Why is Mark Fox still our coach?

24,152 Views | 177 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by KoreAmBear
socaltownie
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He should have been dismissed on the tarmac. I REALLY hope that JK has a meeting scheduled today but I doubt it. ANY real program that cared would dismiss this week.

And for those that don't follow these things (which I am SURE JK DOES NOT) it is an amazing year to be in the market. Only 2 decent programs (Louiseville and Maryland) have openings. Because they care (even though more futile than Cal) Georgia will actually have a spine and fire Crean (which is a very surprising failure given his past record). But that is only 3 current openings in the P5. What a year to have an opening. But Cal doing Cal we won't be in the market this year - and inevitably next year there will be a dozen openings and we will be at the very end of a long list.
Take care of your Chicken
Dduster
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The Bears do not have enough talent to be competitive in the Pac 12. Phil Jackson could be the coach and 10th thru 12th will be the end result. You cannot tell the difference between 'walk-ons' and wasted scholarships.
Civil Bear
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Dduster said:

The Bears do not have enough talent to be competitive in the Pac 12. Phil Jackson could be the coach and 10th thru 12th will be the end result. You cannot tell the difference between 'walk-ons' and wasted scholarships.
If Phil Jackson was the coach we wouldn't have the current talent deficit.
PtownBear1
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If someone kicks off the online petition I bet we could garner enough signatures to where local media picks up on it. Worth a try…
HearstMining
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Civil Bear said:

Dduster said:

The Bears do not have enough talent to be competitive in the Pac 12. Phil Jackson could be the coach and 10th thru 12th will be the end result. You cannot tell the difference between 'walk-ons' and wasted scholarships.
If Phil Jackson was the coach we wouldn't have the current talent deficit.
Jackson realized that NBA success was way more about talent than coaching and I recall him saying he'd never take on a team that needed a complete rebuild.
HearstMining
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I was disappointed in Fox's terse comments in the post-game. Even if he had no specifics, he could have said something about improvement next year. I don't buy that he was in shock over the loss, they were behind the whole game. As a fan or a player, I don't want to hear, "We didn't play well, so we're going home." without some general statement about how we're going to improve. Cal basketball is in a deep hole and he should use every opportunity to show a ray of hope.
panda
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FIRE FOX
Bear Haas
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Agreed. Not playing Joel last night was bad and fans deserved an explanation. Need some sort of optimism or outlook from the coach, not just comments that might make you lose even more talent (need far more, not less). I was among those saying to keep Fox but the end of the season and lack of leadership hurts, the whole program just feels lifeless with him at the helm. No real passion, the guys don't seem like they are particularly inspired by him, he doesn't inspire the fan base, and he can't inspire recruits. Maybe see how year 4 goes but something needs to change soon
socaliganbear
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Dduster said:

The Bears do not have enough talent to be competitive in the Pac 12. Phil Jackson could be the coach and 10th thru 12th will be the end result. You cannot tell the difference between 'walk-ons' and wasted scholarships.
You're this close...
Chapman_is_Gone
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What is Knowlton's email address?
oski003
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We only lost to the #86 team in the country in a must win game by seven points. What is not to like? We were also the underdog in this game, but our coach was shocked we lost!
sluggo
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HearstMining said:

I was disappointed in Fox's terse comments in the post-game. Even if he had no specifics, he could have said something about improvement next year. I don't buy that he was in shock over the loss, they were behind the whole game. As a fan or a player, I don't want to hear, "We didn't play well, so we're going home." without some general statement about how we're going to improve. Cal basketball is in a deep hole and he should use every opportunity to show a ray of hope.
I would rather that he not lie to me. Remember how this freshmen class was going to turn things around? Other than a surprising influx of talent in the spring next season will be worse than this season.
CalLifer
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sluggo said:

HearstMining said:

I was disappointed in Fox's terse comments in the post-game. Even if he had no specifics, he could have said something about improvement next year. I don't buy that he was in shock over the loss, they were behind the whole game. As a fan or a player, I don't want to hear, "We didn't play well, so we're going home." without some general statement about how we're going to improve. Cal basketball is in a deep hole and he should use every opportunity to show a ray of hope.
I would rather that he not lie to me. Remember how this freshmen class was going to turn things around? Other than a surprising influx of talent in the spring next season will be worse than this season.
Knowing that we lose Shepard and Grant, and assuming Andre leaves as well, even a surprising influx of talent may not be enough to make us better than we were this year. It would really take a Jaylen Brown/Ivan Rabb level of talent infusion to not only fill the talent drain but actually improve it over this year .
stu
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I'd settle for Charlie Moore and Justin Cobbs.
sluggo
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CalLifer said:

sluggo said:

HearstMining said:

I was disappointed in Fox's terse comments in the post-game. Even if he had no specifics, he could have said something about improvement next year. I don't buy that he was in shock over the loss, they were behind the whole game. As a fan or a player, I don't want to hear, "We didn't play well, so we're going home." without some general statement about how we're going to improve. Cal basketball is in a deep hole and he should use every opportunity to show a ray of hope.
I would rather that he not lie to me. Remember how this freshmen class was going to turn things around? Other than a surprising influx of talent in the spring next season will be worse than this season.
Knowing that we lose Shepard and Grant, and assuming Andre leaves as well, even a surprising influx of talent may not be enough to make us better than we were this year. It would really take a Jaylen Brown/Ivan Rabb level of talent infusion to not only fill the talent drain but actually improve it over this year .
Cal needs a number 1 and number 2 scorer so that the returnees can take their lesser roles. One of those players has to be able handle the ball, and one has to be a deadeye shooter. While that seems unlikely, with unlimited transferring it is not zero. Veteran transfers could be as good as those two were as freshmen.
CalLifer
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sluggo said:

CalLifer said:

sluggo said:

HearstMining said:

I was disappointed in Fox's terse comments in the post-game. Even if he had no specifics, he could have said something about improvement next year. I don't buy that he was in shock over the loss, they were behind the whole game. As a fan or a player, I don't want to hear, "We didn't play well, so we're going home." without some general statement about how we're going to improve. Cal basketball is in a deep hole and he should use every opportunity to show a ray of hope.
I would rather that he not lie to me. Remember how this freshmen class was going to turn things around? Other than a surprising influx of talent in the spring next season will be worse than this season.
Knowing that we lose Shepard and Grant, and assuming Andre leaves as well, even a surprising influx of talent may not be enough to make us better than we were this year. It would really take a Jaylen Brown/Ivan Rabb level of talent infusion to not only fill the talent drain but actually improve it over this year .
Cal needs a number 1 and number 2 scorer so that the returnees can take their lesser roles. One of those players has to be able handle the ball, and one has to be a deadeye shooter. While that seems unlikely, with unlimited transferring it is not zero. Veteran transfers could be as good as those two were as freshmen.
I guess to me, based on Fox's history and the utter dumpster fire that the program is, bringing in the two players you describe (both from a scholarship availability perspective as well as from a recruiting perspective) would be so unlikely it would rival Cal signing two 5 star recruits. It is possible, but with Mark Fox at the helm, i'd give myself better odds of winning the lottery.
sluggo
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CalLifer said:

sluggo said:

CalLifer said:

sluggo said:

HearstMining said:

I was disappointed in Fox's terse comments in the post-game. Even if he had no specifics, he could have said something about improvement next year. I don't buy that he was in shock over the loss, they were behind the whole game. As a fan or a player, I don't want to hear, "We didn't play well, so we're going home." without some general statement about how we're going to improve. Cal basketball is in a deep hole and he should use every opportunity to show a ray of hope.
I would rather that he not lie to me. Remember how this freshmen class was going to turn things around? Other than a surprising influx of talent in the spring next season will be worse than this season.
Knowing that we lose Shepard and Grant, and assuming Andre leaves as well, even a surprising influx of talent may not be enough to make us better than we were this year. It would really take a Jaylen Brown/Ivan Rabb level of talent infusion to not only fill the talent drain but actually improve it over this year .
Cal needs a number 1 and number 2 scorer so that the returnees can take their lesser roles. One of those players has to be able handle the ball, and one has to be a deadeye shooter. While that seems unlikely, with unlimited transferring it is not zero. Veteran transfers could be as good as those two were as freshmen.
I guess to me, based on Fox's history and the utter dumpster fire that the program is, bringing in the two players you describe (both from a scholarship availability perspective as well as from a recruiting perspective) would be so unlikely it would rival Cal signing two 5 star recruits. It is possible, but with Mark Fox at the helm, i'd give myself better odds of winning the lottery.
While I agree it is very unlikely, to transfers like Shepherd he can offer all you can eat. And Cal is a very attractive place.
wifeisafurd
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Fox's rep is as a decent coach and lousy recruiter. There is nothing in his background that suggests he would be good at recruiting players that are a fit for Cal (for a contrast, look at the background of Wilcox and Smith). This was a stupid hire by Knowlton, both in substance and in process, and there is no reason to believe next year with Fox will be any different from the last 3 years. He will get another year because there is insufficient interest in men's basketball to force Knowlton to make a change. Sorry to be so negative, but basically this is bottom tier program, that will remain a bottom tier program.
bearister
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HearstMining said:

Civil Bear said:

Dduster said:

The Bears do not have enough talent to be competitive in the Pac 12. Phil Jackson could be the coach and 10th thru 12th will be the end result. You cannot tell the difference between 'walk-ons' and wasted scholarships.
If Phil Jackson was the coach we wouldn't have the current talent deficit.
Jackson realized that NBA success was way more about talent than coaching and I recall him saying he'd never take on a team that needed a complete rebuild.


