Jeff Schultz, an Atlanta based writer for The Athletic (@JeffSchultzATL), is reporting that Kennesaw St and AAR are trying to work out an extension...a few hours ago, he also claimed :
"Abdur-Rahim is not believed to be a serious candidate for the Cal job. But it would still behoove KSU to get him locked up to a new deal."
From a purely emotional standpoint, I kind of hope it's him. I don't know why, just gut instinct. My second choice is Pasternak. If it's Miles or someone like him, Cal basketball is dead IMHO.
Jaylen Brown said he spoke with Cal AD Jim Knowlton about the school's coaching opening and offered his thoughts, including an endorsement for Kennasaw State coach Amir Abdur-Rahim,who has drawn interest. Brown said he's happy to be included in the process. #Celtics #CalBears
Oh you're gonna love this...an East Coast source claims Jim Knowlton has a top 4 of:
1. Joe Pasternack
2. Tim Miles
3. Amir Abdur-Rahim
4. Tom Crean
Tom Crean? Is this Knowlton's master plan to get the fanbase behind Tim Miles...float Tom Crean out there, a guy that has failed miserably and been fired from not one but TWO P5 gigs...yikes...just yikes.
-----------
Bruce Davis
@BruceinNJ
Update on the Cal opening: They have their top choices now as Joe Pasternack, Tom Crean, Amir Abdur-Rahim, and Tim Miles. All 4 have interviewed. All in-person with exception of Abdur-Rahim who was over Zoom.
I saw that. I’m actually not worried about Crean, nor do I think a rando named Bruce in Jersey has any inside knowledge about the Cal hire.
I AM worried AAR’s Zoom interview or Crean’s name being linked is just misdirection so Knowlton can hire Tim Miles, who would he just as poor a selection.
Mr. C., I'm about as average a Cal fan as there is, & believe me I know how awful Knowlton is. While I'm partial to AAR for no particular reason other than the vibe, I could at least see the argument for Pasternak. For Miles (or Crean), there is absolutely no way to justify that hire. If I win the lottery, I promise to buy JK the hell outta there. Shorter-term, to mix my references, we're stuck in the matrix but hoping Skynet pulls the plug on our collective misery.
I dunno, Rollah…I respectfully put you firmly in the well above-average Cal fan category by virtue of the very fact that you take the time to pay attention to the happenings surrounding the MBB program…a lot of Cal folks don’t even pay one iota of attention anymore.
As for the rest, that damn SkyNet is self-aware. Judgment Day was inevitable…thanks a lot, Miles Dyson…
Curses, foiled again. What I will acknowledge -- as long as we're hanging in the mutual admiration section of the comments -- is your ability to get all my references beyond Hickory's borders. I need to go deeper into the archive as befitting our stature. I have no insider knowledge (I wish), & my twitter's stuck waiting for 2-factor authentication that I can't provide cuz I haven't needed to recall my password in forever. So I'll just keep refreshing this site until JK makes his pick. I need to reflect on my feelings of helplessness. Back soon, stay safe.
When it comes to this specific MBB search, I am so starved for competent leadership that I’m admittedly holding on too tight and have lost the edge, like poor you know-who with the Wazzu mascot call sign from that naval aviator film that first debuted back in ‘86…
Crean? Oh god no! Was just thinking how lucky we got not having to compete with any other major west coast openings this cycle. if we eff this up . . .
Probably. I’m just trying to figure out how he could mind fock the fan base just enough so that they’d be amenable to Miles, who in his heart of hearts is undoubtedly Jimbo’s #1 candidate.
Based on his "tears of joy", I would put him in the top 2 candidates. This man has passion and has built a program from the ground up!! With his brother calling donors for money, this is a great combination for Cal.
Money won't be an issue, but as Jimmy C noted, a Zoom interview speaks volumes. Unless AAR requested the Zoom for personal reasons, he's got to be thinking Cal Admin must not care that much about men's b'ball. And that alone might make him think twice about any offer.
