matt Painter) from 2000-08.
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Martin took the head coaching job at Missouri State in 2008, and he led them to a 61-41 record over three seasons. Under Martin’s watch, the Bears won the regular season Missouri Valley Conference title in 2010-11. He then took over for Bruce Pearl at the University of Tennessee and coached them to a 63-41 record over three seasons, taking them to the Sweet Sixteen in 2013-14.
Martin, who wasn’t exceptionally popular among the Tennessee fan base, departed to take the Cal job in 2014, where he coached them to a 62-39 record over three seasons (notice a pattern here?) . Martin took the Bears to the first round of the NCAA tournament last season, and after they earned a solid 21-13 record, they played in this year’s NIT, being upset by 8-seed Cal State Bakersfield on Tuesday night.
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While Martin hasn’t ever had a dominant stretch as the head coach at any school, he’s always been firmly above average and has left the programs he’s led in better shape than he found them. He’s considered to be a very talented recruiter, and he may already have a huge lead in the recruiting process at Mizzou, as top overall recruit Michael Porter, Jr.–the son of his newest assistant, Michael Porter, Sr.–is set to be released from his National Letter of Intent following the dismissal of head coach Lorenzo Romar on Wednesday and could end up at Mizzou next season.