Is Jim Knowlton Asleep On The Job?

11,358 Views | 86 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by socaltownie
calbear80
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Just wondering.

First, it was inaction on the FB offensive staff.

Now, it is the inaction on the MBB coaching. Even the lowly WSU with a brand new AD has taken action on MBB coaching.

Is Jim Knowlton asleep on the job?

Cannot Jim Knowlton see that he is losing large numbers of long-time loyal Cal fans and donors? Not only in MBB, but, in all sports as a result of his inaction on MBB coaching.

Go Bears!
BearlyCareAnymore
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calbear80 said:

Just wondering.

First, it was inaction on the FB offensive staff.

Now, it is the inaction on the MBB coaching. Even the lowly WSU with a brand new AD has taken action on MBB coaching.

Is Jim Knowlton sleep on the job?

Cannot Jim Knowlton see that he is losing large numbers of long-time loyal Cal fans and donors? Not only in MBB, but, in all sports as a result of his inaction on MBB coaching.

Go Bears!
1. Unless there is evidence that Wilcox wanted to make greater changes to the offensive staff, as far as I'm concerned when the AD starts interfering in the Head Coach's job, nothing good can happen. That decision is on Wilcox, positive or negative.

2. Not defending him on men's basketball, but I think that you may have to consider that he might not be the decision maker
glutton
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Yes, it's too soon. I'm still hoping Knowlton will fire Wyking, but I think Knowlton should get more than a year before we try to run him out of town.
KoreAmBear
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OaktownBear said:

calbear80 said:

Just wondering.

First, it was inaction on the FB offensive staff.

Now, it is the inaction on the MBB coaching. Even the lowly WSU with a brand new AD has taken action on MBB coaching.

Is Jim Knowlton sleep on the job?

Cannot Jim Knowlton see that he is losing large numbers of long-time loyal Cal fans and donors? Not only in MBB, but, in all sports as a result of his inaction on MBB coaching.

Go Bears!
1. Unless there is evidence that Wilcox wanted to make greater changes to the offensive staff, as far as I'm concerned when the AD starts interfering in the Head Coach's job, nothing good can happen. That decision is on Wilcox, positive or negative.

2. Not defending him on men's basketball, but I think that you may have to consider that he might not be the decision maker
Valid point on 1. It was Wilcox that did not want to even consider a change and that's why the AD did not have to contact donors even though it was an option. So basically if the offense sucks this season, it's on Wilcox. He's gone all in on Baldwin. Not sure if that was a good idea, but now that it's done, I hope we see a functional offense this season.

A little confused on 2. Why wouldn't Knowlton be the decision maker? You mean the donors being the ultimate decision makers?
socaltownie
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Seems to me that JK is getting approval from those on high....._OR_ there may be already something in the works that requires possibly waiting all the way till the end of March.

Because _IF_ he wasn't going to try to make a change is is about time for the obligatory story expressing strong confidence in Jones and hope for next year. You have to figure that sports reporters have been calling yesterday and today.
joe amos yaks
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You seem to be in recovery from post-AD William's traumatic stress syndrome.
"Those who say don't know, and those who know don't say." - LT
Big C
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socaltownie said:

Seems to me that JK is getting approval from those on high....._OR_ there may be already something in the works that requires possibly waiting all the way till the end of March.

Because _IF_ he wasn't going to try to make a change is is about time for the obligatory story expressing strong confidence in Jones and hope for next year. You have to figure that sports reporters have been calling yesterday and today.
Sadly, I don't think there's any more than a few hundred of us that care enough to think this should be on an urgent time table. And I'm not sure any sports reporters are included in that few hundred.

Wait, is a few hundred way too many? A few dozen?

"Tomorrow, next week, next month, whatever... "
socaltownie
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Big C said:

socaltownie said:

Seems to me that JK is getting approval from those on high....._OR_ there may be already something in the works that requires possibly waiting all the way till the end of March.

