Cuonzo Martin Takes California Job

There were questions surrounding Cuonzo Martin’s future at Tennesse all season, with a large portion of Vols fans wanting Bruce Pearl back. Martin certainly quieted that crowd with a run to the Sweet 16 this year (and finishing the season 7th in KenPom).

But, via Jeff Goodman, Martin will be voluntarily leaving Knoxville to take the job at California. Former Bears coach Mike Montgomery retired recently, and California grabbed Martin.

While I think Martin is a very good coach, this is not without some risks. I do not know how familiar he is with the West Coast, having previously been a head coach at Missouri State and an assistant at Purdue. He also has finished the year in the top 50 of KenPom just once: this season.

This move probably makes a lot of sense for Martin, however. He was already somewhat in hot water in Knoxville and with Jordan McRae, Jarnell Stokes, and Jeronne Maymon all leaving after this season, he would have been looking at a bit of a rebuilding year, even in a weak SEC, and this move buys him at least a couple years to get things going in Berkeley.

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