Maybe Wyking Jones wasn't the best coach for the Bears, but I can't help but wonder where they would be if developing players like Connor Vanover and Matt Bradley had stayed. Both of those guys are headed to the NCAA tourney by the way. Was Mark Fox really that much better than Wyking Jones?
I just never, ever understood the logic of the Fox hire. If you're a school that is not able or willing to break the bank for John Calipari or something (and Cal is not), then you need to follow one of two strategies:
1. An assistant who had success at a major program.
2. A head coach who had success at a smaller program.
Not a head coach who was mediocre at a major program! Where's the upside to that? This whole thing went predictably badly.
If Knowlton goes with yet another retread that's had middling success at another P5 that ended in termination, he should immediately be sent to the island.
I don't know the exact terms of the buy-out, but I know that there are two years left on Fox's contract and that he was being paid just short of 2 million/year. I'll have to double check with Piotr, who was the last on our team to review that contract.
Get over it BR, Fox should have been fired years ago. The undersigned told that to Knownuttin several years ago. Hell BR, Knownuttin should never have been hired. This falls on that incompetent idiot dumb azz Knownuttin. He should pull a Shaw and fucking resign. Who at Cal wants Knownuttin around? He is not a Cal man (person). Walk away Knownuttin.
As has always been my point in this discussion, these schools weren't 3-29, setting a Pac 6/10/12 record for futility along the way, while making a run at the single worst season in the history of the sport. The level of failure that Fox displayed was cause for an in-season firing...this wasn't just your run of the mill bad year, as the above mentioned HC's had.
BUT.....there's NO need for us to get back into this, Bob. Let's keep our eyes on the prize...Ryan Odom, Joe Pasternack, Danny Sprinkle, Stan Johnson, Chris Victor, my good man.
I posted this on another thread the other day, but I don't think many people saw it:
Cal needs to take an outside the box approach and find someone who's young, tough and scrappy. We missed the boat with Dennis Gates, who has since shown he has the chops to build a program -- no way we're able to lure him away now. But what about another former Cal favorite: Jerome Randle. No coaching experience, but as a point guard exposed to many different offensive schemes, he's gotta know how to implement a plan that maximizes the roster's strengths -- and there's nobody tougher or scrappier.
After mostly being ignored by the NBA because of his height, Randle has had a 14-year professional career in Turkey, Israel, Ukraine, Belgium, Australia, Lithuania, France, Germany and Russia. Who wouldn't want to play for someone like that? -- especially since such a low percentage of players (even on the blue-blood teams) make it in the NBA. I don't know if he's interested, but I'd be willing to bet that whatever Cal is able to pay him would be a step up from what he's been making. Randle could hit the recruiting trail, both domestically and in any of the countries where he's played (except Russia). Hire Braun as one of his assistants, and I think there's a greater chance for success than by hiring some boring old guy from SJS or UCSB.
I'd be willing to think about former players without coaching experience maybe as assistants, but putting them straight into a head coaching role strikes me as very very risky
Weird to see Reef's words and realize that we won't be getting his wisdom this time.
Agree, Knowlton completely botched the Fox hire and extension in very predictable ways. The problem with mediocre "known quantities" is that you know their ceiling but not their floor.
I'm sure Knowlton was worried about another inexperienced hire after Wyking but Fox did project terribly. The extension was mind boggling. Maybe Knowlton will do something different since he's not entirely a "known quantity" but... I'm not impressed.
I was trying to find that video of Fox when he was introduced to the team, which seems to have vanished. It was such an off-putting performance, and doubly concerning that the athletic department's comms team thought it worthy of publishing publicly. Felt for the guys. You could see they all just wanted to get out of the room, and a few of them left the program in the days after. Pretty much ever moment since has been a repeat of the that tone-deafness--from both Fox and the athletic department.
That’s why when some of these good natured folks thank Fox for his time at Cal I totally chuckle. Dude made nearly $7M from the University for being a rigid, stubborn, lazy dick.
I'm holding my breath for the donors to fill a gigantic bag with money, Knowlton (or ideally a new AD) to get on his knees and beg, and Dennis Gates becomes our next coach.
I'm also intrigued by Chris Mack. Sounds like he didn't really do anything egregiously wrong to get fired. Recording an engraged assitant coach trying to extort him isn't the worst thing.
I also like Becky Hammon. We'll be in the media all year long. She's a good coach. Let's be Berkeley and do something so different.
Why on earth would Gates exchange a winning program in the SEC for a doormat in a borderline conference? For that matter, why would Hammon trade a pro deal for any college program. at least save 2-3 blue bloods that aren't coming open?
I specifically remember reading back then, and COMPLETELY agreeing with, this statement: "Is a coach who couldn’t get over the hump at Georgia likely to reinvent himself in Berkeley now that his reputation as an average power conference coach has calcified?" Tim Miles, anyone?
