It's interesting I do not see Gregg Marshall being mentioned, although Tennessee might make a run at him if Cuonzo Martin leaves for Marquette, but if that happens, then Ben Howland is back in contention.

How about Mike D'Antoni? He'll likely be terminated by the Lakers after the season, and maybe 7 seconds or less can work at the collegiate level. D'Antoni has flamed out in spectacular fashion in his last two NBA stints, so maybe he'll retreat to a college gig. His name and style of play should help in recruiting.

YuSeeBerkeley;842299020 said:

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How about Mike D'Antoni? He'll likely be terminated by the Lakers after the season, and maybe 7 seconds or less can work at the collegiate level. D'Antoni has flamed out in spectacular fashion in his last two NBA stints, so maybe he'll retreat to a college gig. His name and style of play should help in recruiting.

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I doubt he would take a look at college since he has never coached at that level, plus there are a bunch of NBA teams that would like him as a coaching upgrade. I only see him in Berkeley next season if he really wants to stick around in California.

I don't mind a young, energetic assistant coach with no head coach experience like DeCuire and Gates as long as there's an experienced gray-haired coach sitting next to him on the bench ala Gary Colson.

Mr. Frumble;842298984 said:

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I think a lot of New Mexico State's recent success is attributable to associate head coach Paul Weir, and, in particular, the recruits he has been able to bring in.

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Good point. Their roster has 4! kids from his hometown (Toronto, Canada) plus kids from France, Croatia, South Africa...with the rest from Texas and New Mexico, but NONE from L.A. (one kid from Sebastopol and Santa Rosa JC though).

Strykur;842299017 said:

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It's interesting I do not see Gregg Marshall being mentioned, although Tennessee might make a run at him if Cuonzo Martin leaves for Marquette, but if that happens, then Ben Howland is back in contention.

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Gregg Marshall was mentioned at least twice. Once by some one else, and then by me when I listed him among coaches that people were unrealistic about Cal being able to hire. Try suggesting Mark Few next. Or Steve Fischer.

My friend is a big St. John's fan so I've seen a decent amount of them over the last few years. Lavin is a great recruiter but a pretty bad X's and O's coach. The last thing I want after being spoiled with Monty is a bad strategic coach...would just be so frustrating to watch.

I honestly think Russell Turner might be a terrific hire but he wouldn't exactly be a flashy name.

Please, no promotional hires like dykes. We need an established coach who can cope with being in a top tier conference. The new coach should also not be a "system coach" but rather be able to adapt to his players and the uniqueness that is Berkeley (education and bureaucracies included). A no excuse, highly intelligent, highly experienced and high character type. People are so into hiring fiery young recruiting gurus. I think if we hire a guy like I mentioned, recruiting will take care of itself and we'll be better off in the long run. I've a always thought, with the right coach, Cal can sell itself

89Bear;842298893 said:

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I would LOVE getting Tad!

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I have no idea why Tad (or Larry ftm) would leave that incredible home court advantage to come to Cal.

Same search firm? We are screwed.

obviously the time to hire the next coach can vary all over the place, but more or less are we talking 4 to 6 weeks max to hire? by the time various names have moved up the Search Firm's list, background checks, interviews, double checking stuff, ....?

If Sandy has had the Search Team lined up for 2-4 weeks already, can we realistically hope for a May 1,5? hire?

just my opinion to protect recruiting. Maybe Aaron Gordon will transfer to cal.

Bill Walton's comments on Howland (quoted above or a companion thread) are spot on. It was painful to watch his ucla teams struggle through each season with him -- they hated him and his style, and hated playing the game. Lavin is smooth in the press box but brings little to the coaching office other than enthusiasm. You all would be quite disappointed in him after enjoying such an X's and O's expert.
The side drama here is Sandy's job being on the line. She SHOULD be fired unless she comes up with a proven talent (tactician, coach, recruiter, player developer). No projects or stabs in the dark (a la football). Get serious Sandy, or get gone.

Just for fun...what about Larry Brown? The guy can coach and SMU probably isn't his dream destination. He never stays anywhere more than a handful of years anyway, so his age doesn't matter.

tequila4kapp;842299216 said:

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Just for fun...what about Larry Brown? The guy can coach and SMU probably isn't his dream destination. He never stays anywhere more than a handful of years anyway, so his age doesn't matter.

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Great point! What about Lute Olsen?

parentswerebears;842298526 said:

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is stevens happy at boston?

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lmfao.

CALiforniALUM;842298849 said:

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In all fairness to Howland, I think he thrust himself into a pretty bad situation at UCLA. The expectation of the type of players he was supposed to recruit and cater to were 180 degrees from what got him there. As he moved through his tenure there he got further from the way he wanted to do things and as a result lost his focus and the support of his players and a very difficult fan base. I don't really like his (Pitt) brand of basketball, but I think it would be much more successful at Cal than what people observed at UCLA.

