88 Comments

0-10 baby!!!!!! We are now a third of the way towards our goal of going 0-30 and officially being the WORST basketball team in NCAA history! Just think of the pitch to recruits: "You will be attending one of the most prestigious and magnificent universities in the world, home to Nobel Laureates and alumni who are titans of silicon valley, not to mention the only team in college basketball history that was 0-30! We never do anything small in Berkeley." GO BEARS!!!!!

Expand full comment

Let Jerome Randle coach this team for the rest of the season.

Expand full comment

Here's a "fun" fact: through 400 minutes played this season, Cal has led for 19:25 or less than 5%.

Expand full comment

Floor is 0 wins, ceiling is 2 for this team.

Expand full comment

Feel bad for the kids…they’re playing hard and supporting each other. Just a colossal failure at the coaching level.

Expand full comment

Agreed about the kids.

Expand full comment
Dec 8, 2022·edited Dec 8, 2022

TX-Arlington now might be our last chance at a W for the season. We should have Askew back for that, at least, so there's no excuse if we lose (through Fox should be toast regardless).

Expand full comment

0-10, I don’t even know what to say or how to feel about this.

Expand full comment

We can join some rare and select company (teams who went winless for an entire season).

Expand full comment

How many times has it happened and when was the last time it happened?

Expand full comment

I think Grambling was the last in 2012-13 going 0-28. Most likely the Division 1 count is around 8.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10767-history-made-njit-becomes-the-7th-school-to-go-winless

Expand full comment

The fact that Fox was the “safe” hire as opposed to Gates or Tommy Lloyd is what rankles me the most. And it’s not even in hindsight…it was a weak hire at the time.

To be worse than Wyking Jones is just an unmitigated disaster, man. Yikes…again, the longer he is on the sidelines, the worse it looks for Cal and Knowlton. Leaders take action…f-ing act, Jim.

Expand full comment

Wyking seemed like rock bottom but Fox found a whole new basement.

Expand full comment
author

Final score : EWU 50 Cal 48

Expand full comment

Mozilla

Expand full comment

Kuany…a contested 3 from the corner with 5 seconds left?

Expand full comment
author

Great adjustment from EWU HC David Riley to go with a zone defense for one possession. I don't know if I would have the balls to call that defense but he did and it gave Cal fits.

Expand full comment
Dec 8, 2022·edited Dec 8, 2022

I don’t mind the 3…I don’t like the decision…KK boxed in the corner, no rhythm to the shot. It was a force.

Of course Cal struggled v. the zone…they’re a poorly coached team. Also, how big a cojones do you really have to have to throw a zone at a team that’s 2-14 from beyond the arc? ;-)

Expand full comment

You play for the win when your the underdog and 0-9?

Expand full comment

Joel Brown, man. Can’t have a point guard on the floor in crunch time that shoots 50% from the FT line. C’mon Fox, man. Just awful basketball…

Expand full comment

Canadian POY!

Expand full comment
author

EWU tough layup from Tyrese Davis. 50-48 EWU 24 seconds left Cal ball

Expand full comment

And Cal loses

Expand full comment

Down 1 with 35 seconds!! Can we comeback and win?!?!

Expand full comment

And…..player control foul. Poor kids.

Expand full comment

All out to try and beat a 3-5 Big Sky team…SMDH

Expand full comment

It might just work, we might just win.

Expand full comment

Not with 4th year starting PG that shoots 50% from the charity stripe.

Expand full comment

hey, 3-5 sounds a whole lot better than o-fer..

Winning the 2nd half (so far)

Expand full comment

Cal is losing 43-34 with 5:45 left to play.

Expand full comment

See what happens when the Bears play a little faster? They get the D on its heels, and Brown can dribble penetrate for the easy drop down to KK and the flush.

Instead Fox plays the slowdown pace, and lets a D get set. It’s mind boggling.

Expand full comment

We're #1, we're #1 (in slow play).

Expand full comment

That’s why Fox needs to go. He doesn’t even try to play any other way, despite his system not working a lick.