Add that to JK's propensity to hire guys like himself......
There's admittedly a contingent that think the Zoom interview isn't that big of a deal, given the distance, etc. blah blah blah...I stand with you OCB - it shows a concerning lack of urgency from Knowlton, who is already viewed as an idiot by the college athletics community, including former Cal basketball players themselves.
May poor WFC family. Even in fleeting moments that we are allowed optimism, so many speak of despair and DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
Lord Oski: please heal the souls of my brother bears, for they are abused and their souls injured. Forgive them.
Coaching/teaching requires an ability to connect with the students/players, and a disciplined system that gets them to work. Amir is a sincere dude who can get through to players. We would be lucky to have him.
There's a real good reason why most Cal fans speak of despair and DOOOOOOOOM...his name is Jim Knowlton.
From the looks of it, a vast majority of the fanbase I've encountered would be totally frigging stoked if we hired Amir Abdur-Rahim and that completely agree that we would be lucky to have him.
This is fantastic news. If you watch the presser after their loss in the tournament, and I watch a lot of pressers, you will be really impressed by how his players speak about each other and him. That's the sort of leadership you need in a coach. Those players speak of how they are truly brothers, and that they learned more about being good men than they did about basketball. That's who we want leading our Bears. The more I see, the more respect and appreciation I have.
Cal should be on a mission to hire the "best coach possible" rather than a crusade to bring a black coach into the conference. Today the fuggin administration would pass on Pete Newell because he is white and hire a Wyking level candidate because he is black. Think about the players, they deserve the best coach willing to lead this program back from the depths of the sinkhole it is in. Naivete still reigns supreme in Cal's athletic department. Abdur-Rahim needs more seasoning / experience.. School higher Cal, shoot higher.
I find this comment bordering on the inappropriate. You are clearly saying that Cal is interested in AAR only because he is black. How about that he has had success at both the assistant and HC levels, is a demonstrated recruiter, has connections to both Cal and the NBA via his brother (which will help recruiting) and by all accounts is a stand up guy and leader of young men?
Are you really so dimwitted to not see the problems with your "argument"?
1) your presumption that Cal is on a "crusade to bring a black..." is, at a minimum a big jump just because you don't agree that he's as qualified as others, and smacks of blatant racism.
2) do you not see that some big recruits may appreciate that we've hired a black coach and that might be a mark in our favor when we're in a close competition for another recruit (Deon Sanders anyone)?
3) why is it not possible or likely that the best coach available is black? And, it's so often the case that you have a couple of coaches that are very comparable- what's wrong with picking the black one when there's so much uncertainty.
Dude, you have a race problem and you don't even know it.
What makes you think Cal is on a crusade to hire a Black coach and why do feel that AAR is not worthy of an interview when so many others more qualified feel differently? The quick turn around at KS is nothing short of a miracle. Wyking was a bad hire as many have stated here when he was hired. The facts that there is not a single Black coach in the Pac and Cal has never had a Black football HC are clear indicators that Universities & Cal haven't done their due diligence in interviewing/hiring qualified Black coaches! The Rooney Rule doesn't even apply to the NCAA...which clearly needs to change!
"The Pac-12 does not have any Black head men’s basketball coaches and Cal is interested in changing that, sources said." This does not mean that Cal is on a crusade to hire a Black coach. To me this means Cal has identified an ideal candidate for the HC job and if hired would change this.
AAR is more than qualified to be the next head coach at Cal...if he is not the hire, the more likely reason is that he has never coached west of College Station, when west coast coaching and recruiting experience was a clear point of emphasis in the supposed job description. 3 of Cal's past 6 Head MBB Coach's have been Black, and while they have never had a Black football HC, they tried like hell to hire Marvin Lewis but were rebuffed.
My concern is that Knowlton interviewed AAR as simply a courtesy to Shareef, or worse, to check a box and give the appearance of due diligence when it was always his intention to hire either Miles or Pasternack, the dudes that were reported as candidates 6 weeks ago.
