tsubamoto2001;842825256 said:

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His wife is a Berkeley native and his sister-in-law works in the Administration.

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So, like, maybe Cal fans will get what we've long wanted: a guy whose gonna stay a long time due to roots/geographic preference. Wouldn't that be ironic, right under everyone's nose.

calumnus;842825263 said:

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I'm good with it too. He's a top recruiter and he's from L.A., players endorsed him, keeps Charlie. The big issue with taking a chance on an assistant is it can be a lose--lose: if they fail, you have to replace them in a few years, but if they win they leave and you hsve to replace them. However, his wife is from Berkeley and her sister works for Cal--if he succeeds his wife will not be cool with moving to Missouri. It is a good bet for Cal.

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And if he brings Jordan Brown to Cal, then probably worth the risk. My guess is he may be the lead recruiter for Brown.

Big C_Cal;842825276 said:

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No. Bennett is happy being a big frog in a small pond. He's afraid to compete.

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Difference between being afraid to compete and not wanting to compete. I'd probably rather be head coach at St. Mary's than at Cal. Bennett lives a comfortable lifestyle, he lives a couple of minutes away from work, if he stays at least another 10 years until he retires, he probably gets a statue on campus.

Bennett thinks about it, and he has lunch with Mike Montgomery, who tells him, "Yeah, I wondered what it would be like to stop being a big frog in a small pond, to compete at the highest levels, so I left Stanford for the Warriors. I got some extra bucks, more bucks than I could ever spend in life. Wasn't worth it, it cost me my statue on the Stanford campus. Carefully consider what you want out of life, if you're happy where you are, don't let your ego and money you can't spend anyway tempt you into going for higher glory."

Bennett thinks about what Monty says, realizes that while he's not afraid to compete, he's happy with how he competes. The challenge of Gonzaga and some up and coming WCC teams is competition enough, and the rest of his lifestyle is perfect. He'll take the challenge of trying to make more NCAA tournaments than Cal between now and retirement, thank you very much.

Vineyardview;842824832 said:

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What is the rational for this hire?

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He comes cheap.

bearloyal;842825311 said:

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He comes cheap.

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Buyout is low, good recruiter, players like him, recruits like him, from California, sister-in-law is a Cal admin, wife is from Berkeley--so if he is successful will stay and build the program instead of using us as a stepping stone. Low risk, high upside hire.

Cal8285;842825308 said:

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Difference between being afraid to compete and not wanting to compete. I'd probably rather be head coach at St. Mary's than at Cal. Bennett lives a comfortable lifestyle, he lives a couple of minutes away from work, if he stays at least another 10 years until he retires, he probably gets a statue on campus.

Bennett thinks about it, and he has lunch with Mike Montgomery, who tells him, "Yeah, I wondered what it would be like to stop being a big frog in a small pond, to compete at the highest levels, so I left Stanford for the Warriors. I got some extra bucks, more bucks than I could ever spend in life. Wasn't worth it, it cost me my statue on the Stanford campus. Carefully consider what you want out of life, if you're happy where you are, don't let your ego and money you can't spend anyway tempt you into going for higher glory."

Bennett thinks about what Monty says, realizes that while he's not afraid to compete, he's happy with how he competes. The challenge of Gonzaga and some up and coming WCC teams is competition enough, and the rest of his lifestyle is perfect. He'll take the challenge of trying to make more NCAA tournaments than Cal between now and retirement, thank you very much.

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Exactly! He's already achieved the goal, man! Big bucks, nice town, chance to compete at highest level in ncaa's, appreciated by employers and community. What else is there?!?!?!
The cake is finished, don't try and add any more icing to it!!

BearBackerinLA;842825316 said:

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Lottery pick?

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gary washburn‏ @GwashburnGlobe

Hearing Cal coach Wyking Jones' first job should be to secure commit of Jemarl Baker, a SG who NBA official called "potential lottery pick."

