Martin resigns, heads to Missouri
After three seasons of largely failing to meet expectations in Berkeley, Cuonzo Martin on Wednesday resigned his post as Cal head coach to take the same position at Missouri.
The abrupt exit came the morning after the Bears dropped their NIT first-round game to Cal State Bakersfield in embarrassing fashion at Haas Pavilion. Martin had been steadfast this past week that Cal was his priority, and he did not address rumors linking him to openings at Missouri and Illinois after Tuesday’s loss.
Martin went 62-39 in three seasons at Cal, and two years ago recruited one of the nation’s best classes, which included No. 3 overall NBA draft pick Jaylen Brown and twotime All-Pac-12 selection Ivan Rabb. But the Bears finished among the Pac-12’s top four
teams just once during Martin’s tenure, and they lost their lone NCAA Tournament appearance — a first-round upset by Hawaii in 2016.
Days before losing in the NCAA Tournament, Martin was embroiled in the firing of assistant Yann Hufnagel, who was accused of sexual harassment. The university reviewed Martin’s handling of the situation and deemed that he acted properly.
“We put forth our best effort to retain him, but he told me it wasn’t about Cal, rather a strong desire to move closer to home,” Cal athletic director Mike Williams said in a news release. “We appreciate all that Cuonzo has done with our men’s basketball program over the past three seasons, creating excitement inside Haas Pavilion, guiding our team to a pair of postseason appearances and improving the academic performance of our student-athletes.”
Martin, who is from East St. Louis, Ill., and played at Purdue, signed a two-year extension with Cal in October — a contract that was intended to keep him through 2020-21 and pay him an average of $1.84 million per season. He owes the university a $1.1 million buyout following Wednesday’s departure. Martin’s contract with Missouri reportedly is worth $21 million over seven years.
At Cal, he had one of the country’s best defenses, but the Bears’ long stretches of struggles to score were nearly unwatchable for fans.
Cal has not announced any candidates, but it’s expected that two alums, Theo Roberston, currently a Lakers assistant coach, and Dennis Gates, a Florida State assistant, will be on the short list. Cal assistant coach Wyking Jones was named interim head coach.
“The success of the program is of the highest importance to me, our department and our entire Cal athletics community,” Williams said in the statement. “It’s important that we continue on our upward trajectory and hire someone again who understands what it takes to recruit and succeed at a top academic institution.
“We wish Cuonzo and his family the best and thank him for what he’s contributed to Cal basketball and the Cal community.”
Under Martin, the basketball team recorded a perfect singleyear Academic Progress Rate score of 1000 in 2014-15 and had the highest overall increase in grade-point average, from 2.60 to 2.84 in 2015-16. Three players earned Pac-12 All-Academic honors in each of his three seasons at Cal.