But make no mistake, Amir Abdur-Rahim would be a solid, dynamic hire that would immediately energize the fan base. I hope we do get him, though I am doubtful we will, because, well, Jim Knowlton.
To borrow from the great Ricky Bobby, "and remember, I'm saying with all due respect, that idea ain't worth a velvet paintin of a whale and a dolphin gettin it on".
Cal passed 'go' as a destination hire a long time ago. It's a sinkhole for a reason (several, actually) and AAR might be one of the few most willing to come to the rescue.
> Cal should be on a mission to accept the "best student possible" rather than a crusade to bring a asian student the school. Today the fuggin administration would pass on Adam Smith because he is white and accept a Piotr Le level candidate because he is asian. Think about the professors , they deserve the best student willing to work hard to being this school back from the depths of the sinkhole it is in. Naivete still reigns supreme in Berkeley's academia department. Piotr Le needs more seasoning / experience.. School higher Berkeley, shoot higher.
Christ, if this is your best effort being a cub reporter and all, we not only might have to endure a crappy team if the wrong coach is chosen, but crappy reporting as well.
No one said Cal was on a "crusade" to bring in a black coach. Your post is grossly overstated and misleading, in my opinion. It borders on ugly. Don't you think there is such a thing as preference? Let's say I had a peach yesterday and today am offered a nice peach or a nectarine. Both are good. If I choose the nectarine, does it mean I hate the peach? Does it mean I am incapable of seeing that peaches can be good? No, it's that I just had one. They are both good. They are different. I choose one based on what I now prefer. Cal should quite obviously choose a coach who is great at coaching basketball and basketball players, and if you have a choice of two coaches with those skills, and choose a white coach, doesn't that show a preference? Now what if it is a black coach? Isn't it alright to say that there are benefits to his identity and community and ability to relate to players from certain backgrounds that will yield benefits? It doesn't change your fundamental requirements, and yet other things like race, family background, geographic familiarity or economic background can confer certain advantages or disadvantages when relating to certain players.
Come on, this is a Fiat Lux, UC Berkeley site, let's try to consider the complexities of the topics we are discussing.
Reread the article including the Marc Spears comments. I thought this was a Cal site, screw the Berkeley junk. There are no dithering, debatable , bullshit complexities in this matter, just hire the best damn coach available and willing..Hit a home run, not a bunt single. Forget the "big picture", smug morality stuff. This program is in deep guano, hire the right coach or it will sink out of sight.
I wouldn't expect a miracle from him, nor any coach we have a genuine shot at. I think he's a splashy enough hire to feel like we're actually doing something and enough coaching upside to maybe...do something.
At this stage it's about generating excitement to reinvigorate our dumpster fire of a program.
Respectfully disagree. Write For California is not a recruitment web site, but a forum for Bears to discuss, disagree, opine opinions about Cal sports. Better for recruits to know that Cal is much more than a simple jock school.
When these athletes come on campus, this reality hits them hard. Perhaps that's why Cal isn't able to keep many to athletes after their first season at Cal.
sorry, I meant recruit a high quality head coach. (And highlighting the incompetence & mismanagement that we all know so well is not the best way to attract someone fresh!)
A Zoom interview unfortunately speaks volumes...either this hire is going to take a long time, which tells us that Jim Knowlton was STILL somehow unprepared....or AAR is not a realistic candidate, which would suck.
... or doesn't speak anything at all. Could have been a zoom for any number of reasons. You can zoom with a dozen of your top candidates, then make your itinerary. If he's interested, and he bails because his first entrée wasn't in person, is that who we would want? I say it's a non-issue. I'm just hoping he was thrilled Cal got in touch. Man who takes this job would have to love a challenge.
yeah, and there's the issue: Should not be a dozen "top" candidates. IMO, "top" candidates should be flown in, at least they would be at a big boy P5 school. Heck, the SEC teams would send their private jet to pick up a top candidate. (Ever seen the LSU Gulfstream?)
