Cuonzo Martin is Coming Home

Second Tour at Missouri State

(St. Louis, MO) – Two hundred three victories and four NCAA Tournaments later, Cuonzo Martin is coming home to Missouri State. The former Missouri Valley Conference ‘coach of the year’ led the Bears to its only Valley title in 2011 and returns to rebuild that former glory.

Martin left Missouri State after that magical 2011 season and has coached at Tennessee, California and Missouri. He is one of just 59 coaches that have led three different programs into March Madness.

After being released by Mizzou, Martin had time to spend time with family and to reflect on his career. When the possibility of returning to Springfield, Martin felt honored and excited. He says the Springfield community and university athletic department are special places and they love college basketball.

 

 

Martin was decorated player at Purdue and coached in West Lafayette before his first tour at Missouri State. During his four head coaching stops (14 years) he has led nine teams to post season play and won .571 of his games.

His time off since his release from Missouri has helped him reevaluate some of his coaching ideas. The 52-year-old East St. Louis native says he’s realized he needs to coach with more joy.

 

 

Cuonzo Martin Remembers

Martin’ three seasons on the Bears’ bench were memorable. The 2010 College Insider Tournament champion team is MO State’s only postseason tournament championship winner. Then the historic 2011 team earned the only MVC championship in the history of the program by claiming the regular season title. That team went on to play in the National Invitation Tournament.

The 2011 starters, Kyle Weems, Will Creekmore, Nafis Ricks, Adam Leonard and Jermaine Mallett were a tough-minded, competitive bunch. Martin says those players are like family to him.

MVC ‘Player of the Year’ Kyle Weems was the star of that team and Will Creekmore was a force inside. Both players hold a special place in Bears’ history.

 

 

Ricks has spent some time working with Martin, but is now working on his PHD. He calls Leonard a ‘gunslinger’ and Mallett was like a construction worker, doing whatever needed to be done to win.

That group understood how to lead, compete work hard.

 

 

Martin left MO State for Tennessee where he led the Volunteers to the 2014 Sweet Sixteen. While Cal and Missouri didn’t go as deep as Tennessee, each of those teams enjoyed the ‘Big Dance’ experience. Missouri went dancing twice.

Cuonzo Martin – Staff and Roster

Martin is building his staff, roster and schedule. While his staff is not complete and his roster is just barely taking shape, the early results are promising.

He has history and relationship with Carson Cunningham, Terrance Crump, Marco Harris and Quinn Peterson. Martin has one coaching spot to fill.

Cunningham played at Purdue and has been a head coach at Carroll College (NAIA) and at D1 Incarnate Word. Most recently he was an assistant coach at Army. Crump left DePaul to join Martin’s current staff. He is well traveled and worked with Martin at Cal and Tennessee. He too played at Purdue.

Harris is from Martin’s East St. Louis home town and they are life-long friends. He assisted Martin at all three of his post-Missouri State coaching stops. Peterson spent the past three seasons at Eastern Illinois, but was a grad assistant under Martin at Missouri.

Navigating basketball’s recruiting waters is different than ever before. Martin is glad that players can earn money during their playing days, but concedes ‘portal pandemic’ hasn’t been all good for the players and their development as players, people or their education.

 

 

Two redshirt sophomores remain from last year’s roster. Nick Kramer and Tommy Pinegar are the only players from last season’s team. MO State announced the signing of three players. At the time of our interview, coach Martin couldn’t comment on transfers Vincent Brady II and Sam Murray II, nor high school signee Zaxton King.

Brady (IUPUI) and Murray (Murray State) will be juniors. The 6’4 Brady was part of the Horizon League’s 2023 all freshman team. Murray (6’6) played sparingly for the Racers. The 6’2 King is ranked as the seventh best player in Kansas.

Fresh and Insightful Perspective

Cuonzo Martin has posted winning records (264-198) at four different D1 basketball programs. All four played postseason basketball and his last two Missouri State teams amassed 50 wins and yet this is a coach with a fresh start and a fresh view of how to pursue what he wants to accomplish.

To listen to one of the most insightful podcasts I have ever hosted, go to Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts. You’ll hear my entire conversation with coach Martin.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo courtesy of Missouri State.