Missouri fires Cuonzo Martin - reports

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RJABear
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bearister
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Who plays him in the biopic, "Trail of Broken Hearts: The Cuonzo Martin Story,"?


*His career earnings are OFF THE F@UCKING CHART!
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BeachedBear
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If my memory is correct, the ONLY former CalmBball coach still employed is Todd Bozeman?
stu
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch story

"Search consultant Eddie Fogler, former head coach at South Carolina and Vanderbilt, will assist Mizzou in the national search for Martin's replacement."

"Potential candidates Mizzou could explore include North Texas' Grant McCasland, Drake's Darian DeVries, Murray State's Matt McMahon, Cleveland State's Dennis Gates, Baylor assistant Jerome Tang and former Mizzou player Kim English, in his first year as the head coach at George Mason."

(my bold)
wifeisafurd
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RJABear said:



Is the source Jon "Haase is gone" Wilner?
parentswerebears
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When is the Fox is fired Jon Rothstein tweet? Not soon enough.
stu
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BeachedBear said:

If my memory is correct, the ONLY former CalmBball coach still employed is Todd Bozeman?
Isn't Jones an assistant at Washington?
bearister
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BeachedBear said:

If my memory is correct, the ONLY former CalmBball coach still employed is Todd Bozeman?


Todd "I have 3000 Benjamins in this briefcase" Bozeman
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BearSD
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parentswerebears said:

When is the Fox is fired Jon Rothstein tweet? Not soon enough.


We can only hope that Georgia wants to rehire Fox.
Bobodeluxe
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wifeisafurd said:

RJABear said:



Is the source Jon "Haase is gone" Wilner?
Wilner reports Mizery to hire Justin.
Bobodeluxe
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The Con gets canned. Just a terrible coach.
HoopDreams
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https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/33479585/missouri-tigers-fire-coach-cuonzo-martin-five-seasons
CalLifer
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Bobodeluxe said:

The Con gets canned. Just a terrible coach.


I find it amazing to read these types of statements after 3 seasons of Mark Fox. Those that can sit here and call someone who took Cal to its highest seed in the NCAA tournament in the 64 team era while working under an incompetent AD a terrible coach appear to have some other agenda.

Is he a perfect coach? No. But to trash him while we are in the Fox era is laughable.

For a different opinion:


stu
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From the ESPN article

"Potential candidates expected to be involved, sources told ESPN, include Murray State's Matt McMahon, Baylor assistant Jerome Tang, North Texas' Grant McCasland and San Francisco's Todd Golden."

(my bold)
Civil Bear
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CalLifer said:

Bobodeluxe said:

The Con gets canned. Just a terrible coach.


I find it amazing to read these types of statements after 3 seasons of Mark Fox. Those that can sit here and call someone who took Cal to its highest seed in the NCAA tournament in the 64 team era while working under an incompetent AD a terrible coach appear to have some other agenda.

Is he a perfect coach? No. But to trash him while we are in the Fox era is laughable.

For a different opinion:




Fox sucking does not make Martin a good coach. No surprise Missouri would end up regretting the hire.
4thGenCal
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CalLifer said:

Bobodeluxe said:

The Con gets canned. Just a terrible coach.


I find it amazing to read these types of statements after 3 seasons of Mark Fox. Those that can sit here and call someone who took Cal to its highest seed in the NCAA tournament in the 64 team era while working under an incompetent AD a terrible coach appear to have some other agenda.

Is he a perfect coach? No. But to trash him while we are in the Fox era is laughable.

