Civil Bear said:

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01Bear said:

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4thGenCal said:

---

01Bear said:

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calumnus said:

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59bear said:

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oskidunker said:

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bearchamp said:

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All negativity on Fox is baloney. The team is improving, and improving quickly. Everyone says Cal doesn't have enough talent, but Fox is keeping them competitive. If the team continues to make progress, the recruiting will follow along.

---

I am a Fox supporter but the jury is still out. He is not setting screens for the shooters, which I find very disconcerting. Its fine to pound it in to Kelly but that wont work against some teams who play a strong man to man.

---

I, too, root for Fox but he has to recruit better than he has to date. There is some raw talent on this roster and if they stay and develop (the latter being a very big if for Lars/Kuany/Celestine/Thorpe), we can be respectable. I think he's a solid coach but he's never shown the ability to recruit top talent anywhere he's been.

---

In his third season at Georgia he had the #32 ranked class (his highest before or after) when he got McDonald's All American 5 star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Atlanta metro to stay home.

People may remember Cal beat that Fox Georgia team 70-46 in a tournament in Kansas City.

The next year as a sophomore Caldwell-Pope won SEC Player of the Year leading Georgia to a 15-17 (9-9) record before leaving to the NBA as the #8 pick.

---

Calumnus, I don't mean to be snarky with this question, but would you suggest Cuonzo Martin is a good recruiter? On its face, he managed to recruit Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown to Cal and he recruited Michael Porter, Jr. to Missouri. But arguably, Ivan Rabb would've attended Cal so long as the coach was halfway decent and Jaylen Brown was interested in attending a school that had Cal's history of social consciousness and academic cachet. In other words, it was Cal and not the coach that recruited these elite players. In the case of Michael Porter, Jr., he went to the school where his dad was just hired. Whether this was a condition of his dad's hiring is unknown. But it doesn't seem to be Cuinzo Martin's recruiting prowess nor his abilities as a coach that led the younger Porter to Missouri for his one(?) year of higher education.

Does anyone know the story behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's recruitment to Georgia by Mark Fox? Would he have gone to Georgia regardless of who was coaching? Was his matriculation at UGA part of some package deal? Or was this really a recruiting coup by Mark Fox who managed to convince an elite high school basketball talent to play for him?

---

Couldn't be more wrong Ivan stated multiple times - that Cuonzo was the biggest factor in his choosing Cal as he appreciated his relentless and honest pursuit. He also has said that he grew up under Coach's tutalege both on and off the court. His Mom also confirmed that playing for Cuonzo was the deciding factor.
Cuonzo was an excellent recruiter and the list of those players that wanted to play for him, but were denied by a very tough admissions policy was also very impressive. Yes Ivan was key for JB recruitment, but Jaylen also said that he was attracted to Cal because of Cuonzoc's straight talk with him.

---

I stand corrected!

---

I don't get how Cuonzo can be considered an excellent recruiter other than the Brown/Rabb Class and the Porter/Porter class at Missouri. Those were both excellent classes (one bought and paid for by hiring their father), but he has failed to bring in a class that averaged over 3 stars for the rest of his career at 4 different schools. That's something Braun and Monty did multiple times. Even Jones and Fox have done it at Cal (per 247 Sports). I'd also say that recruiting kids that can't qualify for your program is not a good trait in a recruiter, and it's not like those misses are tearing it up elsewhere. Then there is the litany of misses and bad fits at Cal (something the Tennessee fans warned us about) that left the cupboard bare when he left.

Maybe he is good at telling 5-stars what they want to hear, but he can evaluate talent or good fits for sh*t .

---

4thGenCal said:

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Civil Bear said:

---

01Bear said:

---

4thGenCal said:

---

01Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

59bear said:

---

oskidunker said:

---

bearchamp said:

---

All negativity on Fox is baloney. The team is improving, and improving quickly. Everyone says Cal doesn't have enough talent, but Fox is keeping them competitive. If the team continues to make progress, the recruiting will follow along.

---

I am a Fox supporter but the jury is still out. He is not setting screens for the shooters, which I find very disconcerting. Its fine to pound it in to Kelly but that wont work against some teams who play a strong man to man.

---

I, too, root for Fox but he has to recruit better than he has to date. There is some raw talent on this roster and if they stay and develop (the latter being a very big if for Lars/Kuany/Celestine/Thorpe), we can be respectable. I think he's a solid coach but he's never shown the ability to recruit top talent anywhere he's been.

---

In his third season at Georgia he had the #32 ranked class (his highest before or after) when he got McDonald's All American 5 star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Atlanta metro to stay home.

People may remember Cal beat that Fox Georgia team 70-46 in a tournament in Kansas City.

The next year as a sophomore Caldwell-Pope won SEC Player of the Year leading Georgia to a 15-17 (9-9) record before leaving to the NBA as the #8 pick.

---

Calumnus, I don't mean to be snarky with this question, but would you suggest Cuonzo Martin is a good recruiter? On its face, he managed to recruit Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown to Cal and he recruited Michael Porter, Jr. to Missouri. But arguably, Ivan Rabb would've attended Cal so long as the coach was halfway decent and Jaylen Brown was interested in attending a school that had Cal's history of social consciousness and academic cachet. In other words, it was Cal and not the coach that recruited these elite players. In the case of Michael Porter, Jr., he went to the school where his dad was just hired. Whether this was a condition of his dad's hiring is unknown. But it doesn't seem to be Cuinzo Martin's recruiting prowess nor his abilities as a coach that led the younger Porter to Missouri for his one(?) year of higher education.

Does anyone know the story behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's recruitment to Georgia by Mark Fox? Would he have gone to Georgia regardless of who was coaching? Was his matriculation at UGA part of some package deal? Or was this really a recruiting coup by Mark Fox who managed to convince an elite high school basketball talent to play for him?

---

Couldn't be more wrong Ivan stated multiple times - that Cuonzo was the biggest factor in his choosing Cal as he appreciated his relentless and honest pursuit. He also has said that he grew up under Coach's tutalege both on and off the court. His Mom also confirmed that playing for Cuonzo was the deciding factor.
Cuonzo was an excellent recruiter and the list of those players that wanted to play for him, but were denied by a very tough admissions policy was also very impressive. Yes Ivan was key for JB recruitment, but Jaylen also said that he was attracted to Cal because of Cuonzoc's straight talk with him.