Expand full comment

Well, on an unrelated note, Jaylen Brown is having a hell of a night against Phoenix. Oh for the days when we could dream of losing in the first round to bad Hawaii team

Expand full comment
author

A lot of external factors went into that Hawaii massacre as much as I hate to admit it and give an "excuse"

Expand full comment

Of course. But Jaylen, Ivan, Sam, you and me should have beaten that team

Expand full comment

Have you ever watched an NCAA tournament? That wasn’t even in top 200 tourney losses. Shoulda/coulda/didn’t.

Expand full comment

For Cal it sure as hell was! What a stupid comment

Expand full comment
Dec 8, 2022·edited Dec 8, 2022

For Cal, yes. But the Iowa State game with Shareef and the UW-Wisconsin games are the ones that keep me up still. I hoped more than expected to beat that Hawaii game given the way that week went, and because Hawaii was a really peculiar matchup for us. We for sure had the talent. But if you're a young team and you lose maybe the steadiest most important player on the team (Wallace) and your shooting guard --both our only veterans on the starting unit if I recall-- over night and it's not a surprise it's gonna be a challenge. Anyways I was bummed the way it went of course. But it was hardly a disgrace given the circumstances. My reaction is cause there doesn't seem to be a lot of perspective on that loss and Cuonzo in general. We put so much weight on that one loss, because we get so few opportunities. But if you get enough opportunities in the tournament things losses like that happen more often. Geez, ask Arizona. I just want us to get to take some swings again, and be disappointed if I have to be.

Expand full comment

Jordan Matthews was on that team as well…horrific loss.

Expand full comment
author

just too many factors to overcome. From Ty Wallace, to Jabari, to the assistant coach. Plus Jaylen was not the playmaker that we know him as today. A perfect storm of everything going wrong

Expand full comment

It was also a bad match-up. All the sharp money was on Hawaii. I had a terrible feeling about that game.

Expand full comment

That’s the biggest thing…Jaylen was so out of control as a FR, like a bull in a china shop…he had, what, 2-3 player control fouls a game? And Rabb was rather underwhelming offensively for a Mickey D’S All American…still a quality team, but man, a wasted opportunity.

Expand full comment

Totally. People forget that it took Jaylen a few years in the Show as well to figure it out. He was raw as raw gets. Tyrone was the most important player on that team, so when they lost him the whole thing unzipped.

Expand full comment

Worst I’ve ever witnessed live. A true Cal loss

Expand full comment

Mind as well hand the reigns over to Oski. He literally could not do any worse. LITERALLY!

Expand full comment

Oski would play up tempo, like you should with an athletic roster that goes 9 deep and struggles to score in the half court. It’s basic coaching.

Expand full comment
Dec 8, 2022·edited Dec 8, 2022

Down 27-20 at the half.

Part of me wants to just see this team go winless to see how long Fox can continue to be employed as our HC. This is becoming a social experiment in losing and white privilege.

Expand full comment

That last part. Wyking and Cuonzo would have been gone three weeks ago.

Expand full comment

Unfortunately, I fear you are so right.

Expand full comment
author

27-20 EWU at the half. I watched them in person earlier this year and their offensive runs through #2 Venters who only has 4 which is looking alright. #13 Allegri can stretch the floor and #31 Jones in addition to other provide solid help on the offensive glass but that has also been limited. EWU has cleaned the defensive glass so far.

Expand full comment

My other complaint is even with the limited number of player Fox still has mind numbingly stupid substitution patterns. Never lets any player stay in long enough to get into a rhythm on offense. If you keep on subbing people out after a couple minutes of game time it won't be shocking when they keep on missing good shots.

Expand full comment

His sub patterns prevent any offensive flow. It’s no wonder he can’t field a competent offense…he runs a slow, methodical O that relies on rhythm yet the HC constantly disrupts that flow.

It’s like a football coach icing his own kicker.

Expand full comment

Just watching guys pass the ball around the perimeter until the clock runs down and we take a bad shot.

Expand full comment

Ya mean swapping out all 5 guys at the same time is not good for flow?

Expand full comment

If you play up tempo and force turnovers, that’s a good way to play. Mike Jarvis used to do that years ago.

