Fan sites like this one deal in the currency of coaching change. It is the nature of the beast. However, when comments are written in the mainstream media, the speculation becomes more than just idle prattle....

This morning, Bruce Jenkins opined the following, "...alarmed by the disappointing Cal program under Wyking Jones, Bay Area insiders wouldn't be surprised to see (USF coach Kyle) Smith in charge of the Bears' program before long".

They play #5 ranked Gonzaga tonight. That will be interesting to see the outcome. If they beat Gonzaga, we may trouble bidding for Smith.

Wonder if he'll mind having a crappier players locker room at Cal than those at USF?

Obviously, if we don't win, say, twice as many conference games as we did last season (from only two, to only four... not asking for much), Jones' job will be in serious jeopardy. We'll see how the next two months play out.

socaliganbear said:

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Wonder if he'll mind having a crappier players locker room at Cal than those at USF?

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What is wrong with our locker room? I haven't seen it. You mean they don't have leather recliners for all the players?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sfchronicle.com/giants/amp/USF-hoops-revival-stirs-storied-Hilltop-memories-13527514.php

71Bear said:

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Fan sites like this one deal in the currency of coaching change. It is the nature of the beast. However, when comments are written in the mainstream media, the speculation becomes more than just idle prattle....

This morning, Bruce Jenkins opined the following, "...alarmed by the disappointing Cal program under Wyking Jones, Bay Area insiders wouldn't be surprised to see (USF coach Kyle) Smith in charge of the Bears' program before long".

---

While we're at it, if Smith comes, let's also get Frank Allocco, coach of three CA state titles while at Northgate HS and DeLaSalle HS, both in CoCo County. After DeLaSalle, he was an assistant to Rex Walters at USF. When Walters was dismissed, USF was smart enough to keep Allocco. He's now Sr. Associate Athletic Director at USF in charge of external relations with alums and fans. Doing an excellent job.

SFCityBear said:

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socaliganbear said:

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Wonder if he'll mind having a crappier players locker room at Cal than those at USF?

---

What is wrong with our locker room? I haven't seen it. You mean they don't have leather recliners for all the players?

---

Watch the video Eric shared. Compared to San Francisco, our locker room facilities are ok for a JC school that vaguely cares about basketball. It's not close.

socaliganbear said:

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SFCityBear said:

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socaliganbear said:

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Wonder if he'll mind having a crappier players locker room at Cal than those at USF?

---

What is wrong with our locker room? I haven't seen it. You mean they don't have leather recliners for all the players?

---

Watch the video Eric shared. Compared to San Francisco, our locker room facilities are ok for a JC school that vaguely cares about basketball. It's not close.

---

OK, but it doesn't show the Haas locker room, which is the object of your criticism. Heck, if it has lockers which can be locked, and a bench or stool to sit on, some showers, what else do these kids need? I am tired of hearing of all the perks college basketball players get. The Cal players, in particular, are getting a free ride to the best public university around (or at least it used to be, so I doubt ii could have fallen far). What they learn on the academic side at Cal and a Cal degree will likely serve them better in life than anything they learn or accomplish on the basketball court. I am tired of seeing kids, including some prima donna kids, pampered and babysat in college, just because they know how to throw a forearm and couple of fakes and score a basket.

We have an endless number of threads and posts bashing the current coach for this losing team. What most don't realize is that basketball success is a two-way street. You need first to have a coach who knows how to coach and you need to have players who are willing to empty their minds and accept all that is being taught for their benefit to make them successful as individuals and as a team. The modern recruit has been coddled and had his self-esteem pumped up by recruit ranking systems to where he thinks his poop comes in little cellophane bags. And we fans think so too. The kid shows up on campus and he can't drive left, or he can't box out, or he can't set a pick, or he can't get in a crouch on defense, or he can't stay between his man and the basket, and he can't seem to find his teammates when they are open, and he can't seem to keep moving to get open himself. A good coach, even an average coach can fix most of that if the kids will listen. I just don't buy that this team's lack of success is all the fault of a man named Jones.

