Cuonzo Martin is expected to return to Missouri State as its head men’s basketball coach.

ESPN reported Monday that the school and Martin were negotiating a deal that would put him back on the Bears’ bench. Missouri State was the first head-coaching job for Martin.

He held the post from 2008-11 before moving on to Tennessee (2011-14), Cal (2014-17) and Missouri (2017-22).

In Martin’s final season at Missouri State, the Bears won the school’s first regular season Missouri Valley Conference championship, earning Martin the conference’s coach of the year award after a 26-9 season.

Martin, 52, was 61-41 in his stint at Missouri State and has a 264-198 coaching record. He has taken his teams to the NCAA Tournament four times.

In the 2023-24 season, the Bears finished 17-16 (8-12 MVC) under Dana Ford, who was dismissed earlier this month after six seasons and a 106-82 overall record.