---

I stand corrected!

---

I don't get how Cuonzo can be considered an excellent recruiter other than the Brown/Rabb Class and the Porter/Porter class at Missouri. Those were both excellent classes (one bought and paid for by hiring their father), but he has failed to bring in a class that averaged over 3 stars for the rest of his career at 4 different schools. That's something Braun and Monty did multiple times. Even Jones and Fox have done it at Cal (per 247 Sports). I'd also say that recruiting kids that can't qualify for your program is not a good trait in a recruiter, and it's not like those misses are tearing it up elsewhere. Then there is the litany of misses and bad fits at Cal (something the Tennessee fans warned us about) that left the cupboard bare when he left.

Maybe he is good at telling 5-stars what they want to hear, but he can evaluate talent or good fits for sh*t .

---

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calbears4ever said:

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Anticevich has NBA potential IMO and he should go for the draft if he has the chance; he's one of Cal's best players

---

3146gabby said:

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Two distinct coaching actions that deserve scrutiny: Xs and Oxs and recruiting. Fox is better than any other Xs and Os coach I have seen since the late 1960s excluding Montgomery. It is however an area that can be objectively and fully criticized. Braun could recruit, he couldn't coach. It is has been said before but his coaching with what he has is excellent.

Recruiting - 'what he needs' - is a much more difficult item to assess. Unlike on court coaching against one team, one coach, recruiting involves competition against national and Pac12 coaches with significant resumes, Ariz,., UCLA, Duke, Michigan, et al. While UCB is a terrific sell in itself Fox is running uphill against the other programs.

Other recruiting +/-s might be personality, parental wishes, etc. and frankly we have no idea how Fox fares when in the home of a recruit. To say he has one more year to recruit more effectively is not connected much to this reality.

It is the coaching that hopefully will get him to a point where he can recruit against the big programs.

---

4thGenCal said:

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4thGenCal said:

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Civil Bear said:

---

01Bear said:

---

4thGenCal said:

---

01Bear said:

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calumnus said:

---

59bear said:

---

oskidunker said:

---

bearchamp said:

---

All negativity on Fox is baloney. The team is improving, and improving quickly. Everyone says Cal doesn't have enough talent, but Fox is keeping them competitive. If the team continues to make progress, the recruiting will follow along.

---

I am a Fox supporter but the jury is still out. He is not setting screens for the shooters, which I find very disconcerting. Its fine to pound it in to Kelly but that wont work against some teams who play a strong man to man.

---

I, too, root for Fox but he has to recruit better than he has to date. There is some raw talent on this roster and if they stay and develop (the latter being a very big if for Lars/Kuany/Celestine/Thorpe), we can be respectable. I think he's a solid coach but he's never shown the ability to recruit top talent anywhere he's been.

---

In his third season at Georgia he had the #32 ranked class (his highest before or after) when he got McDonald's All American 5 star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Atlanta metro to stay home.

People may remember Cal beat that Fox Georgia team 70-46 in a tournament in Kansas City.

The next year as a sophomore Caldwell-Pope won SEC Player of the Year leading Georgia to a 15-17 (9-9) record before leaving to the NBA as the #8 pick.

---

Calumnus, I don't mean to be snarky with this question, but would you suggest Cuonzo Martin is a good recruiter? On its face, he managed to recruit Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown to Cal and he recruited Michael Porter, Jr. to Missouri. But arguably, Ivan Rabb would've attended Cal so long as the coach was halfway decent and Jaylen Brown was interested in attending a school that had Cal's history of social consciousness and academic cachet. In other words, it was Cal and not the coach that recruited these elite players. In the case of Michael Porter, Jr., he went to the school where his dad was just hired. Whether this was a condition of his dad's hiring is unknown. But it doesn't seem to be Cuinzo Martin's recruiting prowess nor his abilities as a coach that led the younger Porter to Missouri for his one(?) year of higher education.

Does anyone know the story behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's recruitment to Georgia by Mark Fox? Would he have gone to Georgia regardless of who was coaching? Was his matriculation at UGA part of some package deal? Or was this really a recruiting coup by Mark Fox who managed to convince an elite high school basketball talent to play for him?

---

Couldn't be more wrong Ivan stated multiple times - that Cuonzo was the biggest factor in his choosing Cal as he appreciated his relentless and honest pursuit. He also has said that he grew up under Coach's tutalege both on and off the court. His Mom also confirmed that playing for Cuonzo was the deciding factor.
Cuonzo was an excellent recruiter and the list of those players that wanted to play for him, but were denied by a very tough admissions policy was also very impressive. Yes Ivan was key for JB recruitment, but Jaylen also said that he was attracted to Cal because of Cuonzoc's straight talk with him.

---

I stand corrected!

---

I don't get how Cuonzo can be considered an excellent recruiter other than the Brown/Rabb Class and the Porter/Porter class at Missouri. Those were both excellent classes (one bought and paid for by hiring their father), but he has failed to bring in a class that averaged over 3 stars for the rest of his career at 4 different schools. That's something Braun and Monty did multiple times. Even Jones and Fox have done it at Cal (per 247 Sports). I'd also say that recruiting kids that can't qualify for your program is not a good trait in a recruiter, and it's not like those misses are tearing it up elsewhere. Then there is the litany of misses and bad fits at Cal (something the Tennessee fans warned us about) that left the cupboard bare when he left.

Maybe he is good at telling 5-stars what they want to hear, but he can't evaluate talent or good fits for sh*t .

---

---

Agree that Wyking brought in good talent albeit young and despite that his hiring occurred after most letters had been signed (March). Cuonzo at Cal (not comparing his tenure at other schools) had an overall very solid recruiting class that yes included some misses (as all coaches have). The 5 denials of 4 star and one 5 star player had 2.7GPA and higher HS records including some very difficult dysfunctional family upbringings. Credit to him to pursue quality young men that wanted to play for him. Cuonzo told me that he was shocked that the admission policies (included a panel review) were not willing to "take a chance on any of these players". He said he only was admitted to Purdue because the admissions office with coach Keady "took a chance with him".
Cuonzo player's (including those that were recruited by Monty) said that they highly respected him and his expectations on and off the court were major factors in their maturity and preparation for life after basketball.