Because _IF_ he wasn't going to try to make a change is is about time for the obligatory story expressing strong confidence in Jones and hope for next year. You have to figure that sports reporters have been calling yesterday and today.
Sadly, I don't think there's any more than a few hundred of us that care enough to think this should be on an urgent time table. And I'm not sure any sports reporters are included in that few hundred.

Wait, is a few hundred way too many? A few dozen?

"Tomorrow, next week, next month, whatever... "
ugghhhhh......

It is a SLOW sports news cycle in the Bay Area. I guess you got the Dubs and then some womens BB and then I guess St. Mary's. Right now there is LIMITED amount of stuff for them to cover.

I might conceed that it might be early today....but I have to believe the calls have been placed. They might not have been returned and the pestering may not have been intense......but you don't win 5 games in league over 2 years and NOT peak reporters interest about what you are going to do.

SFCityBear
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calbear80 said:

Just wondering.

First, it was inaction on the FB offensive staff.

Now, it is the inaction on the MBB coaching. Even the lowly WSU with a brand new AD has taken action on MBB coaching.

Is Jim Knowlton sleep on the job?

Cannot Jim Knowlton see that he is losing large numbers of long-time loyal Cal fans and donors? Not only in MBB, but, in all sports as a result of his inaction on MBB coaching.

Go Bears!
So you are not satisfied with just firing the BB coach? You want now want to fire the AD? Are you going to continue this for the rest of Spring and Summer?

BTW, the correct word is "asleep" or "sleeping", not "sleep"
SFCityBear
parentswerebears
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My feeling is that if they are keeping Jones, then it is what it is and, well, status quo and who is going to care anymore.

OR

Knowlton is doing things right and actually is pursuing someone worth pursuing, aka someone who is still coaching this season.

Either way, Cal needs to do a lot to make things right in terms of basketball.
KenBurnski
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Is "sleep on the job" correct? Most pressing issue.

Nm. SFCB got it.
SFCityBear
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parentswerebears said:

My feeling is that if they are keeping Jones, then it is what it is and, well, status quo and who is going to care anymore.

OR

Knowlton is doing things right and actually is pursuing someone worth pursuing, aka someone who is still coaching this season.

Either way, Cal needs to do a lot to make things right in terms of basketball.
A full roster needs to be the first step, equally distributed by class and position. Not close yet. I'd vote for one more big, and another point guard, and try and do it with a senior or a grad transfer. We need a couple of older more experienced players, if possible. Next season we will have only one senior and 3 juniors. Of course, talent matters, so if a terrific freshman big or pg is there, take him.
SFCityBear
BearlyCareAnymore
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KoreAmBear said:

OaktownBear said:

calbear80 said:

Just wondering.

First, it was inaction on the FB offensive staff.

Now, it is the inaction on the MBB coaching. Even the lowly WSU with a brand new AD has taken action on MBB coaching.

Is Jim Knowlton sleep on the job?

Cannot Jim Knowlton see that he is losing large numbers of long-time loyal Cal fans and donors? Not only in MBB, but, in all sports as a result of his inaction on MBB coaching.

Go Bears!
1. Unless there is evidence that Wilcox wanted to make greater changes to the offensive staff, as far as I'm concerned when the AD starts interfering in the Head Coach's job, nothing good can happen. That decision is on Wilcox, positive or negative.

2. Not defending him on men's basketball, but I think that you may have to consider that he might not be the decision maker
Valid point on 1. It was Wilcox that did not want to even consider a change and that's why the AD did not have to contact donors even though it was an option. So basically if the offense sucks this season, it's on Wilcox. He's gone all in on Baldwin. Not sure if that was a good idea, but now that it's done, I hope we see a functional offense this season.

A little confused on 2. Why wouldn't Knowlton be the decision maker? You mean the donors being the ultimate decision makers?
No, I mean the administration above him. Either directly choosing the guy, or by saying they won't pay buyout or salary for next coach.
BeachedBear
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Big C said:

socaltownie said:

Seems to me that JK is getting approval from those on high....._OR_ there may be already something in the works that requires possibly waiting all the way till the end of March.