For a different opinion:



So true and I certainly respected his character building and personal accountability standards Cuonzo set for the program. Players were required to sit in the first row in class, no cell phones out, bi weekly staff/professor updates on the academic standing/class attendance of his student athletes. Basketball wise a tough no nonsense coach, excellent recruiter who related very well to those young men from tough backgrounds (as he was as well). Defensively his team was solid and would also agree that more emphasis in practice could have been given to the offensive sets etc.Sam Singer would say that often 2/3+ of practice time was focused on defense. I was fortunate to have been asked to speak to the team and was impressed at the quality/character of players, ability to engage with thoughtful questions and the respect the players had for Him. He left not to be closer to his home, (His wife was very sad to leave) or because there was a larger package, but rather because he was not able to get in minimum five+ players (studs) who wanted to play for him but were turned down by admissions. He told me, "when a person's background is truly understood and the obstacles overcome, chances sometimes are warranted". I would not have succeeded had I not been given a chance to attend Purdue". He felt he could not consistently win(compete for conf titles) with the admission standards. Yes academic support must be put in place and constantly monitored, but there are marginal applicants that can and would succeed. Lack of support from Williams also turned him off - his extension contract sat on the AD desk for many months (the only assistant coach he ever hired that he did not know and relied on other's recommendation - bit him in the butt Huffnagel)
philbert
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4thGenCal said:

CalLifer said:

Bobodeluxe said:

The Con gets canned. Just a terrible coach.


I find it amazing to read these types of statements after 3 seasons of Mark Fox. Those that can sit here and call someone who took Cal to its highest seed in the NCAA tournament in the 64 team era while working under an incompetent AD a terrible coach appear to have some other agenda.

Is he a perfect coach? No. But to trash him while we are in the Fox era is laughable.

For a different opinion:



So true and I certainly respected his character building and personal accountability standards Cuonzo set for the program. Players were required to sit in the first row in class, no cell phones out, bi weekly staff/professor updates on the academic standing/class attendance of his student athletes. Basketball wise a tough no nonsense coach, excellent recruiter who related very well to those young men from tough backgrounds (as he was as well). Defensively his team was solid and would also agree that more emphasis in practice could have been given to the offensive sets etc.Sam Singer would say that often 2/3+ of practice time was focused on defense. I was fortunate to have been asked to speak to the team and was impressed at the quality/character of players, ability to engage with thoughtful questions and the respect the players had for Him. He left not to be closer to his home, (His wife was very sad to leave) or because there was a larger package, but rather because he was not able to get in minimum five+ players (studs) who wanted to play for him but were turned down by admissions. He told me, "when a person's background is truly understood and the obstacles overcome, chances sometimes are warranted". I would not have succeeded had I not been given a chance to attend Purdue". He felt he could not consistently win(compete for conf titles) with the admission standards. Yes academic support must be put in place and constantly monitored, but there are marginal applicants that can and would succeed. Lack of support from Williams also turned him off - his extension contract sat on the AD desk for many months (the only assistant coach he ever hired that he did not know and relied on other's recommendation - bit him in the butt Huffnagel)
Aha! Now this story makes more sense to me than the one about his son not getting in. Thanks 4thgen.
bearister
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He had one of the better players in the NBA in Jaylen Brown, and yet he could not coach him up enough to keep him off the bench with 3 charging fouls 2 minutes into many second halves.

Raab cost himself millions sticking around a 2nd season in a rudderless program as his NBA draft status dropped like a whale dump. He received no coaching help (like Lars has).

We were at a distinct disadvantage in the last 2 minutes of any close game because of lack of coaching.

He is a good man, and a good recruiter but he is not a good coach and there is an avalanche of evidence to prove that.

So the fact Fox may not be a good recruiter or coach gives Cuonzo a shield from criticism?

Cuonzo has made generational wealth for his family so he is a lot shrewder business man than most of us…but a good coach, he is not.
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Big C
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bearister said:

He had one of the better players in the NBA in Jaylen Brown, and yet he could not coach him up enough to keep him off the bench with 3 charging fouls 2 minutes into many seconds halfs.

Raab cost himself millions sticking around a 2nd season in a rudderless program as his NBA draft status dropped like a whale dump. He received no coaching help (like Lars has).

We were at a distinct disadvantage in the last 2 minutes of any close game because of lack of coaching.