---

SFBear92 said:

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calbears4ever said:

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Anticevich has NBA potential IMO and he should go for the draft if he has the chance; he's one of Cal's best players

---

It embarrasses me when Cal fans say stupid things like this

---

calumnus said:

---

3146gabby said:

---

Two distinct coaching actions that deserve scrutiny: Xs and Oxs and recruiting. Fox is better than any other Xs and Os coach I have seen since the late 1960s excluding Montgomery. It is however an area that can be objectively and fully criticized. Braun could recruit, he couldn't coach. It is has been said before but his coaching with what he has is excellent.

Recruiting - 'what he needs' - is a much more difficult item to assess. Unlike on court coaching against one team, one coach, recruiting involves competition against national and Pac12 coaches with significant resumes, Ariz,., UCLA, Duke, Michigan, et al. While UCB is a terrific sell in itself Fox is running uphill against the other programs.

Other recruiting +/-s might be personality, parental wishes, etc. and frankly we have no idea how Fox fares when in the home of a recruit. To say he has one more year to recruit more effectively is not connected much to this reality.

It is the coaching that hopefully will get him to a point where he can recruit against the big programs.

---

I just do not agree with this. Monty was a wizard (moreso at Stanford) that is why he is in the HoF. It was far and away his greatest attribute as a coach. The best metric for Xs and Os is offensive efficiency. Here are the average national rankings in offensive efficiency for recent coaches at Cal:

1. Monty #76
2. Braun #128
3. Martin #188
4. Jones #299
5. Fox #307

Fox may move up as the team is looking better this year, but for reference his average over 8 years at Georgia was #202. I just don't expect much better than that.

We are currently the #11 team in the PAC-12 with his X's and O's, so unless he is holding something back we only get better under him if he can bring in more talent.

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calbears4ever said:

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SFBear92 said:

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calbears4ever said:

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Anticevich has NBA potential IMO and he should go for the draft if he has the chance; he's one of Cal's best players

---

It embarrasses me when Cal fans say stupid things like this

---

You can't deny that Anticevich is one of the best players Cal has right now even though he is nothing like the players that made the NBA, like Brown. He and Bradley are the glue of this team

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Civil Bear said:

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4thGenCal said:

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4thGenCal said:

---

Civil Bear said:

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01Bear said:

---

4thGenCal said:

---

01Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

59bear said:

---

oskidunker said:

---

bearchamp said:

---

All negativity on Fox is baloney. The team is improving, and improving quickly. Everyone says Cal doesn't have enough talent, but Fox is keeping them competitive. If the team continues to make progress, the recruiting will follow along.

---

I am a Fox supporter but the jury is still out. He is not setting screens for the shooters, which I find very disconcerting. Its fine to pound it in to Kelly but that wont work against some teams who play a strong man to man.

---

I, too, root for Fox but he has to recruit better than he has to date. There is some raw talent on this roster and if they stay and develop (the latter being a very big if for Lars/Kuany/Celestine/Thorpe), we can be respectable. I think he's a solid coach but he's never shown the ability to recruit top talent anywhere he's been.

---

In his third season at Georgia he had the #32 ranked class (his highest before or after) when he got McDonald's All American 5 star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Atlanta metro to stay home.

People may remember Cal beat that Fox Georgia team 70-46 in a tournament in Kansas City.

The next year as a sophomore Caldwell-Pope won SEC Player of the Year leading Georgia to a 15-17 (9-9) record before leaving to the NBA as the #8 pick.

---

Calumnus, I don't mean to be snarky with this question, but would you suggest Cuonzo Martin is a good recruiter? On its face, he managed to recruit Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown to Cal and he recruited Michael Porter, Jr. to Missouri. But arguably, Ivan Rabb would've attended Cal so long as the coach was halfway decent and Jaylen Brown was interested in attending a school that had Cal's history of social consciousness and academic cachet. In other words, it was Cal and not the coach that recruited these elite players. In the case of Michael Porter, Jr., he went to the school where his dad was just hired. Whether this was a condition of his dad's hiring is unknown. But it doesn't seem to be Cuinzo Martin's recruiting prowess nor his abilities as a coach that led the younger Porter to Missouri for his one(?) year of higher education.

Does anyone know the story behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's recruitment to Georgia by Mark Fox? Would he have gone to Georgia regardless of who was coaching? Was his matriculation at UGA part of some package deal? Or was this really a recruiting coup by Mark Fox who managed to convince an elite high school basketball talent to play for him?

---

Couldn't be more wrong Ivan stated multiple times - that Cuonzo was the biggest factor in his choosing Cal as he appreciated his relentless and honest pursuit. He also has said that he grew up under Coach's tutalege both on and off the court. His Mom also confirmed that playing for Cuonzo was the deciding factor.
Cuonzo was an excellent recruiter and the list of those players that wanted to play for him, but were denied by a very tough admissions policy was also very impressive. Yes Ivan was key for JB recruitment, but Jaylen also said that he was attracted to Cal because of Cuonzoc's straight talk with him.

---

I stand corrected!

---

I don't get how Cuonzo can be considered an excellent recruiter other than the Brown/Rabb Class and the Porter/Porter class at Missouri. Those were both excellent classes (one bought and paid for by hiring their father), but he has failed to bring in a class that averaged over 3 stars for the rest of his career at 4 different schools. That's something Braun and Monty did multiple times. Even Jones and Fox have done it at Cal (per 247 Sports). I'd also say that recruiting kids that can't qualify for your program is not a good trait in a recruiter, and it's not like those misses are tearing it up elsewhere. Then there is the litany of misses and bad fits at Cal (something the Tennessee fans warned us about) that left the cupboard bare when he left.

Maybe he is good at telling 5-stars what they want to hear, but he can't evaluate talent or good fits for sh*t .

---

---

Agree that Wyking brought in good talent albeit young and despite that his hiring occurred after most letters had been signed (March). Cuonzo at Cal (not comparing his tenure at other schools) had an overall very solid recruiting class that yes included some misses (as all coaches have). The 5 denials of 4 star and one 5 star player had 2.7GPA and higher HS records including some very difficult dysfunctional family upbringings. Credit to him to pursue quality young men that wanted to play for him. Cuonzo told me that he was shocked that the admission policies (included a panel review) were not willing to "take a chance on any of these players". He said he only was admitted to Purdue because the admissions office with coach Keady "took a chance with him".
Cuonzo player's (including those that were recruited by Monty) said that they highly respected him and his expectations on and off the court were major factors in their maturity and preparation for life after basketball.

