Its pretty enjoyable reading WFC and hearing the various takes regarding Amir Abdur Rahim. The coach's career trajectory is trending upwards, period. The small group that continues to endorse the Mark Fox run as HC is unbelievable. All coaches at the D-1 level, or Power 5 conferences are going to deploy a system. Many players are turned off by a slow it down, walk it up, pass the ball around the perimeter, until the shot clock is ready to expire, then have very limited options, because the defensive team has taken away any choice that is high percentage. Any ballclub that is then forced to play from behind on the scoreboard, does not make in game adjustments will generally end up with a 3- 29 record on the season, featured by a final 16 game losing streak and last in the Conference. Many passionate Bears fans chose not to attend the games at Haas, and rightfully so,it was awful coaching, and painful to watch. I sincerely hope that the same search firm that delivered Mark Fox is never deployed again, in any capacity, in a terribly rushed and flawed process. Further, I believe that a rebuild needs to be a top priority, bearing in mind where the University wants to be in the realm of intercollegiate athletics. Cal stays a top three in the ranking of academic institutions, but may be trending towards de-emphasizing sports and how much of the overall budget is allocated in support of these programs can't be overlooked. I would have supported a coaching change during the season, and using the interim tag with the assistant, and getting a head start on the nationwide search, as those schools who did that,have already made new hires.(Pitino-St John,Cooley-Georgetown),As Cal basketball made its way into the record books, with losses, fans and supporters were conspicuous by their absence at every game, while many also called for the administration to act now with the removal of both; AD Knowlton as well as the HC,Fox.It may have been a bit premature to award the AD a contract extension, further complicating the process of replacing he, and the unsuccessful coach. Money used in a structured buyout would clearly impact a compensation package to lure and land a dynamic coach. Deferred compensation or a back loaded contract exists in the realm of creative ways to get who you want, while fully understanding that this rebuild is not going to happen overnight. With the NIL demands and transfer portals,graduate transfers being what they are, some universities are having to rethink their position. As of this writing, Cal just lost, for now, 2 players (Kuany Kuany, Joel Brown) to the transfer portal and I believe the 2 So Cal recruits, who signed early letters of intent can ask to be released from those commitments, now that the coach who recruited them has been let go This is a messy situation and will require a deep cleaning before the new coach and Department leadership are brought aboard.
He had a chance to turn things around. He was our coach for more than one year. He regressed every year. You only get so many chances, and he did not deserve the rest of this season. We are in NCAA record books for all the wrong reasons because of him and Knowlton's ineptitude.
This was the type of season that got UCSD to drop football forever and drop out of D1 athletics. The same UCSD that swept us in their first years back in D1 after 40 years.
We fired Musgrave/etc. mid-season for football (which is unheard of) and immediately saw our offense improve just from allowing the remaining staff and players approach it with a different POV.
With basketball, it could have done something as simple as just bringing more people into the stands knowing that Cal doesn't support the kind of program tanking that Fox was employing. Or the new coaching staff could have eked out 1-2 more wins, which is better than what we got -- Cal actually SUPPORTING Fox mid-season by accepting injuries as an excuse for historical levels of suck.
I did some cursory internet research on this when it was a hot topic. You're right Bob, its exceptionally rare for a head coach in major college basketball or football to lose their job mid-season for performance reasons. Like, infrequent enough that there isnt any kind of sample size to glean any insight.
And across all situations where the head coach was fired mid-season for any reason (violations and the such) , very few teams had a better record in-season post-firing. It was more common that they actually did even worse.
I think the crux for people wanting him fired midseason is really about passion. People wanted "justice", and a midseason firing wouldve been a nice exclamation point on the situation and validation of their frustration and anger.
I'm still in that camp though. If the season was still going and he was still coach, I would still want him fired right now, but not for any strategic reason, just principle.
Yes, but even if we had full health we would have at best been a 6 win team? Most of our losses were not even close. There was no realistic path with which Fox could redeem himself.
Kennesaw State vs a major D1 program, Pac-12 school, on the skids?
