At his introductory press conference Monday, new Missouri State men’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin enjoyed reconnecting with friends from his last time as head man. Martin says he’s planning to reinvigorate the basketball program and fill up the seats at Great Southern Bank Arena.
Martin returned to Springfield in front of a crowd of Bears fans who he hopes will be a big part of the program’s resurgence. “I think this place has a chance to be special,” Martin said. “I think this is a place that young men will want to be a part of. I think this is a campus and a community that values basketball.”
He would know. As MSU head coach from 2008-2011, Coach Martin helped grow attendance numbers. “When I first took the job we had 300 in the student section,” Martin said. “In my last year, we had 3,000. But that’s a lot of work. But let’s also get in the community. Nowadays with the platform of social media, we have to be in the community.”
That’s music to the ears of Athletic Director Kyle Moats. “I want our fans to be supportive and have that energy to come out and support him,” Moats said. “That’s the biggest thing. It’s always about, how can we make our team more successful. How can we make our coach more successful, and our fans happy?”
There’s also a financial incentive for Martin to boost attendance. His contract includes $20,000 bonuses if the team averages between 4,000 and 4,999 fans per game, with increasing increments for each thousand beyond that. That bonus jumps to $75,000 if they top an average of 10,000 fans per game.
But Martin knows nothing attracts fans quite like winning. Recruiting has changed since he led his team to a Missouri Valley Conference title in 2011. The relaxed transfer portal rules and Name, Image, and Likeness deals didn’t exist.
With major roster overhaul seemingly an annual occurrence, he’s hoping his recruits see Springfield as the home he sees it as.
“The rain will hit sometime and the storms will come,” Martin said. “That umbrella is that university that will help you get through it. When you’re constantly running you’ll forever have those track shoes on the rest of your life. At some point, you have to stop running and grow.”
And with several Bears players in attendance, some even currently in the portal, he can’t wait to talk to them. “I’ll meet with each individual guy tomorrow,” Martin said. “Just figure out what they want to do. But again, if you want to be great, if you want to have success, and you enjoy competing, this is a great place.”
And with a little help from some old and new friends, time will tell how great he can make it.
FULL INTERVIEW WITH CUONZO MARTIN
FULL INTERVIEW WITH MISSOURI STATE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS KYLE MOATS