MinotStateBeav;842825212 said:

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Sup guys I just got here..it's page 11. So my thoughts..umm...I feel like I did when we hired Dykes. Did Cal use a search firm for this?

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Your post reads like the Second Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. So, considering the self-contradictory non-sequitur, what do you really think?

dpy;842825251 said:

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Cuonzo Martin 2.0. He looks like his twin.

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Is that because all English people look alike?

bearchamp;842825215 said:

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Don't you think that everyone has a bias to their own choice? Isn't the job of the AD to understand whose bias to believe? Players know many things about coaches that an AD could find useful. I am not suggesting that the players actually choose anybody, but to think the players' input is useless is naive.

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NewYorkCityBear;842825229 said:

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If a member of the current staff is in the running for the HC position it would seem an obvious thing, imo, to at least find out what the players thought of that person. That doesn't mean they choose the coach, but a reasonable person would at least take them into account. Just like taking into account donors, former team members, and angry BI posters.

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If there are negatives about a staff member from players the admin would already know about it. Current players have already chosen the current coaching staff and they would have transferred already if they didn't like the staff, so they are about 99.99% likely to endorse one of them for the HC job. Duh. On the other hand they have zero long term vision or plan for the program, perspective or knowledge of other candidates. Their input is virtually useless.

On the other hand we just got another football recruit so maybe Wyking is a better recruiter than we know.

NewYorkCityBear;842825253 said:

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A big plus in Jones' favor, imo, is that he made a lateral move to Cal from a top program because he wanted to be here. He also knew what he was getting into as far as the Administration, because his sister-in-law is part of that Administration (Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion) so I do think those factors make him more prepared to succeed.

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It's embarrassing to even acknowledge that Cal has a Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion. Talk about a bloated bureauracy!! And the Administration cries that it's short of money.

tequila4kapp;842825336 said:

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If there are negatives about a staff member from players the admin would already know about it. Current players have already chosen the current coaching staff and they would have transferred already if they didn't like the staff, so they are about 99.99% likely to endorse one of them for the HC job. Duh. On the other hand they have zero long term vision or plan for the program, perspective or knowledge of other candidates. Their input is virtually useless.

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+1000. Players are the last people who should be consulted about a coach.

bearloyal;842825341 said:

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It's embarrassing to even acknowledge that Cal has a Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion. Talk about a bloated bureauracy!! And the Administration cries that it's short of money.

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Yeah, I cringed when I saw that title.

Go Coach Jones and thrive.

Go Bears!

Chapman_is_Gone;842825362 said:

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+1000. Players are the last people who should be consulted about a coach.

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Why would you not want all the information available to you in making a decision? You just have to understand and discount the source.

oskidunker;842825183 said:

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I hope the mindless weave is gone

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If you are going to use a weave, you have to use it with something specific in mind, like setting screens for the dribblers. The dribbler sets a screen as he is handing the ball off to the next man, so he can set the screen while he is still moving, and can't be called for setting a moving pick, as long as he sets the screen a split second before he hands off the ball. That kind of weave provides opportunities for fakes by the dribbler, and back cuts by other players. Newell teams used it to perfection. With their weave, there was always a back-cutter open under the basket for a layup.

The weave Cal used last year had no screens or handoffs, it was dribble and pass to another dribbler, and was mindless, as you said. Montgomery tried a traditional weave in a couple of games, and it worked well, but he abandoned it, perhaps because modern players don't like it. We didn't use one in high school, and our coach opined at the end of one losing season, "I had to keep it simple this year. Simple plays for simple minds."

tequila4kapp;842825336 said:

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If there are negatives about a staff member from players the admin would already know about it. Current players have already chosen the current coaching staff and they would have transferred already if they didn't like the staff, so they are about 99.99% likely to endorse one of them for the HC job. Duh. On the other hand they have zero long term vision or plan for the program, perspective or knowledge of other candidates. Their input is virtually useless.