Kyle Smith took that on.
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stu
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Before our last 3 games a few posters were offering some support for Fox but I haven't noticed any of that recently. If anyone is willing to keep Fox another year or two please state your case.
PtownBear1
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stu said:

Before our last 3 games a few posters were offering some support for Fox but I haven't noticed any of that recently. If anyone is willing to keep Fox another year or two please state your case.
Why? Who cares what a few folks that enjoy losing have to say.
stu
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I care, not because I enjoy losing but because I have no inside info and might learn something.
bipolarbear
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PtownBear1 said:

If someone kicks off the online petition I bet we could garner enough signatures to where local media picks up on it. Worth a try…
An on-line petition is good. I will sign and share. I also think taking the time to write a personal letter on real stationary, hand addressed and stamped might get a look. I must search for his actual address.
I labor under the illusion that I have some power.
CaliforniaEternal
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The season began with a whimper, ended with a whimper, and next season promises more of the same. Nobody cares though, so we get what we deserve.
Econ141
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bipolarbear said:

PtownBear1 said:

If someone kicks off the online petition I bet we could garner enough signatures to where local media picks up on it. Worth a try…
An on-line petition is good. I will sign and share. I also think taking the time to write a personal letter on real stationary, hand addressed and stamped might get a look. I must search for his actual address.
I labor under the illusion that I have some power.


I don't think we have enough fans left willing to spend the one second to sign a piece of paper for this dumpster fire of a program. We'd get maybe 10 signatures from the very small group of people who bothered to post anything in the game thread.

Our discussions should put Fox aside - we know he isn't the right fit And nothing will change. How do we get Knowlton and Christ onto this petition?
calumnus
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CaliforniaEternal said:

The season began with a whimper, ended with a whimper, and next season promises more of the same. Nobody cares though, so we get what we deserve.


The season began with us losing to UC San Diego at home.
PtownBear1
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fat_slice said:

bipolarbear said:

PtownBear1 said:

If someone kicks off the online petition I bet we could garner enough signatures to where local media picks up on it. Worth a try…
An on-line petition is good. I will sign and share. I also think taking the time to write a personal letter on real stationary, hand addressed and stamped might get a look. I must search for his actual address.
I labor under the illusion that I have some power.


I don't think we have enough fans left willing to spend the one second to sign a piece of paper for this dumpster fire of a program. We'd get maybe 10 signatures from the very small group of people who bothered to post anything in the game thread.

Our discussions should put Fox aside - we know he isn't the right fit And nothing will change. How do we get Knowlton and Christ onto this petition?
I bet there are hundreds of former Cal basketball fans who wouldn't mind signing if this gets any traction.
OdontoBear66
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stu said:

Before our last 3 games a few posters were offering some support for Fox but I haven't noticed any of that recently. If anyone is willing to keep Fox another year or two please state your case.
Well stu, I was more or less one of those posters. I have expressed how I have G'town along with Cal as my teams----both horribly unsuccessful; definitely losers this year. The Hoyas much worse than Cal with better players in my opinion.

So because of that I see players and schemes coached up during the year at Cal with less talent. Not so at Georgetown. Ewing has done a horrible job and should be fired or somehow let go immediately. He is held together by his playing days at G'town and the Thompson culture in DC.

Now that by comparison, does not mean I would be for keeping Fox. Definitely not. He cannot and does not recruit. The roster situation is a mess with little on the plate to give hope for years to come. I would love any of the three top mentions at Cal, maybe Dennis Gates #1. But that does not mean Fox cannot and did not coach up a marginally talented team by comparison to the Pac12? No, he did a good job with what he had, but he does not and cannot recruit by his history.

I guess the best way to say it, if Fox is again the coach next year, I do not see that team doing as well as this years team. I see that as a good reason why not to keep Fox. We lose most of our scoring talent and have not come close to replacing it. Simple answer; look for help in coaching/recruiting
calfanz
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It's not just recruiting. There no there there. It's boring basketball, trying to minimize big losses and pull out an occasional low scoring upset.

The lack of transparency, (no mid week pressers, off season pressers, back door info about recruiting etc) creates a pattern leading to widespread apathy.

Apathy is the WORST fan emotion.
Dgoldnbaer
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I know tons of Bear Backers, myself included who would sign petition to can Fox. So - let's get it going!
HearstMining
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sluggo said:

HearstMining said:

I was disappointed in Fox's terse comments in the post-game. Even if he had no specifics, he could have said something about improvement next year. I don't buy that he was in shock over the loss, they were behind the whole game. As a fan or a player, I don't want to hear, "We didn't play well, so we're going home." without some general statement about how we're going to improve. Cal basketball is in a deep hole and he should use every opportunity to show a ray of hope.
I would rather that he not lie to me. Remember how this freshmen class was going to turn things around? Other than a surprising influx of talent in the spring next season will be worse than this season.
I agree - I don't want to hear a bunch of pie-in-the-sky BS. What I want to hear is that he sees some changes make this team better because if that's not true, then he's just taking a paycheck. Saying, "We suck" is not leadership. Saying "We suck and here's a path forward" is leadership and saying just a sentence or two about that at the post-game would have been constructive. My fear is that he's not going to change anything. His players will go through the same offseason training as last year. They'll run the same defense and offense (did this team even have an inbounds play?). He'll just coach "harder" and expect players to play "harder" and as you say, the result will be the same or worse.
grrrah76
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The program has lacked any real energy or spark for years. I can't see a downside for bringing in a new coach. Even when we luck out and get a talented player, they leave for other programs. How much longer does this need to go on. We used to be relevant not that many years ago.
stu
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OdontoBear66 said:

... I guess the best way to say it, if Fox is again the coach next year, I do not see that team doing as well as this years team. I see that as a good reason why not to keep Fox. We lose most of our scoring talent and have not come close to replacing it. Simple answer; look for help in coaching/recruiting

Thanks for that.

After Fox was hired I was surprised and disappointed. After his first season I was surprised but this time pleasantly. After his second season I was more than disappointed but that was an exceptional year and I hadn't seen enough (especially recruiting) to be sure. After his third season I have a much clearer view on how the program is developing and I don't like what I see. I agree with your assessment, I think it would take a spring recruiting miracle to make us any better than this season.
socaltownie
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stu said:

OdontoBear66 said:

... I guess the best way to say it, if Fox is again the coach next year, I do not see that team doing as well as this years team. I see that as a good reason why not to keep Fox. We lose most of our scoring talent and have not come close to replacing it. Simple answer; look for help in coaching/recruiting

Thanks for that.

After Fox was hired I was surprised and disappointed. After his first season I was surprised but this time pleasantly. After his second season I was more than disappointed but that was an exceptional year and I hadn't seen enough (especially recruiting) to be sure. After his third season I have a much clearer view on how the program is developing and I don't like what I see. I agree with your assessment, I think it would take a spring recruiting miracle to make us any better than this season.
That is the problem.

First year - "Well it is interesting that he can coach up the kids that he has and we play better team Basketball than Jones did. Given the talent that left this could work.

Second year - "Well that sucked. But it didn't work to his strengths as a teacher and it is hard to see whether the recruits do (or do not) have talent.

THird year - "Really? This is probably the LEAST talented squad in the conference. And there is nothing to indicate from rankings or ratings that he has a diamond in the ruff in the signees. We are going to be HORRIBLE next year. Maybe he gets another grad transfer but how is THAT a fix at Cal - as opposed to a one year plug."
Take care of your Chicken
bluesaxe
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OdontoBear66 said:

stu said:

Before our last 3 games a few posters were offering some support for Fox but I haven't noticed any of that recently. If anyone is willing to keep Fox another year or two please state your case.
Well stu, I was more or less one of those posters. I have expressed how I have G'town along with Cal as my teams----both horribly unsuccessful; definitely losers this year. The Hoyas much worse than Cal with better players in my opinion.

So because of that I see players and schemes coached up during the year at Cal with less talent. Not so at Georgetown. Ewing has done a horrible job and should be fired or somehow let go immediately. He is held together by his playing days at G'town and the Thompson culture in DC.

Now that by comparison, does not mean I would be for keeping Fox. Definitely not. He cannot and does not recruit. The roster situation is a mess with little on the plate to give hope for years to come. I would love any of the three top mentions at Cal, maybe Dennis Gates #1. But that does not mean Fox cannot and did not coach up a marginally talented team by comparison to the Pac12? No, he did a good job with what he had, but he does not and cannot recruit by his history.

I guess the best way to say it, if Fox is again the coach next year, I do not see that team doing as well as this years team. I see that as a good reason why not to keep Fox. We lose most of our scoring talent and have not come close to replacing it. Simple answer; look for help in coaching/recruiting

I'm all for good coaching, but if given the choice of a guy who coaches up bad talent because he can't recruit good talent and a guy who recruits good talent but doesn't maximize it I'll take the latter. At least the signing period is a feel-good time and talented players can win games on their own at times. Which is why Lavin had post-season success even though he was a bad game coach. This program is dead and unless Knowlton is willing to take a big swing at a young coach with charisma and upside it'll stay that way.
 
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