Cal_79 said:

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Big C said:

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stu said:

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Big C said:

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calumnus said:

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stu said:

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Quote:

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... We have been driving a used Yugo. It's nice to dream about a Porsche. We need to be happy - very happy - with a fully loaded Honda.

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We're 2 decades into the 21st Century. Time to go electric.

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That was my thought when I read that too. Find the next Tesla.

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Can we afford a Tesla? Not sure I care for that Model 3, their entry level. Also not liking Elon Musk too much these days...

Honda has some electrics and even a fuel cell, I believe!

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Hydrogen is cool, even AC Transit is using it buses. But in this situation we need to keep Frank Zappa's observation in mind:

"Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe."

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I hear you, but if stupidity were such a good basic building block, wouldn't the Cal Athletic Department _____________ ?

(will leave y'all to complete the above sentence any way you like)

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Don't confuse quantity with quality. Might want to reread the quote about stupidity being the basic building block of the universe.

Where does it state that stupidity is a 'good' basic building block?

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I think Zappa was confusing civilization with the universe.

bluehenbear said:

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NGL I’m all my days, he’s one of the only NCAA guys I think has pro level understanding of basketball. I think he’d do just fine at Cal. https://t.co/zc8o1aDjko

— Rod Benson (@boomtho) March 12, 2023

Rod Benson on Pasternack

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Nice endorsement.

I'm trying to remember Benson's anecdote a few years ago about Pasternack and Ben Braun (mostly Braun). It was absolutely hilarious.

Big C said:

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I'm trying to remember Benson's anecdote a few years ago about Pasternack and Ben Braun (mostly Braun). It was absolutely hilarious.

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Yeah, I forget the details but I don't remember him being very complimentary about Braun, so his high praise of Pasternak is meaningful to me.

Pasternak winning the conference and getting to the NCAA Tournament raises his stock and will help in recruiting. I know his wife Lindsay (Roxy's sister) is from the Bay Area, did she go to Cal too?

stu said:

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Probably tics more boxes than anyone else we're likely to get.

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Yeah, you're right, but hoping we catch lighting in a bottle like with Tedford or how Stanford hired Harbaugh. I would be happy with Decuire over Pasternack.

BeachedBear said:

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OneTopOneChickenApple said:

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stu said:

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Probably tics more boxes than anyone else we're likely to get.

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Yeah, you're right, but hoping we catch lighting in a bottle like with Tedford or how Stanford hired Harbaugh. I would be happy with Decuire over Pasternack.

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I'm not all in on Pasternack at Cal, but he's a league or two ahead of Decuire.

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Who do you like best so far, BeachedBear?

Big C said:

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BeachedBear said:

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OneTopOneChickenApple said:

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stu said:

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Probably tics more boxes than anyone else we're likely to get.

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Yeah, you're right, but hoping we catch lighting in a bottle like with Tedford or how Stanford hired Harbaugh. I would be happy with Decuire over Pasternack.

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I'm not all in on Pasternack at Cal, but he's a league or two ahead of Decuire.

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Who do you like best so far, BeachedBear?

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Really hard to say as I've let my Calmotions get the best of me the last 18 months. I've almost stopped following basketball at this point, so some of the names I came up with 12-24 months ago may have lost some of their luster like Decuire. I'm caught up in who could we hire and who should we hire and honestly am just really p.o'd we didn't do this last year, when we had a better chance at Gates or Golden.

I don't know if they would be better than Joe P, but I'd like to see Drew Valentine, Matt McMahon, Jeff Linder, Niko Medved, Ryan Odom, Mark Pope, Grant MCasland and Darian Devries on the call list.

Shocky1 said:

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sluggo, honestly that's just a terrible list of old white men with zero connections to berkeley that would be a better list for knowlton's hinge hook ups

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It wasn't me.

After watching UCSB against UCR, I would take Magpayo who is not white in his 40s over Pasternack who is white in his 40s, if you want to play that card. But I don't discriminate. I don't watch enough college basketball to make lists. From the NBA world I always liked Jarron Collins. I wonder if he could be enticed. He does not seem to be getting head coaching interviews.

Connections to Berkeley, that is to losing, is a double edged sword.

Big C said:

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If I were AD, I'd like Pasternack, but would be insanely gathering and analyzing info from multiple sources about Stan Johnson, Mike Magpayo, Amir Abdur-Rahim and Shantay Legans, Plus, I'd know enough to have a longer list than that (like some of the guys on BB's list). I'd have contacts and be working them like crazy.

I'm not the AD, of course (in case you hadn't noticed ).

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I really like this candidate group. I'd be happy with any of these 5.

BeachedBear said:

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Big C said:

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If I were AD, I'd like Pasternack, but would be insanely gathering and analyzing info from multiple sources about Stan Johnson, Mike Magpayo, Amir Abdur-Rahim and Shantay Legans, Plus, I'd know enough to have a longer list than that (like some of the guys on BB's list). I'd have contacts and be working them like crazy.

I'm not the AD, of course (in case you hadn't noticed ).

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Absolutely! And spend more than the 5 minutes, I took (since its not my job). I actually sent a list of 30 plus names to JK early in year three - simply to remind him to get ready and demonstrate how easy it would be for an intern to do this by surfing the internet. Then have a few folks start watching some of their games during the season and getting familiar with them beyond their W/L record and how they might make JK feel. Once he had the list cut in half - reach out to relevant Cal Bball alums/etc and get their take.

OMG - this is SOOOO basic management 101!!! How does this guy still have a job and not be fired for gross incompetence?

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That he gets paid $1.3 million a year, double what some competent ADs in our own conference make, is criminal.

sluggo said:

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sluggo said:

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sluggo said:

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So I watched UCSB beat UCR 92-87 last night. I think the game answered some questions about Pasternack and raised some others. I realize it was only one game, and I hope to learn more today and in the NCAA tournament if UCSB wins today.

Offense: A critique of Pasternack was that his teams played at a slow pace and did not take many 3s. In this game they did not run the ball up, but they attacked immediately. And they shot every open 3 and went 8 for 15. So neither was an issue, at least last night. They shot 57% overall. The team shared the ball and had good spacing. For those like me who like structure, they had one early action, which they did well, then it was mostly one-on-one with on ball screening and little off the ball. Which is typical, but not great. It will be interesting if they have more against better competition.

Defense: Cal constantly hiring "great" defensive coaches has made me not care so much about defense. But UCSB's defense was bad. Over helping to give up easy 3s, under helping and allowing easy shots around the basket, constant, stupid fouling to keep UCR in the game. I also did not like that they hedged and recovered on every pick-and-roll. So the offense knew exactly what they would do and could attack it. If you are bad at aggressive man-to-man, you should play something else. I understand why UCSB is lowly ranked defensively.