---

Interesting. That's the first I'm hearing that Caleb Swanigan committed to Cal but was denied admissions. Clearly, Cuonzo has a better way with 5-star recruits than most. As for the 4-star commits that were denied admissions, who were they and where are they now?

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calbears4ever said:

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SFBear92 said:

---

calbears4ever said:

---

Anticevich has NBA potential IMO and he should go for the draft if he has the chance; he's one of Cal's best players

---

It embarrasses me when Cal fans say stupid things like this

---

You can't deny that Anticevich is one of the best players Cal has right now

---

SFBear92 said:

---

calbears4ever said:

---

SFBear92 said:

---

calbears4ever said:

---

Anticevich has NBA potential IMO and he should go for the draft if he has the chance; he's one of Cal's best players

---

It embarrasses me when Cal fans say stupid things like this

---

You can't deny that Anticevich is one of the best players Cal has right now

---

You can't deny that that fact means that this team is horrible

---

SFBear92 said:

---

calbears4ever said:

---

SFBear92 said:

---

calbears4ever said:

---

Anticevich has NBA potential IMO and he should go for the draft if he has the chance; he's one of Cal's best players

---

It embarrasses me when Cal fans say stupid things like this

---

You can't deny that Anticevich is one of the best players Cal has right now

---

You can't deny that that fact means that this team is horrible

---

NathanAllen said:

---

As someone with knowledge of Mizzou hoops and its fanbase, I can say the general sentiment of the fanbase is that Cuonzo could do better at recruiting.

The Porter brothers don't really count as it was common knowledge once Lorenzo Romar was forced out at UW and it was clear Mizzou would also be hiring a new coach, basically anyone Mizzou hired would get the Porters. Their family ties and personal connections to the University of Missouri went way beyond their dad being hired as a coach.

He did do a good job of bringing in pieces around MPJ including four-stars Jeremiah Tilmon and Blake Harris (later transferred). He has since landed four-stars Torrance Watson and Tray Jackson (also transferred) but has lost a few St. Louis recruiting battles to Texas, Kentucky, UNC, and Ohio State that I think many Mizzou fans expected him to win (but that might've been delusional, it's tough to fend off the likes of Kentucky and UNC).

As for Fox at UGA, as others have stated, landing Caldwell-Pope was huge. He landed three other four-star, top-150 players while at UGA. (Houston Kessler, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds). You could make an argument he helped with Amanze Ngumezi and Ignas Sargiunas. And one of his most impactful players while there was three-star Yante Maten that developed into an elite SEC player.

But Tom Crean is proving you really can recruit to UGA as he signed more top-150 players in his first two classes than Fox did in all nine of his. It's not to say Fox won't have success bringing in top talent at Cal. We all hope he does. It's just that he's not proven himself to be an elite recruiter so far.

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SFCityBear said:

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SFBear92 said:

---

calbears4ever said:

---

SFBear92 said:

---

calbears4ever said:

---

Anticevich has NBA potential IMO and he should go for the draft if he has the chance; he's one of Cal's best players

---

It embarrasses me when Cal fans say stupid things like this

---

You can't deny that Anticevich is one of the best players Cal has right now

---

You can't deny that that fact means that this team is horrible

---

I'll deny it.

This is not Cal with Wyking, Coleman, Winston, and McCullough. That was horrible. That defined horrible. This year's team is not horrible.

Cal, without Bradley, just beat Washington. Washington isn't horrible either. They had a bad start, but they have a very good coach, and some players who look pretty good. I think we will hear more from both teams this season.

---

HoopDreams said:

---

SFCityBear said:

---

SFBear92 said:

---

calbears4ever said:

---

SFBear92 said:

---

calbears4ever said:

---

Anticevich has NBA potential IMO and he should go for the draft if he has the chance; he's one of Cal's best players

---

It embarrasses me when Cal fans say stupid things like this

---

You can't deny that Anticevich is one of the best players Cal has right now

---

You can't deny that that fact means that this team is horrible

---

I'll deny it.

This is not Cal with Wyking, Coleman, Winston, and McCullough. That was horrible. That defined horrible. This year's team is not horrible.

Cal, without Bradley, just beat Washington. Washington isn't horrible either. They had a bad start, but they have a very good coach, and some players who look pretty good. I think we will hear more from both teams this season.

---

I try hard not to comment too much on a current coach, as I want to support our coaches and team, and don't think it serves that goal if we continually criticize (and whine and complain) about them.

with that said, I don't mind saying more about a past coach ... I agree that Cal was horrible with Coleman, Winston, McCullough, but it was a better team than their results... because of their coach.

I think he had this naive idea that you can just 'play fast' on offense and press and trap the entire court because you want to. Maybe that can work with 6th graders or some AAU teams, but not in D1. Maybe he just said that because he knew it would appeal to some recruits.

We were so ill-prepared to play that way that it was truly the worst I've ever seen Cal play. Embarrassing.

---

KoreAmBear said:

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Civil Bear said:

---

4thGenCal said:

---

4thGenCal said:

---

Civil Bear said:

---

01Bear said:

---

4thGenCal said:

---

01Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

59bear said:

---

oskidunker said:

---

bearchamp said:

---

All negativity on Fox is baloney. The team is improving, and improving quickly. Everyone says Cal doesn't have enough talent, but Fox is keeping them competitive. If the team continues to make progress, the recruiting will follow along.

---

I am a Fox supporter but the jury is still out. He is not setting screens for the shooters, which I find very disconcerting. Its fine to pound it in to Kelly but that wont work against some teams who play a strong man to man.

---

I, too, root for Fox but he has to recruit better than he has to date. There is some raw talent on this roster and if they stay and develop (the latter being a very big if for Lars/Kuany/Celestine/Thorpe), we can be respectable. I think he's a solid coach but he's never shown the ability to recruit top talent anywhere he's been.

---

In his third season at Georgia he had the #32 ranked class (his highest before or after) when he got McDonald's All American 5 star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Atlanta metro to stay home.

People may remember Cal beat that Fox Georgia team 70-46 in a tournament in Kansas City.

The next year as a sophomore Caldwell-Pope won SEC Player of the Year leading Georgia to a 15-17 (9-9) record before leaving to the NBA as the #8 pick.