But it’s a losing strategy when you play the boring a$$ slowdown trash offense that Fox does.

Expand full comment
Dec 8, 2022Liked by TD_24

I'm so tired of hearing these bullshit injury excuses. Cal has 8 (before this game 9) healthy scholarship players, all of which were recruited by Mark Fox. If you can't recruit and develop 9 players at the power 5 level to win against low-major schools (UC Davis, UCSD, Southern, Texas St) you should not be coaching basketball at any level. Let alone making millions of dollars doing so.

Expand full comment

Yes, THIS.

Expand full comment

How much money did Mark Fox pay to Ben Braun?

Expand full comment

Good old boy coaches network…bonds are tight in that fraternity.

Expand full comment

Ben is a really positive guy. Never a bad word about anyone, in particular, the young players.

Expand full comment
Dec 8, 2022·edited Dec 8, 2022

Unlike Fox, who throws them under the bus consistently.

Expand full comment

Lot of empty seats. New coach needed for new recruits and fans back in the seats.

Expand full comment

It’s a morgue.

Expand full comment

Not enough paying customers to pay the light bill

Expand full comment

what about a lottery to get butts back in teh seats? Pick a lucky number at every coin toss, and the winner gets to be HC for a day!

Expand full comment
Dec 8, 2022·edited Dec 8, 2022

Sigh…6-2 EWU at the under 16 media timeout.

Expand full comment

Cal down 2-0 after 2 1/2 minutes.

Expand full comment

Grant passes up a wide open 3 to instead dribble into traffic and hoist up a runner in the lane. SMH

Expand full comment

Not sure why I even have this on. This game will tell us very little.

Expand full comment
Dec 8, 2022·edited Dec 8, 2022

This is true of tonight’s game and every game after it that Fox coaches at Cal.

Expand full comment

27-20 at the half. Why watch?

Expand full comment

I suppose it is like watching a train crash into a dumpster fire. It is so bad but you can’t turn away and have to continue to watch.

Expand full comment
Dec 8, 2022·edited Dec 8, 2022

I watch because it actually prepares me to be excited for a Shantay Legans/Joe Pencil-neck hiring….

Watching Eastern Washington’s smooth and crisp movement on O - this is Shantay’s O and pedigree.

Darn you Mark Fox…you have me longing for a player that quit on one of the better Cal rosters of the last 20 years!!!

Expand full comment

Go Bears!!

Expand full comment

My prediction:

Eastern Washington: 245

Cal: 4

Go to Vegas on it.

Expand full comment
author

From Jeff Goodman

Cal will be without leading scorer Devin Askew tonight vs. EWU due to COVID, source told @Stadium.

Jalen Celestine - OUT (ACL)

Dejuan Clayton - OUT (Hamstring)

Jarred Hyder - OUT (back surgery)

ND Okafor - OUT (COVID)

Expand full comment

Is Fox out?

I mean, out out.

Expand full comment

Finally some legitimate excuses, but alas too many "cry wolves" for any sympathy here.

Expand full comment

"legit excuses"? Time to extend Coach.

Expand full comment

Knowlton’s itching to

Expand full comment

This is the first legitimate excuse he’s had all season.

This f-ing guy is gonna get a pass by the U, isn’t he?

Expand full comment

My guess is Knowlton is just waiting for someone to pay the tab. I think that was why there was that long pause after Wyking’s second year, when everybody was asking themselves, “You’re not really running this back, are you?” He was waiting the donors to show up. Not giving Knowlton any credit, he is the least assertive and imaginative AD I can recall. But at this point Fox’s fate is sealed, especially now that people are starting to acknowledge just how far this program has fallen. Even Fox knows it. Just a matter of when someone is willing to open their checkbook.

Expand full comment

I’d actually pony up some cash if it went to the Fox buyout!

BTW, did you finish The English?

Expand full comment

Watched it twice!!

Expand full comment

Fantastic series…exciting, haunting. Dialog was great, Blunt was so good, the antagonist was devilishly evil, the scenery was breathtaking and Chaske Spencer as Eli was a revelation.

Just a quality show, huh! Highly recommended to other Cal fans.

Expand full comment