Players: I really liked Norris, a forward with a face up game, and Pierre-Louis, an ultra quick guard who does not shoot great. Both are seniors and could maybe come as grad transfers. The announcers could not stop talking about sophomore Ajay Mitchell. He is a good player, a left-handed combo guard who can finish with either hand. But he is not great. He is a career 30% shooter from 3 and just an okay athlete. Of course Cal would take him, and he is an upgrade over Askew, but not by as much as I would have thought.

Overall: I like UCR's coach Magpayo. Pasternack? There are reasons to hire him but they are not on the basketball side.

---

Watched the final against Fullerton. Pasternack very much out coached the Fullerton coach. Fullerton had the quickness advantage so UCSB had to work a little harder on offense than against UCR, and they showed more. They had some secondary actions and some nice screens to free up their best shooter Wishart. On defense they forced Fullerton into mostly tough shots, though Fullerton had no offensive cohesion, maybe because they were tired. While they only won by 10, it felt like they were in control the whole time.

Mitchell did a good job getting to the basket, and he is a great finisher. But he struggled defensively with the quickness of the Fullerton guards. I don't think his skills would translate to the PAC like some think they would.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the tournament.

---

My last report on Pasternack, FWIW, and I have been more impressed with every game. I was only able to watch the first half because of work, but I discount them not having the legs for a whole game against Baylor. In the first half they played Baylor even with very good ball movement and passing. They had to scramble, so it was not so much fancy strategy, but rather confidently working for a good shot, which they got almost every time down floor. I still think they gave up too many easy baskets because they should not have been playing pressure man-to-man. I hope Pasternack mixes it up on D if he comes to Cal, though I sort of doubt he will. I care more about offense anyway.

I was wondering how much Mitchell would or could pick it up against better opponents, and he did. Baylor had one guy on him and a second guy cutting off his drive. Mitchell showed great vision, consistently opening up their defense with his passing. He had many hockey assists if that was a stat in hoops. He was 0-2 on 3s and did not hit a jumper while I was watching. That is something to work on.

Saw a little of Kennesaw State and their coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Too bad they got done by the refs, they played incredibly well. After three coaches in a row at Cal where screens were more like dance moves than basketball plays, it was nice to see Kennesaw's players repeatedly stick Xavier's players. AAR had his team fired up but playing smart. And there is just some "it" factor about him.

I could see AAR, Magpayo, and yes, Pasternack leading Cal to a much better place. Others too who I don't know about.

---

It's all about recruiting in basketball. Not just highly rated recruits but recruiting for need and balance.

I will take any competent coach if he can recruit.

I think even Fox would have been able to accomplish more if he had been bringing in the horses. The ceiling was low as we saw at Georgia, but it would not have been as miserable as these last two seasons if Fox or someone on his staff had been able to recruit. Not only did Fox not bring anyone of note in, but he lost the guys he had been given.

Can Pasternack recruit to Cal?

I agree, recruiting to Cal is the principal requirement.

dimitrig said:

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sluggo said:

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sluggo said:

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sluggo said:

---

So I watched UCSB beat UCR 92-87 last night. I think the game answered some questions about Pasternack and raised some others. I realize it was only one game, and I hope to learn more today and in the NCAA tournament if UCSB wins today.

Offense: A critique of Pasternack was that his teams played at a slow pace and did not take many 3s. In this game they did not run the ball up, but they attacked immediately. And they shot every open 3 and went 8 for 15. So neither was an issue, at least last night. They shot 57% overall. The team shared the ball and had good spacing. For those like me who like structure, they had one early action, which they did well, then it was mostly one-on-one with on ball screening and little off the ball. Which is typical, but not great. It will be interesting if they have more against better competition.

Defense: Cal constantly hiring "great" defensive coaches has made me not care so much about defense. But UCSB's defense was bad. Over helping to give up easy 3s, under helping and allowing easy shots around the basket, constant, stupid fouling to keep UCR in the game. I also did not like that they hedged and recovered on every pick-and-roll. So the offense knew exactly what they would do and could attack it. If you are bad at aggressive man-to-man, you should play something else. I understand why UCSB is lowly ranked defensively.

Players: I really liked Norris, a forward with a face up game, and Pierre-Louis, an ultra quick guard who does not shoot great. Both are seniors and could maybe come as grad transfers. The announcers could not stop talking about sophomore Ajay Mitchell. He is a good player, a left-handed combo guard who can finish with either hand. But he is not great. He is a career 30% shooter from 3 and just an okay athlete. Of course Cal would take him, and he is an upgrade over Askew, but not by as much as I would have thought.

Overall: I like UCR's coach Magpayo. Pasternack? There are reasons to hire him but they are not on the basketball side.

---

Watched the final against Fullerton. Pasternack very much out coached the Fullerton coach. Fullerton had the quickness advantage so UCSB had to work a little harder on offense than against UCR, and they showed more. They had some secondary actions and some nice screens to free up their best shooter Wishart. On defense they forced Fullerton into mostly tough shots, though Fullerton had no offensive cohesion, maybe because they were tired. While they only won by 10, it felt like they were in control the whole time.

Mitchell did a good job getting to the basket, and he is a great finisher. But he struggled defensively with the quickness of the Fullerton guards. I don't think his skills would translate to the PAC like some think they would.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the tournament.

---

My last report on Pasternack, FWIW, and I have been more impressed with every game. I was only able to watch the first half because of work, but I discount them not having the legs for a whole game against Baylor. In the first half they played Baylor even with very good ball movement and passing. They had to scramble, so it was not so much fancy strategy, but rather confidently working for a good shot, which they got almost every time down floor. I still think they gave up too many easy baskets because they should not have been playing pressure man-to-man. I hope Pasternack mixes it up on D if he comes to Cal, though I sort of doubt he will. I care more about offense anyway.

I was wondering how much Mitchell would or could pick it up against better opponents, and he did. Baylor had one guy on him and a second guy cutting off his drive. Mitchell showed great vision, consistently opening up their defense with his passing. He had many hockey assists if that was a stat in hoops. He was 0-2 on 3s and did not hit a jumper while I was watching. That is something to work on.

Saw a little of Kennesaw State and their coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Too bad they got done by the refs, they played incredibly well. After three coaches in a row at Cal where screens were more like dance moves than basketball plays, it was nice to see Kennesaw's players repeatedly stick Xavier's players. AAR had his team fired up but playing smart. And there is just some "it" factor about him.

I could see AAR, Magpayo, and yes, Pasternack leading Cal to a much better place. Others too who I don't know about.

---

It's all about recruiting in basketball. Not just highly rated recruits but recruiting for need and balance.

I will take any competent coach if he can recruit.

I think even Fox would have been able to accomplish more if he had been bringing in the horses. The ceiling was low as we saw at Georgia, but not as miserable as these last two seasons.

Can Pasternack recruit to Cal?

---

+ pretty good reputation as a recruiter
+ good West Coast connections, plus international
+ would undoubtedly hire a staff that can recruit
+ certainly understands the importance of NIL money and would probably help amass some
+ might well get some sort of practice facility fast-tracked, for a few years down the road (even if he's gone)

Let's do it this coming week.

oskidunker said:

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Big C said:

---

dimitrig said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

So I watched UCSB beat UCR 92-87 last night. I think the game answered some questions about Pasternack and raised some others. I realize it was only one game, and I hope to learn more today and in the NCAA tournament if UCSB wins today.

