The long-rumored addition of Chuck Martin to the Kentucky basketball coaching staff was made official by UK on Thursday.

Martin rounds out the Wildcats' new staff under John Calipari after the NCAA allowed an additional assistant beginning in the 2023-24 season.

“Chuck is a veteran in this profession who will be a great benefit to our team and staff,” Calipari said in a statement released by UK. “He has ties not only to me when we were on staff at Memphis together but also to several other members of our staff. Chuck is an established coach who will be our assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, looking to open new doors to make our successful recruiting even stronger.”

“I’m extremely excited to be reunited with Coach Cal,” said Martin, who was an assistant coach under Calipari during their Memphis tenure and has also spent time as a scout in the NBA for the Oklahoma City Thunder. “I’m looking forward to joining his tremendous staff and being a part of something greater than myself.”

Martin adds more than 20 years of collegiate coaching experience to the UK staff, most recently serving as an assistant this past season on Dana Altman’s staff at Oregon, where he worked with All-Pac-12 First Team pick N’Faly Dante.

Prior to Oregon, Martin spent five seasons on staff at South Carolina, serving as assistant coach for four seasons and another as associate head coach. During his time with the Gamecocks, Martin helped develop 2018 Southeastern Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year Chris Silva along with 2019 SEC Sixth Man of the Year Hassani Gravett.

Martin will be tasked with providing strategies to help advance the program while offering additional counsel on all aspects of the program including recruiting, scouting, player development, and special projects as assigned by the head coach. As recruiting coordinator, he will independently manage official and unofficial visits and be responsible for all recruiting strategies for the program.

He has also been a head coach at Marist (2008-13) and an assistant coach at Indiana, Memphis, South Carolina, St. John's, Drexel, UMass, and Manhattan. He worked under current UK assistant coach James "Bruiser" Flint at Drexel and UMass.

Martin, a native of the Bronx, N.Y., graduated from Monmouth with a bachelor's degree in communications. He and his wife, Lee, are the parents of daughter Ashley-Monet and sons Jordan and Justin.