Cuonzo Martin out as Mizzou basketball coach

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cuonzo Martin will not return as the Mizzou men's basketball coach, MU confirmed on Friday night. It was first reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

In a press release, Mizzou Athletics said it will honor the terms of Martin's contract.

“Coach Martin represented the University with an extremely high level of class and dignity," MU Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois said in the release. “He is a man of high character whom I have the upmost respect for, and we are grateful for his contributions to our program, on and off the floor. He is not only a coach, but is a teacher, and he has impacted the lives of every student-athlete who came through the program over the last five years. We wish him, Roberta, and their family nothing but the best in the future.” 

The St. Louis native just finished up his fifth season with the Tigers - which ended in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday. MU went 12-21 overall. After the team's second round loss to LSU, reporters asked Martin about his future in Columbia.

"I don't worry about that. If that's the best thing for both parties, then that's the best thing for both parties," he said on Thursday. "Let the chips fall where they may, but I got a tremendous peace of mind."

Mizzou alums reacted to the news on Twitter on Friday night. DeMarre Carroll said, "MIZZOU we deserve this feeling again." Current MU freshman Trevon Brazile tweeted out a positive message to the fan base, as well.

In his five years in Columbia, Martin led Mizzou to a 78-77 overall record. He took the Tigers to two NCAA Tournaments, but he also had three losing seasons.

Mizzou fan Benjamin Strotheide said he's excited for the coaching change.

"Last year we did very well, obviously we were in a good standing, but I don't think that was due to the coach. I think we had a lot of talent. I think a lot of that talent did leave and transfer because they didn't like the coaching," he said. "He wasn't a horrible coach, like he got us to some good points, but overall I think the future's brighter."

MU will begin a national search for a new head coach immediately. According to a release, MU will use former college basketball coach Eddie Fogler to assist in the search.

“I believe that Mizzou is one of the best men’s basketball coaching jobs in the country,” Reed-Francois said in a release. "Our University is the flagship institution of our great state and a member of the Southeastern Conference, the premier league in college athletics. We are located in a recruiting hotbed and there’s incredible alignment between our department and our President and Board of Curators. We have—and will—continue to invest in our men’s basketball program and I look forward to introducing the new leader of our program to our community in the near future. We will work quickly and expeditiously to find the candidate who is the best fit to continue building our championship culture.” 

We will continue to update this ongoing story.