I spent time with new @CalMBBall coach Mark Madsen at his old high school in Danville. While strolling around the campus, he explained why the Bears could author the biggest one-year turnaround in NCAA history.

Early returns suggest he might be right. https://t.co/0QVqN8TyxR

— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) July 5, 2023

Among all the things refreshing to see… an assistant coach actually quoted in a story?! 100% believer here that Mad Dog is gonna dig us out of the Fox hole.

Someone copy and paste the article. I ain't paying for Comicle.

This link should work...

Relentlessly positive Mark Madsen reboots men's basketball at Cal

I won't cut-and-paste the whole article, but I will include the best sentence of it: "When Fox took over in March 2019, he pinpointed the 2022-23 season as when Cal would crack the top half of the conference standings. " So Cal hired a coach who said it would take four season to get back into contention. I can't stop giggling.

sluggo said:

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I won't cut-and-paste the whole article, but I will include the best sentence of it: "When Fox took over in March 2019, he pinpointed the 2022-23 season as when Cal would crack the top half of the conference standings. " So Cal hired a coach who said it would take four season to get back into contention. I can't stop giggling.

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Well, Fox was right!

Calling The Chronicle The Comicle is old and tired and annoying. Just stop the nonsense, please.

oskidunker said:

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Calling The Chronicle The Comicle is old and tired and annoying. Just stop the nonsense, please.

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I won't do that as long as I still have your permission to write Stanfurd, U$C and (F)UCLA. Deal?

Big C said:

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oskidunker said:

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Calling The Chronicle The Comicle is old and tired and annoying. Just stop the nonsense, please.

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I won't do that as long as I still have your permission to write Stanfurd, U$C and (F)UCLA. Deal?

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Great news! Yes!

BC Calfan said:

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sluggo said:

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I won't cut-and-paste the whole article, but I will include the best sentence of it: "When Fox took over in March 2019, he pinpointed the 2022-23 season as when Cal would crack the top half of the conference standings. " So Cal hired a coach who said it would take four season to get back into contention. I can't stop giggling.

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Well, Fox was right!

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More like a year later, 23-24, because 22-23 under Fox we had the worst record in Cal history, second worst of 300+ schools in the entire country.

sluggo said:

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I won't cut-and-paste the whole article, but I will include the best sentence of it: "When Fox took over in March 2019, he pinpointed the 2022-23 season as when Cal would crack the top half of the conference standings. " So Cal hired a coach who said it would take four season to get back into contention. I can't stop giggling.

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"Crack the top half of the conference standings" ie 6th, is not even close to being in contention. Not even NIT territory. That Knowlton bought that cr*p and praised it is infuriating.

Great article with insights into Madsen. Thanks for posting. I can't wait to return to Haas and basketball season!

This is my favorite quote from the article. It kind of goes along with what Rod has been talking about, or at least a starting point to get past players involved.

'....and reached out to many of the program's most notable alums, telling them that all former Cal players are welcome at practices."

stoked to see who shows up!

calumnus said:

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BC Calfan said:

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sluggo said:

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I won't cut-and-paste the whole article, but I will include the best sentence of it: "When Fox took over in March 2019, he pinpointed the 2022-23 season as when Cal would crack the top half of the conference standings. " So Cal hired a coach who said it would take four season to get back into contention. I can't stop giggling.

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Well, Fox was right!

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More like a year later, 23-24, because 22-23 under Fox we had the worst record in Cal history, second worst of 300+ schools in the entire country.

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I wonder if the timeline included a projection that he would get fired and his tenure being would be such a disaster that a proper search would be undertaken and the team would turn around in the first year under that coach? If that was the case, he probably just missed his firing by one year. And that is not his fault, he should have been fired after the third year.

calumnus said:

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sluggo said:

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I won't cut-and-paste the whole article, but I will include the best sentence of it: "When Fox took over in March 2019, he pinpointed the 2022-23 season as when Cal would crack the top half of the conference standings. " So Cal hired a coach who said it would take four season to get back into contention. I can't stop giggling.