---

Calumnus, I don't mean to be snarky with this question, but would you suggest Cuonzo Martin is a good recruiter? On its face, he managed to recruit Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown to Cal and he recruited Michael Porter, Jr. to Missouri. But arguably, Ivan Rabb would've attended Cal so long as the coach was halfway decent and Jaylen Brown was interested in attending a school that had Cal's history of social consciousness and academic cachet. In other words, it was Cal and not the coach that recruited these elite players. In the case of Michael Porter, Jr., he went to the school where his dad was just hired. Whether this was a condition of his dad's hiring is unknown. But it doesn't seem to be Cuinzo Martin's recruiting prowess nor his abilities as a coach that led the younger Porter to Missouri for his one(?) year of higher education.

Does anyone know the story behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's recruitment to Georgia by Mark Fox? Would he have gone to Georgia regardless of who was coaching? Was his matriculation at UGA part of some package deal? Or was this really a recruiting coup by Mark Fox who managed to convince an elite high school basketball talent to play for him?

---

Couldn't be more wrong Ivan stated multiple times - that Cuonzo was the biggest factor in his choosing Cal as he appreciated his relentless and honest pursuit. He also has said that he grew up under Coach's tutalege both on and off the court. His Mom also confirmed that playing for Cuonzo was the deciding factor.
Cuonzo was an excellent recruiter and the list of those players that wanted to play for him, but were denied by a very tough admissions policy was also very impressive. Yes Ivan was key for JB recruitment, but Jaylen also said that he was attracted to Cal because of Cuonzoc's straight talk with him.

---

I stand corrected!

---

I don't get how Cuonzo can be considered an excellent recruiter other than the Brown/Rabb Class and the Porter/Porter class at Missouri. Those were both excellent classes (one bought and paid for by hiring their father), but he has failed to bring in a class that averaged over 3 stars for the rest of his career at 4 different schools. That's something Braun and Monty did multiple times. Even Jones and Fox have done it at Cal (per 247 Sports). I'd also say that recruiting kids that can't qualify for your program is not a good trait in a recruiter, and it's not like those misses are tearing it up elsewhere. Then there is the litany of misses and bad fits at Cal (something the Tennessee fans warned us about) that left the cupboard bare when he left.

Maybe he is good at telling 5-stars what they want to hear, but he can't evaluate talent or good fits for sh*t .

---

---

Agree that Wyking brought in good talent albeit young and despite that his hiring occurred after most letters had been signed (March). Cuonzo at Cal (not comparing his tenure at other schools) had an overall very solid recruiting class that yes included some misses (as all coaches have). The 5 denials of 4 star and one 5 star player had 2.7GPA and higher HS records including some very difficult dysfunctional family upbringings. Credit to him to pursue quality young men that wanted to play for him. Cuonzo told me that he was shocked that the admission policies (included a panel review) were not willing to "take a chance on any of these players". He said he only was admitted to Purdue because the admissions office with coach Keady "took a chance with him".
Cuonzo player's (including those that were recruited by Monty) said that they highly respected him and his expectations on and off the court were major factors in their maturity and preparation for life after basketball.

---

Interesting. That's the first I'm hearing that Caleb Swanigan committed to Cal but was denied admissions. Clearly, Cuonzo has a better way with 5-star recruits than most. As for the 4-star commits that were denied admissions, who were they and where are they now?

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I think the narrative we heard was his dad or his guardian wanted him to go to Purdue. Nothing about grades.

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HoopDreams said:

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Given the right place I think Martin is a very strong recruiter.

Cal just had too many hurdles to overcome for the type of athletes he wanted.

What would have launched Cal would have been a deep run in the dance which that team was capable of with a full team. With a sweet sixteen or elite eight he could have signed some talent that was both great recruits but also meet cal's requirements

But without that success lifting Cal's profile and the handling of the asst coach fiasco, he was left with continuing to recruit questionable players that were never going to make it at Cal. Think Coleman for example.

So his recruiting strategy failed leaving Cal with thin teams and boarder line players like Chauca that he needed to sign late

He showed he could recruit at Missouri signing the Porter brothers (and their dad) but got unlucky with their injury

But his team is doing well this season which doesn't surprise me.

Basically Martin was a poor match, but I think all things considered (solid coach, strong leader, strong recruiter, clean program) he is a good coach, and I was sad to see him leave

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socaltownie said:

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HoopDreams said:

---

Given the right place I think Martin is a very strong recruiter.

Cal just had too many hurdles to overcome for the type of athletes he wanted.

What would have launched Cal would have been a deep run in the dance which that team was capable of with a full team. With a sweet sixteen or elite eight he could have signed some talent that was both great recruits but also meet cal's requirements

But without that success lifting Cal's profile and the handling of the asst coach fiasco, he was left with continuing to recruit questionable players that were never going to make it at Cal. Think Coleman for example.

So his recruiting strategy failed leaving Cal with thin teams and boarder line players like Chauca that he needed to sign late

He showed he could recruit at Missouri signing the Porter brothers (and their dad) but got unlucky with their injury

But his team is doing well this season which doesn't surprise me.

Basically Martin was a poor match, but I think all things considered (solid coach, strong leader, strong recruiter, clean program) he is a good coach, and I was sad to see him leave

---

The interesting thing I honestly believe that an AA coach with strong ability to recruit in both the Bay Area and the Southland would be a FANTASTIC fit for Cal. Honestly, I believe that Romar (or someone like him) would have rocked at Cal.

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socaltownie said:

---

HoopDreams said:

---

Given the right place I think Martin is a very strong recruiter.

Cal just had too many hurdles to overcome for the type of athletes he wanted.

What would have launched Cal would have been a deep run in the dance which that team was capable of with a full team. With a sweet sixteen or elite eight he could have signed some talent that was both great recruits but also meet cal's requirements

But without that success lifting Cal's profile and the handling of the asst coach fiasco, he was left with continuing to recruit questionable players that were never going to make it at Cal. Think Coleman for example.

So his recruiting strategy failed leaving Cal with thin teams and boarder line players like Chauca that he needed to sign late

He showed he could recruit at Missouri signing the Porter brothers (and their dad) but got unlucky with their injury

But his team is doing well this season which doesn't surprise me.

