Former Tennessee and California basketball head coach Cuonzo Martin has been hired to the same position at Missouri.
The deal is for seven years and $21 million dollars.
Martin is 186-121 in nine years as a head coach, leading Tennessee to the Sweet 16 in 2014 and Cal to the NCAA Tournament last season. He's also directed teams to four NIT berth and won the CIT championship at Missouri State in 2010.
His final Cal team finished 21-13 after being upset by Cal State-Bakersfield in the opening round of the NIT Tuesday.
The move makes sense for the 45 year old Martin, who grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois. He is a tirelessly recruiter that should attract high quality talent to Mizzou.
Martin inherits a mess in Columbia following the dismissal of Kim Anderson. The Tigers' roster is in shambles and the program could face issues with the APR next season.
Those hurdles help explain the length of the contract (hired coaches often receive five or six-year deals) and the sizable raise for Martin. He was making less than $2 Million per season at Cal.
Mizzou Athletic Director Jim Sterk coveted Martin from the outset of his search and demanded a decision on his offer by Thursday, according to a source familiar with the negotiation. Martin informed Cal of his decision to leave on Wednesday.
In the end, Martin gets the chance to move back home to the Midwest, and Missouri gets the head coach it wanted with a significant commitment in years and dollars.