I apologize for digressing. I am for Spartan locker rooms, with nothing better than they had in high school.
They can charge their cell phones somewhere else. Not in the locker room. And one towel per player after the shower. Lockers do need a lock, in case there is an Amoke on the team with sticky fingers. I'll bet the locker room today is nicer than the one the '59 team had, and if that one was good enough for them, the current one should be good enough for this group of kids who call themselves basketball players.

Today isnt yesterday. Things change.

socaliganbear said:

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SFCityBear said:

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socaliganbear said:

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Wonder if he'll mind having a crappier players locker room at Cal than those at USF?

---

What is wrong with our locker room? I haven't seen it. You mean they don't have leather recliners for all the players?

---

Watch the video Eric shared. Compared to San Francisco, our locker room facilities are ok for a JC school that vaguely cares about basketball. It's not close.

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That's all USF has is basketball. No football. Go ahead and add new lockers in a 60 year-old gymnasium (War Memorial Gymnasium). I'll take Haas Pavilion and its amenities any day.

SFCityBear said:

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socaliganbear said:

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SFCityBear said:

---

socaliganbear said:

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Wonder if he'll mind having a crappier players locker room at Cal than those at USF?

---

What is wrong with our locker room? I haven't seen it. You mean they don't have leather recliners for all the players?

---

Watch the video Eric shared. Compared to San Francisco, our locker room facilities are ok for a JC school that vaguely cares about basketball. It's not close.

---

OK, but it doesn't show the Haas locker room, which is the object of your criticism. Heck, if it has lockers which can be locked, and a bench or stool to sit on, some showers, what else do these kids need? I am tired of hearing of all the perks college basketball players get. The Cal players, in particular, are getting a free ride to the best public university around (or at least it used to be, so I doubt ii could have fallen far). What they learn on the academic side at Cal and a Cal degree will likely serve them better in life than anything they learn or accomplish on the basketball court. I am tired of seeing kids, including some prima donna kids, pampered and babysat in college, just because they know how to throw a forearm and couple of fakes and score a basket.

We have an endless number of threads and posts bashing the current coach for this losing team. What most don't realize is that basketball success is a two-way street. You need first to have a coach who knows how to coach and you need to have players who are willing to empty their minds and accept all that is being taught for their benefit to make them successful as individuals and as a team. The modern recruit has been coddled and had his self-esteem pumped up by recruit ranking systems to where he thinks his poop comes in little cellophane bags. And we fans think so too. The kid shows up on campus and he can't drive left, or he can't box out, or he can't set a pick, or he can't get in a crouch on defense, or he can't stay between his man and the basket, and he can't seem to find his teammates when they are open, and he can't seem to keep moving to get open himself. A good coach, even an average coach can fix most of that if the kids will listen. I just don't buy that this team's lack of success is all the fault of a man named Jones.

I apologize for digressing. I am for Spartan locker rooms, with nothing better than they had in high school.
They can charge their cell phones somewhere else. Not in the locker room. And one towel per player after the shower. Lockers do need a lock, in case there is an Amoke on the team with sticky fingers. I'll bet the locker room today is nicer than the one the '59 team had, and if that one was good enough for them, the current one should be good enough for this group of kids who call themselves basketball players.

---

Never mind, I'll get off your lawn.

roqmoq said:

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71Bear said:

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Fan sites like this one deal in the currency of coaching change. It is the nature of the beast. However, when comments are written in the mainstream media, the speculation becomes more than just idle prattle....

This morning, Bruce Jenkins opined the following, "...alarmed by the disappointing Cal program under Wyking Jones, Bay Area insiders wouldn't be surprised to see (USF coach Kyle) Smith in charge of the Bears' program before long".

---

While we're at it, if Smith comes, let's also get Frank Allocco, coach of three CA state titles while at Northgate HS and DeLaSalle HS, both in CoCo County. After DeLaSalle, he was an assistant to Rex Walters at USF. When Walters was dismissed, USF was smart enough to keep Allocco. He's now Sr. Associate Athletic Director at USF in charge of external relations with alums and fans. Doing an excellent job.

---

R, as you know, my son was in the Allocco system. While I think he is a great teacher of fundamentals, I do not believe his demeanor would work with college players. I know Rex's didn't.