The basketball program can absolutely be saved. More than resources, we need both a willingness to get us there and some competence that will allow us to make the most of the resources we do have--and not just make excuses. There is a great appetite for Cal basketball in the Bay Area, but people have more to their lives than to stick around for a program that has no expectations beyond maintaining it's own mere existence. You have to do more than just drop 5 students in Cal uniforms on a court.
A simple change in scheme can work wonders, too, KC. I mean, we've seen it.
I am somewhat torn - part of me wants to see a ton of these kids move on: 1. for their sake and to achieve success on the court; and 2. because after watching them for a couple of seasons, most of them really struggle to shoot the ball and despite working hard, at the end of the day, they just may not be very skilled.
On the other hand, part of me wants to see a competent head coach arrive and work with a majority of these players...we'd see what changes he would make schematically, something Mark Fox was unwilling to do.
Oh yeah, with a good coach this team would have more wins (not a lot, but enough where we'd consider this season snakebitten instead of embarrassing).
Fox couldn't recruit (or retain talent) well, couldn't run an offense, couldn't adapt and, most importantly couldn't coach defense (his alleged strength). His incompetence was so astoundingly thorough that a coach with a modicum of competence in any dimension of the game would demonstrate improvement.
He's a ball dominant guard, and not a great one at that. Hopefully the new coach will have an offense where the ball doesn't stay in his hands a long time. Like Boban says, "He's dribbling. dribbling. dribbling. He's dribbling."
With the Warriors' beginning of the end, there might even be an opening for the most exciting basketball team in the Bay very shortly. Not to mention the Big10 looking closely at us as an option. This is a critcal hire at a critical time.
Another disaster hire now and it might be prudent to hire an architect to figure out how to turn Haas and Memorial into dorms.
Maybe Wyking Jones wasn't the best coach for the Bears, but I can't help but wonder where they would be if developing players like Connor Vanover and Matt Bradley had stayed. Both of those guys are headed to the NCAA tourney by the way. Was Mark Fox really that much better than Wyking Jones?
Completely agree about Foxbeing symptom of larger and no doubt knottier problems like $$$.
Exciting coach that can recruit. Exciting offense with passable defense. Good marketing to rebuild the fan base. Cal basketball could be back.
Let’s not shoot for a mediocre replacement.
https://twitter.com/CalMBBall/status/1634344517452144642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1634344517452144642%7Ctwgr%5E1cbaefb652ba80dc081ce4bfe857bd8e9b075ef1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbearinsider.com%2Fs%2F3516%2Fcal-makes-change-in-mens-basketball-leadership---fox-gone
I just never, ever understood the logic of the Fox hire. If you're a school that is not able or willing to break the bank for John Calipari or something (and Cal is not), then you need to follow one of two strategies:
1. An assistant who had success at a major program.
2. A head coach who had success at a smaller program.
Not a head coach who was mediocre at a major program! Where's the upside to that? This whole thing went predictably badly.
Exactly. THIS.
If Knowlton goes with yet another retread that's had middling success at another P5 that ended in termination, he should immediately be sent to the island.
Tied to an anchor, right?
See how quickly the Colonel can reach the bottom...
Not that it matters now that the call has been made, but Nick, are we sure the buyout is $2M? Read multiple places that it was a little under $1M.
I don't know the exact terms of the buy-out, but I know that there are two years left on Fox's contract and that he was being paid just short of 2 million/year. I'll have to double check with Piotr, who was the last on our team to review that contract.
Awesome. Either way, the point is moot and we're on to bigger and better things.
Thanks again for the great articles!
Josh Pastner, Mike Anderson and Brian Gregory were all just fired from GA Tech, St John's and South Florida...
Add 3 names to the Mark Fox retread list that Knowlton should avoid at all costs.
Get over it BR, Fox should have been fired years ago. The undersigned told that to Knownuttin several years ago. Hell BR, Knownuttin should never have been hired. This falls on that incompetent idiot dumb azz Knownuttin. He should pull a Shaw and fucking resign. Who at Cal wants Knownuttin around? He is not a Cal man (person). Walk away Knownuttin.
As has always been my point in this discussion, these schools weren't 3-29, setting a Pac 6/10/12 record for futility along the way, while making a run at the single worst season in the history of the sport. The level of failure that Fox displayed was cause for an in-season firing...this wasn't just your run of the mill bad year, as the above mentioned HC's had.
BUT.....there's NO need for us to get back into this, Bob. Let's keep our eyes on the prize...Ryan Odom, Joe Pasternack, Danny Sprinkle, Stan Johnson, Chris Victor, my good man.
Rick Pitino!
I posted this on another thread the other day, but I don't think many people saw it:
Cal needs to take an outside the box approach and find someone who's young, tough and scrappy. We missed the boat with Dennis Gates, who has since shown he has the chops to build a program -- no way we're able to lure him away now. But what about another former Cal favorite: Jerome Randle. No coaching experience, but as a point guard exposed to many different offensive schemes, he's gotta know how to implement a plan that maximizes the roster's strengths -- and there's nobody tougher or scrappier.