Because _IF_ he wasn't going to try to make a change is is about time for the obligatory story expressing strong confidence in Jones and hope for next year. You have to figure that sports reporters have been calling yesterday and today.
Sadly, I don't think there's any more than a few hundred of us that care enough to think this should be on an urgent time table. And I'm not sure any sports reporters are included in that few hundred.

Wait, is a few hundred way too many? A few dozen?

"Tomorrow, next week, next month, whatever... "
Sadly, I think this is a correct assessment. It actually started at the end of the Braun era, when general interest in Cal Basketball started dropping IMO. There were slight resurgences during Monty and Martin, but overall a steady decline. Jones era has really just killed what remained. Those of us that are left, would probably still be here even if calbear80 were coaching. As always . . . Some to defend him, many to criticize him and a couple to fire him.
calbear80
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SFCityBear said:

A full roster needs to be the first step, equally distributed by class and position....

NO!

A good new coach should be the first step.

Go Bears!
calbear80
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OaktownBear said:

calbear80 said:

Just wondering.

First, it was inaction on the FB offensive staff.

Now, it is the inaction on the MBB coaching. Even the lowly WSU with a brand new AD has taken action on MBB coaching.

Is Jim Knowlton sleep on the job?

Cannot Jim Knowlton see that he is losing large numbers of long-time loyal Cal fans and donors? Not only in MBB, but, in all sports as a result of his inaction on MBB coaching.

Go Bears!
1. Unless there is evidence that Wilcox wanted to make greater changes to the offensive staff, as far as I'm concerned when the AD starts interfering in the Head Coach's job, nothing good can happen. That decision is on Wilcox, positive or negative.

2. Not defending him on men's basketball, but I think that you may have to consider that he might not be the decision maker


It is possible that people above JK decided that they are not ready to pay a $3 million pay out and face criticism for ... .
calbear80
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SFCityBear said:

...BTW, the correct word is "asleep" or "sleeping", not "sleep"

Thank you SFCityBear. I tried to correct it, but, it doesn't let me to make the correction on the title of the post.
SFCityBear
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calbear80 said:

SFCityBear said:

A full roster needs to be the first step, equally distributed by class and position....

NO!

A good new coach should be the first step.

Go Bears!
Maybe you are right, maybe not.

I don't have enough information to ,make a decision like this. I would have needed to see practices, to see what Jones was teaching, and whether it was good standard basketball coaching. I'd have to see whether players were listening and agreeing with what was being taught. I would have to determine whether the losses were due to deficiency in the teaching by Jones and staff, or whether the players made their own mistakes in execution, or whether they were not talented enough or physically capable of executing what was being taught. (An example would be whether Vanover is being taught the correct footwork to box out, and if he can't do it, is he just being pushed off the block by a stronger opponent, or is he not using the footwork and techniques he has been taught at Cal?) I would also weigh other things like how well the players wanted to play for this coach, whether they strongly want to continue playing for him or not. I haven't even thought about Wyking's strategies on offense or defense vs particular opponents, but that is part of it as well

Since I don't know any of this, I but I think I know more about the roster, and I know it is not good enough to win the PAC12 title, with Jones or any coach on the planet. I have to say the first order of business is to proceed with completing the very young and very incomplete roster, while we wait for the AD's decision, if there is one. Wyking has two slots to fill, I believe, so he should at least be laying the groundwork for recruiting one or two bigs or a pg, no matter if he is to be fired or not. We have a big and a pg already committed, but you can't have enough players at these positions.

You are lucky I am not the AD, because I sure as hell would be considering more than wins and losses on a team of frosh and sophs, with one serviceable big (lately). If these frosh and sophs were all as talented and mature as Rabb in the frontcourt and, oh, I don't know, Phil Chenier in the backcourt, then I would say Wyking Jones or any coach on the planet would have won 20 games this season, and you would have a good point just to look at wins and losses when you opt for keeping or firing the coach.

