BERKELEY, Calif. – The “Courtship of Cuonzo” did not last long.
Cuonzo Martin will become the 19th head men’s basketball coach at Missouri, the athletic department announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Martin, a former head coach at Missouri State, Â resigned from the same position at California-Berkley this morning.
“We are thrilled that Cuonzo is returning to the Midwest and that his family will now call Columbia home,” Mizzou AD Jim Sterk said. “From the outset of our search, our goal was to find a coach who had demonstrated success, academically and on the court, while also sharing our values and who can help to reignite interest in Mizzou Men’s Basketball among our fan base. I believe we found all of that and more with Cuonzo and I look forward to watching him compete for championships and postseason appearances for many years to come.”
The former MSU coach had been linked to the top of Missouri’s wish list since news broke on March 5 that Kim Anderson would step down Reports indicated that Mizzou offered Martin the position earlier Wednesday afternoon.
The Golden Bears lost to Cal State-Bakersfield in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday, giving Martin a 62-39 record in his three years.
Martin coached at Missouri State from 2008-2011, compiling a 61-41 record and delivering the Bears’ last regular seasons Missouri Valley Conference Championship in his final season. MSU reached lost to Indiana State in the MVC Tournament Championship and earned a bid to the NIT.
He left MSU after that season to take the same position at Tennssee. He made two NIT apperances with the Volunteers before reaching the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament in 2014.
Martin plans to add Michael Porter Sr., a former assistant of Robin Pingeton with the Mizzou women’s basketball team. Porter moved from Columbia to Seattle with his sons, Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay, after landing a job with the Washington men’s basketball staff.
That changed when Washington fired head coach Lorenzo Romar on Wednesday.
Porter Jr., the No. 1 recruit in the 2017 class, had committed to Washington but will not attend. He averaged 37.2 points and 13.3 rebounds per game for Nathan Hale (WA) this season after leading Father Tolton Catholic to the Class 3 Missouri State Championship in 2016.
Martin, a St. Louis native, is 186-121 all-time as a head coach.
He will be introduced at a press conference at 4 p.m. on Monday.