Offense: A critique of Pasternack was that his teams played at a slow pace and did not take many 3s. In this game they did not run the ball up, but they attacked immediately. And they shot every open 3 and went 8 for 15. So neither was an issue, at least last night. They shot 57% overall. The team shared the ball and had good spacing. For those like me who like structure, they had one early action, which they did well, then it was mostly one-on-one with on ball screening and little off the ball. Which is typical, but not great. It will be interesting if they have more against better competition.

Defense: Cal constantly hiring "great" defensive coaches has made me not care so much about defense. But UCSB's defense was bad. Over helping to give up easy 3s, under helping and allowing easy shots around the basket, constant, stupid fouling to keep UCR in the game. I also did not like that they hedged and recovered on every pick-and-roll. So the offense knew exactly what they would do and could attack it. If you are bad at aggressive man-to-man, you should play something else. I understand why UCSB is lowly ranked defensively.

Players: I really liked Norris, a forward with a face up game, and Pierre-Louis, an ultra quick guard who does not shoot great. Both are seniors and could maybe come as grad transfers. The announcers could not stop talking about sophomore Ajay Mitchell. He is a good player, a left-handed combo guard who can finish with either hand. But he is not great. He is a career 30% shooter from 3 and just an okay athlete. Of course Cal would take him, and he is an upgrade over Askew, but not by as much as I would have thought.

Overall: I like UCR's coach Magpayo. Pasternack? There are reasons to hire him but they are not on the basketball side.

---

Watched the final against Fullerton. Pasternack very much out coached the Fullerton coach. Fullerton had the quickness advantage so UCSB had to work a little harder on offense than against UCR, and they showed more. They had some secondary actions and some nice screens to free up their best shooter Wishart. On defense they forced Fullerton into mostly tough shots, though Fullerton had no offensive cohesion, maybe because they were tired. While they only won by 10, it felt like they were in control the whole time.

Mitchell did a good job getting to the basket, and he is a great finisher. But he struggled defensively with the quickness of the Fullerton guards. I don't think his skills would translate to the PAC like some think they would.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the tournament.

---

My last report on Pasternack, FWIW, and I have been more impressed with every game. I was only able to watch the first half because of work, but I discount them not having the legs for a whole game against Baylor. In the first half they played Baylor even with very good ball movement and passing. They had to scramble, so it was not so much fancy strategy, but rather confidently working for a good shot, which they got almost every time down floor. I still think they gave up too many easy baskets because they should not have been playing pressure man-to-man. I hope Pasternack mixes it up on D if he comes to Cal, though I sort of doubt he will. I care more about offense anyway.

I was wondering how much Mitchell would or could pick it up against better opponents, and he did. Baylor had one guy on him and a second guy cutting off his drive. Mitchell showed great vision, consistently opening up their defense with his passing. He had many hockey assists if that was a stat in hoops. He was 0-2 on 3s and did not hit a jumper while I was watching. That is something to work on.

Saw a little of Kennesaw State and their coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Too bad they got done by the refs, they played incredibly well. After three coaches in a row at Cal where screens were more like dance moves than basketball plays, it was nice to see Kennesaw's players repeatedly stick Xavier's players. AAR had his team fired up but playing smart. And there is just some "it" factor about him.

I could see AAR, Magpayo, and yes, Pasternack leading Cal to a much better place. Others too who I don't know about.

---

It's all about recruiting in basketball. Not just highly rated recruits but recruiting for need and balance.

I will take any competent coach if he can recruit.

I think even Fox would have been able to accomplish more if he had been bringing in the horses. The ceiling was low as we saw at Georgia, but not as miserable as these last two seasons.

Can Pasternack recruit to Cal?

---

+ pretty good reputation as a recruiter
+ good West Coast connections, plus international
+ would undoubtedly hire a staff that can recruit
+ certainly understands the importance of NIL money and would probably help amass some
+ might well get some sort of practice facility fast-tracked, for a few years down the road (even if he's gone)

Let's do it this coming week.

---

Lets do it now! Make Shocky assistant coach.

---

Fuchsia home unis.

Bobodeluxe said:

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oskidunker said:

---

Big C said:

---

dimitrig said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

So I watched UCSB beat UCR 92-87 last night. I think the game answered some questions about Pasternack and raised some others. I realize it was only one game, and I hope to learn more today and in the NCAA tournament if UCSB wins today.

Offense: A critique of Pasternack was that his teams played at a slow pace and did not take many 3s. In this game they did not run the ball up, but they attacked immediately. And they shot every open 3 and went 8 for 15. So neither was an issue, at least last night. They shot 57% overall. The team shared the ball and had good spacing. For those like me who like structure, they had one early action, which they did well, then it was mostly one-on-one with on ball screening and little off the ball. Which is typical, but not great. It will be interesting if they have more against better competition.

Defense: Cal constantly hiring "great" defensive coaches has made me not care so much about defense. But UCSB's defense was bad. Over helping to give up easy 3s, under helping and allowing easy shots around the basket, constant, stupid fouling to keep UCR in the game. I also did not like that they hedged and recovered on every pick-and-roll. So the offense knew exactly what they would do and could attack it. If you are bad at aggressive man-to-man, you should play something else. I understand why UCSB is lowly ranked defensively.

Players: I really liked Norris, a forward with a face up game, and Pierre-Louis, an ultra quick guard who does not shoot great. Both are seniors and could maybe come as grad transfers. The announcers could not stop talking about sophomore Ajay Mitchell. He is a good player, a left-handed combo guard who can finish with either hand. But he is not great. He is a career 30% shooter from 3 and just an okay athlete. Of course Cal would take him, and he is an upgrade over Askew, but not by as much as I would have thought.

Overall: I like UCR's coach Magpayo. Pasternack? There are reasons to hire him but they are not on the basketball side.

---

Watched the final against Fullerton. Pasternack very much out coached the Fullerton coach. Fullerton had the quickness advantage so UCSB had to work a little harder on offense than against UCR, and they showed more. They had some secondary actions and some nice screens to free up their best shooter Wishart. On defense they forced Fullerton into mostly tough shots, though Fullerton had no offensive cohesion, maybe because they were tired. While they only won by 10, it felt like they were in control the whole time.

Mitchell did a good job getting to the basket, and he is a great finisher. But he struggled defensively with the quickness of the Fullerton guards. I don't think his skills would translate to the PAC like some think they would.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the tournament.

---

My last report on Pasternack, FWIW, and I have been more impressed with every game. I was only able to watch the first half because of work, but I discount them not having the legs for a whole game against Baylor. In the first half they played Baylor even with very good ball movement and passing. They had to scramble, so it was not so much fancy strategy, but rather confidently working for a good shot, which they got almost every time down floor. I still think they gave up too many easy baskets because they should not have been playing pressure man-to-man. I hope Pasternack mixes it up on D if he comes to Cal, though I sort of doubt he will. I care more about offense anyway.