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"Crack the top half of the conference standings" ie 6th, is not even close to being in contention. Not even NIT territory. That Knowlton bought that cr*p and praised it is infuriating.

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But funny in retrospect. He set historically low standards to help keep his job, then he could not meet those low standards.

sluggo said:

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calumnus said:

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sluggo said:

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I won't cut-and-paste the whole article, but I will include the best sentence of it: "When Fox took over in March 2019, he pinpointed the 2022-23 season as when Cal would crack the top half of the conference standings. " So Cal hired a coach who said it would take four season to get back into contention. I can't stop giggling.

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"Crack the top half of the conference standings" ie 6th, is not even close to being in contention. Not even NIT territory. That Knowlton bought that cr*p and praised it is infuriating.

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But funny in retrospect. He set historically low standards to help keep his job, then he could not meet those low standards.

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Yep, he set the bar very low, then when he could not achieve even that made excuse after excuse while running off some of my favorite Cal Bears until he drove the program to the second worst record in the country (#363 or something) all while collecting almost $12 million.

What was most amazing is that he had defenders and apologists.

Madsen is quite an interesting hire. He has a ton of intangibles.

• High energy
• Good basketball mind
• Good basketball history
• Incredibly personable
• Incredibly positive
• Natural teacher who understands the learning process
• Reliable network of mentors

Thinking about all the other great coaches that elevated programs many of them had these intangibles as well.

I've met Mark Madsen. And I'm nobody that should garner any special attention from him or anyone else. Yet, when he met me, it was all about me…I was shocked. I think Cal has hit it out of the park with this hire (sorry, Stanfurd, and Breed 'em young Univ). I worry with all the talk of the biggest turnaround in NCAA history that he might set everyone up for disappointment. These great players that he has brought in still must gel together and work together to make this whole prediction come true. How much of that can Mark control? Not sure. Im no a coach. I have nothing but love for Mark Madsen and he sat and asked about my life and interests when there were clearly other people (some famous) waiting to talk with him. To this day I will never forget that. Just wow…

Yeah, Madsen could do Dale Carnegie seminars, except maybe they should call them Mark Madsen seminars. The adjective everyone keeps coming back to is "genuine", but that's only part of it. I mean, I'm "genuine", but I'm not as personable as he is. But seeing him in action makes me want to be. Just thinking about him right now, I'm almost tempted to care about other people!

Here's a little personal-experience Madsen story I have been waiting to bust out:

His junior or senior year playing at Stanfurd and they come up to Harmon. Pretty sure they whupped us. As one of their best players, the Straw Hat Band is on Madsen pretty good, throughout the game. Afterwards, the SHB and the Furd band are continuing to "battle" out on the steps and plaza in front of the gym. And here comes the Furd players, on the way to their bus! Members of the Straw Hat Band have a few things to say to Madsen... and I'm guessing "good game" was not among them...

What does Madsen do? He comes over to them, big smile, and chats them up a bit! Stays there talking to them (all friendly-like) longer than you would expect and, as I recall, there were even high fives. I remember thinking, "Geez, I almost kind of like this guy!"

And now he's ditched his cardinal and white... for blue and gold!

Endiedendie said:

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I've met Mark Madsen. And I'm nobody that should garner any special attention from him or anyone else. Yet, when he met me, it was all about me…I was shocked. I think Cal has hit it out of the park with this hire (sorry, Stanfurd, and Breed 'em young Univ). I worry with all the talk of the biggest turnaround in NCAA history that he might set everyone up for disappointment. These great players that he has brought in still must gel together and work together to make this whole prediction come true. How much of that can Mark control? Not sure. Im no a coach. I have nothing but love for Mark Madsen and he sat and asked about my life and interests when there were clearly other people (some famous) waiting to talk with him. To this day I will never forget that. Just wow…

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I'm not surprised. He will be able to recruit because he's so genuine. This quote from the story really hits on this:

Quote:

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Before committing to Cal in late April, Jalen Cone a high-scoring guard from Northern Arizona called Aimaq with a question: Why was Coach Madsen putting on a front like he's so nice? That's no front, Aimaq assured Cone. Madsen really is that nice.

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