Great piece. Thanks for the research. It confirms what I have been thinking. I said at the time we hired Wyking and again when we hired Fox, that the athletic department was essentially defaulting on the program. This may make some short-term financial sense, but I really wonder at what cost over the longer term. We now have a generation…
Great piece. Thanks for the research. It confirms what I have been thinking. I said at the time we hired Wyking and again when we hired Fox, that the athletic department was essentially defaulting on the program. This may make some short-term financial sense, but I really wonder at what cost over the longer term. We now have a generation that has missed out on Cal hoops and largely sees the program as an un-cared-for bottom feeder not worthy of paying an even casual interest. I can only speak for myself, but going to Cal games with my family at an early age, played no small part for my choosing to attend the university, why I worked at university and why I have donated to the university for most of my adult life. It seems short sighted to not to improve performance at least enough not to alienate casual fans, alumni and students. Unlike football, the amount of money it takes to raise the basketball program a notch or two is not going to sink the rest of the ship. There's no doubt that football is the straw that stirs the financial drink, but our chances of having top-level success--much less sustained success--is really unlikely. The same can not be said for basketball, where we actually could have a premium program if we invested and were smart about it.
Cogent. In business, neglect is euphemistically sometimes called "deferred maintenance". (Also Mordo - "The bill comes due.") Knowlton has said he is working on a dedicated practice facility. I have heard many times that is a big deal to recruits. Not only is it a measure of interest in basketball at the school, but it relates to their daily enjoyment of practice (which can sometimes feel like a grind...) I don't know what other infrastructure (physical and otherwise) issues are being addressed. If Knowlton can quietly (read "I don't think he communicates the way I would like") improve the basketball environment at CAL in the next couple of years then it could pay dividends for Fox's replacement. Since the current state of neglect reflects what I feel is the administration's real disinterest in MBB (and similarly in women's though that has a different set of issues overall) I am not eagerly anticipating a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (I don't think I have to pay copyright on just including part of a title...).
I'm not arguing with you even though I'm about to write this, but a lot was made (fairly) about the quality of Cal's football facilities before the Memorial project. But it was at the moment that project was finished that the program nosedived. Of course much contributed to that downturn and the team still needs a practice facility, but it was mostly coaching and not so much the extra stuff. That's all to say I don't know the full value of a new practice facility and how that might contribute to our success. But it's also a nifty excuse to have in your pocket too if you might want to distract with something that is not likely to be resolved in the short term.
Actually, I agree with all that. If anyone wants to distract then it can be a scapegoat. I think there are plenty of other things going on. IF some other non-coaching issues exist (probably a given everywhere) and IF some of them can be addressed (I'm not holding my breath but I'm a CAL fan so I have to look for the silver lining or die) then the improvements could be a boon to "Fox's replacement". I don't advocate sitting on one's hands instead of fixing a particular problem (like a bad coach, say) , and I don't know that anything will actually be improved, but MAYBE a better situation could help recruit a better coach which could lead to synergistic cycles of improvement. For the record, I am here neither to praise Fox nor bury him. He is an honorable man (I think...). I want better and am just saying that maybe we can raise our sites even higher at the end of this contract (I wish sooner)... or maybe not... being a CAL fan I also expect disappointment (which should not be disappointing if it was expected, right?).
Hmmm.... not sure I understand this post. We are talking basketball here...? Besides the mental impact on recruits, there is the scheduling/availability issue. Having dedicated facilities makes it much easier to schedule/drop in without having to worry about other teams or support staff. For guys who want to spend hours just working on their shot/dribble/whatever it makes a difference. I assume the weight room, napping cubes, food, etc. won't be duplicated, but I don't claim to actually know what is being discussed/planned...
I probably need to slow down before writing a post. - Man, I've been there! I vaguely recall the football team took over another facility (women's soccer?) for practice anyway in addition to the stadium ... which also shows a lack of room for all the sports (see below)... and cue something related to field hockey and Title IX. I used to live in Unit 2 dorms, and I remember Underhill as being this solid concrete death trap with a nasty slant... and now there's competitive sports on it...? I played intramural B level soccer there and thought it was cool that something was available but feared for my health every game.