I was wondering how much Mitchell would or could pick it up against better opponents, and he did. Baylor had one guy on him and a second guy cutting off his drive. Mitchell showed great vision, consistently opening up their defense with his passing. He had many hockey assists if that was a stat in hoops. He was 0-2 on 3s and did not hit a jumper while I was watching. That is something to work on.

Saw a little of Kennesaw State and their coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Too bad they got done by the refs, they played incredibly well. After three coaches in a row at Cal where screens were more like dance moves than basketball plays, it was nice to see Kennesaw's players repeatedly stick Xavier's players. AAR had his team fired up but playing smart. And there is just some "it" factor about him.

I could see AAR, Magpayo, and yes, Pasternack leading Cal to a much better place. Others too who I don't know about.

---

It's all about recruiting in basketball. Not just highly rated recruits but recruiting for need and balance.

I will take any competent coach if he can recruit.

I think even Fox would have been able to accomplish more if he had been bringing in the horses. The ceiling was low as we saw at Georgia, but not as miserable as these last two seasons.

Can Pasternack recruit to Cal?

---

+ pretty good reputation as a recruiter
+ good West Coast connections, plus international
+ would undoubtedly hire a staff that can recruit
+ certainly understands the importance of NIL money and would probably help amass some
+ might well get some sort of practice facility fast-tracked, for a few years down the road (even if he's gone)

Let's do it this coming week.

---

Lets do it now! Make Shocky assistant coach.

---

Fuchsia home unis.

---

Curvy yoga instructors behind the oppositions basket

dimitrig said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

So I watched UCSB beat UCR 92-87 last night. I think the game answered some questions about Pasternack and raised some others. I realize it was only one game, and I hope to learn more today and in the NCAA tournament if UCSB wins today.

Offense: A critique of Pasternack was that his teams played at a slow pace and did not take many 3s. In this game they did not run the ball up, but they attacked immediately. And they shot every open 3 and went 8 for 15. So neither was an issue, at least last night. They shot 57% overall. The team shared the ball and had good spacing. For those like me who like structure, they had one early action, which they did well, then it was mostly one-on-one with on ball screening and little off the ball. Which is typical, but not great. It will be interesting if they have more against better competition.

Defense: Cal constantly hiring "great" defensive coaches has made me not care so much about defense. But UCSB's defense was bad. Over helping to give up easy 3s, under helping and allowing easy shots around the basket, constant, stupid fouling to keep UCR in the game. I also did not like that they hedged and recovered on every pick-and-roll. So the offense knew exactly what they would do and could attack it. If you are bad at aggressive man-to-man, you should play something else. I understand why UCSB is lowly ranked defensively.

Players: I really liked Norris, a forward with a face up game, and Pierre-Louis, an ultra quick guard who does not shoot great. Both are seniors and could maybe come as grad transfers. The announcers could not stop talking about sophomore Ajay Mitchell. He is a good player, a left-handed combo guard who can finish with either hand. But he is not great. He is a career 30% shooter from 3 and just an okay athlete. Of course Cal would take him, and he is an upgrade over Askew, but not by as much as I would have thought.

Overall: I like UCR's coach Magpayo. Pasternack? There are reasons to hire him but they are not on the basketball side.

---

Watched the final against Fullerton. Pasternack very much out coached the Fullerton coach. Fullerton had the quickness advantage so UCSB had to work a little harder on offense than against UCR, and they showed more. They had some secondary actions and some nice screens to free up their best shooter Wishart. On defense they forced Fullerton into mostly tough shots, though Fullerton had no offensive cohesion, maybe because they were tired. While they only won by 10, it felt like they were in control the whole time.

Mitchell did a good job getting to the basket, and he is a great finisher. But he struggled defensively with the quickness of the Fullerton guards. I don't think his skills would translate to the PAC like some think they would.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the tournament.

---

My last report on Pasternack, FWIW, and I have been more impressed with every game. I was only able to watch the first half because of work, but I discount them not having the legs for a whole game against Baylor. In the first half they played Baylor even with very good ball movement and passing. They had to scramble, so it was not so much fancy strategy, but rather confidently working for a good shot, which they got almost every time down floor. I still think they gave up too many easy baskets because they should not have been playing pressure man-to-man. I hope Pasternack mixes it up on D if he comes to Cal, though I sort of doubt he will. I care more about offense anyway.

I was wondering how much Mitchell would or could pick it up against better opponents, and he did. Baylor had one guy on him and a second guy cutting off his drive. Mitchell showed great vision, consistently opening up their defense with his passing. He had many hockey assists if that was a stat in hoops. He was 0-2 on 3s and did not hit a jumper while I was watching. That is something to work on.

Saw a little of Kennesaw State and their coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Too bad they got done by the refs, they played incredibly well. After three coaches in a row at Cal where screens were more like dance moves than basketball plays, it was nice to see Kennesaw's players repeatedly stick Xavier's players. AAR had his team fired up but playing smart. And there is just some "it" factor about him.

I could see AAR, Magpayo, and yes, Pasternack leading Cal to a much better place. Others too who I don't know about.

---

It's all about recruiting in basketball. Not just highly rated recruits but recruiting for need and balance.

I will take any competent coach if he can recruit.

I think even Fox would have been able to accomplish more if he had been bringing in the horses. The ceiling was low as we saw at Georgia, but it would not have been as miserable as these last two seasons if Fox or someone on his staff had been able to recruit. Not only did Fox not bring anyone of note in, but he lost the guys he had been given.

Can Pasternack recruit to Cal?

---

Of course he would have done better if he could recruit, but the reason he can't recruit is because of who he is. Kids with other options just don't want to play for him.

calumnus said:

---

dimitrig said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

So I watched UCSB beat UCR 92-87 last night. I think the game answered some questions about Pasternack and raised some others. I realize it was only one game, and I hope to learn more today and in the NCAA tournament if UCSB wins today.

Offense: A critique of Pasternack was that his teams played at a slow pace and did not take many 3s. In this game they did not run the ball up, but they attacked immediately. And they shot every open 3 and went 8 for 15. So neither was an issue, at least last night. They shot 57% overall. The team shared the ball and had good spacing. For those like me who like structure, they had one early action, which they did well, then it was mostly one-on-one with on ball screening and little off the ball. Which is typical, but not great. It will be interesting if they have more against better competition.

Defense: Cal constantly hiring "great" defensive coaches has made me not care so much about defense. But UCSB's defense was bad. Over helping to give up easy 3s, under helping and allowing easy shots around the basket, constant, stupid fouling to keep UCR in the game. I also did not like that they hedged and recovered on every pick-and-roll. So the offense knew exactly what they would do and could attack it. If you are bad at aggressive man-to-man, you should play something else. I understand why UCSB is lowly ranked defensively.

