Missouri Tigers fireplace males’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin after 5 seasons, drawing criticism from rival coaches

Missouri fired males’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin after 5 seasons, the varsity introduced Friday, in a transfer that drew criticism from a number of of his colleagues all through school basketball.

Martin took over the Tigers in 2017 after three seasons at California, with Missouri hiring him to switch Kim Anderson. The Tigers reached the NCAA event in Martin’s first season after which went to the event once more in 2021, however they didn’t advance out of the primary spherical in every.

This season, Missouri went 12-21 total and 5-13 in SEC play. The Tigers’ season ended Thursday with a 76-68 loss to LSU within the SEC event. Missouri misplaced seven of its final 9 video games to finish the season.

In 5 seasons, Martin went 78-77 total.

“Coach Martin represented the college with a particularly excessive stage of sophistication and dignity,” mentioned Missouri athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois, who was employed by the varsity in August. “We’re grateful for his contributions to our program, on and off the ground. He isn’t solely a coach, however is a instructor, and he has impacted the lives of each student-athlete who got here by this system during the last 5 years.”

The firing might show to be in style amongst Missouri followers which have pined for a profitable program for years. Nevertheless it was met with widespread scorn from the basketball group, and never only for what transpired on the courtroom.

“I’ve received two adopted Black grandchildren, and I known as him sooner or later and mentioned, assist me by this. Inform me what I have to know as a grandfather,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes mentioned Friday night time. “My daughter was having some points that she wished a solution to, and Cuonzo’s spouse talked with my daughter, and so I take a look at him in an entire completely different mild.”

Kansas coach Invoice Self lamented one other teaching change involving one of many Jayhawks’ greatest rivals. Kansas State coach Bruce Weber resigned on Thursday, although he possible would have been fired if he hadn’t stepped down.

“I do know faculties and companies should make selections which are typically onerous to make and are typically unpopular, or typically they do it as a result of it’s in style,” Self mentioned, “however that is two coaches within the final two days at our greatest rivals.

“I really feel dangerous for Cuonzo. I believe he is a very good coach. I believe he is a greater man, and I am positive he’ll land on his ft.”

Martin was employed following the failed three-year tenure of Anderson, promising to convey an thrilling fashion of play together with high-level recruits. However most of these recruits, equivalent to Michael Porter Jr., struggled with accidents and the items by no means appeared to come back collectively in Columbia.

“Final sport teaching? I am good to go,” he mentioned Thursday night time. “I am at peace with no matter. I do not get consumed with that. I do not fear about that. If that is the most effective factor for each events, then that is the most effective factor for each events. However I will not waste any time with that. No matter occurs, occurs.

“I’ll let the chips fall the place they might,” Martin added, “however I’ve an amazing peace of thoughts, and I am going again to the lodge to chill out with my household after which go from there.”

Martin definitely had help from lots of his rival coaches, together with South Carolina‘s Frank Martin.

“Final time I checked they went to the NCAA event final yr, if I am not mistaken,” he mentioned Thursday. “I do not know what this enterprise is coming to when males like him get questioned on what they will and might’t do, and get judged this yr on this league coming off the yr he had final yr. We received main points on this enterprise if any individual that had that crew prime 20 within the nation just about all season final yr and went to the NCAA event (will get fired).

“When is the final time you examine Cuonzo Martin’s groups in any form of detrimental connote?” Frank Martin continued. “When is the final time you learn a participant for Cuonzo Martin in any form of detrimental connote? You are not. He simply got here off an NCAA event, and other people begin speaking like that? That is unhappy. This enterprise is not proper if that is the way in which we go.”

Martin led this system by widespread social unrest on campus, together with protests through the Black Lives Matter motion that got here to be outlined by the soccer and basketball packages.

“Cuonzo is a stand-up man, among the finest in our enterprise. … Whether or not it is on the courtroom or away from the courtroom, he’s about social justice, ensuring that he has an enormous voice, not solely as a school basketball coach, however simply as a Black man in America,” Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse mentioned. “He steps into the forefront plenty of instances once we’re coping with numerous stuff with George Floyd and every thing that occurred over the previous couple of years. He has been a kind of guys that’s all the time main the cost.”

Previous to taking on at Missouri, Martin spent three seasons at California, three seasons at Tennessee and three seasons at Missouri State. He went to a Candy 16 with Tennessee in 2014 and made an NCAA event look with California in 2016. Martin additionally spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at Purdue.

The Tigers now have their fourth males’s basketball head-coaching search since 2011. Frank Haith and Anderson every lasted simply three seasons, whereas Martin was in Columbia for 5. Potential candidates anticipated to be concerned, sources advised ESPN, embody Murray State‘s Matt McMahon, Baylor assistant Jerome Tang, North Texas‘ Grant McCasland and San Francisco‘s Todd Golden.

The college employed Fogler Consulting to assist with the search.

The Related Press contributed to this report.