Basically Martin was a poor match, but I think all things considered (solid coach, strong leader, strong recruiter, clean program) he is a good coach, and I was sad to see him leave

---

The interesting thing I honestly believe that an AA coach with strong ability to recruit in both the Bay Area and the Southland would be a FANTASTIC fit for Cal. Honestly, I believe that Romar (or someone like him) would have rocked at Cal.

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NathanAllen said:

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SFCityBear said:

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NathanAllen said:

---

As someone with knowledge of Mizzou hoops and its fanbase, I can say the general sentiment of the fanbase is that Cuonzo could do better at recruiting.

The Porter brothers don't really count as it was common knowledge once Lorenzo Romar was forced out at UW and it was clear Mizzou would also be hiring a new coach, basically anyone Mizzou hired would get the Porters. Their family ties and personal connections to the University of Missouri went way beyond their dad being hired as a coach.

He did do a good job of bringing in pieces around MPJ including four-stars Jeremiah Tilmon and Blake Harris (later transferred). He has since landed four-stars Torrance Watson and Tray Jackson (also transferred) but has lost a few St. Louis recruiting battles to Texas, Kentucky, UNC, and Ohio State that I think many Mizzou fans expected him to win (but that might've been delusional, it's tough to fend off the likes of Kentucky and UNC).

As for Fox at UGA, as others have stated, landing Caldwell-Pope was huge. He landed three other four-star, top-150 players while at UGA. (Houston Kessler, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds). You could make an argument he helped with Amanze Ngumezi and Ignas Sargiunas. And one of his most impactful players while there was three-star Yante Maten that developed into an elite SEC player.

But Tom Crean is proving you really can recruit to UGA as he signed more top-150 players in his first two classes than Fox did in all nine of his. It's not to say Fox won't have success bringing in top talent at Cal. We all hope he does. It's just that he's not proven himself to be an elite recruiter so far.

---

A couple of corrections and additions re Fox and Crean at Georgia. Fox landed Caldwell-Pope, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds, Yante Maten, and also Nicolas Claxton. Claxton made 2nd team all-SEC, left after 2 seasons, and was 31st pick in the NBA Draft. I don't have your top 150 list, but of the RSCI top 100 list, Crean didn't land anyone in his first season at Georgia. In his second season he landed Anthony Edwards (#4), and Edwards had a good year, but left for the NBA, one and done. He landed Sahvir Wheeler (#85) and Christian Brown (#63) who are having good careers at Georgia. He also landed Jaykwon Walton (#75), who has averaged one or two points for two seasons, and entered the transfer portal in December. In his 3rd season at Georgia, Crean landed only K.D. Johnson, who missed the first 10 games with academic issues, and has now been cleared to play by the NCAA. So while Crean has landed a couple more highly ranked recruits in his 3 seasons as Fox landed in 9 seasons, all of Fox's top ranked recruits had good careers at Georgia, only 3 of Crean's are still with Georgia, and one of those has yet to play his first game.

---

He averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists a game. His shooting averages were low, but I'd still put him in the column of solid college career, even if it was one year. He made an impact.

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NathanAllen said:

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concernedparent said:

---

NathanAllen said:

---

SFCityBear said:

---

NathanAllen said:

---

As someone with knowledge of Mizzou hoops and its fanbase, I can say the general sentiment of the fanbase is that Cuonzo could do better at recruiting.

The Porter brothers don't really count as it was common knowledge once Lorenzo Romar was forced out at UW and it was clear Mizzou would also be hiring a new coach, basically anyone Mizzou hired would get the Porters. Their family ties and personal connections to the University of Missouri went way beyond their dad being hired as a coach.

He did do a good job of bringing in pieces around MPJ including four-stars Jeremiah Tilmon and Blake Harris (later transferred). He has since landed four-stars Torrance Watson and Tray Jackson (also transferred) but has lost a few St. Louis recruiting battles to Texas, Kentucky, UNC, and Ohio State that I think many Mizzou fans expected him to win (but that might've been delusional, it's tough to fend off the likes of Kentucky and UNC).

As for Fox at UGA, as others have stated, landing Caldwell-Pope was huge. He landed three other four-star, top-150 players while at UGA. (Houston Kessler, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds). You could make an argument he helped with Amanze Ngumezi and Ignas Sargiunas. And one of his most impactful players while there was three-star Yante Maten that developed into an elite SEC player.

But Tom Crean is proving you really can recruit to UGA as he signed more top-150 players in his first two classes than Fox did in all nine of his. It's not to say Fox won't have success bringing in top talent at Cal. We all hope he does. It's just that he's not proven himself to be an elite recruiter so far.

---

A couple of corrections and additions re Fox and Crean at Georgia. Fox landed Caldwell-Pope, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds, Yante Maten, and also Nicolas Claxton. Claxton made 2nd team all-SEC, left after 2 seasons, and was 31st pick in the NBA Draft. I don't have your top 150 list, but of the RSCI top 100 list, Crean didn't land anyone in his first season at Georgia. In his second season he landed Anthony Edwards (#4), and Edwards had a good year, but left for the NBA, one and done. He landed Sahvir Wheeler (#85) and Christian Brown (#63) who are having good careers at Georgia. He also landed Jaykwon Walton (#75), who has averaged one or two points for two seasons, and entered the transfer portal in December. In his 3rd season at Georgia, Crean landed only K.D. Johnson, who missed the first 10 games with academic issues, and has now been cleared to play by the NCAA. So while Crean has landed a couple more highly ranked recruits in his 3 seasons as Fox landed in 9 seasons, all of Fox's top ranked recruits had good careers at Georgia, only 3 of Crean's are still with Georgia, and one of those has yet to play his first game.

---

He averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists a game. His shooting averages were low, but I'd still put him in the column of solid college career, even if it was one year. He made an impact.

---

"Made an impact" is underselling it. He was 2nd team all-conference and Freshman player of the year. We don't and haven't had a college player that good in 5 years. And we had 4 NBA players on that team.

---

I mean, totally. The dude was clearly an exceptional player. But he didn't make the impact on the program I think many at UGA were hoping for. The team finished with a .500 record and were the worst team in the SEC besides Vanderbilt. And it didn't lead to Crean signing any follow-up blue-chip recruits. The program is really no better off for having him and don't really have a case for recruiting future five-star recruits compared to other SEC schools like Kentucky, Tennessee, or Florida. Or even Alabama or LSU.

