The players have quit on Fox. At this point the administration is just alienating whatever little good will the fan base and student athletes have left by allowing this to go on any further. This has been an unmitigated disaster hastened by incompetence, a lack of vision or even ambition for the program, and now, inaction. Basically Cal basketball is a zombie program. We show up for games and move around, but there's nothing in there.
For those that are pointing out that Cal was unprepared to handle Texas State's (or Southern's for that matter) press, and as a youth coach myself who spent many hours coaching 5th graders to press & beat the press, the suggestion that it somehow caught Fox unprepared, or that he failed to coach the break, is extremely unlikely. If it were the case, it'd be gross malpractice and he should be fired, absolutely. The more likely reason for the problems breaking the press is that, although being coached up, we are observably a slow (thinking and moving) team with one ball handler (Brown) and below average basketball IQ. Maybe Fox has lost the team, which is a possible explanation for the lackluster effort, and not much can be done to solve that other than an ice cream party. But the players should have enough pride in their own game to give maximum effort (in their 5-30 minutes on the floor) regardless of their thoughts of the coach or scheme. If lack of buy-in is the real problem, it displays a lack of character on the player's part.
I would like to submit my application for head coach of Cal Basketball. I have one year of experience coaching my sisters middle school basketball team and won the championship. Clearly I have about the same qualifications as Fox
Thanks for the recap TD…another tough one. Vegas seems to finally be getting a handle on the Bears, and setting a spread commensurate with their unfortunate futility.
The baseball pass play was inexplicable…I really can’t imagine that’s what Fox actually drew up. If it is, then what are we even doing here, Jim Knowlton, ya know?
Without Roberson, they were down another athletic, though inefficient player…but they got Anyanwu back, although his absence in the 0-4 start remains unexplained…injured (?) - Fox is quick to point those out…it’s a mystery. He’ll likely be in the portal come March, if not sooner.
Celestine and Hyder’s injuries are not new, and based on the 6 years of data at the mid-major level, it’s really tough to see Dejuan Clayton’s career 39% FG/29% 3PFG being the missing piece that Fox claims. To hear the broadcasters tell it, you’d think he’s an NBA prospect rather than a 25-year old college senior. Celestine’s absence definitely hurts though.
They still went 9-deep with a roster that Fox built and has been practicing with since the summer because of the international trip. You can’t tell - they’re unprepared. It’s like they have never seen a press before, which makes sense because if Fox knew how to apply on-ball pressure, we probably would have seen it by now because THAT’S WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU HAVE A ROSTER THAT GOES 9, 10 DEEP!! But he doesn’t press, he doesn’t trap, he doesn’t force turnovers that lead to easy buckets…like Justin Wilcox’s offense, up tempo is a foreign concept…and unfortunately, college athletics are geared that way.
There’s really not much more to say, is there? They’re in the conversation for worst P5 team in the nation…in year 4, they’ve regressed further from the Wyking Jones disaster, if that’s even possible. Fox is likely not going anywhere until after the season, though a competent AD would admit his mistake and take action.
He would let Fox go, elevate Francis, Harriman or Wilson to interim coach for the remainder of the year, and start preparing NOW for possible candidates…like what the Florida AD did in grabbing the USF coach Todd Golden IMMEDIATELY upon the Dons’ loss. And hopefully he would learn from his failed Fox hire and eschew that silly search firm that led him to a tired retread that was recently fired. Now is the time for a good, hungry, young, dynamic, up and coming coach that can recruit….someone like Terrence Johnson, though his Louisiana routes make him a contender for SEC jobs.
I don't see us winning a game this season. The team very much reminds me of Waking teams where it's a bunch of individuals on the court that don't play as a team. There were a number of times in trying to break the press where someone (Kuany, Newell) was wide open right in front of Fox or the same location on the other side of the court, but the guard was completely focused on handling this themselves. Plus, there were times when someone (Brown) was completely wide open under the basket, but yet again, the guard was focused on making a solo play to score.
I just don't see any inklings that the team is improving from game to game.
On one bright note, have you seen the guy trying to teach the spirit groups, especially the yell leaders, how to actually encourage the crowd? It's sad that someone actually has to teach students how to do this, but I'll give them some slack due to some tradition being lost from students graduating (and not being at games in person) during the pandemic. Too bad that there won't be any crowd left to encourage by the end of this season...
If you want to see a better coached basketball team, attend the women's games. They're 3-1 with a closer-than-the-score-shows loss to a ranked Notre Dame team.
I miss Andre Kelly.
Mark Fox makes Wyking Jones look like John Wooden.
0-30 is a distinct possibility. Holy cow, are we bad.
The players have quit on Fox. At this point the administration is just alienating whatever little good will the fan base and student athletes have left by allowing this to go on any further. This has been an unmitigated disaster hastened by incompetence, a lack of vision or even ambition for the program, and now, inaction. Basically Cal basketball is a zombie program. We show up for games and move around, but there's nothing in there.
