71Bear said:

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TheSouseFamily said:

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Do you have any idea what Chris Beard would cost?? Of the 350+ D1 schools, he's now out of the price range of about 340 of them.

Never mind the total lack of interest in academics.

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Souse, I should have been more clear.

I did NOT suggest that Cal hire him at this point (as you noted, it would not have been possible). What I meant was Cal should have been looking for a guy with his background BEFORE he started at TTU. Once he started there, it was too late to hire him. However, before he arrived at TTU, he was an up and comer with a terrific record. There are guys out there with that kind of background who are unknown to us but are well-known within the coaching fraternity. Those are the guys JT should have been looking for.

Sorry about any confusion my initial comment may have caused....

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71

Your point is a good one, but it is not all that easy (as I am sure you know). Look at Shaka Smart--huge success at the mid-major level, but so far a bust at Texas. Not every rising mid-major star can make the jump and it's difficult to predict just who can.

UrsaMajor said:

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71Bear said:

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TheSouseFamily said:

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Do you have any idea what Chris Beard would cost?? Of the 350+ D1 schools, he's now out of the price range of about 340 of them.

Never mind the total lack of interest in academics.

---

Souse, I should have been more clear.

I did NOT suggest that Cal hire him at this point (as you noted, it would not have been possible). What I meant was Cal should have been looking for a guy with his background BEFORE he started at TTU. Once he started there, it was too late to hire him. However, before he arrived at TTU, he was an up and comer with a terrific record. There are guys out there with that kind of background who are unknown to us but are well-known within the coaching fraternity. Those are the guys JT should have been looking for.

Sorry about any confusion my initial comment may have caused....

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71

Your point is a good one, but it is not all that easy (as I am sure you know). Look at Shaka Smart--huge success at the mid-major level, but so far a bust at Texas. Not every rising mid-major star can make the jump and it's difficult to predict just who can.

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+1 million. Look at Mark Fox. Very successful at Nevada. Bust at Georgia. A cautionary tale for us all.

71Bear said:

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TheSouseFamily said:

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Do you have any idea what Chris Beard would cost?? Of the 350+ D1 schools, he's now out of the price range of about 340 of them.

Never mind the total lack of interest in academics.

---

Souse, I should have been more clear.

I did NOT suggest that Cal hire him at this point (as you noted, it would not have been possible). What I meant was Cal should have been looking for a guy with his background BEFORE he started at TTU. Once he started there, it was too late to hire him. However, before he arrived at TTU, he was an up and comer with a terrific record. There are guys out there with that kind of background who are unknown to us but are well-known within the coaching fraternity. Those are the guys JT should have been looking for.

Sorry about any confusion my initial comment may have caused....

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Chris Beard was an assistant coach at Texas Tech for several years before he became a very successful mid-major head coach. So TT knew him, and he knew them. They didn't have to move mountains to find out about him.

Hmmm, let me think... is there someone who was once an assistant coach at Cal for several years before becoming a very successful mid-major head coach? Can anyone here think of a coach who might fit that description?

OaktownBear said:

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UrsaMajor said:

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71Bear said:

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TheSouseFamily said:

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Do you have any idea what Chris Beard would cost?? Of the 350+ D1 schools, he's now out of the price range of about 340 of them.

Never mind the total lack of interest in academics.

---

Souse, I should have been more clear.

I did NOT suggest that Cal hire him at this point (as you noted, it would not have been possible). What I meant was Cal should have been looking for a guy with his background BEFORE he started at TTU. Once he started there, it was too late to hire him. However, before he arrived at TTU, he was an up and comer with a terrific record. There are guys out there with that kind of background who are unknown to us but are well-known within the coaching fraternity. Those are the guys JT should have been looking for.

Sorry about any confusion my initial comment may have caused....

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71

Your point is a good one, but it is not all that easy (as I am sure you know). Look at Shaka Smart--huge success at the mid-major level, but so far a bust at Texas. Not every rising mid-major star can make the jump and it's difficult to predict just who can.

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+1 million. Look at Mark Fox. Very successful at Nevada. Bust at Georgia. A cautionary tale for us all.

