 On March 24, 2017, Martin received the commitment of top recruit and Missouri native Michael Porter Jr., also adding his father, Michael Porter Sr., to his coaching staff.Cuonzo Martin became the fifth Division I head coach to come out of the Gene Keady coaching tree, following Bruce Weber, Steve Lavin, Kevin Stallings, Matt Painter, and Linc Darner.In the 2016 season, Martin (Cal), Painter (Purdue), and Stallings (Vandy) each entered the season ranked.