SFCityBear
calbear80
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SFCityBear said:

calbear80 said:

SFCityBear said:

A full roster needs to be the first step, equally distributed by class and position....

NO!

A good new coach should be the first step.

Go Bears!
Maybe you are right, maybe not.

I don't have enough information to ,make a decision like this. I would have needed to see practices, to see what Jones was teaching, and whether it was good standard basketball coaching. I'd have to see whether players were listening and agreeing with what was being taught. I would have to determine whether the losses were due to deficiency in the teaching by Jones and staff, or whether the players made their own mistakes in execution, or whether they were not talented enough or physically capable of executing what was being taught. (An example would be whether Vanover is being taught the correct footwork to box out, and if he can't do it, is he just being pushed off the block by a stronger opponent, or is he not using the footwork and techniques he has been taught at Cal?) I would also weigh other things like how well the players wanted to play for this coach, whether they strongly want to continue playing for him or not. I haven't even thought about Wyking's strategies on offense or defense vs particular opponents, but that is part of it as well

Since I don't know any of this, I but I think I know more about the roster, and I know it is not good enough to win the PAC12 title, with Jones or any coach on the planet. I have to say the first order of business is to proceed with completing the very young and very incomplete roster, while we wait for the AD's decision, if there is one. Wyking has two slots to fill, I believe, so he should at least be laying the groundwork for recruiting one or two bigs or a pg, no matter if he is to be fired or not. We have a big and a pg already committed, but you can't have enough players at these positions.

You are lucky I am not the AD, because I sure as hell would be considering more than wins and losses on a team of frosh and sophs, with one serviceable big (lately). If these frosh and sophs were all as talented and mature as Rabb in the frontcourt and, oh, I don't know, Phil Chenier in the backcourt, then I would say Wyking Jones or any coach on the planet would have won 20 games this season, and you would have a good point just to look at wins and losses when you opt for keeping or firing the coach.



SFCityBear, you don't need to go to practices, etc. All you need to do is look at the results.

Are you happy with 5-33 (13% winning percentage)? Remember, the guy had two senior 7 foot Centers last year with combined six years of Power 5/6 starting experience.

Go Bears!
SFCityBear
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calbear80 said:

SFCityBear said:

calbear80 said:

SFCityBear said:

A full roster needs to be the first step, equally distributed by class and position....

NO!

A good new coach should be the first step.

Go Bears!
Maybe you are right, maybe not.

I don't have enough information to ,make a decision like this. I would have needed to see practices, to see what Jones was teaching, and whether it was good standard basketball coaching. I'd have to see whether players were listening and agreeing with what was being taught. I would have to determine whether the losses were due to deficiency in the teaching by Jones and staff, or whether the players made their own mistakes in execution, or whether they were not talented enough or physically capable of executing what was being taught. (An example would be whether Vanover is being taught the correct footwork to box out, and if he can't do it, is he just being pushed off the block by a stronger opponent, or is he not using the footwork and techniques he has been taught at Cal?) I would also weigh other things like how well the players wanted to play for this coach, whether they strongly want to continue playing for him or not. I haven't even thought about Wyking's strategies on offense or defense vs particular opponents, but that is part of it as well

Since I don't know any of this, I but I think I know more about the roster, and I know it is not good enough to win the PAC12 title, with Jones or any coach on the planet. I have to say the first order of business is to proceed with completing the very young and very incomplete roster, while we wait for the AD's decision, if there is one. Wyking has two slots to fill, I believe, so he should at least be laying the groundwork for recruiting one or two bigs or a pg, no matter if he is to be fired or not. We have a big and a pg already committed, but you can't have enough players at these positions.

You are lucky I am not the AD, because I sure as hell would be considering more than wins and losses on a team of frosh and sophs, with one serviceable big (lately). If these frosh and sophs were all as talented and mature as Rabb in the frontcourt and, oh, I don't know, Phil Chenier in the backcourt, then I would say Wyking Jones or any coach on the planet would have won 20 games this season, and you would have a good point just to look at wins and losses when you opt for keeping or firing the coach.



SFCityBear, you don't need to go to practices, etc. All you need to do is look at the results.

Are you happy with 5-33 (13% winning percentage)? Remember, the guy had two senior 7 foot Cebters last year with combined six years of Power 5/6 starting experience.

Go Bears!
I hate to be this picky, but I already went through this for you. Lee was a forward, a 6-9 forward who was a rotation starter in only one season at Kentucky, and started only games that year. He started 4 games as a freshman. Are you going to call 4 games "a year of P5/6 starting experience?" Lee did not start in any other years at Kentucky. So I give him a total of one year's experience as a P5/6 starter.

Okoroh started only 3 games as a frosh at Cal. I don't count that as a year of startng experience at P5/6 level. He started 17 games in his second season, half of the games Cal played. In his 3rd season he started 24 of 34 games, so overall I credit him with 1.2 years of P5/6 starting experience. Lee and Okoroh together combined for 2.2 years of P5/6 starting experience prior to last season, not 6 years as you claimed.

If you insist that Rooks was a member of the 2018 team, when he was not listed as such in the record book, well Rooks did not start any games in his first year. He started only 10 of 33 games in his soph season, and only 10 games his junior season, so I give him credit for a total of 2/3 of one season of P5/6 starting experience. Rooks and Okoroh combined I would credit them with a total of 1.9 years of starting experience.

Still, I respect what Okoroh and Lee, and I think that the 2018 team would have been a lot better with this year's supporting cast. If the 2018 team had Austin, Bradley, Kelly they could have won at least 15 games in my opinion. And if Okoroh and Lee played this year., they could have won 15 games as well. They were decent bigs and with this year's roster, having them on it would have changed everything, because some of the frosh could have been brought along more slowly. For one thing, Cal would have won a lot of the rebound battles and not been outrebounded every night. Rims would have been protected much better, post defense much better.

I know you are trying your best to get the coach fired, but I wish you would stop saying things that aren't true, or exaggerated. It really weakens your argument. Just stick with your won-loss record argument. That is a fact, not opinion. And no, I wasn't happy with it. Nobody was.
SFCityBear
BearGreg
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Staff


Plenty of room for varying perspectives on our basketball program, our head coach and our AD. It's important however that we are respectful at all times.

With regard to Jim Knowlton, time will tell whether he's a good AD as he's still in his first year. Based on how well he communicates, the respect he's earned among the athletic department, the head coaches and the athletes as well as from donors and from the academic side of the house, it's hard to be objectively critical IMO.

The offensive coaching staff shuffle for football is 100% on Wilcox. As for Jim's evaluation of Wyking Jones, it's important to understand Jim's background as a military man and an engineer. Personal respect, fairness, thoughtful evaluation, and data-driven analysis are going to be the way he arrives at big decisions. Knowlton has been clear that he would not complete the evaluation of Wyking until after the season ended so that the feedback he gets takes into account the entirety of the team's performance.

Our season recap is complete and can be read here

We continue to track Knowlton's decision-making process and the latest insights and rumors in our premium forum here
bearchamp
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My friend, need to correct something. Bears were 8 of 33 this year, not 5 of 33. Five early wins, and the three win streak at the end. Not going to make a difference in the analysis, but better to be accurate.
KenBurnski
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I think he's talking conference total over 2 years.
calbear80
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Against Pac-12 opponents:

. 2-17 last season (Dead last in the Conference)
. 3-16 this season. (Dead last in the Conference again)

Total: 5-33 (13% winning percentage.

Bottom Line: UNACCEPTABLE.

Go Bears!
wifeisafurd
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just for the record, Knowlton has not said he is retaining Jones either, just that he is reviewing the program.