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Mark Fox had the best win loss record at Georgia since Tubby Smith who left after one season in 1996-97 as Georgia was a stepping stone for him.
The previous coach went 3-9. There were 4 coaches between Smith and Fox. Hard. Stop.

71Bear said:

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calumnus said:

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Wow, now I am envious of WSU's hire.

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If Cal had a decisive AD, they would have had a shot at hiring Smith. However, they have a guy who can't decide whether to have corn flakes or oatmeal for breakfast.

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Completely disagree Rob. Have you met Knowlton? Remember it was the media saying Wyking was returning not Jim, he was still assessing.

And remember, the first thing Knowlton said when he got to Cal was how impressed he was with Wilcox.

Would love to see you back attending games and closer to the programs again! Better times are in store.

NVBear78 said:

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71Bear said:

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calumnus said:

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Wow, now I am envious of WSU's hire.

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If Cal had a decisive AD, they would have had a shot at hiring Smith. However, they have a guy who can't decide whether to have corn flakes or oatmeal for breakfast.

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Completely disagree Rob. Have you met Knowlton? Remember it was the media saying Wyking was returning not Jim, he was still assessing.

And remember, the first thing Knowlton said when he got to Cal was how impressed he was with Wilcox.

Would love to see you back attending games and closer to the programs again! Better times are in store.

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The media had good cause to report that. Not issuing a press release does not mean he didn't make statements to people that either flat out said Jones was returning or heavily and negligently implied it. Too many trustworthy sources have said so

oski003 said:

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OaktownBear said:

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UrsaMajor said:

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71Bear said:

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TheSouseFamily said:

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Do you have any idea what Chris Beard would cost?? Of the 350+ D1 schools, he's now out of the price range of about 340 of them.

Never mind the total lack of interest in academics.

---

Souse, I should have been more clear.

I did NOT suggest that Cal hire him at this point (as you noted, it would not have been possible). What I meant was Cal should have been looking for a guy with his background BEFORE he started at TTU. Once he started there, it was too late to hire him. However, before he arrived at TTU, he was an up and comer with a terrific record. There are guys out there with that kind of background who are unknown to us but are well-known within the coaching fraternity. Those are the guys JT should have been looking for.

Sorry about any confusion my initial comment may have caused....

---

71

Your point is a good one, but it is not all that easy (as I am sure you know). Look at Shaka Smart--huge success at the mid-major level, but so far a bust at Texas. Not every rising mid-major star can make the jump and it's difficult to predict just who can.

---

+1 million. Look at Mark Fox. Very successful at Nevada. Bust at Georgia. A cautionary tale for us all.

---

Mark Fox had the best win loss record at Georgia since Tubby Smith who left after one season in 1996-97 as Georgia was a stepping stone for him.
The previous coach went 3-9. There were 4 coaches between Smith and Fox. Hard. Stop.

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Ah, yes. The Cal awesomeness theory. We are so much better than Georgia he will succeed here where he failed there.

Why do Georgia fans think he sucks?

OaktownBear said:

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oski003 said:

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OaktownBear said:

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UrsaMajor said:

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71Bear said:

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TheSouseFamily said:

---

Do you have any idea what Chris Beard would cost?? Of the 350+ D1 schools, he's now out of the price range of about 340 of them.

Never mind the total lack of interest in academics.

---

Souse, I should have been more clear.

I did NOT suggest that Cal hire him at this point (as you noted, it would not have been possible). What I meant was Cal should have been looking for a guy with his background BEFORE he started at TTU. Once he started there, it was too late to hire him. However, before he arrived at TTU, he was an up and comer with a terrific record. There are guys out there with that kind of background who are unknown to us but are well-known within the coaching fraternity. Those are the guys JT should have been looking for.

Sorry about any confusion my initial comment may have caused....

---

71

Your point is a good one, but it is not all that easy (as I am sure you know). Look at Shaka Smart--huge success at the mid-major level, but so far a bust at Texas. Not every rising mid-major star can make the jump and it's difficult to predict just who can.

---

+1 million. Look at Mark Fox. Very successful at Nevada. Bust at Georgia. A cautionary tale for us all.