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Hardly true about transferring. A player may love their HC and be less than enamored by one or more of their assistants. And assistants come and go. CM turned over at least one assistant every year. The idea that players 'would have transferred already' and not when their HC coach leaves just because an assistant is promoted ignores reality. It happens all the time.

Big C_Cal;842825276 said:

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No. Bennett is happy being a big frog in a small pond. He's afraid to compete.

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It seems to me that Bennett is doing quite well. I don't see any fear in his reasons for staying at St. Mary's. He won a game in the NCAA tourney and gave Arizona a very tough game.

Odd. Both of them have played for someone else. Moore in particular is important. As are the recruits. Taking that into account is sensible. Making it the only basis for a decision would be foolish.

tequila4kapp;842825117 said:

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Me?

Moore and Lee are not so good that their opinion should shape the direction of a revenue generating sport. Hire someone because he's the right person for the job, not based on what some 19 year old kids who've never played for anyone else think.

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What makes you think he had the option of choosing? I hope it shows up in his team's style. I really do.

oskirules;842825257 said:

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I hope so but I didn't get the sense that anything from Pitino's style of play showed up in Cal's style.

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bluesaxe;842825417 said:

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Odd. Both of them have played for someone else. Moore in particular is important. As are the recruits.

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There you go again, citing facts. Don't you know we live a post-factual world?

Cal8285;842825308 said:

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Difference between being afraid to compete and not wanting to compete. I'd probably rather be head coach at St. Mary's than at Cal. Bennett lives a comfortable lifestyle, he lives a couple of minutes away from work, if he stays at least another 10 years until he retires, he probably gets a statue on campus.

Bennett thinks about it, and he has lunch with Mike Montgomery, who tells him, "Yeah, I wondered what it would be like to stop being a big frog in a small pond, to compete at the highest levels, so I left Stanford for the Warriors. I got some extra bucks, more bucks than I could ever spend in life. Wasn't worth it, it cost me my statue on the Stanford campus. Carefully consider what you want out of life, if you're happy where you are, don't let your ego and money you can't spend anyway tempt you into going for higher glory."

Bennett thinks about what Monty says, realizes that while he's not afraid to compete, he's happy with how he competes. The challenge of Gonzaga and some up and coming WCC teams is competition enough, and the rest of his lifestyle is perfect. He'll take the challenge of trying to make more NCAA tournaments than Cal between now and retirement, thank you very much.

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+1, Bennett has very good reason for staying at St.Mary's. He was on KNBR the other day and talked about the tourney run and that he gets offers to go elsewhere but seems content. I dn't see any fear in his decision to stay.

Chapman_is_Gone;842825362 said:

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+1000. Players are the last people who should be consulted about a coach.

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God forbid an Athletic Director would consult the student athletes he's there to serve.

Cal8285;842825308 said:

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Difference between being afraid to compete and not wanting to compete. I'd probably rather be head coach at St. Mary's than at Cal. Bennett lives a comfortable lifestyle, he lives a couple of minutes away from work, if he stays at least another 10 years until he retires, he probably gets a statue on campus.

Bennett thinks about it, and he has lunch with Mike Montgomery, who tells him, "Yeah, I wondered what it would be like to stop being a big frog in a small pond, to compete at the highest levels, so I left Stanford for the Warriors. I got some extra bucks, more bucks than I could ever spend in life. Wasn't worth it, it cost me my statue on the Stanford campus. Carefully consider what you want out of life, if you're happy where you are, don't let your ego and money you can't spend anyway tempt you into going for higher glory."

Bennett thinks about what Monty says, realizes that while he's not afraid to compete, he's happy with how he competes. The challenge of Gonzaga and some up and coming WCC teams is competition enough, and the rest of his lifestyle is perfect. He'll take the challenge of trying to make more NCAA tournaments than Cal between now and retirement, thank you very much.