If the Williams buy-out provides obstacles to hiring a legitimate coach, then I give Jones another year to turn things around, and then get a good coach unless Cal turns into a conference contender. I don't want to waste another couple years with a new unqualified coach. NO desire for shake, rinse and repeat.
calumnus
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wifeisafurd said:

just for the record, Knowlton has not said he is retaining Jones either, just that he is reviewing the program.

If the Williams buy-out provides obstacles to hiring a legitimate coach, then I give Jones another year to turn things around, and then get a good coach unless Cal turns into a conference contender. I don't want to waste another couple years with a new unqualified coach. NO desire for shake, rinse and repeat.


I kind of feel this is the situation. The coaches that we would want are coaching teams that are still playing and are not going to want to be rumored talking anywhere. Once the season is over, feelers can go out to the coaches in whom we have interest. If they want to come and the money to get them, including for the buyout, can be raised, then Wyking is let go. There is not much to be gained by firing Wyking now if we are going to be forced to go with another similarly risky low cost candidate given the cost of the buyout. The next hire needs to be solid and we should have a good idea of our candidates and how we can pay for them. If we can't get our guy this year, but waiting a year gives us enough money to hire someone top notch, then I can see them have Wyking coach another year. The danger is the damage to attendance, fan interest and recruiting in the meantime. There is always the slim possibility the team does well next year too. But that would just put us in an even better position.
helltopay1
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I've said it before, and I'm saying it again now: If all the coaches and players stay ( excluding Davis) and all the recruits come in, Cal will be at least an NIT team next year. that is not nothing. Crawl, then baby steps, and, then, perhaps you walk.
caltagjohnson
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Donors will decide whether there is a coaching change. Not the AD. Most of the buyout/salary comes from donors. Not the University. Even if there is a change don't expect a highly qualified new coach. The Cal BB HC job is not an elite job.
RedlessWardrobe
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My biggest regret is if WJ is let go then all of these stimulating discussions about him will be moot. Then again....
LOUMFSG2
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helltopay1 said:

I've said it before, and I'm saying it again now: If all the coaches and players stay ( excluding Davis) and all the recruits come in, Cal will be at least an NIT team next year. that is not nothing. Crawl, then baby steps, and, then, perhaps you walk.


To be an NIT team, you have to be somewhere in the top 50-75 teams in the country. Cal is currently ranked in the 210-280 range in the comprehensive power rankings (NET, Sagarin, Pomeroy and BPI). What have you seen in this team and coaching staff that suggests they can achieve that kind of improvement?
helltopay1
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Dear Lou:
1) complete roster next season
2) 13 players on scholarship plus a good preferred walk-on
3) will not be forced to play zone
4) because of depth, can press at will All
5) All our perimeter shooters return plus Smith, the freshman
6) The frosh PG will give Austin a breather and will facilitate better than Austin
7) Vanover will be in better shape and will be more consistent
8) experience will give all the players more confidence
Yogi58
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OaktownBear said:


Not defending him on men's basketball, but I think that you may have to consider that he might not be the decision maker
Who else would it be?
Yogi58
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OaktownBear said:


No, I mean the administration above him. Either directly choosing the guy, or by saying they won't pay buyout or salary for next coach.
There's not reason to believe the first part and as for the second, $3 million is chicken feed for Cal. Remember, they financed a brand new building and a rebuilt stadium with almost zero fundraising.
71Bear
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An AD should never demand that a head coach terminate the contract of an assistant. It happens but only at schools that are hopelessly dysfunctional (Cal is dysfunctional but not hopeless).

As for hoops, I tend to err on the side of keep the guy if there is any chance of redemption. Jones is off to a very rough start but can anyone say conclusively that he cannot turn the program around. Personally, I do not believe anyone can make that statement. Keep him for another year.

My take on Knowlton - a very thoughtful, deliberate guy who probably agonizes over which tie to wear to work every day.
helltopay1
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Dear 71: where have you been??keep posting.
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