As he enters year No. 3 at the helm of the Cal basketball program, Cuonzo Martin has been given a boost in the form of a new contract.
The school announced Tuesday that Martin's deal now runs through the 2020-21 season. Martin's contract situation has been unusual since he got the job in 2014 -- after leaving Tennessee for the Bay Area. Martin hadn't signed a formal deal as recently as six months ago. Now he finally has everything in place.
"I'm proud of what we've been able to achieve so far here in Berkeley, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to continue to build the Cal men's basketball program," Martin said via written statement. "We're just getting started, and we'll continue to work tirelessly to shape our men into leaders on and off the court. I'm grateful to the university and athletic department for their support of our program and my commitment to Cal. I take great pride in being a member of the Cal family."
Cal is 41-26 in the past two seasons under Martin, including a trip to the NCAAs last season, though No. 4 seed Cal was upset by No. 13 seed Hawaii in the first round. The Bears are ranked 22nd in CBS Sports' preseason Top 25 (and one).
The Bears did not lose a home game last season, and with projected lottery pick Ivan Rabb back on the roster, they'll need to come close to doing that again to get back to the NCAAs. Cal's season starts on Nov. 11 at home against South Dakota State.