UrsaMajor said:

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I agree with SFCity that this "arms race" of facilities is absurd and a waste of $$ that could be better spent elsewhere. Unfortunately it is the lay of the land right now, and kids take that kind of thing seriously.

Before the Legends Aquatic Center was built, Cal had among the worst swimming facilities of any top-flight program and all we did was win 6 natties combined in 7 years. The Women's program had as their slogan: "Blue collars; gold medals." I wish other teams would adopt that mantra.

---

In revenue sports, you don't need to build Oregon's facilities. But you can't have among the worst either. Some people still think keeping up to date facilities is about gaining an edge. It's not. It's about eliminating a potential liability. USF did not spend a fortune building their very nice locker rooms, yet it's miles ahead of what we have.

Cal is never going to get the players that chase the biggest, most expensive shiny thing. However, Cal does lose players who aren't convinced we're fully invested in running a legit p5 program, all they have to do is look around and see the lack of commitment.

And basketball, or football for that matter, can adopt that old aquatic philosophy when they become sports of the top middle and upper class and their $$$ pro leagues cease to be the main objective.

USF - ZAGS tied at half.

Why do we always have more turnovers than assists?

PtownBear1 said:

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They play #5 ranked Gonzaga tonight. That will be interesting to see the outcome. If they beat Gonzaga, we may trouble bidding for Smith.

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You mean as bad as we are this year being a head coach at Cal is not an upgrade from that of USF? Or do you infer the demand for Smith will be beyond our reach?

SFCityBear said:

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socaliganbear said:

---

SFCityBear said:

---

socaliganbear said:

---

Wonder if he'll mind having a crappier players locker room at Cal than those at USF?

---

What is wrong with our locker room? I haven't seen it. You mean they don't have leather recliners for all the players?

---

Watch the video Eric shared. Compared to San Francisco, our locker room facilities are ok for a JC school that vaguely cares about basketball. It's not close.

---

OK, but it doesn't show the Haas locker room, which is the object of your criticism. Heck, if it has lockers which can be locked, and a bench or stool to sit on, some showers, what else do these kids need? I am tired of hearing of all the perks college basketball players get. The Cal players, in particular, are getting a free ride to the best public university around (or at least it used to be, so I doubt ii could have fallen far). What they learn on the academic side at Cal and a Cal degree will likely serve them better in life than anything they learn or accomplish on the basketball court. I am tired of seeing kids, including some prima donna kids, pampered and babysat in college, just because they know how to throw a forearm and couple of fakes and score a basket.

We have an endless number of threads and posts bashing the current coach for this losing team. What most don't realize is that basketball success is a two-way street. You need first to have a coach who knows how to coach and you need to have players who are willing to empty their minds and accept all that is being taught for their benefit to make them successful as individuals and as a team. The modern recruit has been coddled and had his self-esteem pumped up by recruit ranking systems to where he thinks his poop comes in little cellophane bags. And we fans think so too. The kid shows up on campus and he can't drive left, or he can't box out, or he can't set a pick, or he can't get in a crouch on defense, or he can't stay between his man and the basket, and he can't seem to find his teammates when they are open, and he can't seem to keep moving to get open himself. A good coach, even an average coach can fix most of that if the kids will listen. I just don't buy that this team's lack of success is all the fault of a man named Jones.

I apologize for digressing. I am for Spartan locker rooms, with nothing better than they had in high school.
They can charge their cell phones somewhere else. Not in the locker room. And one towel per player after the shower. Lockers do need a lock, in case there is an Amoke on the team with sticky fingers. I'll bet the locker room today is nicer than the one the '59 team had, and if that one was good enough for them, the current one should be good enough for this group of kids who call themselves basketball players.

---

Hahaha!

"Those dang gum spoiled basketball players. In 1959 there weren't any of them new fangled cell phone chargers!"

Lol!

Dear fat: One of the big reasons is that Austin is not really a classic pass-first PG. Also, thew kids have a tendency to go one-on-one rather than function in a programmed offense.

fat_slice said:

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Why do we always have more turnovers than assists?

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Because we don't have any good passers

OdontoBear66 said:

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PtownBear1 said:

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They play #5 ranked Gonzaga tonight. That will be interesting to see the outcome. If they beat Gonzaga, we may trouble bidding for Smith.