He is a good man, and a good recruiter but he is not a good coach and there is an avalanche of evidence to prove that.

So the fact Fox may not be a good recruiter or coach gives Cuonzo a shield from criticism?

Cuonzo has made generational wealth for his family so he is a lot shrewder business man than most of us…but a good coach, he is not.

Hardly any coach checks all the boxes. Martin's one major weakness was coaching offense. Maybe developing players was also suspect. He may have fell victim to the time honored fault of not hiring assistants that could shore up his own weaknesses. Overall, he was one of the better coaches we've had in the past 50 years, certainly better than his two successors.
bearister
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Big C said:

bearister said:

He had one of the better players in the NBA in Jaylen Brown, and yet he could not coach him up enough to keep him off the bench with 3 charging fouls 2 minutes into many seconds halfs.

Raab cost himself millions sticking around a 2nd season in a rudderless program as his NBA draft status dropped like a whale dump. He received no coaching help (like Lars has).

We were at a distinct disadvantage in the last 2 minutes of any close game because of lack of coaching.

He is a good man, and a good recruiter but he is not a good coach and there is an avalanche of evidence to prove that.

So the fact Fox may not be a good recruiter or coach gives Cuonzo a shield from criticism?

Cuonzo has made generational wealth for his family so he is a lot shrewder business man than most of us…but a good coach, he is not.

Hardly any coach checks all the boxes. Martin's one major weakness was coaching offense. Maybe developing players was also suspect. He may have fell victim to the time honored fault of not hiring assistants that could shore up his own weaknesses. Overall, he was one of the better coaches we've had in the past 50 years, certainly better than his two successors.


Monty was an X and O guy too burned out to give a crap about recruiting…. but still a better coach than Cuonzo by a significant exponential factor.

Braun was .703 (corrected in later post) at Cal. Cuonzo was .629 (corrected in later post) with two elite players…..and he was driving the program rapidly into the sh@itter. Cuonzo has a slightly higher winning percentage after 14 years than Braun after 29 years, but if Cuonzo can even stay in the game, his record will be a southbound train going down on a graph because his ability to recruit and get a gig at a good program are decreasing.

He was better than Wyking. I will let someone else compare and contrast with Fox because I could care less.

Hey, you still think Vanover is the "one that got away," so W@T@F do you know anyway?



*Bonus question: Did Cuonzo even have a inbounds play? If so, I never discerned it, and it sure never worked because the Bears usually went tits up in the last minute of tight games.
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Big C
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^^^ LOL, you win. ^^^
bearister
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Big C said:

^^^ LOL, you win. ^^^

I'll settle for a tie with you any day.
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4thGenCal
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bearister said:

Big C said:

bearister said:

He had one of the better players in the NBA in Jaylen Brown, and yet he could not coach him up enough to keep him off the bench with 3 charging fouls 2 minutes into many seconds halfs.

Raab cost himself millions sticking around a 2nd season in a rudderless program as his NBA draft status dropped like a whale dump. He received no coaching help (like Lars has).

We were at a distinct disadvantage in the last 2 minutes of any close game because of lack of coaching.

He is a good man, and a good recruiter but he is not a good coach and there is an avalanche of evidence to prove that.

So the fact Fox may not be a good recruiter or coach gives Cuonzo a shield from criticism?

Cuonzo has made generational wealth for his family so he is a lot shrewder business man than most of us…but a good coach, he is not.

Hardly any coach checks all the boxes. Martin's one major weakness was coaching offense. Maybe developing players was also suspect. He may have fell victim to the time honored fault of not hiring assistants that could shore up his own weaknesses. Overall, he was one of the better coaches we've had in the past 50 years, certainly better than his two successors.


Monty was an X and O guy too burned out to give a crap about recruiting…. but still a better coach than Cuonzo by a significant exponential factor.

Braun was .703 at Cal. Cuonzo was .629 with two elite players…..and he was driving the program rapidly into the sh@itter. Cuonzo has a slightly higher winning percentage after 14 years than Braun after 29 years, but if Cuonzo can even stay in the game, his record will be a southbound train going down on a graph because his ability to recruit and get a gig at a good program are decreasing.

He was better than Wyking. I will let someone else compare and contrast with Fox because I could care less.

Hey, you still think Vanover is the "one that got away," so W@T@F do you know anyway?



*Bonus question: Did Cuonzo even have a inbounds play? If so, I never discerned it, and it sure never worked because the Bears usually went tits up in the last minute of tight games.
Surprising that a 62-39 overall record at Cal (including 2 of 3 upper half conf finishes and three straight winning overall records) would be a label for "a good coach, he is not". The program clearly misses him and by any objective measure would label Cuonzo as a "good coach" at Cal. Btw regarding not being able to corral a 19 year Jaylen Brown (not a fair comparision to a mature mentally and physically older Pro) is a harsh assessment without understanding what Cuonzo and the staff were dealing with. Several times Cuonzo would meet one on one with Jaylen, and show video clips of Jaylen forcing a drive into traffic and either having a TO, or an off balance shot. Cuonzo would clearly show the open kick out to an uncontested team mate and Jaylen would agree, only to revert back to similar mistakes.
The issue that Cuonzo fought and lost, was several family members were in Jaylen's ear, that he needed to create and score more points to get a high draft selection. Jaylen while remarkably mature off the court, was impressionable and often defaulted to his "advisors". I long for a 19-0 home court record and the highest post season seeding (4th but ended with 2 starters out with injuries) is a very long time. Final point ,the players on his team overall were Very supportive of him/believed in his coaching and appreciated the life leasons he imparted to them.
HoopDreams
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If I was the father of a recruit I'd want Martin to be my son's coach over every current Pac12 coach

Not sure how much of a factor the parents of a recruit is (probably case by case) but I believe in Martin and liked his family

Was he just a salesman with a brand? Probably every high D1 coach is to some degree, but I think he was authentic

I wanted Decuire, but when Martin was announced I thought he was a very good hire, and wish he was still our coach

He needed more time to figure out the sweet spot in recruiting at cal, and cal also needed to meet him part way, but I think we would have been in a completely different place if he was here, maybe with a new associate head coach with better basketball credentials than the head coach of an AAU team

4thGenCal said:

bearister said:

Big C said:

bearister said:

He had one of the better players in the NBA in Jaylen Brown, and yet he could not coach him up enough to keep him off the bench with 3 charging fouls 2 minutes into many seconds halfs.

Raab cost himself millions sticking around a 2nd season in a rudderless program as his NBA draft status dropped like a whale dump. He received no coaching help (like Lars has).

We were at a distinct disadvantage in the last 2 minutes of any close game because of lack of coaching.

He is a good man, and a good recruiter but he is not a good coach and there is an avalanche of evidence to prove that.

So the fact Fox may not be a good recruiter or coach gives Cuonzo a shield from criticism?

Cuonzo has made generational wealth for his family so he is a lot shrewder business man than most of us…but a good coach, he is not.

Hardly any coach checks all the boxes. Martin's one major weakness was coaching offense. Maybe developing players was also suspect. He may have fell victim to the time honored fault of not hiring assistants that could shore up his own weaknesses. Overall, he was one of the better coaches we've had in the past 50 years, certainly better than his two successors.


Monty was an X and O guy too burned out to give a crap about recruiting…. but still a better coach than Cuonzo by a significant exponential factor.

Braun was .703 at Cal. Cuonzo was .629 with two elite players…..and he was driving the program rapidly into the sh@itter. Cuonzo has a slightly higher winning percentage after 14 years than Braun after 29 years, but if Cuonzo can even stay in the game, his record will be a southbound train going down on a graph because his ability to recruit and get a gig at a good program are decreasing.