If its a screening or preliminary interview, fine, but that's not what I took from the tweet, which was AAR "finished" his interview with Cal.
I read this more as a “they’re interested,” but he’s clearly not a top candidate. Almost like a courtesy to Shareef, and to say you “interviewed” other candidates. Or they’re checking in to see if he’s interested, which is worse.
If he is a legit top candidate, then Knowlton is a f-ing idiot for waiting 4 days to Zoom. Show some urgency, you dope.
If you were JK, I would've asked that you fall on your sword and resign, for the good of the entire dept. That's after I would've asked Fox to do the same right around the 0-12 mark. Since that dude has no honor, he wouldn't have left willingly so then you -- still in JK mode -- would've fired his ass!
If I was JK, there would have been no contract extensions to Wilcox or Fox, and yeah, he would have been gone way before 0-12. (And I would have explained to the Chancellor how Winning revenue teams support all the women's sports.)
I really hope I am wrong, because I think AAR would do really well at Cal and I've loved what I have seen from him.
And I am admittedly on the far other end of Sunshine spectrum from the "Pumpers" when it comes to Cal sports...I WANT to believe, just find a hard time doing so.
Kennesaw St. lost Friday, likely returned home Saturday. We don't do a Zoom interview until Tuesday? Hmmmm, reading the tea leaves, he's far from the leader in the clubhouse.
The Tuesday timing is ok with me, if for no other reason gave AAR time to decompress from their loss and prep for the call. (I was fearing this would be another Dennis Gates sitch where he interviews right after a game, and JK claimed he was underprepared.)
But that said, JK couldn't cough up $3k for a roundtrip first class ticket?
Let's FCKIN goooooo. Generate some buzz, get students & alumni interested again. Don't know why but vibing so hard for this dude rn; seems genuine. Can't get too excited, though, because Knowlton can still screw this pooch like he's screwed all the pooches throughout his tenure.
and don't forget, 4) after his pro days were over, the former one-and-done Shareef returned to Cal to complete his degree. He could have earned a degree anywhere, including his home state school of UGa, but chose to become a graduate of Berkeley. The family 'gets' Cal, and that is always a plus factor.
Jeff Schultz, an Atlanta based writer for The Athletic (@JeffSchultzATL), is reporting that Kennesaw St and AAR are trying to work out an extension...a few hours ago, he also claimed :
"Abdur-Rahim is not believed to be a serious candidate for the Cal job. But it would still behoove KSU to get him locked up to a new deal."
FWIW. Believe, don't believe.
From a purely emotional standpoint, I kind of hope it's him. I don't know why, just gut instinct. My second choice is Pasternak. If it's Miles or someone like him, Cal basketball is dead IMHO.
Jaylen Brown said he spoke with Cal AD Jim Knowlton about the school's coaching opening and offered his thoughts, including an endorsement for Kennasaw State coach Amir Abdur-Rahim,who has drawn interest. Brown said he's happy to be included in the process. #Celtics #CalBears
https://twitter.com/GwashburnGlobe/status/1638412597560217601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1638412597560217601%7Ctwgr%5E6150bfb199107d2f28628fdb722e1cd4102a864b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbearinsider.com%2Fs%2F3517%2Fpotential-mens-basketball-coaching-candidates
Hope Knowlton listens to him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vah025fgqHY
Oh you're gonna love this...an East Coast source claims Jim Knowlton has a top 4 of:
1. Joe Pasternack
2. Tim Miles
3. Amir Abdur-Rahim
4. Tom Crean
Tom Crean? Is this Knowlton's master plan to get the fanbase behind Tim Miles...float Tom Crean out there, a guy that has failed miserably and been fired from not one but TWO P5 gigs...yikes...just yikes.