Players: I really liked Norris, a forward with a face up game, and Pierre-Louis, an ultra quick guard who does not shoot great. Both are seniors and could maybe come as grad transfers. The announcers could not stop talking about sophomore Ajay Mitchell. He is a good player, a left-handed combo guard who can finish with either hand. But he is not great. He is a career 30% shooter from 3 and just an okay athlete. Of course Cal would take him, and he is an upgrade over Askew, but not by as much as I would have thought.

Overall: I like UCR's coach Magpayo. Pasternack? There are reasons to hire him but they are not on the basketball side.

---

Watched the final against Fullerton. Pasternack very much out coached the Fullerton coach. Fullerton had the quickness advantage so UCSB had to work a little harder on offense than against UCR, and they showed more. They had some secondary actions and some nice screens to free up their best shooter Wishart. On defense they forced Fullerton into mostly tough shots, though Fullerton had no offensive cohesion, maybe because they were tired. While they only won by 10, it felt like they were in control the whole time.

Mitchell did a good job getting to the basket, and he is a great finisher. But he struggled defensively with the quickness of the Fullerton guards. I don't think his skills would translate to the PAC like some think they would.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the tournament.

---

My last report on Pasternack, FWIW, and I have been more impressed with every game. I was only able to watch the first half because of work, but I discount them not having the legs for a whole game against Baylor. In the first half they played Baylor even with very good ball movement and passing. They had to scramble, so it was not so much fancy strategy, but rather confidently working for a good shot, which they got almost every time down floor. I still think they gave up too many easy baskets because they should not have been playing pressure man-to-man. I hope Pasternack mixes it up on D if he comes to Cal, though I sort of doubt he will. I care more about offense anyway.

I was wondering how much Mitchell would or could pick it up against better opponents, and he did. Baylor had one guy on him and a second guy cutting off his drive. Mitchell showed great vision, consistently opening up their defense with his passing. He had many hockey assists if that was a stat in hoops. He was 0-2 on 3s and did not hit a jumper while I was watching. That is something to work on.

Saw a little of Kennesaw State and their coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Too bad they got done by the refs, they played incredibly well. After three coaches in a row at Cal where screens were more like dance moves than basketball plays, it was nice to see Kennesaw's players repeatedly stick Xavier's players. AAR had his team fired up but playing smart. And there is just some "it" factor about him.

I could see AAR, Magpayo, and yes, Pasternack leading Cal to a much better place. Others too who I don't know about.

---

It's all about recruiting in basketball. Not just highly rated recruits but recruiting for need and balance.

I will take any competent coach if he can recruit.

I think even Fox would have been able to accomplish more if he had been bringing in the horses. The ceiling was low as we saw at Georgia, but it would not have been as miserable as these last two seasons if Fox or someone on his staff had been able to recruit. Not only did Fox not bring anyone of note in, but he lost the guys he had been given.

Can Pasternack recruit to Cal?

---

Of course he would have done better if he could recruit, but the reason he can't recruit is because of who he is. Kids with other options just don't want to play for him.

---

Sure. I guess my point is that I don't want a coach who is good at X's and O's but who can't recruit. Fox's main failing has been at recruiting. Yes, his offense sucks, too, but no coach is going to win big with the roster Fox assembled.

dimitrig said:

---

calumnus said:

---

dimitrig said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

So I watched UCSB beat UCR 92-87 last night. I think the game answered some questions about Pasternack and raised some others. I realize it was only one game, and I hope to learn more today and in the NCAA tournament if UCSB wins today.

Offense: A critique of Pasternack was that his teams played at a slow pace and did not take many 3s. In this game they did not run the ball up, but they attacked immediately. And they shot every open 3 and went 8 for 15. So neither was an issue, at least last night. They shot 57% overall. The team shared the ball and had good spacing. For those like me who like structure, they had one early action, which they did well, then it was mostly one-on-one with on ball screening and little off the ball. Which is typical, but not great. It will be interesting if they have more against better competition.

Defense: Cal constantly hiring "great" defensive coaches has made me not care so much about defense. But UCSB's defense was bad. Over helping to give up easy 3s, under helping and allowing easy shots around the basket, constant, stupid fouling to keep UCR in the game. I also did not like that they hedged and recovered on every pick-and-roll. So the offense knew exactly what they would do and could attack it. If you are bad at aggressive man-to-man, you should play something else. I understand why UCSB is lowly ranked defensively.

Players: I really liked Norris, a forward with a face up game, and Pierre-Louis, an ultra quick guard who does not shoot great. Both are seniors and could maybe come as grad transfers. The announcers could not stop talking about sophomore Ajay Mitchell. He is a good player, a left-handed combo guard who can finish with either hand. But he is not great. He is a career 30% shooter from 3 and just an okay athlete. Of course Cal would take him, and he is an upgrade over Askew, but not by as much as I would have thought.

Overall: I like UCR's coach Magpayo. Pasternack? There are reasons to hire him but they are not on the basketball side.

---

Watched the final against Fullerton. Pasternack very much out coached the Fullerton coach. Fullerton had the quickness advantage so UCSB had to work a little harder on offense than against UCR, and they showed more. They had some secondary actions and some nice screens to free up their best shooter Wishart. On defense they forced Fullerton into mostly tough shots, though Fullerton had no offensive cohesion, maybe because they were tired. While they only won by 10, it felt like they were in control the whole time.

Mitchell did a good job getting to the basket, and he is a great finisher. But he struggled defensively with the quickness of the Fullerton guards. I don't think his skills would translate to the PAC like some think they would.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the tournament.

---

My last report on Pasternack, FWIW, and I have been more impressed with every game. I was only able to watch the first half because of work, but I discount them not having the legs for a whole game against Baylor. In the first half they played Baylor even with very good ball movement and passing. They had to scramble, so it was not so much fancy strategy, but rather confidently working for a good shot, which they got almost every time down floor. I still think they gave up too many easy baskets because they should not have been playing pressure man-to-man. I hope Pasternack mixes it up on D if he comes to Cal, though I sort of doubt he will. I care more about offense anyway.

I was wondering how much Mitchell would or could pick it up against better opponents, and he did. Baylor had one guy on him and a second guy cutting off his drive. Mitchell showed great vision, consistently opening up their defense with his passing. He had many hockey assists if that was a stat in hoops. He was 0-2 on 3s and did not hit a jumper while I was watching. That is something to work on.

Saw a little of Kennesaw State and their coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Too bad they got done by the refs, they played incredibly well. After three coaches in a row at Cal where screens were more like dance moves than basketball plays, it was nice to see Kennesaw's players repeatedly stick Xavier's players. AAR had his team fired up but playing smart. And there is just some "it" factor about him.

I could see AAR, Magpayo, and yes, Pasternack leading Cal to a much better place. Others too who I don't know about.

---

It's all about recruiting in basketball. Not just highly rated recruits but recruiting for need and balance.

I will take any competent coach if he can recruit.

