NCAA News Wire
Report: Tennessee’s Martin accepts Cal job
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin has agreed in principle to become the next head coach at California, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday.
ESPN.com initially reported the development and the report was confirmed by CBSSports.com.
Martin just finished his third season at Tennessee. He led the Volunteers to 24 wins and a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Martin was previously considered a candidate at Marquette, then publicly stated that he planned to stay at Tennessee, but that changed when California offered him the job.
Mike Montgomery announced his retirement at Cal on April 1. Montgomery, 67, posted a 130-73 record at Cal, taking the Bears to the NCAA Tournament in four of his six seasons, though they failed to reach the tournament this season. The Bears finished 21-14, including 10-8 in the Pac-12. They won two games in the NIT before losing to SMU.
Tennessee announced earlier this month that it was working on adjusting the contract of Martin.
“Tennessee is where I want to be,” Martin said at the time. “That has never changed.”
Martin has a 63-41 record, including two NIT berths and the 2014 NCAA Tournament appearance. The Vols lost to Michigan 73-71 in a regional semifinal.
Martin’s current contract with Tennessee runs through the 2015-16 season and pays him $1.35 million per year, which ranks among the bottom half of coaches in the Southeastern Conference.
