Big C_Cal;841892111 said:
First of all, I laud Coach Mongomery for all of the positive things he has done here at Cal, no question. Certainly, his severist critics on this board have been over the top.
That said, most of us were hoping for a bit more, especially as measured by the standard of NCAA Tournament victories. If improvement in that area was clearly visible on the horizon, I think we'd see more patience and understanding, but things seem to have plateaued. So sure, there are criticisms, because this is a fan board. It's what we do.
And I'm actually suggesting that folks do NOT approach Coach Montgomery with their brilliant suggestions. ("Coach, you should hire an Assistant that can recruit better, while still maintaining high ethical and academic standards!" Gosh, if only one of us had scheduled a meeting with him a few years ago... ) No, this board is exactly the right place for all our ideas.
Let's hope Monty can get a Jabari Bird and some others and ride out in a blaze of glory, be it for another two years or another ten. Beyond that, may his successor continue all the good things that Coach has done, while providing a little more "oomph" in recruiting (especially) and also in building the fan base and creating general excitement.
Go Bears!
In one of my first jobs after graduating from Cal, my boss told me early on that he had two kinds of employees: the ones who did the work, and the ones who criticized the ones who did the work, so they themselves would look better.
Criticism has a value only if it is constructive. The criticism posted on this board would only be of value if it is constructive in nature, and it is being read by those who can make a difference. It is not likely that Monty or Sandy is reading this stuff. So the criticism we write here is pissing in the wind, as someone else posted earlier.
Albert Einstein once said: "Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results." Aren't we doing that here, by criticizing Montgomery over and over again, and then hoping he will do a better job of recruiting? By reading the hateful tone increasing among some of us, perhaps we are becoming a bit insane to keep doing this.
In the past, I posted a number of times my criticisms of how the football team is being coached. I don't agree with the strategy, the game plans, the tactics, and the execution of plays. After beating my head against the wall, and being ripped to shreds by the Tedford lovers, I gave up, not because of that, but because I realized that there was no point to my criticism at all, if nothing could be done to correct the situation.
I think we are at that point now as to the critics' view of Montgomery's recruiting. I don't happen to agree that his recruiting has been all that bad. Cal has been beset with a lot of injuries, academic suspension, player transfers, a school rule violation, and criminal conduct. You add a healthy Solomon or a healthy Rossi to last year's team, and they win the PAC12 easily. I also don't agree that going after a lot of recruits who were publicly rated to be elite by websites who are trying to make profits, is the answer to our problems. I have shown elsewhere that one out of two of those recruits doesn't end up being a contributor to their team, while some end up being a detriment to their team.
In spite of my disagreements with the critics, I think they should pursue a course of action, not just whine and complain and rant to others who read this board. My idea of talking to Montgomery with your ideas was simplistic, to be sure. But there is one avenue that thousands of alumni and fans of many schools like yourselves have done: Go and contact the athletic department and ask what you can do to help our recruiting. What do they need?
One thing the NCAA rules allow you to do is provide recruits with jobs once they sign with Cal. Another thing is to give contributions earmarked for basketball. I was being a little facetious when I said that Monty needs a plane. But recruiting now is global. The price of gas is up, and so is the price of jet fuel, and airline tickets. The program could use every dollar you can give, to increase their attention to recruiting. Recruiting costs money, and a lot of it. Just go and ask the department what you can do to help. If you give money, and the results are the same, then you have cause to complain. But complain to the department directly. If there is a chance of improving recruiting, they are the ones who can get it done, not the people reading these threads, and posting replies.
You will have to decide which you are, a person who wants to get something done about recruiting, or a person who just wants to complain about the job others are doing.
:gobears:
