familysection said:

---

This thread should be forwarded to Chancelor Chryst

---

CalLifer said:

---

Big Dog said:

---

4thGenCal said:

---

Big C said:

---

calumnus said:

---

HoopDreams said:

---

kinda cherry picking aren't we?

yeah, there are some posters who agree with each thing you listed

but how many and what proportion are we talking about?

i'm often in bewilderment when there are people who argue so hard against a very minority opinion

and I doubt there is even one or two posters who agree with everything you listed

calumnus said:

---

Big C said:

---

stu said:

---

Is(are) there some major donor(s) who have a strong affinity for Knowlton, Fox, and McKeever?

---

My sense is that, up until about a year and a half ago, the major donors were largely pleased with Knowlton. But at that point, football got worse instead of getting better. And basketball, we know... Then there was McKeeverGate. Then there is our conference situation. Then we started football last fall w/o yell leaders, etc. Hard to find many positives in the past 18 mos.

---

Yes, if you take this board as an indicator, a little over a year ago most were celebrating Knowlton extending Wilcox 5 years because he interviewed/possibly offered at Oregon. Those of us who said it was idiocy to extend Wilcox without seeing if he can turn it around in 2022 were a distinct minority. A year ago people were arguing Musgrave was good, but Garbers was bad and we would be finally great with Plummer.

Similarly, a year ago people here were still arguing thst Williams, Cuonzo and Jones were the cause of our current problems in men's basketball. Every single player that left the program since Fox was hired explained as leaving for some reason other than the head coach. Some people bought the COVID excuse for our record conference losses. The AD blamed the City of Berkeley and found a ready audience.
The "you can't win at Cal" trope was resurrected. People are stil talking about the need for a $130 million practice facility despite there being a lot of basketball courts on campus, our winning recently with the current facilities and our being well into the NIL era.

Insiders still claim Christ "is the best Chancellor for athletics in Cal history" despite her principle role in athletics being to hire a good AD and instead she hired the worst AD I have ever seen, gave him a ridiculous $1.3 million salary and then an 8 year contract extension.

So yeah, part of what makes the current era so dangerous is we have big donors buying what Christ and Knowlton are slinging when they are clearly clueless. That Knowlton is trying to solicit donations to fix the problem he created is not surprising. The latest news that a big donor is making his donation for the practice facility contingent on retaining Fox is stunning. Unless that is just more disinformation coming from the AD office….

---

---

I am not talking about the majority on this board.

My impression was the defense (lauding and excuse making for) of Christ, Knowlton, Wilcox and Fox over the last four years was skewed towards those who claim to be insiders and big donors. Some of them have gradually changed their position, some have made abrupt 180s and are now vocal Knowlton critics when they we singing his praises before.

Now we have a report that a big donor has conditioned his donotion on Fox being retained. How do we take that?

It may not be true, but it might be. My point in "cherry picking" views expressed on this board is that such views are possible and would be consistent with a donor who buys ALL the excuses and like Knowlton, identifies with Fox and sympathizes with him. Thinks he is a good coach who just got a raw deal at Cal and is willing to leverage his donation on his behalf. Or it could be disinformation from the AD.

---

If you look at every other football and basketball coach that Cal has let go over the past 40+ years, Fox's program at this point is at least as bad as theirs were, when they got canned (arguably, Holmoe's final season might've been worse). This is why I'm pretty sure he will not be retained.

---

I would recommend concerned alums/backers of the program (via game attendance/donations) set up a mtg with the AD and voice your opinion. JK is accessible and He is meeting with various donors now (25+), to gauge their impression/thoughts etc. JK has not and will not tip his hand (expected as its unprofessional to do so during a season) but indications thus far, are that terminating the HC at the end of the season (as shocking as it is) is at best 50/50. And while the program results/quality of recruits etc has steadily decreased under the current staff's guidance, declining fan attendance etc the key obstacles to a replacement are: 1) Key donor's are not being vocal/leveraging their involvement enough. 2) $3.15M+ buyout which very likely would need to be raised by the AD from the donor's (and then it is less monies donated for other needed areas) 3) the list of valid obstacles - that all competing conferences have an advantage over Cal hoops. Yes its very frustrating, but the message board posters here, either don't reach out to JK and actually connect live, don't donate enough/frequently or have even made their opinion heard by JK.
JK is going to base his decision on a # of factors including the % of donors that want a termination, is there sufficient monies validated, to be available via donor's to cover the buyout, how hard/engaged the players are playing for the staff, and what plan is in place to turn around the not acceptable results. Very Sorry to say, this is not a slam dunk dismissal - how the team finishes up - including the post season conf tournament will factor in as well.

---

IMO, concerned alums/backers of the program should setup a meeting with the Chancellor and voice their opinion of Knowlton. She is responsible for JK's long-term extension: AD 'till retirement. Regardless, a competent AD would have already recognized that there is no realistic "plan in place to turn around the not acceptable results." (and quite frankly, I question if the Chancellor and AD are all that concerned about the results, after all, 'there is more to athletics than winning...'

---

It is just amazing to me that when we are in the WORST FOUR YEAR STRETCH of Cal basketball since at least Lou Campanelli (30+ years), the onus is somehow on the fans and backers to understand how bad things have gotten and convince the person paid more than a million dollars a year to actually manage the athletic department that a change needs to be made.

I appreciate 4thGenCal's suggestions, but that just points to how pathetically awful an athletic director we have. Fox's team is significantly worse in his 4th year than it was in his first, and yet that trendline is ignored. The fact that after the 0-12 start, after the 20pt home loss to OSU, after the absolute drubbing by Stanford, our AD has sat by quietly and not said a word… there are no words to adequately describe the abject failure that is Knowlton.

---