Q&A with Cuonzo Martin

417 Magazine: What does it mean to you to be back coaching at MSU?
Cuonzo Martin: It feels good to be wanted and to be in coaching. It also feels good to have an opportunity to … mold young men and help them reach their dreams of success, on and off the court.

417: What are your goals for this season?
C.M.: My personal goal is always to be the best version of myself I can be or become. As for team goals, we always have short-term goals that we like to keep. Our goal is to win a Missouri Valley Conference Championship, and we started working on that on June 3.

417: Are there any specific players to watch this season?
C.M.: I never do that as a coach. Here’s the reason why: The ones that everybody perceives to be the best often turn out to be someone else. Those young men that have the growth mindset—they’re open to growing, they continue to grow, and they keep reaching their goals. You see it in the NBA draft every year. All the guys everybody thought were the guys four years ago, it turns out to be somebody different—the guy in the back of the gym that nobody paid attention to, who just worked, worked, worked.

417: If you could have dinner with anyone from Springfield who would it be and where would you eat?
C.M.: Johnny Morris, hopefully at his home, but I’d have to have my wife come with me.

417: What advice would you give to someone starting out in your industry?
C.M.: Seek and embrace feedback. Feedback can be constructive criticism. The other piece is just to enjoy the journey of learning, because if you’re just starting out, you haven’t reached your destination.

417: What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful team?
C.M.: First and foremost is togetherness. You have to have togetherness to reach your goals. The other thing is that you have to be able to accept constructive coaching. In order to do that, we have to get out of our comfort zone. In order to get out of our comfort zone, we have to grow. You also have to have a competitive spirit. Somebody will win and somebody will lose—one aspect is how to handle losing if that happens, but it’s also about the mindset of what it takes to be a winner, to be consistent. Those are part of your daily habits. The decisions you make off the court have just as much impact as the decisions you make on the court.

417: What’s your favorite way to spend a Saturday morning in 417-land?
C.M.: Between my wife and I, just having a day where we just let it flow. It could be going to breakfast, certainly walking, that’s all it is—just some peaceful time. I don’t take for granted nature, trees, life, the birds chirping and singing. I don’t take any of that for granted, and I enjoy it all.

417: Who has been an impactful mentor to you?
C.M.: That’s easy, my mom—that’s first and foremost. Outside of my mom, I’d say my wife.