He was better than Wyking. I will let someone else compare and contrast with Fox because I could care less.

Hey, you still think Vanover is the "one that got away," so W@T@F do you know anyway?



*Bonus question: Did Cuonzo even have a inbounds play? If so, I never discerned it, and it sure never worked because the Bears usually went tits up in the last minute of tight games.
Surprising that a 62-39 overall record at Cal (including 2 of 3 upper half conf finishes and three straight winning overall records) would be a label for "a good coach, he is not". The program clearly misses him and by any objective measure would label Cuonzo as a "good coach" at Cal. Btw regarding not being able to corral a 19 year Jaylen Brown (not a fair comparision to a mature mentally and physically older Pro) is a harsh assessment without understanding what Cuonzo and the staff were dealing with. Several times Cuonzo would meet one on one with Jaylen, and show video clips of Jaylen forcing a drive into traffic and either having a TO, or an off balance shot. Cuonzo would clearly show the open kick out to an uncontested team mate and Jaylen would agree, only to revert back to similar mistakes.
The issue that Cuonzo fought and lost, was several family members were in Jaylen's ear, that he needed to create and score more points to get a high draft selection. Jaylen while remarkably mature off the court, was impressionable and often defaulted to his "advisors". I long for a 19-0 home court record and the highest post season seeding (4th but ended with 2 starters out with injuries) is a very long time. Final point ,the players on his team overall were Very supportive of him/believed in his coaching and appreciated the life leasons he imparted to them.
bearister
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I miscalculated the percentages. Braun was .594 at Cal and Martin .545.

Then this:

"Martin just completed his fifth season with the program, one that saw the Tigers go 12-21 and 5-13 in the SEC. Missouri was knocked out of the conference tournament's second round on Thursday after losing to LSU.
Martin finishes his career at Missouri with a 78-77 record overall, and a 35-53 record in SEC play."

Sources: Missouri Parting Ways with Men's Basketball Coach Cuonzo Martin | Sports Illustrated


https://www.si.com/college/2022/03/12/missouri-fires-mens-basketball-coach-cuonzo-martin

My opinion of Martin as a coach stands.
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BearSD
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CalLifer said:



I find it amazing to read these types of statements after 3 seasons of Mark Fox.
That has nothing to do with anything. No one on this board had anything to do with hiring Fox.

The fact that Cal hired worse coaches after Martin doesn't make Martin better, just like it wouldn't make Martin worse if Cal had hired a good head coach after Martin tanked the NIT game and left for Mizzou as fast as he could.
Civil Bear
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HoopDreams said:

If I was the father of a recruit I'd want Martin to be my son's coach over every current Pac12 coach

Not sure how much of a factor the parents of a recruit is (probably case by case) but I believe in Martin and liked his family

Was he just a salesman with a brand? Probably every high D1 coach is to some degree, but I think he was authentic

I wanted Decuire, but when Martin was announced I thought he was a very good hire, and wish he was still our coach

He needed more time to figure out the sweet spot in recruiting at cal, and cal also needed to meet him part way, but I think we would have been in a completely different place if he was here, maybe with a new associate head coach with better basketball credentials than the head coach of an AAU team


There is zero reason to think Martin would do better at Cal than at Missouri, so if he was still our coach most Cal fans would be calling for his head just like they are for Fox. Martin's claim to fame was getting Brown and Rabb in one recruiting class and getting the Porter kids at Missry by hiring their dad. Clearly, he showed that was not sustainable, and he has been been a mediocre recruiter at best over his 14-year career, sans those two classes. If he couldn't find the sweet spot for recruiting at Missry I don't see how he would have done it here.
RedlessWardrobe
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Big C said:

bearister said:

He had one of the better players in the NBA in Jaylen Brown, and yet he could not coach him up enough to keep him off the bench with 3 charging fouls 2 minutes into many seconds halfs.

Raab cost himself millions sticking around a 2nd season in a rudderless program as his NBA draft status dropped like a whale dump. He received no coaching help (like Lars has).

We were at a distinct disadvantage in the last 2 minutes of any close game because of lack of coaching.

He is a good man, and a good recruiter but he is not a good coach and there is an avalanche of evidence to prove that.

So the fact Fox may not be a good recruiter or coach gives Cuonzo a shield from criticism?

Cuonzo has made generational wealth for his family so he is a lot shrewder business man than most of us…but a good coach, he is not.

Hardly any coach checks all the boxes. Martin's one major weakness was coaching offense. Maybe developing players was also suspect. He may have fell victim to the time honored fault of not hiring assistants that could shore up his own weaknesses. Overall, he was one of the better coaches we've had in the past 50 years, certainly better than his two successors.
I have to say, if his major weakness was coaching offense, that has to be considered a DOUBLE major weakness. Any coach that comes with that tag really has to be considered a very, very, questionable hire in today's college game.
BeachedBear
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Martin>Fox>Jones

What's being left out of this is who Martin had to deal with (Williams/Dierks) vs Fox. Most folks won't accept or discount how poorly those two impacted Cal's ability to function in the Bball world. 4thGen mentioned a couple of key points, but there is more. Martin didn't like or respect his bosses and pretty much the entire coaching fraternity knew about it (and agreed).

Like HD, I agree that we'd all probably be happier today, if CM was still our coach, but Christ and Knowlton had moved into their current roles. I'm sure we'd be complaining about something, but it would be things we WISH we could complain about. Like "I can't believe we lost that recruit to Arizona". Whereas today - we don't even recruit the same players.
Civil Bear
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BeachedBear said:

Martin>Fox>Jones

What's being left out of this is who Martin had to deal with (Williams/Dierks) vs Fox. Most folks won't accept or discount how poorly those two impacted Cal's ability to function in the Bball world. 4thGen mentioned a couple of key points, but there is more. Martin didn't like or respect his bosses and pretty much the entire coaching fraternity knew about it (and agreed).

Like HD, I agree that we'd all probably be happier today, if CM was still our coach, but Christ and Knowlton had moved into their current roles. I'm sure we'd be complaining about something, but it would be things we WISH we could complain about. Like "I can't believe we lost that recruit to Arizona". Whereas today - we don't even recruit the same players.
So what is Martin's excuse at Missouri with no recruiting restrictions? The Tigers ended up at 206 in the RPI power rankings against Cal's 216. Would most Cal fans really be any happier with that?
bearister
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I attended in person every game Cuonzo Martin coached at Haas. I watched every away game on TV. I attended the now infamous NIT game at Haas that he coached.

With that said, I would not be happier had he stayed. As far as I am concerned, he and his assistant coach administered the kill shot to Cal basketball.

….and this cuts to the chase:

" Martin's claim to fame was getting Brown and Rabb in one recruiting class and getting the Porter kids at Missry by hiring their dad. Clearly, he showed that was not sustainable, and he has been been a mediocre recruiter at best over his 14-year career, sans those two classes." Civil Bear
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BeachedBear
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Civil Bear said:

BeachedBear said:

Martin>Fox>Jones

What's being left out of this is who Martin had to deal with (Williams/Dierks) vs Fox. Most folks won't accept or discount how poorly those two impacted Cal's ability to function in the Bball world. 4thGen mentioned a couple of key points, but there is more. Martin didn't like or respect his bosses and pretty much the entire coaching fraternity knew about it (and agreed).

Like HD, I agree that we'd all probably be happier today, if CM was still our coach, but Christ and Knowlton had moved into their current roles. I'm sure we'd be complaining about something, but it would be things we WISH we could complain about. Like "I can't believe we lost that recruit to Arizona". Whereas today - we don't even recruit the same players.
So what is Martin's excuse at Missouri with no recruiting restrictions? The Tigers ended up at 206 in the RPI power rankings against Cal's 216. Would most Cal fans really be any happier with that?
I'm not making excuses for Martin. And I didn't claim he was a great coach at Cal. I'm claiming that he's better than Jones or Fox. I'm connecting the dots that better means happier for most fans - maybe I'm mistaken with that point.