---

Mark Fox had the best win loss record at Georgia since Tubby Smith who left after one season in 1996-97 as Georgia was a stepping stone for him.
The previous coach went 3-9. There were 4 coaches between Smith and Fox. Hard. Stop.

---

Ah, yes. The Cal awesomeness theory. We are so much better than Georgia he will succeed here where he failed there.

Why do Georgia fans think he sucks?

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Well, they have money and expect championships, probably because they are good at the other sports they compete in, such as football. Their current coach has a 6 year 19.2 million dollar contract and just went 11-21. They pay him 3.2 million per year despite hiring him after being fired from Indiana.

UrsaMajor said:

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socaltownie said:

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calumnus said:

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71Bear said:

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OaktownBear said:

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71Bear said:

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calumnus said:

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Wow, now I am envious of WSU's hire.

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If Cal had a decisive AD, they would have had a shot at hiring Smith. However, they have a guy who can't decide whether to have corn flakes or oatmeal for breakfast.

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I have to say that I find it funny that everyone keeps saying Knowlton is very "deliberative" like it is a good thing. That word. Over and over.

And it sounds a lot like a positive spin on what everyone said about Dirks and his inability to make decisions.

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As soon as it becomes apparent that a change needs to be made, you need to complete your due diligence and get ready to move. Getting ahead of the competition (in this case, WSU) is critical to making a successful hire. Instead, Knowlton couldn't make up his mind, vacillated and found himself behind the elephants instead of leading the parade.

Deliberative is great when you are deciding whether to drop a bomb on someone. It is not so good when you are trying to hire a hot candidate.....

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Months ago Knowlton should have seen this as a distinct possibility in the very least. He should have taken in a game at USF, met Smith for lunch in the City. Called DeCuire for a chat to introduce himself, see how the season is going. Talk to Kidd, Shareef, Marks and our other NBA alums, get their suggestions. Invite Monty, Braun, Kerr and Kidd to games, get their opinions. At the point he knew he was going to fire Jones he should have had a very good idea of who he wanted and our chances of getting him.

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Your assumption is that he didn't and hadn't found out that our choices that were at the top of the list were....."
"not good".

Team travis would have offered hope. But I completely understand this hire _IF_ due diligence was really done and JK heard a lot about competing in a very dirty SEC.

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He did. Knowlton spent a lot of time with Travis and concluded he wasn't ready yet. If he stays at Montana, it would appear that others share that view. It may be totally wrong, but it's a valid argument. Since Travis has yet to coach a single P5 game or recruit a single player as a P5 head coach, no one can say for certain that he would succeed. Rightly or wrongly, Knowlton feels that Fox's ceiling is higher and that his tenure at Georgia was affected by the slime of the SEC. Maybe right, maybe wrong. BTW, I was--and am--a Travis supporter, but that doesn't mean I won't acknowledge that I might be wrong.

I find it funny that those who are criticizing Knowlton are equally spit between "he dithers and can't decide" and "why did he jump the gun so quickly?"

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The 48 year old coach who worked at Cal for six years, then worked successfully as a head coach for five years was "not ready yet"? I don't like the sound of that, if those are JK's words.

Fox had a year off to plan his interview (possibly with the help of the same guy on the search committee who was recommending him to Knowlton). DeCuire came here directly after coaching his team into the NCAA Tournament (well, maybe with one quick stop for another HC interview). Gotta take that into account.

Still hoping Fox succeeds, obviously.

I like DeCuire, but still not sure why he would be foreseen as a slam dunk successful recruiter. The knock on Monty was that he did not recruit well. DeCuire was a part of that same staff that did not recruit well. Did recruits like DeCuire, but were turned off by Monty?

NVBear78 said:

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71Bear said:

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calumnus said:

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Wow, now I am envious of WSU's hire.

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If Cal had a decisive AD, they would have had a shot at hiring Smith. However, they have a guy who can't decide whether to have corn flakes or oatmeal for breakfast.

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Completely disagree Rob. Have you met Knowlton? Remember it was the media saying Wyking was returning not Jim, he was still assessing.

And remember, the first thing Knowlton said when he got to Cal was how impressed he was with Wilcox.

