Cuonzo Martin Named New Basketball Coach For Cal Golden Bears

Mar 23, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Cuonzo Martin reacts to a play against the Mercer Bears during the second half of a men’s college basketball game during the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

The Cal Golden Bears hired former Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin as their new head basketball coach on Tuesday, replacing retired Mike Montgomery.

The university announced the hiring on Tuesday.

Martin spent three years at Tennessee and was 63-41, including a 24-13 record last season that included a run to the Sweet 16 after having to go through the First Four. The Vols beat Iowa in the first round, upset Massachusetts in the second round and hammered Mercer in the third round before dropping a 73-71 decision to Michigan in the Midwest Regional semifinals.

It was Martin’s first NCAA bid at Tennessee, but the Volunteers made the postseason all three seasons. Tennessee lost to Mercer in the first round of the NIT in 2013 and to Middle Tennessee in the second round of the NIT in 2012.

Martin replaced controversial Bruce Pearl, who was fired in March 2011 after he was charged with unethical conduct by the NCAA in connection with lying to the NCAA enforcement staff about recruiting violations by the school.

But Martin was never a popular figure among fans in Knoxville, where fans started an online petition this season aimed at encouraging the school’s administration to fire Martin and bring back Pearl.

The lack of support was obvious to his players at Tennessee, a couple of whom tweeted their support for Martin’s decision to leave them:

“I am pleased to be here and honored to have the opportunity to lead the University of California’s men’s basketball program,” Martin said. “The conditions for success at Cal are right and I believe we can compete at the highest level and continue the success here in Berkeley. Sandy Barbour’s reputation nationally is outstanding and having the opportunity to work with her and to coach at Cal is one that I am very excited about. This is an incredible academic and athletic institution and I am proud to now be a part of it as well as the Pac-12 Conference.”

Martin, 42, played at Purdue from 1991-95, where he was a first team All-Big Ten selection as a senior, when he averaged 18.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Boilermakers, who won the conference title before bowing out in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

He was a second-round pick of the Atlanta Hawks in the 1995 NBA Draft and played briefly in the NBA (four games with the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995-96 and three with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1996-97) before signing with Felice Scandone in Italy. He was sent home from Italy and was treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1998.

He opted to return to Purdue to finish his degree and joined coach Gene Keady’s staff as an assistant in 2000. He remained at the school through the 2007-08 season before accepting the head coaching position at Missouri State.

In three seasons with the Bears, Martin was 61-41, including 50-21 in his final two years, leading Missouri State to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament title in 2010.

His 2010-11 team was 25-7 and won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title before the Bears were upset by Indiana State in the championship of the MVC tournament. Missouri State was bypassed by the NCAA tournament selection committee and instead participated in the NIT, where they lost to Miami in the second round.

Cal finished 21-14 in 2013-14 and coach Mike Montgomery opted to retire shortly after the Golden Bears were eliminated from the NIT quarterfinals by SMU.

The Golden Bears will have three starters and five of their top seven scorers returning next season.