If you’re a Missouri basketball fan and you are still reading articles such as this then you already know. The once-proud Mizzou basketball program is currently the equivalent of 99% of network TV shows. Basically, it merely exists.
For Tiger hoops fans, it has been a slow, painful death that began in 2012 when Mizzou, a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, lost to Norfolk State. It’s never recovered.
While the Kim Anderson years completely spit in the face of any human that grew up a Missouri fan, the Cuonzo Martin tenure has been nearly as frustrating. From at top 5 recruiting class in 2017 and eternal hope to a 20-loss season five years later.
It’s clear the roster Martin attempted to create out of thin air like Gary and Wyatt did with Lisa in the 1985 film “Weird Science” was not good enough. While the first four years of Martin’s tenure were excusable (two NCAA Tournament appearances), the only thing that couldn’t happen was a year like this. Alas, it has happened.
So here we are and brand new A.D. Desiree Reed-Francois is facing a dilemma: fire the nice guy that everyone loves as a person or try to reboot a dying horse yet again?
Why Mizzou basketball needs a restart
We are in year five of Martin’s tenure and there are real questions about his ability to consistently recruit at a high level. After losing marginally capable players from a team that made the NCAA’s last season, Martin replaced them with guys like Ronnie Degray and Dajuan Gordon. Neither have proven to be high-level SEC caliber and the freshman class, aside from Trevon Brazile offer much hope for future success.
There is no question about Cuonzo Martin’s character. There are few men you would rather coach your son, but he’s not someone that is willing to bath in college basketball’s grimy cesspool to win. Is Reed-Francois willing to sacrifice this for a coach that is willing to roll up his sleeves and get a little slimy? We’ve seen time and again that cheating coaches go unpunished. Where is Bill Self or Will Wade’s show cause? Should the Auburn fans hang their heads in shame over their SEC title because Bruce Pearl is a crook?
Give Martin another year because…Why not?
If the University of Missouri is ok with merely pretending as if it has a basketball program then keeping Martin is fine. It’s a safe thing to do. Sure, 10,000 empty seats a game is an eye sore but you’ll get 30 press conferences a year where your coach gets to talk about integrity and how his kids fight hard and win at life. That’s not the worst thing in the world by the way. Mizzou basketball has tried pressing the reset button before and things like Kim Anderson happen. Starting over just to start over is even likely to produce similar or worse results because Missouri is not cavalier program that has shown the ability or desire to become elite.
On Wednesday, Mizzou will take on Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The season will either end on that night or the next one. Expect soon after for a decision to be made. If Reed-Francois is ready to play big time SEC A.D. then Martin is likely headed to the unemployment line with $6 million. If you are willing to give him another year then what exactly are you selling? The players that are here now that weren’t very good in 2022 and going to improve in 2023 and somehow he’s going to pull in some legitimate pieces from the transfer portal? This is an opportunity he was afforded after last season and the result was shameful.
Mizzou basketball futility 2012-2022
- There have been four 20-loss seasons from 2014-2022. There were only two prior to this.
- Missouri has not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2010.
- Three of Cuonzo Martin’s five seasons have ended in a losing record.
- Mizzou has not finished higher than fifth in the SEC since joining the league in 2012. They have, therefore, never achieved a double-bye in the SEC tournament.
- Never has Mizzou basketball played beyond the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament.