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concernedparent said:

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NathanAllen said:

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concernedparent said:

---

NathanAllen said:

---

SFCityBear said:

---

NathanAllen said:

---

As someone with knowledge of Mizzou hoops and its fanbase, I can say the general sentiment of the fanbase is that Cuonzo could do better at recruiting.

The Porter brothers don't really count as it was common knowledge once Lorenzo Romar was forced out at UW and it was clear Mizzou would also be hiring a new coach, basically anyone Mizzou hired would get the Porters. Their family ties and personal connections to the University of Missouri went way beyond their dad being hired as a coach.

He did do a good job of bringing in pieces around MPJ including four-stars Jeremiah Tilmon and Blake Harris (later transferred). He has since landed four-stars Torrance Watson and Tray Jackson (also transferred) but has lost a few St. Louis recruiting battles to Texas, Kentucky, UNC, and Ohio State that I think many Mizzou fans expected him to win (but that might've been delusional, it's tough to fend off the likes of Kentucky and UNC).

As for Fox at UGA, as others have stated, landing Caldwell-Pope was huge. He landed three other four-star, top-150 players while at UGA. (Houston Kessler, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds). You could make an argument he helped with Amanze Ngumezi and Ignas Sargiunas. And one of his most impactful players while there was three-star Yante Maten that developed into an elite SEC player.

But Tom Crean is proving you really can recruit to UGA as he signed more top-150 players in his first two classes than Fox did in all nine of his. It's not to say Fox won't have success bringing in top talent at Cal. We all hope he does. It's just that he's not proven himself to be an elite recruiter so far.

---

A couple of corrections and additions re Fox and Crean at Georgia. Fox landed Caldwell-Pope, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds, Yante Maten, and also Nicolas Claxton. Claxton made 2nd team all-SEC, left after 2 seasons, and was 31st pick in the NBA Draft. I don't have your top 150 list, but of the RSCI top 100 list, Crean didn't land anyone in his first season at Georgia. In his second season he landed Anthony Edwards (#4), and Edwards had a good year, but left for the NBA, one and done. He landed Sahvir Wheeler (#85) and Christian Brown (#63) who are having good careers at Georgia. He also landed Jaykwon Walton (#75), who has averaged one or two points for two seasons, and entered the transfer portal in December. In his 3rd season at Georgia, Crean landed only K.D. Johnson, who missed the first 10 games with academic issues, and has now been cleared to play by the NCAA. So while Crean has landed a couple more highly ranked recruits in his 3 seasons as Fox landed in 9 seasons, all of Fox's top ranked recruits had good careers at Georgia, only 3 of Crean's are still with Georgia, and one of those has yet to play his first game.

---

He averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists a game. His shooting averages were low, but I'd still put him in the column of solid college career, even if it was one year. He made an impact.

---

"Made an impact" is underselling it. He was 2nd team all-conference and Freshman player of the year. We don't and haven't had a college player that good in 5 years. And we had 4 NBA players on that team.

---

I mean, totally. The dude was clearly an exceptional player. But he didn't make the impact on the program I think many at UGA were hoping for. The team finished with a .500 record and were the worst team in the SEC besides Vanderbilt. And it didn't lead to Crean signing any follow-up blue-chip recruits. The program is really no better off for having him and don't really have a case for recruiting future five-star recruits compared to other SEC schools like Kentucky, Tennessee, or Florida. Or even Alabama or LSU.

---

I take your point generally. I don't think any one and done alone can change the trajectory of the program, but if they didn't have him they probably would've been one of the worst high major teams in college. It's tough to sell absolutely nothing. The perception of legitimacy that comes with having a blue chip get drafted #1 is at least something.

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SFCityBear said:

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SFBear92 said:

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calbears4ever said:

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SFBear92 said:

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calbears4ever said:

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Anticevich has NBA potential IMO and he should go for the draft if he has the chance; he's one of Cal's best players

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It embarrasses me when Cal fans say stupid things like this

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You can't deny that Anticevich is one of the best players Cal has right now

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You can't deny that that fact means that this team is horrible

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I'd bet Oregon players and coach sure didn't think we were horrible, for 35 minutes at least. Cal gave them fits. And that was without Anticevich. I'll wager Cal gives them an even better game at Haas, especially if both Bradley and Anticevich are in the lineup. Might even beat the mighty Ducks.

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Civil Bear said:

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concernedparent said:

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NathanAllen said:

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concernedparent said:

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NathanAllen said:

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SFCityBear said:

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NathanAllen said:

---

As someone with knowledge of Mizzou hoops and its fanbase, I can say the general sentiment of the fanbase is that Cuonzo could do better at recruiting.

The Porter brothers don't really count as it was common knowledge once Lorenzo Romar was forced out at UW and it was clear Mizzou would also be hiring a new coach, basically anyone Mizzou hired would get the Porters. Their family ties and personal connections to the University of Missouri went way beyond their dad being hired as a coach.

He did do a good job of bringing in pieces around MPJ including four-stars Jeremiah Tilmon and Blake Harris (later transferred). He has since landed four-stars Torrance Watson and Tray Jackson (also transferred) but has lost a few St. Louis recruiting battles to Texas, Kentucky, UNC, and Ohio State that I think many Mizzou fans expected him to win (but that might've been delusional, it's tough to fend off the likes of Kentucky and UNC).

As for Fox at UGA, as others have stated, landing Caldwell-Pope was huge. He landed three other four-star, top-150 players while at UGA. (Houston Kessler, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds). You could make an argument he helped with Amanze Ngumezi and Ignas Sargiunas. And one of his most impactful players while there was three-star Yante Maten that developed into an elite SEC player.

But Tom Crean is proving you really can recruit to UGA as he signed more top-150 players in his first two classes than Fox did in all nine of his. It's not to say Fox won't have success bringing in top talent at Cal. We all hope he does. It's just that he's not proven himself to be an elite recruiter so far.