But let me rephrase this: Why do you think Fox is better than Martin (forget Jones) and what about the Fox era makes you happier than going to the NCAA tournament, for example?
BeachedBear
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bearister said:

I attended in person every game Cuonzo Martin coached at Haas. I watched every away game on TV. I attended the now infamous NIT game at Haas that he coached.

With that said, I would not be happier had he stayed. As far as I am concerned, he and his assistant coach administered the kill shot to Cal basketball.
I was there too. And that NIT game really pissed me off! But that sting has worn off over time. But I was a happier fan up to that game while Martin was here. I was frustrated with his offense, but overall enjoyed games at Haas. I used to invite friends and have dinner or beers in Berkeley and enjoy a game together. When Jones came, it was unbearable. I couldn't bribe people to come to games. Fox was slightly but not much better. After the administration said they wouldn't do anything about basketball for the foreseeable future, I cancelled my tickets and donations. I am not happier.

I have heard other similar stories.

But I haven't heard a single story of someone who was on the fence during Martin, but is now clamoring for my chairback seats because Fox makes them happier. Maybe you're the first.

But what is it about Fox (or Jones) that makes you happier about Cal Basketball?
HoopDreams
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Besides WK's unqualified background what instantly confirmed we were in deep water was when he tried to implement the 40 minutes of hell defense with the running rebels offense

Given his assistants were mostly AAU coaches they probably knew how to run those schemes

But without the types and depth of players to run it, and the naivety to understand D1 was different than AAU we gone shedded by small mid major teams in embarrassing fashion

He finally abandoned that strategy but still tried to play aggressive, trapping half court defense, which was gambling and undisciplined (e.g. over helping)

Amateur hour coaching
oski003
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4thGenCal said:

CalLifer said:

Bobodeluxe said:

The Con gets canned. Just a terrible coach.


I find it amazing to read these types of statements after 3 seasons of Mark Fox. Those that can sit here and call someone who took Cal to its highest seed in the NCAA tournament in the 64 team era while working under an incompetent AD a terrible coach appear to have some other agenda.

Is he a perfect coach? No. But to trash him while we are in the Fox era is laughable.

For a different opinion:



So true and I certainly respected his character building and personal accountability standards Cuonzo set for the program. Players were required to sit in the first row in class, no cell phones out, bi weekly staff/professor updates on the academic standing/class attendance of his student athletes. Basketball wise a tough no nonsense coach, excellent recruiter who related very well to those young men from tough backgrounds (as he was as well). Defensively his team was solid and would also agree that more emphasis in practice could have been given to the offensive sets etc.Sam Singer would say that often 2/3+ of practice time was focused on defense. I was fortunate to have been asked to speak to the team and was impressed at the quality/character of players, ability to engage with thoughtful questions and the respect the players had for Him. He left not to be closer to his home, (His wife was very sad to leave) or because there was a larger package, but rather because he was not able to get in minimum five+ players (studs) who wanted to play for him but were turned down by admissions. He told me, "when a person's background is truly understood and the obstacles overcome, chances sometimes are warranted". I would not have succeeded had I not been given a chance to attend Purdue". He felt he could not consistently win(compete for conf titles) with the admission standards. Yes academic support must be put in place and constantly monitored, but there are marginal applicants that can and would succeed. Lack of support from Williams also turned him off - his extension contract sat on the AD desk for many months (the only assistant coach he ever hired that he did not know and relied on other's recommendation - bit him in the butt Huffnagel)


Didn't Martin know the rules before recruiting these 5 star studs that couldn't pass Cal's basketball admission standards? Did he expect the administration to change the rules for him?
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