Would love to see you back attending games and closer to the programs again! Better times are in store.

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Jones was coming back until JK ran into a firestorm of opposition. He took at 180 and fired him. JK should have been more decisive. Instead he vacillated and lost control of the situation. That led to a hire that was dictated by the search firm. Bottom line - a decision to either fire Jones or have him return should have been made much earlier. At that point, JK (if he decided to let him go) would have had time to complete his due diligence regarding a replacement and would have been in complete control of the process.

Knowlton is a West Point grad who was a combat engineer with the 82nd Airborne, and with a tour of duty in Iraq. I am having trouble seeing him afraid to make a decision. Could make the wrong decision at times, but can't see him lacking in courage.

annarborbear said:

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Knowlton is a West Point grad who was a combat engineer with the 82nd Airborne, and with a tour of duty in Iraq. I am having trouble seeing him afraid to make a decision. Could make the wrong decision at times, but can't see him lacking in courage.

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In college sports, coaching openings come infrequently and must be addressed decisively. That doesn't require courage. It requires careful planning and preparation.

annarborbear said:

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Did recruits like DeCuire, but were turned off by Monty?

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Bingo!

71Bear said:

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NVBear78 said:

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71Bear said:

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calumnus said:

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Wow, now I am envious of WSU's hire.

---

If Cal had a decisive AD, they would have had a shot at hiring Smith. However, they have a guy who can't decide whether to have corn flakes or oatmeal for breakfast.

---

Completely disagree Rob. Have you met Knowlton? Remember it was the media saying Wyking was returning not Jim, he was still assessing.

And remember, the first thing Knowlton said when he got to Cal was how impressed he was with Wilcox.

Would love to see you back attending games and closer to the programs again! Better times are in store.

---

Jones was coming back until JK ran into a firestorm of opposition. He took at 180 and fired him. JK should have been more decisive. Instead he vacillated and lost control of the situation. That led to a hire that was dictated by the search firm. Bottom line - a decision to either fire Jones or have him return should have been made much earlier. At that point, JK (if he decided to let him go) would have had time to complete his due diligence regarding a replacement and would have been in complete control of the process.

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Plus this very critical decision was all done in the midst of the sexual harassment firestorm.

OaktownBear said:

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oski003 said:

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OaktownBear said:

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UrsaMajor said:

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71Bear said:

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TheSouseFamily said:

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Do you have any idea what Chris Beard would cost?? Of the 350+ D1 schools, he's now out of the price range of about 340 of them.

Never mind the total lack of interest in academics.

---

Souse, I should have been more clear.

I did NOT suggest that Cal hire him at this point (as you noted, it would not have been possible). What I meant was Cal should have been looking for a guy with his background BEFORE he started at TTU. Once he started there, it was too late to hire him. However, before he arrived at TTU, he was an up and comer with a terrific record. There are guys out there with that kind of background who are unknown to us but are well-known within the coaching fraternity. Those are the guys JT should have been looking for.

Sorry about any confusion my initial comment may have caused....

---

71

Your point is a good one, but it is not all that easy (as I am sure you know). Look at Shaka Smart--huge success at the mid-major level, but so far a bust at Texas. Not every rising mid-major star can make the jump and it's difficult to predict just who can.

---

+1 million. Look at Mark Fox. Very successful at Nevada. Bust at Georgia. A cautionary tale for us all.

---

Mark Fox had the best win loss record at Georgia since Tubby Smith who left after one season in 1996-97 as Georgia was a stepping stone for him.
The previous coach went 3-9. There were 4 coaches between Smith and Fox. Hard. Stop.

---

Ah, yes. The Cal awesomeness theory. We are so much better than Georgia he will succeed here where he failed there.

Why do Georgia fans think he sucks?

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Georgia fans watched him coach for 9 years. There is no mystery. It is like watching Braun coach, Cal fans knew, 2nd foul, he'll be benched, third three he made in a row, he'll be benched.

calumnus said:

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Georgia fans watched him coach for 9 years. There is no mystery. It is like watching Braun coach, Cal fans knew, 2nd foul, he'll be benched, third three he made in a row, he'll be benched.

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Don't forget calling a time out with a fast break!