Cuonzo Martin press conference after Missouri State reintroduction
Cuonzo Martin takes questions from the media following his introductory press conference on Monday, April 1, 2024, at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The last time Cuonzo Martin coached Missouri State basketball, he threw his arms into the air in celebration as the Bears won their first Missouri Valley Conference title.
Thirteen years later, as Martin returns to the Bears’ sideline, expectations are much lower as his program plays its final season in the Valley.
The Valley released its preseason poll on Wednesday where voters picked Missouri State to finish 11th before it moves to Conference USA for the 2025-26 season.
Martin’s first MSU roster since leaving the program to become the coach at Tennessee following the 2010-11 season has 15 newcomers and is mostly a mystery. The same can be said about most of the league with five new head coaches on the sidelines and most rosters from a year ago being ravaged by the transfer portal.
More: New Missouri State AD Patrick Ransdell sets high expectations for coaches
Bradley, which returns the most star power, was the overwhelming pick to win the league. Point guard Duke Deen was tabbed as the league’s preseason player of the year.
Missouri State is coming off a 17-16 season that ended in the Arch Madness quarterfinals. In the days after, the school fired Dana Ford before hiring Martin later in the month. Martin hasn’t coached the last two seasons after stops at Tennessee, California and Mizzou since leaving Springfield.
His 2024-25 Bears roster is expected to feature Delaware State transfer Wesley Oba, Barton Community College transfer Mozae Downing-Rivers, Austin Peay transfer Dez White and IUPUI transfer Vincent Brady II among others.
Missouri State tips off its season Nov. 4 at Butler. It plays one Valley game before Christmas when it hosts Indiana State on Dec. 7 before resuming league play Dec. 29 at Evansville.
More: How Cuonzo Martin wants to build Missouri State basketball back into Springfield’s team
2024 MVC men’s basketball preseason poll
Here are the poll results, with points and first-place votes in parentheses:
- Bradley 597 (46)
- Northern Iowa 527 (2)
- Murray State 473 (1)
- Illinois State 397
- Drake 388
- Belmont 373
- Southern Illinois 337
- Indiana State 207
- Evansville 199
- Valparaiso 173
- Missouri State 116
- UIC 110
2024-25 preseason all-MVC teams
First Team
- Duke Deen, Bradley (Preseason Player of the Year)
- Tytan Anderson, Northern Iowa
- Darius Hannah, Bradley
- Johnny Kinziger, Illinois State
- Cooper Schwieger, Valparaiso
- JaCobi Wood, Murray State
Second Team
- Trey Campbell, Northern Iowa
- Nick Ellington, Murray State
- Jacob Hutson, Northern Iowa
- Zek Montgomery, Bradley
- Malachi Poindexter, Illinois State
Third Team
- Kennard Davis Jr., Southern Illinois
- Ali Dibba, Southern Illinois
- Cam Manyawu, Drake
- Filip Skobalj, UIC
- Bennett Stirtz, Drake