-----------
Bruce Davis
@BruceinNJ
Update on the Cal opening: They have their top choices now as Joe Pasternack, Tom Crean, Amir Abdur-Rahim, and Tim Miles. All 4 have interviewed. All in-person with exception of Abdur-Rahim who was over Zoom.
Look at the comments on the tweet. Green himself laughed at the tweet
I saw that. I’m actually not worried about Crean, nor do I think a rando named Bruce in Jersey has any inside knowledge about the Cal hire.
I AM worried AAR’s Zoom interview or Crean’s name being linked is just misdirection so Knowlton can hire Tim Miles, who would he just as poor a selection.
Crean is a perfect fit for JK. No question that Tom will feel the "most comfortable" for JK. Those older unemployed guys are an easy hire.
OCB, I really don't think the average Cal fan realizes how catastrophically awful Jim Knowlton is for Cal Athletics.
He has the potential to be the worst thing to happen to Cal sports in the last 50 years, the Bozeman affair included.
We already know how things would go with Tim Miles...it's not even a question.
Mr. C., I'm about as average a Cal fan as there is, & believe me I know how awful Knowlton is. While I'm partial to AAR for no particular reason other than the vibe, I could at least see the argument for Pasternak. For Miles (or Crean), there is absolutely no way to justify that hire. If I win the lottery, I promise to buy JK the hell outta there. Shorter-term, to mix my references, we're stuck in the matrix but hoping Skynet pulls the plug on our collective misery.
I dunno, Rollah…I respectfully put you firmly in the well above-average Cal fan category by virtue of the very fact that you take the time to pay attention to the happenings surrounding the MBB program…a lot of Cal folks don’t even pay one iota of attention anymore.
As for the rest, that damn SkyNet is self-aware. Judgment Day was inevitable…thanks a lot, Miles Dyson…
Curses, foiled again. What I will acknowledge -- as long as we're hanging in the mutual admiration section of the comments -- is your ability to get all my references beyond Hickory's borders. I need to go deeper into the archive as befitting our stature. I have no insider knowledge (I wish), & my twitter's stuck waiting for 2-factor authentication that I can't provide cuz I haven't needed to recall my password in forever. So I'll just keep refreshing this site until JK makes his pick. I need to reflect on my feelings of helplessness. Back soon, stay safe.
You as well, my friend.
When it comes to this specific MBB search, I am so starved for competent leadership that I’m admittedly holding on too tight and have lost the edge, like poor you know-who with the Wazzu mascot call sign from that naval aviator film that first debuted back in ‘86…
Here’s to a good hire…
Crean? Oh god no! Was just thinking how lucky we got not having to compete with any other major west coast openings this cycle. if we eff this up . . .
My worry P is that it's Knowlton's way of getting the donors to approve Miles, who is honestly just as bad a hire.
I think you’re making out JK to be shrewder than he is.
Probably. I’m just trying to figure out how he could mind fock the fan base just enough so that they’d be amenable to Miles, who in his heart of hearts is undoubtedly Jimbo’s #1 candidate.
Based on his "tears of joy", I would put him in the top 2 candidates. This man has passion and has built a program from the ground up!! With his brother calling donors for money, this is a great combination for Cal.
F' it, hire him now.
From the SI article and former Cal assistant Billy Kennedy...it sounds like Cal is not the only school interviewing him. I hope we can compete $$$!
Money won't be an issue, but as Jimmy C noted, a Zoom interview speaks volumes. Unless AAR requested the Zoom for personal reasons, he's got to be thinking Cal Admin must not care that much about men's b'ball. And that alone might make him think twice about any offer.
Add that to JK's propensity to hire guys like himself......
There's admittedly a contingent that think the Zoom interview isn't that big of a deal, given the distance, etc. blah blah blah...I stand with you OCB - it shows a concerning lack of urgency from Knowlton, who is already viewed as an idiot by the college athletics community, including former Cal basketball players themselves.
Knowlton is a serious problem, folks.