Great piece. Thanks for the research. It confirms what I have been thinking. I said at the time we hired Wyking and again when we hired Fox, that the athletic department was essentially defaulting on the program. This may make some short-term financial sense, but I really wonder at what cost over the longer term. We now have a generation that has missed out on Cal hoops and largely sees the program as an un-cared-for bottom feeder not worthy of paying an even casual interest. I can only speak for myself, but going to Cal games with my family at an early age, played no small part for my choosing to attend the university, why I worked at university and why I have donated to the university for most of my adult life. It seems short sighted to not to improve performance at least enough not to alienate casual fans, alumni and students. Unlike football, the amount of money it takes to raise the basketball program a notch or two is not going to sink the rest of the ship. There's no doubt that football is the straw that stirs the financial drink, but our chances of having top-level success--much less sustained success--is really unlikely. The same can not be said for basketball, where we actually could have a premium program if we invested and were smart about it.
Cogent. In business, neglect is euphemistically sometimes called "deferred maintenance". (Also Mordo - "The bill comes due.") Knowlton has said he is working on a dedicated practice facility. I have heard many times that is a big deal to recruits. Not only is it a measure of interest in basketball at the school, but it relates to their daily enjoyment of practice (which can sometimes feel like a grind...) I don't know what other infrastructure (physical and otherwise) issues are being addressed. If Knowlton can quietly (read "I don't think he communicates the way I would like") improve the basketball environment at CAL in the next couple of years then it could pay dividends for Fox's replacement. Since the current state of neglect reflects what I feel is the administration's real disinterest in MBB (and similarly in women's though that has a different set of issues overall) I am not eagerly anticipating a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (I don't think I have to pay copyright on just including part of a title...).
I'm not arguing with you even though I'm about to write this, but a lot was made (fairly) about the quality of Cal's football facilities before the Memorial project. But it was at the moment that project was finished that the program nosedived. Of course much contributed to that downturn and the team still needs a practice facility, but it was mostly coaching and not so much the extra stuff. That's all to say I don't know the full value of a new practice facility and how that might contribute to our success. But it's also a nifty excuse to have in your pocket too if you might want to distract with something that is not likely to be resolved in the short term.
Actually, I agree with all that. If anyone wants to distract then it can be a scapegoat. I think there are plenty of other things going on. IF some other non-coaching issues exist (probably a given everywhere) and IF some of them can be addressed (I'm not holding my breath but I'm a CAL fan so I have to look for the silver lining or die) then the improvements could be a boon to "Fox's replacement". I don't advocate sitting on one's hands instead of fixing a particular problem (like a bad coach, say) , and I don't know that anything will actually be improved, but MAYBE a better situation could help recruit a better coach which could lead to synergistic cycles of improvement. For the record, I am here neither to praise Fox nor bury him. He is an honorable man (I think...). I want better and am just saying that maybe we can raise our sites even higher at the end of this contract (I wish sooner)... or maybe not... being a CAL fan I also expect disappointment (which should not be disappointing if it was expected, right?).
100%
Hmmm.... not sure I understand this post. We are talking basketball here...? Besides the mental impact on recruits, there is the scheduling/availability issue. Having dedicated facilities makes it much easier to schedule/drop in without having to worry about other teams or support staff. For guys who want to spend hours just working on their shot/dribble/whatever it makes a difference. I assume the weight room, napping cubes, food, etc. won't be duplicated, but I don't claim to actually know what is being discussed/planned...
I probably need to slow down before writing a post. - Man, I've been there! I vaguely recall the football team took over another facility (women's soccer?) for practice anyway in addition to the stadium ... which also shows a lack of room for all the sports (see below)... and cue something related to field hockey and Title IX. I used to live in Unit 2 dorms, and I remember Underhill as being this solid concrete death trap with a nasty slant... and now there's competitive sports on it...? I played intramural B level soccer there and thought it was cool that something was available but feared for my health every game.