Tennessee basketball coach Cuonzo Martin reacts in this 2014 file photo.KNOXVILLE — Cuonzo Martin is leaving Tennessee after all.
Less than two weeks after pulling his name out of consideration for the head coaching vacancy at Marquette, the coach, fresh off leading the Volunteers to the NCAA tournament and the Sweet 16, left to become the next coach at California on Tuesday.
Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart, speaking at a news conference inside Thompson-Boling Arena early Tuesday afternoon, said Martin’s departure caught him a bit off guard.
“I did not know Cuonzo was involved in the California job until this morning,” Hart said. “We did have a conversation, and he was very emotional. Bottom line is he said that in his heart he believed this was best for he and his family.”
In three seasons with the Vols, Martin was 63-41 overall and 32-20 in the SEC with second-, fifth- and fourth-place finishes in the league. After National Invitation Tournament appearances in his first two seasons, the Vols caught fire late after scuffling to a 7-7 start in SEC play and nabbed one of the NCAA tournament’s final at-large bigs.