May poor WFC family. Even in fleeting moments that we are allowed optimism, so many speak of despair and DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
Lord Oski: please heal the souls of my brother bears, for they are abused and their souls injured. Forgive them.
Coaching/teaching requires an ability to connect with the students/players, and a disciplined system that gets them to work. Amir is a sincere dude who can get through to players. We would be lucky to have him.
There's a real good reason why most Cal fans speak of despair and DOOOOOOOOM...his name is Jim Knowlton.
From the looks of it, a vast majority of the fanbase I've encountered would be totally frigging stoked if we hired Amir Abdur-Rahim and that completely agree that we would be lucky to have him.
This is fantastic news. If you watch the presser after their loss in the tournament, and I watch a lot of pressers, you will be really impressed by how his players speak about each other and him. That's the sort of leadership you need in a coach. Those players speak of how they are truly brothers, and that they learned more about being good men than they did about basketball. That's who we want leading our Bears. The more I see, the more respect and appreciation I have.
Cal should be on a mission to hire the "best coach possible" rather than a crusade to bring a black coach into the conference. Today the fuggin administration would pass on Pete Newell because he is white and hire a Wyking level candidate because he is black. Think about the players, they deserve the best coach willing to lead this program back from the depths of the sinkhole it is in. Naivete still reigns supreme in Cal's athletic department. Abdur-Rahim needs more seasoning / experience.. School higher Cal, shoot higher.
4 years as a head coach. First two he was 6-47. Both Fox and Wyking could produce that. I'm skeptical on his record more than any other criteria.
I find this comment bordering on the inappropriate. You are clearly saying that Cal is interested in AAR only because he is black. How about that he has had success at both the assistant and HC levels, is a demonstrated recruiter, has connections to both Cal and the NBA via his brother (which will help recruiting) and by all accounts is a stand up guy and leader of young men?
Are you really so dimwitted to not see the problems with your "argument"?
1) your presumption that Cal is on a "crusade to bring a black..." is, at a minimum a big jump just because you don't agree that he's as qualified as others, and smacks of blatant racism.
2) do you not see that some big recruits may appreciate that we've hired a black coach and that might be a mark in our favor when we're in a close competition for another recruit (Deon Sanders anyone)?
3) why is it not possible or likely that the best coach available is black? And, it's so often the case that you have a couple of coaches that are very comparable- what's wrong with picking the black one when there's so much uncertainty.
Dude, you have a race problem and you don't even know it.
Do better, Rick. Do better.
What makes you think Cal is on a crusade to hire a Black coach and why do feel that AAR is not worthy of an interview when so many others more qualified feel differently? The quick turn around at KS is nothing short of a miracle. Wyking was a bad hire as many have stated here when he was hired. The facts that there is not a single Black coach in the Pac and Cal has never had a Black football HC are clear indicators that Universities & Cal haven't done their due diligence in interviewing/hiring qualified Black coaches! The Rooney Rule doesn't even apply to the NCAA...which clearly needs to change!
That's what it said in the main article Twitter quote.
"The Pac-12 does not have any Black head men’s basketball coaches and Cal is interested in changing that, sources said." This does not mean that Cal is on a crusade to hire a Black coach. To me this means Cal has identified an ideal candidate for the HC job and if hired would change this.
AAR is more than qualified to be the next head coach at Cal...if he is not the hire, the more likely reason is that he has never coached west of College Station, when west coast coaching and recruiting experience was a clear point of emphasis in the supposed job description. 3 of Cal's past 6 Head MBB Coach's have been Black, and while they have never had a Black football HC, they tried like hell to hire Marvin Lewis but were rebuffed.
My concern is that Knowlton interviewed AAR as simply a courtesy to Shareef, or worse, to check a box and give the appearance of due diligence when it was always his intention to hire either Miles or Pasternack, the dudes that were reported as candidates 6 weeks ago.