After mostly being ignored by the NBA because of his height, Randle has had a 14-year professional career in Turkey, Israel, Ukraine, Belgium, Australia, Lithuania, France, Germany and Russia. Who wouldn't want to play for someone like that? -- especially since such a low percentage of players (even on the blue-blood teams) make it in the NBA. I don't know if he's interested, but I'd be willing to bet that whatever Cal is able to pay him would be a step up from what he's been making. Randle could hit the recruiting trail, both domestically and in any of the countries where he's played (except Russia). Hire Braun as one of his assistants, and I think there's a greater chance for success than by hiring some boring old guy from SJS or UCSB.
I'd be willing to think about former players without coaching experience maybe as assistants, but putting them straight into a head coaching role strikes me as very very risky
I messaged him and he said he would love to come back
Weird to see Reef's words and realize that we won't be getting his wisdom this time.
Agree, Knowlton completely botched the Fox hire and extension in very predictable ways. The problem with mediocre "known quantities" is that you know their ceiling but not their floor.
I'm sure Knowlton was worried about another inexperienced hire after Wyking but Fox did project terribly. The extension was mind boggling. Maybe Knowlton will do something different since he's not entirely a "known quantity" but... I'm not impressed.
I just hope this time we spend more than 5 days before hiring a new coach...
I was trying to find that video of Fox when he was introduced to the team, which seems to have vanished. It was such an off-putting performance, and doubly concerning that the athletic department's comms team thought it worthy of publishing publicly. Felt for the guys. You could see they all just wanted to get out of the room, and a few of them left the program in the days after. Pretty much ever moment since has been a repeat of the that tone-deafness--from both Fox and the athletic department.
That’s why when some of these good natured folks thank Fox for his time at Cal I totally chuckle. Dude made nearly $7M from the University for being a rigid, stubborn, lazy dick.
Good riddance.
I'm holding my breath for the donors to fill a gigantic bag with money, Knowlton (or ideally a new AD) to get on his knees and beg, and Dennis Gates becomes our next coach.
I'm also intrigued by Chris Mack. Sounds like he didn't really do anything egregiously wrong to get fired. Recording an engraged assitant coach trying to extort him isn't the worst thing.
I also like Becky Hammon. We'll be in the media all year long. She's a good coach. Let's be Berkeley and do something so different.
So, yeah, we'll hire Pasternack.
Why on earth would Gates exchange a winning program in the SEC for a doormat in a borderline conference? For that matter, why would Hammon trade a pro deal for any college program. at least save 2-3 blue bloods that aren't coming open?
We all know that, which is why they were listed under the "Pipe Dream" category
Awesome article, Nick...
I specifically remember reading back then, and COMPLETELY agreeing with, this statement: "Is a coach who couldn’t get over the hump at Georgia likely to reinvent himself in Berkeley now that his reputation as an average power conference coach has calcified?" Tim Miles, anyone?
The basketball program can absolutely be saved. More than resources, we need both a willingness to get us there and some competence that will allow us to make the most of the resources we do have--and not just make excuses. There is a great appetite for Cal basketball in the Bay Area, but people have more to their lives than to stick around for a program that has no expectations beyond maintaining it's own mere existence. You have to do more than just drop 5 students in Cal uniforms on a court.
A basketball team's fortune can turn on a couple transfers. But we need good players transferring in instead of out.
A simple change in scheme can work wonders, too, KC. I mean, we've seen it.
I am somewhat torn - part of me wants to see a ton of these kids move on: 1. for their sake and to achieve success on the court; and 2. because after watching them for a couple of seasons, most of them really struggle to shoot the ball and despite working hard, at the end of the day, they just may not be very skilled.
On the other hand, part of me wants to see a competent head coach arrive and work with a majority of these players...we'd see what changes he would make schematically, something Mark Fox was unwilling to do.
Oh yeah, with a good coach this team would have more wins (not a lot, but enough where we'd consider this season snakebitten instead of embarrassing).
Fox couldn't recruit (or retain talent) well, couldn't run an offense, couldn't adapt and, most importantly couldn't coach defense (his alleged strength). His incompetence was so astoundingly thorough that a coach with a modicum of competence in any dimension of the game would demonstrate improvement.
A defensive orientated coach couldn't get these guys to even play defense or get boards. So, some of this lands on the player's talent or lack of.
Absolutely.
It will be interesting to see what players follow Joel Brown and transfer...as they say, "we can go 3-29 with or without you." ;-)
Devin Askew isn't going anywhere, though, and I'm not sure how I feel about that....
He's a ball dominant guard, and not a great one at that. Hopefully the new coach will have an offense where the ball doesn't stay in his hands a long time. Like Boban says, "He's dribbling. dribbling. dribbling. He's dribbling."
With the Warriors' beginning of the end, there might even be an opening for the most exciting basketball team in the Bay very shortly. Not to mention the Big10 looking closely at us as an option. This is a critcal hire at a critical time.
Another disaster hire now and it might be prudent to hire an architect to figure out how to turn Haas and Memorial into dorms.
Jim Knowlton hands out extensions like Oprah hands out cars.