Cuonzo Martin facts for kids
Martin in 2013.
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| [[Missouri State Bears|Missouri State Bears]] | |
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| Head Coach | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 23, 1971 East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. |
| High school | Lincoln (East St. Louis, Illinois) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 213 lb (97 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Purdue (1991–1995) |
| NBA Draft | 1995 / Round: 2 / Pick: 57th overall |
| Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |
| Pro career | 1995–1998 |
| Coaching career | 1999–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1995–1996 | Vancouver Grizzlies |
| 1996–1997 | Grand Rapids Mackers |
| 1997 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1997–1998 | Ciro Avellino |
| As coach: | |
| 1999–2000 | West Lafayette HS (assistant) |
| 2000–2007 | Purdue (assistant) |
| 2007–2008 | Purdue (assoc. HC) |
| 2008–2011 | Missouri State |
| 2011–2014 | Tennessee |
| 2014–2017 | California |
| 2017–2022 | Missouri |
| 2024–present | Missouri State |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| As player:
As coach:
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Cuonzo LaMar Martin (born September 23, 1971) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at Missouri State University, a position he also held from 2008 to 2011. He has also been the head coach at the University of Tennessee, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Missouri.
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Early Life and High School Basketball
Cuonzo Martin grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois. He played basketball for Lincoln High. During his sophomore and junior years, he helped his team win two state championships. He scored 198 points and grabbed 111 rebounds in 12 games during the state tournament.
In 2007, Cuonzo Martin was named one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament." This honor recognized his amazing performance in the tournament.
College Basketball Career
Cuonzo Martin went to Purdue University. He played basketball for coach Gene Keady. During his time there, the Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team won the Big Ten Conference titles in 1994 and 1995. They also reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.
Martin was known as a great defensive player. He could stop opponents from scoring easily. He was also very good at shooting three-pointers. On March 24, 1994, he set a school record by making 8 three-pointers in one game against Kansas. He finished his college career with 179 three-pointers. He also holds the record for the highest career three-point shooting accuracy at Purdue, with 45.1%.
In his senior year, he averaged 18.4 points per game and was named to the First Team All-Big Ten. He also holds a school record for playing 137 games in a row.
Professional Basketball Career
In 1995, Cuonzo Martin was chosen by the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA draft. He played in a few NBA games for the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Milwaukee Bucks. He also played professionally for the Grand Rapids Mackers in the CBA. Later, he played in Italy for Ciro Avellino during the 1997–98 season.
In November 1997, Martin became very sick. He was diagnosed with a serious illness called non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He received strong treatments and got better. The illness went away. After recovering, Martin returned to Purdue to finish his college degree.
His former coach, Gene Keady, then hired him as an assistant coach in 2000. To help others, the "Cuonzo Martin Challenge Award" was created to raise money for cancer research. He has been healthy ever since.
Coaching Career
Purdue Assistant Coach
After a year as an assistant coach at a high school, Martin returned to Purdue in 2000. He became an assistant coach under his former coach, Gene Keady. He helped the team reach the Elite Eight once and the NCAA Second Round three times. He was named associate head coach for the 2007–08 season.
Missouri State Head Coach
On March 25, 2008, Cuonzo Martin became the head coach at Missouri State University. His first win as a head coach was against Central Michigan. In his first season, his team finished with 11 wins and 20 losses.
In his second year (2009–10), his team started strong with a 10–0 record. They went on to win the CIT tournament, finishing the season with 24 wins and 12 losses.
In his third year at Missouri State, the team won their first regular season Missouri Valley title. They finished the season with a great record of 26 wins and 9 losses. They also played in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
Tennessee Head Coach
In March 2011, Martin became the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. During his three seasons there, he led the team to two NITs and to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2014 NCAA tournament.
During his time at Tennessee, some fans wanted a different coach. This made things tough for Coach Martin and his players.
California Head Coach
On April 15, 2014, Martin was hired as the head coach at the University of California, Berkeley. In his second season (2015–16), the team had 23 wins and earned a high seed in the NCAA tournament. They lost in the first round.
He left his position as head coach on March 15, 2017.
Missouri Head Coach
On the same day he left California, Martin became the head coach of the University of Missouri men's basketball team. A few days later, a top player from Missouri, Michael Porter Jr., decided to play for his team. Michael Porter Jr.'s father also joined the coaching staff.
Cuonzo Martin coached Missouri for five seasons, leading them to two NCAA Tournaments. His time as coach ended on March 11, 2022.
Return to Missouri State
On March 27, 2024, it was announced that Cuonzo Martin would return to Missouri State as the men's basketball head coach for a second time.
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State Bears (Missouri Valley Conference) (2008–2011) | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | Missouri State | 11–20 | 3–15 | 10th | |||||
| 2009–10 | Missouri State | 24–12 | 8–10 | 7th | CIT champion | ||||
| 2010–11 | Missouri State | 26–9 | 15–3 | 1st | NIT Second Round | ||||
| Tennessee Volunteers (Southeastern Conference) (2011–2014) | |||||||||
| 2011–12 | Tennessee | 19–15 | 10–6 | T–2nd | NIT Second Round | ||||
| 2012–13 | Tennessee | 20–13 | 11–7 | T–5th | NIT First Round | ||||
| 2013–14 | Tennessee | 24–13 | 11–7 | 4th | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| Tennessee: | 63–41 (.606) | 32–20 (.615) | |||||||
| California Golden Bears (Pac-12 Conference) (2014–2017) | |||||||||
| 2014–15 | California | 18–15 | 7–11 | T–8th | |||||
| 2015–16 | California | 23–11 | 12–6 | T–3rd | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2016–17 | California | 21–13 | 10–8 | T–5th | NIT First Round | ||||
| California: | 62–39 (.614) | 29–25 (.537) | |||||||
| Missouri Tigers (Southeastern Conference) (2017–2022) | |||||||||
| 2017–18 | Missouri | 20–13 | 10–8 | T–4th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2018–19 | Missouri | 15–17 | 5–13 | 12th | |||||
| 2019–20 | Missouri | 15–16 | 7–11 | T–10th | |||||
| 2020–21 | Missouri | 16–10 | 8–8 | 7th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2021–22 | Missouri | 12–21 | 5–13 | 12th | |||||
| Missouri: | 78–77 (.503) | 35–53 (.398) | |||||||
| Missouri State Bears (Missouri Valley Conference) (2024–present) | |||||||||
| 2024–25 | Missouri State | 7-12 | 0–8 | ||||||
| Missouri State: | 68–53 (.562) | 26–36 (.419) | |||||||
| Total: | 271–210 (.563) | ||||||||
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National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion |
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See also
In Spanish: Cuonzo Martin para niños