If any coach can't distinguish between these two opportunities, we definitely don't want him. Unbelievable. Better Cal just fold the program than go thru this S _ _ t
If you're cynical, you could make the case he is interviewing him merely to project he's showing due diligence w/o being truly open to candidates other than whomever he has settled on. Not saying that's the case here, but there is a lot of pressure on him to show he's doing the work this time that he didn't last cycle by mostly letting the agency drive the hire last time. So not out of the realm of possibility.
Really hope we get a retread like Lorenzo Romar or Mike Anderson or Herb Sendek or Frank Martin. Why get an energetic, young up and coming coach when you can get a skeleton with 173 years of experience of .500 ball.
Then again he could leave USD today and be announced tonight… ;-)
Everyone is tight lipped over this hire, including some former players.
Posted elsewhere I’m starting to get Stan Johnson vibes…Knowlton & Coach K share the Army alum connection, Wojo is a Coach K guy…Stan was with Wojo for 5 years as AC at Marquette…dunno…
If he formally interviewed for the job, he'd be considered a serious candidate. With Knowlton calling the shots, however, then sure, the word "unserious" becomes much more applicable to the conversation.
Tough to say because numb nuts Knowlton waited 3 days to then interview him over a f-ing computer…I’m sticking to my guns that he’s not THE hire because of the Zoom thing (hope I’m wrong because think he’d be a great pick)….but he’s absolutely a serious candidate.
Schultz definitely has a spin he’s gotta weave and a local agenda, but he also is a Georgia guy for a reputable publication so he certainly knows his a$$ from 2nd base…but while he may not get it, he’s a finalist for the Cal job…
A huge difference between Dennis Gates and Amir Abdur-Rahim is that DG had NO head coaching experience…on the heels of Wyking, that was just a huge hill to climb. AAR has literally built a program, doubling the win total each season, culminating with this season’s Tourney team that had Xavier on the ropes before hitting a very Cal-like 8 minute field goal drought.
Can’t look too much at record without context…AAR inherited an even worse mess at Kennesaw than he would were he to get the job at Cal…Al Skinner left that program in ruins. Plus, Mark Fox had a good overall record and now, 4 years later, he should never coach again, period.
He literally just took a team to its first NCAA tournament in its history. Zero chance that his best credential is his brother and not his own achievement. Come on.
say what? They were 26-9 (15-3, winning their conf) this year, losing by 5 in the first round of the ncaa tourney.
Agree that all indications are too early, but then I'm sure the same was said about Dennis Gates a few years back, so we ended up with Mark Fox instead.
Good thing his former boss is available, and looking for work. JK: gotta keep Georgia on my mind.
Exactly. Ya…I just responded to OCB & Bob both in one…
I’m still crestfallen we passed on Gates in ‘17…if Williams was gonna go with a first time HC, it needed to be Dennis F-ing Gates. That decision is why we’re here…he “focked around” and “found out”!
Especially with Cuonzo’s buyout money coming in—it was the perfect time to make an exciting hire, but instead we did as little work as possible. What a program-alteringly awful hire.
I’m starting to feel Stan Johnson a little…just saying…
AAR is absolutely considered a serious candidate and is 1 of 3 finalists for the job
If he's not, then Cal athletic department and everyone involved in the decisions-making process needs to be fired top down.
