Cuonzo Martin

2011 USA Basketball World University Games Assistant Coach

Recently announced on March 28, 2011, as head coach at the University of Tennessee, Cuonzo Martin was named as a USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team assistant coach on Jan. 20, 2011.

"It's a great honor, and I'm very humbled by it," said Martin, who played alongside and served as an assistant coach for USA head coach Matt Painter at Purdue. "I'm very appreciative to be with Matt Painter again, he's a great friend of mine, and also Brad Stevens, who is also a friend and a great coach. I think it'll be a lot of fun. But, more important, to be able to represent my country like this, it's a great honor for me."

In the 2010-11 season, Martin led Missouri State University to a 26-9 record and its first Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title, earning Missouri Valley Coach of the Year honors.

At the 2011 Final Four, Martin received the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the top minority head coach in Division I men's basketball, and he also was a finalist for the 2011 Hugh Durham "Mid-Major" Coach of the Year Award.

Overall, in three seasons as head coach at Misssouri State (2008-09 through 2010-11), Martin compiled a 61-48 record.

Following his first season, when the Bears went 11-20, Cuonzo orchestrated the fifth-best turnaround in NCAA Division I play after coaching his 2009-10 team to a 24-12 mark for a 13-win improvement. Further, Martin's team captured the 2010 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament crown. Additionally, the Bears collected 19 of their wins at home, tying Kansas for the best home record in NCAA Division I play last year.

Martin arrived at Missouri State after spending seven years (2000-01 through 2006-07) as an assistant coach and one (2007-08) as associate head coach at Purdue University under Keady and Painter. During Martin's time on the Purdue sidelines, the Boilermakers posted a 129-119 (.520) record and advanced to postseason play five times, including three NCAA Tournaments and a pair of National Invitational Tournaments.

A four-year letterwinner at Purdue (1992-95), the first two of which were played with Painter, Martin helped the Boilermakers to a 90-37 (.709) slate, three NCAA Tournaments, the 1992 NIT and a pair of Big Ten Conference titles.

Martin's junior season was Purdue's best during his four-year career on the hardwood. In 1993-94 he helped Purdue earn a 29-5 mark and the Big Ten crown as the squad advanced to the 1994 NCAA Elite Eight, the program's best finish since the 1979-80 squad placed third in the NCAA Tournament. As a senior Martin averaged 18.4 ppg. and was tabbed All-Big Ten first team as Purdue wrapped up a 25-7 record, earned the Big Ten title and advanced to the NCAA second round.

The Atlanta Hawks made Martin the 57th overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, and he played professional basketball for four years, including NBA stints with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Vancouver Grizzlies.

He also was the team captain and leading scorer with the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Hoops of the Continental Basketball Association for three seasons and was the leading scorer for Felize Scandone in Avellino, Italy, in 1997.

He spent four years playing professional basketball in the NBA, CBA and in Europe before returning to his alma mater in 2000.

Martin graduated from Lincoln High School in East St. Louis, Ill., and, led the Tigers to a pair of Illinois High School Athletics (IHSA) Class AA state championships. In 2007, he was honored as one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament.