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Missouri State basketball is bringing a familiar face back to its men’s program.
On Wednesday, the Bears reintroduced coach Cuonzo Martin to the campus at Springfield, MO after leading the team from 2008-2011 and guiding them to their first and only Missouri Valley Conference regular season crown.
Martin brings a 264-198 career record to MSU after 14 seasons as a head coach. His resume includes four NCAA Tournament appearances, four NIT bids and a CIT title during his initial run in 2010.
In a statement on the hiring, Missouri State AD Kyle Moats had this to say about Coach Martin’s return:
Zo is an experienced coach who has consistently won at the Division I level. One of the things that stands out about him is that he really wants to be at Missouri State. He is respected both nationally and here in our community, and he brings instant credibility to our program. His track record with our donors, our fans and our students will make this an easy transition. In my opinion, there was not a better coach out there to lead our young men.
Martin’s stops as a head coach also include Tennessee, Cal and Missouri after starting out as an assistant with his alma mater Purdue where he played from 1995-1998. The St. Louis native was the 28th pick of the second round following his college career and spent two seasons in the NBA as a member of the Grizzlies and Bucks.
The Bears finished 17-16 this past season which was good for ninth in the MVC.