Breaking News: Mark Fox fired as Cal Men’s Basketball Head Coach (Updated)
4 seasons and the Mark Fox Era is over
It has happened. The Mark Fox Era in Berkeley has come to an end.
Fox ends his time as the Cal Men’s Basketball Head Coach with a 38-87 record overall and a 17-61 record in Pac-12 regular season play. He won 7 conference games in his first season and managed a 14-18 mark, then was unable to break 5 Pac-12 wins in the following 3 seasons, including two last place conference finishes. Cal also posted three straight 20-loss seasons for the first time in its program history.
In his final season at Cal, he posted his worst win total this past season of 3-29, going 2-18 in conference. Cal started the season with a 12-game losing streak (one of the worst starts by any major program ever) and ended the year with a 16-game losing streak, tying a program-worst set by previous head coach Wyking Jones. This record is by win-loss record the worst regular season by a Pac member school since 1917.
We’ll have more updates in the coming days, as well as begin our coverage of what figures to be an intriguing coaching search. Cal has had five 20-loss seasons in six years—finding the right candidate is more critical than ever.
Cal Athletics has issued a press release on the change in leadership:
BERKELEY - Mark Fox, who has served as California's men's basketball head coach for the past four seasons, will not return next year, Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton announced Thursday.
Fox compiled a record of 38-87 with the Golden Bears, including a pair of wins over rival Stanford in the Pac-12 Tournament and engineering a six-win improvement from the previous year in his first season as head coach.
Fox also guided the program through the COVID-19 pandemic, navigating some of the most disruptive restrictions in the country.
"I want to thank Mark for his unwavering commitment to our men's basketball program," Knowlton said. "He led the team through some challenging times, and always did so with the class and professionalism we have come to expect from him. Mark understood and embraced our University's mission and ideals, and was always an exemplary representative of our department. I wish him the best of luck in the future.
"This was a difficult decision and one that I do not take lightly. After deliberately and holistically evaluating all aspects of our program, I felt a change was needed at this time. We will always be guided by the best interests of our student-athletes, as well as the values of our University."
The Bears excelled academically during Fox's tenure, twice earning the National Association of Basketball Coaches Team Academic Excellence Award while also producing four NABC Honors Court selections.
Fox also helped fund an internship through the McLendon Minority Leadership initiative, which provides opportunities for approximately 30 young minorities per year within college athletic departments across the country.
The University will begin a national search immediately to find its new head coach.
There's nothing wrong with Cal Basketball that money can't fix...
Now do Knowlton!