I think even Fox would have been able to accomplish more if he had been bringing in the horses. The ceiling was low as we saw at Georgia, but it would not have been as miserable as these last two seasons if Fox or someone on his staff had been able to recruit. Not only did Fox not bring anyone of note in, but he lost the guys he had been given.

Can Pasternack recruit to Cal?

---

Of course he would have done better if he could recruit, but the reason he can't recruit is because of who he is. Kids with other options just don't want to play for him.

---

Sure. I guess my point is that I don't want a coach who is good at X's and O's but who can't recruit. Fox's main failing has been at recruiting. Yes, his offense sucks, too, but no coach is going to win big with the roster Fox assembled.

---

Fox is just a bad coach. Should not have been hired much less extended. Now that he is finally fired all there is to learn from him is all the things that made him a terrible coach for Cal leading us to the worst winning percentage out of 353 teams in the country with the lowest scoring of any team in the country.

Pasternak is both a better recruiter, a better X's and O's coach and a better motivator. Almost anyone paid to coach basketball is. So let's stop using Fox as a reference.

Pasternak is a hard working basketball junkie and has worked for great basketball coaches. He did not play in college but was student manager for Bobby Knight at Indiana. He probably relies on assistants for skills development but he says "loyalty" is his most important requirement in assistants. Most of his assistants have international connections. Cal is probably the worst school in the country for relying on skills development to win, so that doesn't bother me so much. Recruit players with skills.

His teams are not particularly efficient according to Ken Pom and play at a slow pace. His 20-21 team was his best: #56 offense, #69 defense, #301 pace. This year was #81 offense, #164 defense, #306 pace.

However, UCSB plays in the weak Big West and Ken Pom is adjusted for strength of opponent. In Sports Reference his 20-21 team was #18 offense and #20 defense and this year was #66 offense and #130 defense. So his 20-21 team at least played very efficient basketball, albeit in a weak league. How much of that is recruiting or scheme is tough to differentiate.
UCSB has the most tradition and is the easiest school to recruit to in the Big West. Beautiful location near LA. UC diploma.

For what it is worth, Gates' numbers were better at Cleveland State and at Missouri, but Amir Abdur-Rahim has been worse (This year #156 in offense and #110 on defense at the #121 pace, but #6 in Luck).

calumnus said:

---

dimitrig said:

---

calumnus said:

---

dimitrig said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

So I watched UCSB beat UCR 92-87 last night. I think the game answered some questions about Pasternack and raised some others. I realize it was only one game, and I hope to learn more today and in the NCAA tournament if UCSB wins today.

Offense: A critique of Pasternack was that his teams played at a slow pace and did not take many 3s. In this game they did not run the ball up, but they attacked immediately. And they shot every open 3 and went 8 for 15. So neither was an issue, at least last night. They shot 57% overall. The team shared the ball and had good spacing. For those like me who like structure, they had one early action, which they did well, then it was mostly one-on-one with on ball screening and little off the ball. Which is typical, but not great. It will be interesting if they have more against better competition.

Defense: Cal constantly hiring "great" defensive coaches has made me not care so much about defense. But UCSB's defense was bad. Over helping to give up easy 3s, under helping and allowing easy shots around the basket, constant, stupid fouling to keep UCR in the game. I also did not like that they hedged and recovered on every pick-and-roll. So the offense knew exactly what they would do and could attack it. If you are bad at aggressive man-to-man, you should play something else. I understand why UCSB is lowly ranked defensively.

Players: I really liked Norris, a forward with a face up game, and Pierre-Louis, an ultra quick guard who does not shoot great. Both are seniors and could maybe come as grad transfers. The announcers could not stop talking about sophomore Ajay Mitchell. He is a good player, a left-handed combo guard who can finish with either hand. But he is not great. He is a career 30% shooter from 3 and just an okay athlete. Of course Cal would take him, and he is an upgrade over Askew, but not by as much as I would have thought.

Overall: I like UCR's coach Magpayo. Pasternack? There are reasons to hire him but they are not on the basketball side.

---

Watched the final against Fullerton. Pasternack very much out coached the Fullerton coach. Fullerton had the quickness advantage so UCSB had to work a little harder on offense than against UCR, and they showed more. They had some secondary actions and some nice screens to free up their best shooter Wishart. On defense they forced Fullerton into mostly tough shots, though Fullerton had no offensive cohesion, maybe because they were tired. While they only won by 10, it felt like they were in control the whole time.

Mitchell did a good job getting to the basket, and he is a great finisher. But he struggled defensively with the quickness of the Fullerton guards. I don't think his skills would translate to the PAC like some think they would.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the tournament.

---

My last report on Pasternack, FWIW, and I have been more impressed with every game. I was only able to watch the first half because of work, but I discount them not having the legs for a whole game against Baylor. In the first half they played Baylor even with very good ball movement and passing. They had to scramble, so it was not so much fancy strategy, but rather confidently working for a good shot, which they got almost every time down floor. I still think they gave up too many easy baskets because they should not have been playing pressure man-to-man. I hope Pasternack mixes it up on D if he comes to Cal, though I sort of doubt he will. I care more about offense anyway.

I was wondering how much Mitchell would or could pick it up against better opponents, and he did. Baylor had one guy on him and a second guy cutting off his drive. Mitchell showed great vision, consistently opening up their defense with his passing. He had many hockey assists if that was a stat in hoops. He was 0-2 on 3s and did not hit a jumper while I was watching. That is something to work on.

Saw a little of Kennesaw State and their coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Too bad they got done by the refs, they played incredibly well. After three coaches in a row at Cal where screens were more like dance moves than basketball plays, it was nice to see Kennesaw's players repeatedly stick Xavier's players. AAR had his team fired up but playing smart. And there is just some "it" factor about him.

I could see AAR, Magpayo, and yes, Pasternack leading Cal to a much better place. Others too who I don't know about.

---

It's all about recruiting in basketball. Not just highly rated recruits but recruiting for need and balance.

I will take any competent coach if he can recruit.

I think even Fox would have been able to accomplish more if he had been bringing in the horses. The ceiling was low as we saw at Georgia, but it would not have been as miserable as these last two seasons if Fox or someone on his staff had been able to recruit. Not only did Fox not bring anyone of note in, but he lost the guys he had been given.

Can Pasternack recruit to Cal?

---

Of course he would have done better if he could recruit, but the reason he can't recruit is because of who he is. Kids with other options just don't want to play for him.

---

Sure. I guess my point is that I don't want a coach who is good at X's and O's but who can't recruit. Fox's main failing has been at recruiting. Yes, his offense sucks, too, but no coach is going to win big with the roster Fox assembled.

---

Fox is just a bad coach. Should not have been hired much less extended. Now that he is finally fired all there is to learn from him is all the things that made him a terrible coach for Cal leading us to the worst winning percentage out of 353 teams in the country with the lowest scoring of any team in the country.

