Cuonzo Martin will not return as head coach of the Missouri Tigers men’s basketball program next season, athletics director Desireé Reed-Francois announced Friday night in a statement.
Martin is owed a buyout of $6 million by the university, according to his contract, which had two years remaining and made him the highest-paid coach in program history at $3 million a year.
Martin’s departure was first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. The school officially announced the move less than an hour afterwards and said the terms of Martin’s contract would be honored.
“Coach Martin represented the University with an extremely high level of class and dignity,” Reed-Francois said. “He is a man of high character whom I have the upmost respect for, and we are grateful for his contributions to our program, on and off the floor. He is not only a coach, but is a teacher, and he has impacted the lives of every student-athlete who came through the program over the last five years. We wish him, Roberta, and their family nothing but the best in the future.”
The move comes after Mizzou finished the season 12-21 and 12th in the 14-team Southeastern Conference at 5-13. Only five other teams in program history have recorded as many losses. This Mizzou squad also suffered seven blowout defeats of at least 20 points, which tied for the most in program history and hadn’t happened since 1965-66.
After a 76-68 loss to fifth-seeded LSU in the second round of the SEC tournament on Thursday, Martin was asked whether he thought that was his last game coaching the program. The East St. Louis, Ill., native insisted that he was “at peace” with whatever decision would be made.
“I don’t get consumed with that, man,” Martin said. “I don’t worry about that. If that’s the best thing for both parties, then that’s the best thing for both parties. But I won’t waste any time with that. Whatever happens, happens. ... If that’s the best thing, then that’s the best thing.
“As long as you don’t take the main things from my life, I don’t worry about that. I don’t, because if it is, then the plan worked. Because when I was put in, it worked because I was here to make it work, and I say that with all humility. And then let the chips fall where they may. But I got a tremendous peace of mind. And I’m going back to the hotel to relax with my family and then go from there.”
Martin finished his five-year tenure in Columbia with a 78-77 overall record, including a losing record of 35-53 in SEC play. He brought a sense of stability back to the program after it went 27-68 in three years under Kim Anderson, but never got it to the level of consistent success fans had hoped for.
The Tigers reached the NCAA Tournament in two of Martin’s five seasons (while the 2020 tournament was canceled, Mizzou would not have qualified). But Martin’s teams lost in first round both times. They were an 8 seed in 2018 and a 9 in 2021.
When Martin was hired in 2017, he hired Michael Porter Sr. as an assistant on his staff and was subsequently able to land five-star Michael Porter Jr., four-star Jontay Porter and four-star Jeremiah Tilmon. That brought excitement back to the fan base, though Michael Porter Jr. only played in three games because of a back injury and Jontay Porter dealt with multiple knee injuries.
Still, fans expected that Martin would continue to reel in top talent from the state and area. After all, that was one of the major selling points in hiring him. But that never came to fruition; Martin landed just one four-star since in Aidan Shaw, who is set to join the program next season.
Reed-Francois will conduct a national search to hire the program’s fifth coach in less than two decades. It will be her first major hire at Mizzou since becoming A.D. in August. Eddie Fogler, who coached at Wichita State, Vanderbilt and South Carolina, will serve as a consultant.
“I believe that Mizzou is one of the best men’s basketball coaching jobs in the country,” Reed-Francois said. Our University is the flagship institution of our great state and a member of the Southeastern Conference, the premier league in college athletics. We are located in a recruiting hotbed and there’s incredible alignment between our department and our President and Board of Curators. We have — and will — continue to invest in our men’s basketball program and I look forward to introducing the new leader of our program to our community in the near future. We will work quickly and expeditiously to find the candidate who is the best fit to continue building our championship culture.”