Its pretty enjoyable reading WFC and hearing the various takes regarding Amir Abdur Rahim. The coach's career trajectory is trending upwards, period. The small group that continues to endorse the Mark Fox run as HC is unbelievable. All coaches at the D-1 level, or Power 5 conferences are going to deploy a system. Many players are turned off by a slow it down, walk it up, pass the ball around the perimeter, until the shot clock is ready to expire, then have very limited options, because the defensive team has taken away any choice that is high percentage. Any ballclub that is then forced to play from behind on the scoreboard, does not make in game adjustments will generally end up with a 3- 29 record on the season, featured by a final 16 game losing streak and last in the Conference. Many passionate Bears fans chose not to attend the games at Haas, and rightfully so,it was awful coaching, and painful to watch. I sincerely hope that the same search firm that delivered Mark Fox is never deployed again, in any capacity, in a terribly rushed and flawed process. Further, I believe that a rebuild needs to be a top priority, bearing in mind where the University wants to be in the realm of intercollegiate athletics. Cal stays a top three in the ranking of academic institutions, but may be trending towards de-emphasizing sports and how much of the overall budget is allocated in support of these programs can't be overlooked. I would have supported a coaching change during the season, and using the interim tag with the assistant, and getting a head start on the nationwide search, as those schools who did that,have already made new hires.(Pitino-St John,Cooley-Georgetown),As Cal basketball made its way into the record books, with losses, fans and supporters were conspicuous by their absence at every game, while many also called for the administration to act now with the removal of both; AD Knowlton as well as the HC,Fox.It may have been a bit premature to award the AD a contract extension, further complicating the process of replacing he, and the unsuccessful coach. Money used in a structured buyout would clearly impact a compensation package to lure and land a dynamic coach. Deferred compensation or a back loaded contract exists in the realm of creative ways to get who you want, while fully understanding that this rebuild is not going to happen overnight. With the NIL demands and transfer portals,graduate transfers being what they are, some universities are having to rethink their position. As of this writing, Cal just lost, for now, 2 players (Kuany Kuany, Joel Brown) to the transfer portal and I believe the 2 So Cal recruits, who signed early letters of intent can ask to be released from those commitments, now that the coach who recruited them has been let go This is a messy situation and will require a deep cleaning before the new coach and Department leadership are brought aboard.
Great post!!
Who TF is endorsing Mark Fox’s run? They should be stripped of their Cal fandom and sent to the leper colony island. Ridiculous…it’s indefensible.
He had a chance to turn things around. He was our coach for more than one year. He regressed every year. You only get so many chances, and he did not deserve the rest of this season. We are in NCAA record books for all the wrong reasons because of him and Knowlton's ineptitude.
This was the type of season that got UCSD to drop football forever and drop out of D1 athletics. The same UCSD that swept us in their first years back in D1 after 40 years.
We fired Musgrave/etc. mid-season for football (which is unheard of) and immediately saw our offense improve just from allowing the remaining staff and players approach it with a different POV.
With basketball, it could have done something as simple as just bringing more people into the stands knowing that Cal doesn't support the kind of program tanking that Fox was employing. Or the new coaching staff could have eked out 1-2 more wins, which is better than what we got -- Cal actually SUPPORTING Fox mid-season by accepting injuries as an excuse for historical levels of suck.
I did some cursory internet research on this when it was a hot topic. You're right Bob, its exceptionally rare for a head coach in major college basketball or football to lose their job mid-season for performance reasons. Like, infrequent enough that there isnt any kind of sample size to glean any insight.
And across all situations where the head coach was fired mid-season for any reason (violations and the such) , very few teams had a better record in-season post-firing. It was more common that they actually did even worse.
I think the crux for people wanting him fired midseason is really about passion. People wanted "justice", and a midseason firing wouldve been a nice exclamation point on the situation and validation of their frustration and anger.
I'm still in that camp though. If the season was still going and he was still coach, I would still want him fired right now, but not for any strategic reason, just principle.
Yes, but even if we had full health we would have at best been a 6 win team? Most of our losses were not even close. There was no realistic path with which Fox could redeem himself.
Kennesaw State vs a major D1 program, Pac-12 school, on the skids?
If any coach can't distinguish between these two opportunities, we definitely don't want him. Unbelievable. Better Cal just fold the program than go thru this S _ _ t
I would say he did distinguish and he made the smart decision.
The sanity of anyone who would choose Cal these days should be in question.
We should eliminate anyone who actually wants to come here.
So you say you want to stay at Kennesaw State? Admiral commitment or bad decision?
If he's not a serious candidate, why interview him? I guess we could be the unwitting and unwilling 3rd party of a coaching love triangle.