Pasternak is both a better recruiter, a better X's and O's coach and a better motivator. Almost anyone paid to coach basketball is. So let's stop using Fox as a reference.

Pasternak is a hard working basketball junkie and has worked for great basketball coaches. He did not play in college but was student manager for Bobby Knight at Indiana. He probably relies on assistants for skills development but he says "loyalty" is his most important requirement in assistants. Most of his assistants have international connections. Cal is probably the worst school in the country for relying on skills development to win, so that doesn't bother me so much. Recruit players with skills.

His teams are not particularly efficient according to Ken Pom and play at a slow pace. His 20-21 team was his best: #56 offense, #69 defense, #301 pace. This year was #81 offense, #164 defense, #306 pace.

However, UCSB plays in the weak Big West and Ken Pom is adjusted for strength of opponent. In Sports Reference his 20-21 team was #18 offense and #20 defense and this year was #66 offense and #130 defense. So his 20-21 team at least played very efficient basketball, albeit in a weak league. How much of that is recruiting or scheme is tough to differentiate.
UCSB has the most tradition and is the easiest school to recruit to in the Big West. Beautiful location near LA. UC diploma.

For what it is worth, Gates' numbers were better at Cleveland State and at Missouri, but Amir Abdur-Rahim has been worse (This year #156 in offense and #110 on defense at the #121 pace, but #6 in Luck).

---

It is important to use Fox as a reference, because he is the outgoing coach. No, I don't think Fox is such a bad coach that he can't win more games than he did. He has proven in his career that he can. What he has proven that he CAN'T do is recruit top players to Cal. He has also proven that he can't win with the players he CAN recruit. That is enough to justify moving on from him.

That said, Pasternack doesn't seem to be the slam dunk hire we need UNLESS he can recruit. Lots of people seem to think he can. I hope that whoever Cal hires is a great recruiter. It is less important that he is a great "coach." I think a coach at Fox's level who can actually RECRUIT would be just fine. It doesn't have to be a Montgomery-quality of coach.

tequila4kapp said:

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dimitrig said:

---

calumnus said:

---

dimitrig said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

So I watched UCSB beat UCR 92-87 last night. I think the game answered some questions about Pasternack and raised some others. I realize it was only one game, and I hope to learn more today and in the NCAA tournament if UCSB wins today.

Offense: A critique of Pasternack was that his teams played at a slow pace and did not take many 3s. In this game they did not run the ball up, but they attacked immediately. And they shot every open 3 and went 8 for 15. So neither was an issue, at least last night. They shot 57% overall. The team shared the ball and had good spacing. For those like me who like structure, they had one early action, which they did well, then it was mostly one-on-one with on ball screening and little off the ball. Which is typical, but not great. It will be interesting if they have more against better competition.

Defense: Cal constantly hiring "great" defensive coaches has made me not care so much about defense. But UCSB's defense was bad. Over helping to give up easy 3s, under helping and allowing easy shots around the basket, constant, stupid fouling to keep UCR in the game. I also did not like that they hedged and recovered on every pick-and-roll. So the offense knew exactly what they would do and could attack it. If you are bad at aggressive man-to-man, you should play something else. I understand why UCSB is lowly ranked defensively.

Players: I really liked Norris, a forward with a face up game, and Pierre-Louis, an ultra quick guard who does not shoot great. Both are seniors and could maybe come as grad transfers. The announcers could not stop talking about sophomore Ajay Mitchell. He is a good player, a left-handed combo guard who can finish with either hand. But he is not great. He is a career 30% shooter from 3 and just an okay athlete. Of course Cal would take him, and he is an upgrade over Askew, but not by as much as I would have thought.

Overall: I like UCR's coach Magpayo. Pasternack? There are reasons to hire him but they are not on the basketball side.

---

Watched the final against Fullerton. Pasternack very much out coached the Fullerton coach. Fullerton had the quickness advantage so UCSB had to work a little harder on offense than against UCR, and they showed more. They had some secondary actions and some nice screens to free up their best shooter Wishart. On defense they forced Fullerton into mostly tough shots, though Fullerton had no offensive cohesion, maybe because they were tired. While they only won by 10, it felt like they were in control the whole time.

Mitchell did a good job getting to the basket, and he is a great finisher. But he struggled defensively with the quickness of the Fullerton guards. I don't think his skills would translate to the PAC like some think they would.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the tournament.

---

My last report on Pasternack, FWIW, and I have been more impressed with every game. I was only able to watch the first half because of work, but I discount them not having the legs for a whole game against Baylor. In the first half they played Baylor even with very good ball movement and passing. They had to scramble, so it was not so much fancy strategy, but rather confidently working for a good shot, which they got almost every time down floor. I still think they gave up too many easy baskets because they should not have been playing pressure man-to-man. I hope Pasternack mixes it up on D if he comes to Cal, though I sort of doubt he will. I care more about offense anyway.

I was wondering how much Mitchell would or could pick it up against better opponents, and he did. Baylor had one guy on him and a second guy cutting off his drive. Mitchell showed great vision, consistently opening up their defense with his passing. He had many hockey assists if that was a stat in hoops. He was 0-2 on 3s and did not hit a jumper while I was watching. That is something to work on.

Saw a little of Kennesaw State and their coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Too bad they got done by the refs, they played incredibly well. After three coaches in a row at Cal where screens were more like dance moves than basketball plays, it was nice to see Kennesaw's players repeatedly stick Xavier's players. AAR had his team fired up but playing smart. And there is just some "it" factor about him.

I could see AAR, Magpayo, and yes, Pasternack leading Cal to a much better place. Others too who I don't know about.

---

It's all about recruiting in basketball. Not just highly rated recruits but recruiting for need and balance.

I will take any competent coach if he can recruit.

I think even Fox would have been able to accomplish more if he had been bringing in the horses. The ceiling was low as we saw at Georgia, but it would not have been as miserable as these last two seasons if Fox or someone on his staff had been able to recruit. Not only did Fox not bring anyone of note in, but he lost the guys he had been given.

Can Pasternack recruit to Cal?

---

Of course he would have done better if he could recruit, but the reason he can't recruit is because of who he is. Kids with other options just don't want to play for him.

---

Sure. I guess my point is that I don't want a coach who is good at X's and O's but who can't recruit. Fox's main failing has been at recruiting. Yes, his offense sucks, too, but no coach is going to win big with the roster Fox assembled.

---

Fox' main failing has been everything. Literally everything.

Also, I disagree with the sentiment about recruiting being the be all end all in college hoops. It is massively important, but so is coaching chops, so is having the trust and respect your players, so is donor/alumni relations, etc. There's a reason the head coach gets paid the most - he needs to nail all aspects of the job; there's a reason why assistant coaches that are primarily responsible for recruiting get paid less - it is merely one element of the HC job.

