Cuonzo Martin Resigns as Cal Basketball Coach, Hired by Missouri

University of California head basketball coach Cuonzo Martin is leaving the Golden Bears program to accept the same position at the University of Missouri. 

Martin resigned his position as Golden Bears head coach Wednesday, per a release on Cal's official athletic website. 

Missouri then officially announced Martin as its new head coach shortly after.

ESPN's Jeff Goodman first reported he was expected to fill the vacancy at Missouri, while Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports added the two sides had "agreed in principle" to a deal.

Martin is expected to add Michael Porter Sr. as an assistant coach, per ESPN's Paul Biancardi, who also said his son Michael Porter Jr. has yet to sign a national letter of intent. Porter Jr. is currently the No. 5 overall player in the class of 2017 according to Scout.com.   

Martin led Cal to a 21-13 record during the 2016-17 season. The Golden Bears received a No. 1 seed in the NIT, but Cal State Bakersfield upset them in the opening round.

The loss came amid intense speculation about Martin's future, as both Missouri and Illinois reportedly had interest in him. Avinash Kunnath and Rob Hwang of California Golden Blogs noted the coach, who was under contract with California through 2020-21, tried to downplay the situation in early March.

"I don't think there's a response. My job, I work for Cal," he said. "That's what it means for me. I didn't have a response last year, when things were taking place. My job is to do my job, and I work for Cal, and that is the most important thing for me. Anything other than that, I don't consume myself with it."

In all, Martin finished 62-39 (.614) with one NCAA tournament appearance across his three-year stay with the Bears. That mark included a 29-25 record in Pac-12 play.

The 45-year-old former NBA swingman had previous head-coaching stints with Missouri State, where he won a CIT championship, and Tennessee. As was the case at Cal, he made the NCAA tournament once in three seasons with the Volunteers.

Martin owns a 186-121 (.606) overall record in nine years as a head coach at the collegiate level.

The Illinois native will now be tasked with getting the Missouri program, which had returned to March Madness stalwart status under Mike Anderson in the late 2000s, back on track.

The Tigers are coming off a forgettable 8-24 campaign, which included a dreadful 2-16 mark in SEC play. The season featured a 13-game losing streak and a 1-7 record over the final eight games, leading to Kim Anderson's exit after three years.

Kris Budden of ESPN believes Martin's local ties will allow him to hit the ground running:

Carrington Harrison of 610 Sports Radio isn't as bullish about the Tigers' new coach:

Although Mizzou struggled this season, the team only featured one key contributor—junior forward Jordan Barnett—who was an upperclassman. Martin will inherit a young roster he can mold in his vision, and while hitting the recruiting trail hard in an area he knows well.

Two full years should yield a good measuring stick of the program's progress back toward tournament contention. Martin posted the worst record of his tenure in the first season during each of his previous three coaching stops.