Cal’s Cuonzo Martin Resigns, Reportedly Accepts Missouri Head Coaching Job


Cuonzo Martin is leaving Cal. The Golden Bears head coach has reportedly accepted the same gig at Missouri.


In the end, Missouri offered Cuonzo Martin an easy way out of a situation that likely wasn’t as comfortable as it was when he first arrived.

The Cal head men’s basketball coach resigned from the school on Wednesday, soon after multiple reports surfaced that he had been offered the same gig at Missouri. Martin is reportedly headed to Columbia following the dismissal of Tigers head coach Kim Anderson, who was asked to step down by Mizzou athletic director Jim Sterk. The deal will be for seven years, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

Golden Bears AD Mike Williams released a statement confirming the news, stating that Martin will “accept a position at another school,” as he had a “strong desire to move closer to home.” Martin is a native of East St. Louis, IL.

Assistant Wyking Jones will serve as Cal’s interim head coach.

The 45-year-old Martin had been at Cal for three seasons, going 62-39 during his time in Berkeley and leading the Golden Bears to the NCAA Tournament last season. He also proved to be a good recruiter, putting together a very strong Class of 2015, which featured five-star prospects Jaylen Brown (the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft) and Ivan Rabb, who could be a first-round selection this year.

But the longtime assistant at Purdue, where he enjoyed a four-year playing career, was portrayed by some Cal supporters as an underachiever for losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season and failing to get back to The Dance this year. Cal was 21-13 this season and earned an NIT berth.

Martin, who also spent three seasons at Tennessee—reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2014 with the Volunteers—and three seasons at Missouri State, will inherit a program that won just two SEC games and went 8-24 overall in 2016-17. He will become Missouri’s fifth head coach since 1999.

Two names that might make sense for Cal as it pursues a new full-time head coach are Randy Bennett of St. Mary’s and Nevada’s Eric Musselman.

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