---

Yes. It has been everything with Fox. Literally everything except getting his players to play hard. And I think you are right the coach needs to do it all. He has recruit well enough to give his team a chance, and he has to beat teams with similar or even slightly better talent. If you watched Cronin at UCLA, by far the best coach in the conference, the talent is good but not overwhelming. But he has molded his team in an amazing way. I want Cal's version of Cronin.

sluggo said:

---

tequila4kapp said:

---

dimitrig said:

---

calumnus said:

---

dimitrig said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

sluggo said:

---

So I watched UCSB beat UCR 92-87 last night. I think the game answered some questions about Pasternack and raised some others. I realize it was only one game, and I hope to learn more today and in the NCAA tournament if UCSB wins today.

Offense: A critique of Pasternack was that his teams played at a slow pace and did not take many 3s. In this game they did not run the ball up, but they attacked immediately. And they shot every open 3 and went 8 for 15. So neither was an issue, at least last night. They shot 57% overall. The team shared the ball and had good spacing. For those like me who like structure, they had one early action, which they did well, then it was mostly one-on-one with on ball screening and little off the ball. Which is typical, but not great. It will be interesting if they have more against better competition.

Defense: Cal constantly hiring "great" defensive coaches has made me not care so much about defense. But UCSB's defense was bad. Over helping to give up easy 3s, under helping and allowing easy shots around the basket, constant, stupid fouling to keep UCR in the game. I also did not like that they hedged and recovered on every pick-and-roll. So the offense knew exactly what they would do and could attack it. If you are bad at aggressive man-to-man, you should play something else. I understand why UCSB is lowly ranked defensively.

Players: I really liked Norris, a forward with a face up game, and Pierre-Louis, an ultra quick guard who does not shoot great. Both are seniors and could maybe come as grad transfers. The announcers could not stop talking about sophomore Ajay Mitchell. He is a good player, a left-handed combo guard who can finish with either hand. But he is not great. He is a career 30% shooter from 3 and just an okay athlete. Of course Cal would take him, and he is an upgrade over Askew, but not by as much as I would have thought.

Overall: I like UCR's coach Magpayo. Pasternack? There are reasons to hire him but they are not on the basketball side.

---

Watched the final against Fullerton. Pasternack very much out coached the Fullerton coach. Fullerton had the quickness advantage so UCSB had to work a little harder on offense than against UCR, and they showed more. They had some secondary actions and some nice screens to free up their best shooter Wishart. On defense they forced Fullerton into mostly tough shots, though Fullerton had no offensive cohesion, maybe because they were tired. While they only won by 10, it felt like they were in control the whole time.

Mitchell did a good job getting to the basket, and he is a great finisher. But he struggled defensively with the quickness of the Fullerton guards. I don't think his skills would translate to the PAC like some think they would.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the tournament.

---

My last report on Pasternack, FWIW, and I have been more impressed with every game. I was only able to watch the first half because of work, but I discount them not having the legs for a whole game against Baylor. In the first half they played Baylor even with very good ball movement and passing. They had to scramble, so it was not so much fancy strategy, but rather confidently working for a good shot, which they got almost every time down floor. I still think they gave up too many easy baskets because they should not have been playing pressure man-to-man. I hope Pasternack mixes it up on D if he comes to Cal, though I sort of doubt he will. I care more about offense anyway.

I was wondering how much Mitchell would or could pick it up against better opponents, and he did. Baylor had one guy on him and a second guy cutting off his drive. Mitchell showed great vision, consistently opening up their defense with his passing. He had many hockey assists if that was a stat in hoops. He was 0-2 on 3s and did not hit a jumper while I was watching. That is something to work on.

Saw a little of Kennesaw State and their coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Too bad they got done by the refs, they played incredibly well. After three coaches in a row at Cal where screens were more like dance moves than basketball plays, it was nice to see Kennesaw's players repeatedly stick Xavier's players. AAR had his team fired up but playing smart. And there is just some "it" factor about him.

I could see AAR, Magpayo, and yes, Pasternack leading Cal to a much better place. Others too who I don't know about.

---

It's all about recruiting in basketball. Not just highly rated recruits but recruiting for need and balance.

I will take any competent coach if he can recruit.

I think even Fox would have been able to accomplish more if he had been bringing in the horses. The ceiling was low as we saw at Georgia, but it would not have been as miserable as these last two seasons if Fox or someone on his staff had been able to recruit. Not only did Fox not bring anyone of note in, but he lost the guys he had been given.

Can Pasternack recruit to Cal?

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Of course he would have done better if he could recruit, but the reason he can't recruit is because of who he is. Kids with other options just don't want to play for him.

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Sure. I guess my point is that I don't want a coach who is good at X's and O's but who can't recruit. Fox's main failing has been at recruiting. Yes, his offense sucks, too, but no coach is going to win big with the roster Fox assembled.

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Fox' main failing has been everything. Literally everything.

Also, I disagree with the sentiment about recruiting being the be all end all in college hoops. It is massively important, but so is coaching chops, so is having the trust and respect your players, so is donor/alumni relations, etc. There's a reason the head coach gets paid the most - he needs to nail all aspects of the job; there's a reason why assistant coaches that are primarily responsible for recruiting get paid less - it is merely one element of the HC job.

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Yes. It has been everything with Fox. Literally everything except getting his players to play hard. And I think you are right the coach needs to do it all. He has recruit well enough to give his team a chance, and he has to beat teams with similar or even slightly better talent. If you watched Cronin at UCLA, by far the best coach in the conference, the talent is good but not overwhelming. But he has molded his team in an amazing way. I want Cal's version of Cronin.

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Are you kidding me?

UCLA's 2022 class had 2 5 stars and a 4 star. 2023 has 3 4 stars.

2021: 1 5 star and 1 4 star
2020: 2 4 stars and former 4 star Juzang as a transfer
2019: 1 4 star
2018: 1 5 star and 4 4 stars

Of course this isn't all Cronin's doing as he wasn't even the coach until 2019.

College basketball is about recruiting.

Not every player needs to be a 5 star player, but if the coach can't bring in good players the program is doomed.

So, I wonder…slowing the pace can be fine, IF a team is efficient scoring the ball. Pasternack's teams are efficient because he successfully recruits shooters…thus, even when they're having fewer possessions in a game, they do not struggle to score because they make shots….having Andre Kelly helps, as does Ajay Mitchell. ;-)

Mark Fox's teams have always been inefficient because he fails to recruit skilled shooters, instead relying on lead guards with low shooting %'s that accumulate points simply by shot volume (Jordan Shepherd, Devin Askew, Dejuan Clayton, and before that even Matty Bradley and Anticevich). This is why my Cal buddies (at least the remaining MBB fans) ;-) and I clamored for Fox to actually play faster, or at least try to…even with injuries, the damn team went 9-10 deep and was awful in the half-court - ratchet up the D and play quicker, because if you can't consistently score the ball and are 0-12, it stands to reason you should look for MORE possessions, NOT less. But he was either such a stubborn dinosaur, or more likely just didn't even know how to play at that pace.

Of bigger concern to me with Pasternack is the low number of 3's, when today's Men's basketball trend is clearly to a 3-point game.