SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State head basketball coach Cuonzo Martin announced his resignation from that post on Sunday (March 27) after three seasons with the Bears. He will be introduced as the next head coach at the University of Tennessee during a Monday press conference in Knoxville.
During his three seasons at MSU, Martin led the Bears to a 61-41 record, including 50 combined wins over the past two seasons - the third-most victories in a two-year span in school history. His 2010-11 squad finished 26-9 overall on the way to the program's first-ever Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title and 15-3 league record. The Bears fell to Indiana State in the finals of the MVC Tournament in St. Louis on March 6 and capped an unforgettable season by advancing to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.
Martin was named 2011 MVC Coach of the Year, making him the first Missouri State sideline boss to earn the honor. He was also recently named as one of 16 finalists for two national coaching awards -- the Hugh Durham Mid-Major National Coach of the Year Award and the Ben Jobe Minority Coach of the Year Award, presented by CollegeInsider.com.
Martin's Bears were the 2010 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament champions and defeated Pacific in the championship game to finish 24-12 overall. Since the start of the 2009-10 season, the Bears were 36-3 at JQH Arena and did not lose a non-conference game at home during that span.
According to Missouri State Director of Athletics Kyle Moats, a search for Martin's replacement will begin immediately with an unspecified timeline to name the program's 17th head basketball coach. The internal search committee will be comprised of Moats, Associate Athletics Director Casey Comoroski, University counsel Clif Smart, community representative Tom Strong, and a faculty representative.