But make no mistake, Amir Abdur-Rahim would be a solid, dynamic hire that would immediately energize the fan base. I hope we do get him, though I am doubtful we will, because, well, Jim Knowlton.
To borrow from the great Ricky Bobby, "and remember, I'm saying with all due respect, that idea ain't worth a velvet paintin of a whale and a dolphin gettin it on".
Cal passed 'go' as a destination hire a long time ago. It's a sinkhole for a reason (several, actually) and AAR might be one of the few most willing to come to the rescue.
> Cal should be on a mission to accept the "best student possible" rather than a crusade to bring a asian student the school. Today the fuggin administration would pass on Adam Smith because he is white and accept a Piotr Le level candidate because he is asian. Think about the professors , they deserve the best student willing to work hard to being this school back from the depths of the sinkhole it is in. Naivete still reigns supreme in Berkeley's academia department. Piotr Le needs more seasoning / experience.. School higher Berkeley, shoot higher.
That's how you sound like
Christ, if this is your best effort being a cub reporter and all, we not only might have to endure a crappy team if the wrong coach is chosen, but crappy reporting as well.
Did I hurt your feelings?
Nope, not at all
Rick,
No one said Cal was on a "crusade" to bring in a black coach. Your post is grossly overstated and misleading, in my opinion. It borders on ugly. Don't you think there is such a thing as preference? Let's say I had a peach yesterday and today am offered a nice peach or a nectarine. Both are good. If I choose the nectarine, does it mean I hate the peach? Does it mean I am incapable of seeing that peaches can be good? No, it's that I just had one. They are both good. They are different. I choose one based on what I now prefer. Cal should quite obviously choose a coach who is great at coaching basketball and basketball players, and if you have a choice of two coaches with those skills, and choose a white coach, doesn't that show a preference? Now what if it is a black coach? Isn't it alright to say that there are benefits to his identity and community and ability to relate to players from certain backgrounds that will yield benefits? It doesn't change your fundamental requirements, and yet other things like race, family background, geographic familiarity or economic background can confer certain advantages or disadvantages when relating to certain players.
Come on, this is a Fiat Lux, UC Berkeley site, let's try to consider the complexities of the topics we are discussing.
Reread the article including the Marc Spears comments. I thought this was a Cal site, screw the Berkeley junk. There are no dithering, debatable , bullshit complexities in this matter, just hire the best damn coach available and willing..Hit a home run, not a bunt single. Forget the "big picture", smug morality stuff. This program is in deep guano, hire the right coach or it will sink out of sight.
Not saying AAR will be automatically as successful, but wasn’t this the the same argument against Gates and for someone like Fox a few years back?
I wouldn't expect a miracle from him, nor any coach we have a genuine shot at. I think he's a splashy enough hire to feel like we're actually doing something and enough coaching upside to maybe...do something.
At this stage it's about generating excitement to reinvigorate our dumpster fire of a program.
A dumpster fire of epic proportions owing to extreme incompetence, mismanagement, and/or basketball malpractice.
Hardest playing 3-29 team in America. Also the only 3-29 team in America.
Hey now, don't forget about covid, and the CoB, and.....
(we're trying to recruit quality folks here, not air dirty laundry)
Respectfully disagree. Write For California is not a recruitment web site, but a forum for Bears to discuss, disagree, opine opinions about Cal sports. Better for recruits to know that Cal is much more than a simple jock school.
When these athletes come on campus, this reality hits them hard. Perhaps that's why Cal isn't able to keep many to athletes after their first season at Cal.
sorry, I meant recruit a high quality head coach. (And highlighting the incompetence & mismanagement that we all know so well is not the best way to attract someone fresh!)
(we need a sarcasm font)
No disagreement here. Truly embarrassing in every conceivable way.
A Zoom interview unfortunately speaks volumes...either this hire is going to take a long time, which tells us that Jim Knowlton was STILL somehow unprepared....or AAR is not a realistic candidate, which would suck.