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Howland would be a terrible hire. He's a nut case with terrible people skills who basically burned every single recruiting bridge he had in the state of California.

If you're Cal, you have to call Mark Few. Doubt he'd be interested., but he still has to be on the short list. You MIGHT get Steve Lavin to listen to a sales pitch as he is a Bay Area native. He can recruit but is a poor game coach who has not done much at St. John's. Realistically, I could see someone like Randy Bennett from over at St. Mary's or Russell Turner at UC Irvine getting the job.

MiZery;842298547 said:

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Tony Bennett

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That ship sailed. Would have been the gutsy choice six years ago, though. Need to take that kind of visionary leap this time around.

teknofreek;842298537 said:

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No. He'll be Ben Braun redux with bad offense, and with lesser athletes than what he had at ucla.

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In other words, Pitt?

Pitt would be an upgrade to what we've had recently.

bluesaxe;842298539 said:

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Howland is one guy I would NOT want to see considered. Get me someone younger, more dynamic, ready to hit the recruiting trail who doesn't have all that baggage.

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An interesting statement from someone who is likely older than Howland

JimmyMcNulty;842298548 said:

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Curious as to why Travis' name isn't coming up here.

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Is he the best available person in the whole country to do the job?

minotstatebeav;842298565 said:

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what about john montgomery or decuire? Why not hire from within?

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smh

HKBear97;842298799 said:

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I disagree with the statement that we have mediocre administrative support, mediocre alumni and student support, and mediocre facilities.

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Do you also disagree that the sky is blue or that the world is round? Because all of those statements are equally true.

calumnus;842298853 said:

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Bill Walton on Ben Howland basketball

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Bill Walton got paid to play at UCLA. Why do I care what he thinks?

grandmastapoop;842298856 said:

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Ridiculous. If you were working at a company and knew that the boss was doing something illegal that would have ramifications on the company and everyone working there, no one would hold it against you for "bailing". You'd probably be praised for your integrity.

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You are to Haase as Monty is to Decuire. Purely a provincial opinion.

YuSeeBerkeley;842299020 said:

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How about Mike D'Antoni? He'll likely be terminated by the Lakers after the season, and maybe 7 seconds or less can work at the collegiate level. D'Antoni has flamed out in spectacular fashion in his last two NBA stints, so maybe he'll retreat to a college gig. His name and style of play should help in recruiting.

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as a die hard lakers fan, i would definitely not want to see Mike D'Antoni as head coach... of either of my teams. i think the guy has serious problems communicating with his players and using his resources, and i don't think he has the ability to adapt his strategy to his personnel. also, i can't understand a word that comes out of his mouth when he's stressed... just speaks d'antenglish gibberish.

MiZery;842298547 said:

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Tony Bennett

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lmfao

what about john montgomery or decuire? Why not hire from within?



gosh, we would dominate.

+1. We don't want quitters. He'd jump for a Kansas job first chance.

LocoOso;842299227 said:

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lmfao.

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I know. But he has to be brought up whenever there is a major job opening. It's tradition.

You guys are missing the obvious choice....Dykes! He can coach hoops too.

Tony Gonzalez! I think he still has a year of basketball eligibility left. He could be the first college player/coach.

Intermezzo;842299288 said:

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You are to Haase as Monty is to Decuire. Purely a provincial opinion.

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You are the provincial one - you can't looks at a set of facts (Haase left Cal) and see any nuance or reasoning. There are a lot of reasons that Haase left Cal, and that doesn't mean he should be disqualified from consideration.

Jason Kidd left Cal after 2 years. If he said, "I want to coach Cal, I'm tired of the NBA," you'd turn him down? Under your black and white stance, he should not be considered - he did what was best for him and not for Cal by leaving early.

My top 3 choices:

1) Shaka Smart at VCU

2) Tommy Amaker at Harvard

3) Whoever the head coach at Wichita State is

We need someone from a mid-major or a lower program at a high-major, who will see Cal as a step up or at least a higher potential program.

ccajon;842298514 said:

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This thread is, of course only relevant in the case that Monty actually retires. Why the heck would he need a meeting on his future, I and everybody else asks?

I'll start the list off with an obvious one:

Gregg Marshall Pros: seems a lot like a younger version of Monty, same career path. This would be his first BCS school. Cons-Likely same reason as Chris Peterson spurning us-too many intangibles that would make winning here harder on him. Also, is he really a decent recruiter?

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bluesaxe;842298545 said:

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My pipe dream is Shaka Smart from VCU. IN general I'd like a younger type who has a lot of energy and can relate to recruits and the recruiting world. Cleanly.

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Shaka Smart would be an A+ hire. He would have us contending for the Final Four in no time.

Only problem is that he may be in line for bigger name jobs like Kentucky, North Carolina, Syracuse, Georgetown, Texas, etc., if and when those jobs open up in the next couple of years due to retirements, firings, or NCAA infraction force-outs.