Here are players Cuonzo Martin could pursue as new Missouri State men's basketball coach

Cuonzo Martin is back as Missouri State's men's basketball coach and has a lot of work to do to construct the Bears' roster for the 2024-25 season.

Most of the Bears' roster entered the transfer portal after Dana Ford was fired as head coach, leaving him, currently, with four scholarship players.

Martin's been away from coaching college basketball for two years but a handful of players he coached and recruited are still playing at different programs across the country. Some are in the transfer portal while others could be looking for a new home at some point.

Here are some players with Martin connections to keep an eye on:

Jevon Porter, transfer portal

Maybe the biggest splash Martin could make would be landing Jevon Porter, the younger brother of Michael Porter Jr. who Martin coached at Mizzou. The Columbia native entered the transfer portal after a freshman season at Pepperdine.

The 6-foot-11, 225-pound sophomore will have plenty of suitors, especially at the higher level where more Name, Imagine and Likeness funds could be given. Folks around Columbia are already clamoring for Jevon Porter to make his way home after averaging 16.2 points and 5.9 rebounds this season.

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Porter is a dream scenario and was listed as the 29th-best available transfer in the country, according to The Athletic, on Wednesday afternoon. Maybe the Porter-Martin relationship can work its magic, as it did when Martin landed Michael Porter Jr. when he first took the Tigers' head coaching gig.

Aidan Shaw, Mizzou

Martin recruited Shaw to Mizzou before he was fired. Shaw was re-recruited by Dennis Gates and decided to re-commit. Nothing has suggested that Shaw will enter the transfer portal after his role increased this season with the Tigers but he might be one to keep an eye on in future years.

Shaw was a top-60 and four-star prospect out of Blue Valley High (Kansas) when Martin landed him. He had several power-conference offers before landing in Columbia.

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The 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward got 10 starts for the Tigers this season. He averaged 3.6 points on 73.6% shooting and 16.3 minutes in his 33 outings. Mizzou was a disaster this season but there are no signs that Shaw is thinking of leaving Columbia just yet.

Mario McKinney Jr., transfer portal

McKinney was a stud at Vashon and committed to Martin and Mizzou out of high school. The former three-star shooting guard was ranked among the top 200 but his stay in Columbia didn't last long.

McKinney appeared in seven games with the Tigers before being indefinitely suspended for undisclosed reasons in January of his freshman season. A day later, he announced he was leaving Mizzou.

Since then, McKinney has made stops at John A. Logan (juco), New Mexico State and UTEP. He scored 8.9 points per game on 38.6% shooting this season with two starts in 20 games and is now back in the transfer portal seeking his fifth school in five years.

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We're not saying this should or would happen. This is just a notable name from the state that Martin recruited and is available.

Sean Durugordon, Siena

Another former Mizzou name from Martin's past that has yet to enter the portal, Durugordon just finished his first year at Siena. He played for Martin in 2021-22, appearing in 12 games as a true freshman, before transferring to Austin Peay. His first two head coaches were fired before he landed at Siena this past season.

At Siena, Durugordon started in 13 of 14 games, averaging 18 points and 7.3 rebounds. He had to sit part of the season, being a two-time transfer.

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The 6-foot-5 guard from New York has had an interesting path and there's no indication that he's looking to enter the transfer portal right now. He may be one to keep an eye on as an eventual graduate transfer with five years of eligibility having redshirted during the 2020-21 season.

Yaya Keita, Oklahoma

Ford offered Keita out of DeSmet but Martin was the one who landed him at Mizzou. He appeared in 21 games in Columbia before suffering a season-ending knee injury in early February 2022.

After Martin was fired, Keita entered the transfer portal and landed at Oklahoma under Porter Moser. In two years in Norman, the 6-foot-9 forward has appeared in 13 games, averaging 2.2 minutes and less than a point.

Nothing has suggested that Keita will enter the transfer portal but he could be someone to watch. His most recent post to X, formerly known as Twitter, was from September when he shared Martin's podcast thanking him for sharing his "beautiful journey through hard work and sacrifices" and then saying he loved him.

Martin won't be one to do anything dirty or against the rules to try and pursue someone to come to Springfield. But Keita is one to keep an eye on.

Chase Martin, Purdue

Martin's son is a four-year reserve on Purdue's roster as the Boilermakers continue their run in the NCAA Tournament. Entering the Sweet 16, Martin had appeared in 12 games this season and 22 total minutes.

Martin's a Big Ten All-Academic player pursuing a mechanical engineering degree at one of the best engineering schools in the country. Cuonzo was a standout for the Boilermakers from 1992-95 and was an assistant on their staff from 2000-08 before his first stint at Missouri State.

Chase Martin appears to have a bright future in whatever he decides to do. Could that include using his fifth year of eligibility to play for his dad for the first time in his career? Maybe, maybe not.

Alston Mason, N.J. Benson, Damien Mayo Jr., transfer portal

We know of three solid foundational pieces who would fit well under Martin at Missouri State and they're three players who entered the transfer portal following Ford's firing.

Mason, Benson and Mayo are the main players to depart Missouri State who fans would love to see return to the Bears. Mason was a third-team all-league guard while Benson and Mayo seem to be the type of players that Martin wants with their toughness. Mason has that toughness and the leadership qualities he showed plenty of times throughout a tough season.

Entering the transfer portal doesn't restrict you from returning; it's been done plenty of times. It could be a long shot but getting these three on the phone wouldn't hurt.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State basketball player targets after Cuonzo Martin hiring