---

You mean as bad as we are this year being a head coach at Cal is not an upgrade from that of USF? Or do you infer the demand for Smith will be beyond our reach?

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I meant the latter

helltopay1 said:

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Dear fat: One of the big reasons is that Austin is not really a classic pass-first PG. Also, thew kids have a tendency to go one-on-one rather than function in a programmed offense.

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Only a naive person would have thought that a transfer from Boise State who did not have a single Pac-12 offer coming out of high school is the solution to all of our problems.

Go Bears!

calbear80 said:

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helltopay1 said:

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Dear fat: One of the big reasons is that Austin is not really a classic pass-first PG. Also, thew kids have a tendency to go one-on-one rather than function in a programmed offense.

---

Only a naive person would have thought that a transfer from Boise State who did not have a single Pac-12 offers coming out of high school is the solution to all of our problems particularly our coaching deficiencies.

Go Bears!

---

And yet so many fans bought it. Some things change, but the gullibility of Cal fans never does.

Not much difference from Tyrone Wallace, who always looked for his shot first.

oskidunker said:

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Not much difference from Tyrone Wallace, who always looked for his shot first.

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I always thought I was one of the few that was exasperated by his play. I never was a fan of his game. I used to cross my fingers that his early shots from the arc would clang because an early made 3 spawned 3 or 4 bricks.

oskidunker said:

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Not much difference from Tyrone Wallace, who always looked for his shot first.

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Very very different than Ty Wallace.

Ty Wallace was a great athlete, about 4/5 inches taller, a great defender and rebounded like crazy (he may have been one of the best rebounding PGs in the Conference).

Oh, and Ty Wallace had a ton of Pac-12 offers coming out of high school (it came down to Cal vs. USC in a heated battle).

That is why Ty Wallace is playing (on and off) in the NBA for 5 or 6 years.

Go Bears!

P.S. Ok, OK, I have to admit, I LOVED Ty Wallace. I still have a picture with him during his Freshman year at the Galen Center after Cal beat USC on a key late Wallace 3 pointer. Before that, I loved Richard Solomon (he looked like a dear caught in the head-light as a Freshman which made you want to cuddle him and show him the way). A couple of years later Wallace came along and I thought of Wallace as a baby Solomon and loved him. God, how I wish we had a competitive MBB team.

bearister said:

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roqmoq said:

---

71Bear said:

---

Fan sites like this one deal in the currency of coaching change. It is the nature of the beast. However, when comments are written in the mainstream media, the speculation becomes more than just idle prattle....

This morning, Bruce Jenkins opined the following, "...alarmed by the disappointing Cal program under Wyking Jones, Bay Area insiders wouldn't be surprised to see (USF coach Kyle) Smith in charge of the Bears' program before long".

---

While we're at it, if Smith comes, let's also get Frank Allocco, coach of three CA state titles while at Northgate HS and DeLaSalle HS, both in CoCo County. After DeLaSalle, he was an assistant to Rex Walters at USF. When Walters was dismissed, USF was smart enough to keep Allocco. He's now Sr. Associate Athletic Director at USF in charge of external relations with alums and fans. Doing an excellent job.

---

R, as you know, my son was in the Allocco system. While I think he is a great teacher of fundamentals, I do not believe his demeanor would work with college players. I know Rex's didn't.

---

B, Don't know how Allocco was received by the Dons players as an Assistant Coach. Just know from USF fans that he is doing good things for them as an Administrator. He is enthusiastic and passionate which would be good traits for our program.

socaliganbear said:

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UrsaMajor said:

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I agree with SFCity that this "arms race" of facilities is absurd and a waste of $$ that could be better spent elsewhere. Unfortunately it is the lay of the land right now, and kids take that kind of thing seriously.

Before the Legends Aquatic Center was built, Cal had among the worst swimming facilities of any top-flight program and all we did was win 6 natties combined in 7 years. The Women's program had as their slogan: "Blue collars; gold medals." I wish other teams would adopt that mantra.