If you're cynical, you could make the case he is interviewing him merely to project he's showing due diligence w/o being truly open to candidates other than whomever he has settled on. Not saying that's the case here, but there is a lot of pressure on him to show he's doing the work this time that he didn't last cycle by mostly letting the agency drive the hire last time. So not out of the realm of possibility.
Maybe we just called & asked
We should stalk his social media and send texts at weird hours just to let him know how much we're thinking of him. /s
Really hope we get a retread like Lorenzo Romar or Mike Anderson or Herb Sendek or Frank Martin. Why get an energetic, young up and coming coach when you can get a skeleton with 173 years of experience of .500 ball.
Steve Lavin is also perpetually unemployed and overrated.
Always had a bit of a soft spot for Lav, maybe mainly because I had his Dad, Cap, for English back in high school.
Never forget Lavin sent us a DM to the Write for Cal account wishing us a merry Christmas and/or a happy new year. Lmaooo
Seems like a good dude and I like him calling games, but I sure don't want him as our coach.
He apparently wants nothing to do with Cal, either…a buddy was his GA at UCLA…
Shrewd!
Then again he could leave USD today and be announced tonight… ;-)
Everyone is tight lipped over this hire, including some former players.
Posted elsewhere I’m starting to get Stan Johnson vibes…Knowlton & Coach K share the Army alum connection, Wojo is a Coach K guy…Stan was with Wojo for 5 years as AC at Marquette…dunno…
Wait and see...
I wouldn’t say he’s a no until I see him sign with someone else or unless I hear him say it.
If he formally interviewed for the job, he'd be considered a serious candidate. With Knowlton calling the shots, however, then sure, the word "unserious" becomes much more applicable to the conversation.
Tough to say because numb nuts Knowlton waited 3 days to then interview him over a f-ing computer…I’m sticking to my guns that he’s not THE hire because of the Zoom thing (hope I’m wrong because think he’d be a great pick)….but he’s absolutely a serious candidate.
Schultz definitely has a spin he’s gotta weave and a local agenda, but he also is a Georgia guy for a reputable publication so he certainly knows his a$$ from 2nd base…but while he may not get it, he’s a finalist for the Cal job…
Of course. Cal just can't seem to have good coaches or nice things anymore. :(
Yes, he is!.
Feels like it's coming from Kennesaw St, who surely would very much like to keep him there.
My take as well.
Agreed. He may not be the hire, but he’s absolutely a serious candidate.
Cal being used as leverage once again 💯
At least we didn’t lose him to that school across the bay…
Don't feed the Trolls...not worthy!
A huge difference between Dennis Gates and Amir Abdur-Rahim is that DG had NO head coaching experience…on the heels of Wyking, that was just a huge hill to climb. AAR has literally built a program, doubling the win total each season, culminating with this season’s Tourney team that had Xavier on the ropes before hitting a very Cal-like 8 minute field goal drought.
Can’t look too much at record without context…AAR inherited an even worse mess at Kennesaw than he would were he to get the job at Cal…Al Skinner left that program in ruins. Plus, Mark Fox had a good overall record and now, 4 years later, he should never coach again, period.
He literally just took a team to its first NCAA tournament in its history. Zero chance that his best credential is his brother and not his own achievement. Come on.
"never had a winning record.."
say what? They were 26-9 (15-3, winning their conf) this year, losing by 5 in the first round of the ncaa tourney.
Agree that all indications are too early, but then I'm sure the same was said about Dennis Gates a few years back, so we ended up with Mark Fox instead.
Good thing his former boss is available, and looking for work. JK: gotta keep Georgia on my mind.
I think @jimmychitwood was referring to DG's credentials during the cycle when we hired MF.
Exactly. Ya…I just responded to OCB & Bob both in one…
I’m still crestfallen we passed on Gates in ‘17…if Williams was gonna go with a first time HC, it needed to be Dennis F-ing Gates. That decision is why we’re here…he “focked around” and “found out”!
Especially with Cuonzo’s buyout money coming in—it was the perfect time to make an exciting hire, but instead we did as little work as possible. What a program-alteringly awful hire.
Had he checked Wikipedia, the most recent record would have been there.