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My "afraid to compete" line was just an off-hand remark, based on... well, you know where it came from, I'm sure.

Good for Bennett. I don't care what he does. I never saw him coming here. IIRC, he interviewed at Cal the time we hired Monty and supposedly came across as a doofus (like he does on KNBR). I think we should schedule them every year to help ignite a little local basketball interest. Three games at Haas for every one in Moraga ought to do it.

TexWoodyGiants;842825434 said:

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+1, Bennett has very good reason for staying at St.Mary's. He was on KNBR the other day and talked about the tourney run and that he gets offers to go elsewhere but seems content. I dn't see any fear in his decision to stay.

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If you were familiar with the origin of the "afraid to compete" line, you'd know it was a throw-away, made semi-tongue in cheek. I actually admire the job Bennett's done at St. Mary's. So he can stay there and keep doing it, in his little gym, in that little town, in that little conference.

Keep having a nice little life, Randy Bennett!

Big C_Cal;842825474 said:

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If you were familiar with the origin of the "afraid to compete" line, you'd know it was a throw-away, made semi-tongue in cheek. I actually admire the job Bennett's done at St. Mary's. So he can stay there and keep doing it, in his little gym, in that little town, in that little conference.

Keep having a nice little life, Randy Bennett!

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It's alright to be little bitty...

Big C_Cal;842825467 said:

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My "afraid to compete" line was just an off-hand remark, based on... well, you know where it came from, I'm sure.

Good for Bennett. I don't care what he does. I never saw him coming here. IIRC, he interviewed at Cal the time we hired Monty and supposedly came across as a doofus (like he does on KNBR). I think we should schedule them every year to help ignite a little local basketball interest. Three games at Haas for every one in Moraga ought to do it.

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Bennett at St Mary's has arguably had a much better run than we have in recent years, and with lower-rated players. He does not deserve faint praise. He is obviously a good coach.

The weave we used got the defense caught in a pattern where the ball handler wasn't a threat, then unexpectedly they cut straight to the oaint to score or dish. It worked pretty well until teams scouted it

SFCityBear;842825398 said:

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If you are going to use a weave, you have to use it with something specific in mind, like setting screens for the dribblers. The dribbler sets a screen as he is handing the ball off to the next man, so he can set the screen while he is still moving, and can't be called for setting a moving pick, as long as he sets the screen a split second before he hands off the ball. That kind of weave provides opportunities for fakes by the dribbler, and back cuts by other players. Newell teams used it to perfection. With their weave, there was always a back-cutter open under the basket for a layup.

The weave Cal used last year had no screens or handoffs, it was dribble and pass to another dribbler, and was mindless, as you said. Montgomery tried a traditional weave in a couple of games, and it worked well, but he abandoned it, perhaps because modern players don't like it. We didn't use one in high school, and our coach opined at the end of one losing season, "I had to keep it simple this year. Simple plays for simple minds."

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great lines in that series

I have seen multiple teams run that same weave in the Tourney...

Bearprof;842825500 said:

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Bennett at St Mary's has arguably had a much better run than we have in recent years, and with lower-rated players. He does not deserve faint praise. He is obviously a good coach.

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Bennett is a good coach at little St. Mary's, but I'm a Cal fan.

Hmmm...Wyking Jones still doesn't have a Wikipedia page up.





....but he does have an IMDB page (unless there's another Wyking Jones, who's of basketball-playing height who's a basketball technical advisor.)

BigDaddy;842825262 said:

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speaks volumes when the coach at St. Mary's takes a hard pass on the Cal job.

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This wasn't Bennett's first hard pass on the job.

Vineyardview;842824814 said:

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Jon Rothstein posts:

BREAKING: Cal will promote assistant Wyking Jones to head coach, per a source. Was on staff with Cuonzo Martin. Also worked for Rick Pitino.

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Maybe the rationale was to minimize defections among the recruits. It strikes me as a path of least resistance hire.