We're too cowardly to fire fox. We're scared of what would happen. We would lose the games we'd lose with him anyway
Shameful. Fire Fox, and in the absence of a competent replacement, fire Knowlton too.
For those that are pointing out that Cal was unprepared to handle Texas State's (or Southern's for that matter) press, and as a youth coach myself who spent many hours coaching 5th graders to press & beat the press, the suggestion that it somehow caught Fox unprepared, or that he failed to coach the break, is extremely unlikely. If it were the case, it'd be gross malpractice and he should be fired, absolutely. The more likely reason for the problems breaking the press is that, although being coached up, we are observably a slow (thinking and moving) team with one ball handler (Brown) and below average basketball IQ. Maybe Fox has lost the team, which is a possible explanation for the lackluster effort, and not much can be done to solve that other than an ice cream party. But the players should have enough pride in their own game to give maximum effort (in their 5-30 minutes on the floor) regardless of their thoughts of the coach or scheme. If lack of buy-in is the real problem, it displays a lack of character on the player's part.
I would like to submit my application for head coach of Cal Basketball. I have one year of experience coaching my sisters middle school basketball team and won the championship. Clearly I have about the same qualifications as Fox
Fire this fool already
Thanks for the recap TD…another tough one. Vegas seems to finally be getting a handle on the Bears, and setting a spread commensurate with their unfortunate futility.
The baseball pass play was inexplicable…I really can’t imagine that’s what Fox actually drew up. If it is, then what are we even doing here, Jim Knowlton, ya know?
Without Roberson, they were down another athletic, though inefficient player…but they got Anyanwu back, although his absence in the 0-4 start remains unexplained…injured (?) - Fox is quick to point those out…it’s a mystery. He’ll likely be in the portal come March, if not sooner.
Celestine and Hyder’s injuries are not new, and based on the 6 years of data at the mid-major level, it’s really tough to see Dejuan Clayton’s career 39% FG/29% 3PFG being the missing piece that Fox claims. To hear the broadcasters tell it, you’d think he’s an NBA prospect rather than a 25-year old college senior. Celestine’s absence definitely hurts though.
They still went 9-deep with a roster that Fox built and has been practicing with since the summer because of the international trip. You can’t tell - they’re unprepared. It’s like they have never seen a press before, which makes sense because if Fox knew how to apply on-ball pressure, we probably would have seen it by now because THAT’S WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU HAVE A ROSTER THAT GOES 9, 10 DEEP!! But he doesn’t press, he doesn’t trap, he doesn’t force turnovers that lead to easy buckets…like Justin Wilcox’s offense, up tempo is a foreign concept…and unfortunately, college athletics are geared that way.
There’s really not much more to say, is there? They’re in the conversation for worst P5 team in the nation…in year 4, they’ve regressed further from the Wyking Jones disaster, if that’s even possible. Fox is likely not going anywhere until after the season, though a competent AD would admit his mistake and take action.
He would let Fox go, elevate Francis, Harriman or Wilson to interim coach for the remainder of the year, and start preparing NOW for possible candidates…like what the Florida AD did in grabbing the USF coach Todd Golden IMMEDIATELY upon the Dons’ loss. And hopefully he would learn from his failed Fox hire and eschew that silly search firm that led him to a tired retread that was recently fired. Now is the time for a good, hungry, young, dynamic, up and coming coach that can recruit….someone like Terrence Johnson, though his Louisiana routes make him a contender for SEC jobs.
I pretty much called it.
Fox has to go. Over/under has to be at 5 games. I can’t see us winning more than 2 conference games.
I don't see us winning a game this season. The team very much reminds me of Waking teams where it's a bunch of individuals on the court that don't play as a team. There were a number of times in trying to break the press where someone (Kuany, Newell) was wide open right in front of Fox or the same location on the other side of the court, but the guard was completely focused on handling this themselves. Plus, there were times when someone (Brown) was completely wide open under the basket, but yet again, the guard was focused on making a solo play to score.
I just don't see any inklings that the team is improving from game to game.
On one bright note, have you seen the guy trying to teach the spirit groups, especially the yell leaders, how to actually encourage the crowd? It's sad that someone actually has to teach students how to do this, but I'll give them some slack due to some tradition being lost from students graduating (and not being at games in person) during the pandemic. Too bad that there won't be any crowd left to encourage by the end of this season...
If you want to see a better coached basketball team, attend the women's games. They're 3-1 with a closer-than-the-score-shows loss to a ranked Notre Dame team.
Hmmm. If a basketball team loses and no one is there to see it, did the team really lose? Sadly, yes.
dous to Mark Fox: Are you still here?
Get some guys from RSF and a new coach...reboot