Will be surprised if we hire AAR.
... or doesn't speak anything at all. Could have been a zoom for any number of reasons. You can zoom with a dozen of your top candidates, then make your itinerary. If he's interested, and he bails because his first entrée wasn't in person, is that who we would want? I say it's a non-issue. I'm just hoping he was thrilled Cal got in touch. Man who takes this job would have to love a challenge.
yeah, and there's the issue: Should not be a dozen "top" candidates. IMO, "top" candidates should be flown in, at least they would be at a big boy P5 school. Heck, the SEC teams would send their private jet to pick up a top candidate. (Ever seen the LSU Gulfstream?)
If its a screening or preliminary interview, fine, but that's not what I took from the tweet, which was AAR "finished" his interview with Cal.
Exactly. Knowlton could have Zoomed Sat/Sun/Mon.
I read this more as a “they’re interested,” but he’s clearly not a top candidate. Almost like a courtesy to Shareef, and to say you “interviewed” other candidates. Or they’re checking in to see if he’s interested, which is worse.
If he is a legit top candidate, then Knowlton is a f-ing idiot for waiting 4 days to Zoom. Show some urgency, you dope.
Yeah that detail caught my attention too. Like what the hell!
I really hope you are wrong, but fear that you are correct. If I was JK, I would've taken the red eye to ATL to meet with AAR.
If you were JK, I would've asked that you fall on your sword and resign, for the good of the entire dept. That's after I would've asked Fox to do the same right around the 0-12 mark. Since that dude has no honor, he wouldn't have left willingly so then you -- still in JK mode -- would've fired his ass!
If I was JK, there would have been no contract extensions to Wilcox or Fox, and yeah, he would have been gone way before 0-12. (And I would have explained to the Chancellor how Winning revenue teams support all the women's sports.)
I really hope I am wrong, because I think AAR would do really well at Cal and I've loved what I have seen from him.
And I am admittedly on the far other end of Sunshine spectrum from the "Pumpers" when it comes to Cal sports...I WANT to believe, just find a hard time doing so.
Kennesaw St. lost Friday, likely returned home Saturday. We don't do a Zoom interview until Tuesday? Hmmmm, reading the tea leaves, he's far from the leader in the clubhouse.
It wasn't that long ago that we had a conference co-championship in football followed by a conference co-championship in basketball.
I remember.
you're not sunshine-pumping today, but did you have to go all Dennis Hopper wandering onto the court, drunk?!
Shooter's gonna Shoot.... ;-)
The Tuesday timing is ok with me, if for no other reason gave AAR time to decompress from their loss and prep for the call. (I was fearing this would be another Dennis Gates sitch where he interviews right after a game, and JK claimed he was underprepared.)
But that said, JK couldn't cough up $3k for a roundtrip first class ticket?
Let's gooooo
Let's FCKIN goooooo. Generate some buzz, get students & alumni interested again. Don't know why but vibing so hard for this dude rn; seems genuine. Can't get too excited, though, because Knowlton can still screw this pooch like he's screwed all the pooches throughout his tenure.
Anybody with a pulse will be a vast improvement over the past 2 coaches. I really like the Abdur-Rahim connection. It just seems to fit.
and don't forget, 4) after his pro days were over, the former one-and-done Shareef returned to Cal to complete his degree. He could have earned a degree anywhere, including his home state school of UGa, but chose to become a graduate of Berkeley. The family 'gets' Cal, and that is always a plus factor.
1. Shareef and his Cal alum wife made a big donation to Cal Athletics' Cameron Institute https://calbears.com/news/2022/11/3/abdur-rahim-family-makes-gift-to-cameron-institute.aspx
2. Shareef was an important influence in Jaylen Brown's decision to come to Cal https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/07/30/cal-basketball-recruit-jaylen-brown-explains-decision-to-sign-with-bears/
3. Shareef is head of the NBA's G-League. You think recruits won't be excited about that connection?!