---

In revenue sports, you don't need to build Oregon's facilities. But you can't have among the worst either. Some people still think keeping up to date facilities is about gaining an edge. It's not. It's about eliminating a potential liability. USF did not spend a fortune building their very nice locker rooms, yet it's miles ahead of what we have.

Cal is never going to get the players that chase the biggest, most expensive shiny thing. However, Cal does lose players who aren't convinced we're fully invested in running a legit p5 program, all they have to do is look around and see the lack of commitment.

And basketball, or football for that matter, can adopt that old aquatic philosophy when they become sports of the top middle and upper class and their $$$ pro leagues cease to be the main objective.

---

Sorry, but I call BS on this socaliganbear. I've been in our locker rooms and they are not as bad as you suggest to the point of significantly impacting recruting (they were upgrade during the Braun era about 12 years ago). While there are significant disparities around a dedicated practice facility, the locker room is not the problem (nor is the weight room, equipment, others).

Now, the football locker rooms before the remodel were actually bad enough to impact recruiting.

Yogi Bear said:

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calbear80 said:

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helltopay1 said:

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Dear fat: One of the big reasons is that Austin is not really a classic pass-first PG. Also, thew kids have a tendency to go one-on-one rather than function in a programmed offense.

---

Only a naive person would have thought that a transfer from Boise State who did not have a single Pac-12 offers coming out of high school is the solution to all of our problems particularly our coaching deficiencies.

Go Bears!

---

And yet so many fans bought it. Some things change, but the gullibility of Cal fans never does.

---

Not that many! Maybe a dozen? (a significant percentage of a small number is still a small number).

At the first two conference home games, ACTUAL attendance (not including supporters of the visiting team) was around 2000. I would say that about 2/3rds of those were children or guests that were not at all focused on the event and would not even qualify as basketball fans, much less Cal fans. Of the six or seven hundred left, most of those are resigned to a poor experience and biding their time. That leaves about ten or twelve who are actually thinking a miracle is going to happen. However, those gullible Cal fans are pretty loud and post a lot, so it may seem like a big thing to you.

I overheard (so not sure if it is true), that the number of TV viewers for the ASU game was in the low hundreds!

Someone said that we have achieved indifference. That seems about right.

Yogi Bear said:

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fat_slice said:

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Why do we always have more turnovers than assists?

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Because we don't have any good passers

---

I thought it was because the towels aren't fluffy enough!

BeachedBear said:

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socaliganbear said:

---

UrsaMajor said:

---

I agree with SFCity that this "arms race" of facilities is absurd and a waste of $$ that could be better spent elsewhere. Unfortunately it is the lay of the land right now, and kids take that kind of thing seriously.

Before the Legends Aquatic Center was built, Cal had among the worst swimming facilities of any top-flight program and all we did was win 6 natties combined in 7 years. The Women's program had as their slogan: "Blue collars; gold medals." I wish other teams would adopt that mantra.

---

In revenue sports, you don't need to build Oregon's facilities. But you can't have among the worst either. Some people still think keeping up to date facilities is about gaining an edge. It's not. It's about eliminating a potential liability. USF did not spend a fortune building their very nice locker rooms, yet it's miles ahead of what we have.

Cal is never going to get the players that chase the biggest, most expensive shiny thing. However, Cal does lose players who aren't convinced we're fully invested in running a legit p5 program, all they have to do is look around and see the lack of commitment.

And basketball, or football for that matter, can adopt that old aquatic philosophy when they become sports of the top middle and upper class and their $$$ pro leagues cease to be the main objective.

---

Sorry, but I call BS on this socaliganbear. I've been in our locker rooms and they are not as bad as you suggest to the point of significantly impacting recruting (they were upgrade during the Braun era about 12 years ago). While there are significant disparities around a dedicated practice facility, the locker room is not the problem (nor is the weight room, equipment, others).

Now, the football locker rooms before the remodel were actually bad enough to impact recruiting.

---

Then you are out of touch. It's not good. Again, USF has a much better locker room than Cal. Also, please note that I said the lack of apparent commitment is a detriment to recruitment. I did not say the locker room specifically is "significantly impacting recruting".

USF's locker rooms would be a major upgrade over what we have. And STILL those would be no where near what a program like.... Utah has.