---

A couple of corrections and additions re Fox and Crean at Georgia. Fox landed Caldwell-Pope, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds, Yante Maten, and also Nicolas Claxton. Claxton made 2nd team all-SEC, left after 2 seasons, and was 31st pick in the NBA Draft. I don't have your top 150 list, but of the RSCI top 100 list, Crean didn't land anyone in his first season at Georgia. In his second season he landed Anthony Edwards (#4), and Edwards had a good year, but left for the NBA, one and done. He landed Sahvir Wheeler (#85) and Christian Brown (#63) who are having good careers at Georgia. He also landed Jaykwon Walton (#75), who has averaged one or two points for two seasons, and entered the transfer portal in December. In his 3rd season at Georgia, Crean landed only K.D. Johnson, who missed the first 10 games with academic issues, and has now been cleared to play by the NCAA. So while Crean has landed a couple more highly ranked recruits in his 3 seasons as Fox landed in 9 seasons, all of Fox's top ranked recruits had good careers at Georgia, only 3 of Crean's are still with Georgia, and one of those has yet to play his first game.

---

He averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists a game. His shooting averages were low, but I'd still put him in the column of solid college career, even if it was one year. He made an impact.

---

"Made an impact" is underselling it. He was 2nd team all-conference and Freshman player of the year. We don't and haven't had a college player that good in 5 years. And we had 4 NBA players on that team.

---

I mean, totally. The dude was clearly an exceptional player. But he didn't make the impact on the program I think many at UGA were hoping for. The team finished with a .500 record and were the worst team in the SEC besides Vanderbilt. And it didn't lead to Crean signing any follow-up blue-chip recruits. The program is really no better off for having him and don't really have a case for recruiting future five-star recruits compared to other SEC schools like Kentucky, Tennessee, or Florida. Or even Alabama or LSU.

---

I take your point generally. I don't think any one and done alone can change the trajectory of the program, but if they didn't have him they probably would've been one of the worst high major teams in college. It's tough to sell absolutely nothing. The perception of legitimacy that comes with having a blue chip get drafted #1 is at least something.

---

See one Jason Kidd.

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concernedparent said:

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Civil Bear said:

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concernedparent said:

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NathanAllen said:

---

concernedparent said:

---

NathanAllen said:

---

SFCityBear said:

---

NathanAllen said:

---

As someone with knowledge of Mizzou hoops and its fanbase, I can say the general sentiment of the fanbase is that Cuonzo could do better at recruiting.

The Porter brothers don't really count as it was common knowledge once Lorenzo Romar was forced out at UW and it was clear Mizzou would also be hiring a new coach, basically anyone Mizzou hired would get the Porters. Their family ties and personal connections to the University of Missouri went way beyond their dad being hired as a coach.

He did do a good job of bringing in pieces around MPJ including four-stars Jeremiah Tilmon and Blake Harris (later transferred). He has since landed four-stars Torrance Watson and Tray Jackson (also transferred) but has lost a few St. Louis recruiting battles to Texas, Kentucky, UNC, and Ohio State that I think many Mizzou fans expected him to win (but that might've been delusional, it's tough to fend off the likes of Kentucky and UNC).

As for Fox at UGA, as others have stated, landing Caldwell-Pope was huge. He landed three other four-star, top-150 players while at UGA. (Houston Kessler, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds). You could make an argument he helped with Amanze Ngumezi and Ignas Sargiunas. And one of his most impactful players while there was three-star Yante Maten that developed into an elite SEC player.

But Tom Crean is proving you really can recruit to UGA as he signed more top-150 players in his first two classes than Fox did in all nine of his. It's not to say Fox won't have success bringing in top talent at Cal. We all hope he does. It's just that he's not proven himself to be an elite recruiter so far.

---

A couple of corrections and additions re Fox and Crean at Georgia. Fox landed Caldwell-Pope, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds, Yante Maten, and also Nicolas Claxton. Claxton made 2nd team all-SEC, left after 2 seasons, and was 31st pick in the NBA Draft. I don't have your top 150 list, but of the RSCI top 100 list, Crean didn't land anyone in his first season at Georgia. In his second season he landed Anthony Edwards (#4), and Edwards had a good year, but left for the NBA, one and done. He landed Sahvir Wheeler (#85) and Christian Brown (#63) who are having good careers at Georgia. He also landed Jaykwon Walton (#75), who has averaged one or two points for two seasons, and entered the transfer portal in December. In his 3rd season at Georgia, Crean landed only K.D. Johnson, who missed the first 10 games with academic issues, and has now been cleared to play by the NCAA. So while Crean has landed a couple more highly ranked recruits in his 3 seasons as Fox landed in 9 seasons, all of Fox's top ranked recruits had good careers at Georgia, only 3 of Crean's are still with Georgia, and one of those has yet to play his first game.

---

He averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists a game. His shooting averages were low, but I'd still put him in the column of solid college career, even if it was one year. He made an impact.

---

"Made an impact" is underselling it. He was 2nd team all-conference and Freshman player of the year. We don't and haven't had a college player that good in 5 years. And we had 4 NBA players on that team.

---

I mean, totally. The dude was clearly an exceptional player. But he didn't make the impact on the program I think many at UGA were hoping for. The team finished with a .500 record and were the worst team in the SEC besides Vanderbilt. And it didn't lead to Crean signing any follow-up blue-chip recruits. The program is really no better off for having him and don't really have a case for recruiting future five-star recruits compared to other SEC schools like Kentucky, Tennessee, or Florida. Or even Alabama or LSU.

---

I take your point generally. I don't think any one and done alone can change the trajectory of the program, but if they didn't have him they probably would've been one of the worst high major teams in college. It's tough to sell absolutely nothing. The perception of legitimacy that comes with having a blue chip get drafted #1 is at least something.

---

See one Jason Kidd.

---

He did? We went from mediocre program before he came, to mediocre program that cheated after he left

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Civil Bear said:

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concernedparent said:

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Civil Bear said:

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concernedparent said:

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NathanAllen said:

---

concernedparent said:

---

NathanAllen said:

---

SFCityBear said:

---

NathanAllen said:

---

As someone with knowledge of Mizzou hoops and its fanbase, I can say the general sentiment of the fanbase is that Cuonzo could do better at recruiting.

The Porter brothers don't really count as it was common knowledge once Lorenzo Romar was forced out at UW and it was clear Mizzou would also be hiring a new coach, basically anyone Mizzou hired would get the Porters. Their family ties and personal connections to the University of Missouri went way beyond their dad being hired as a coach.

He did do a good job of bringing in pieces around MPJ including four-stars Jeremiah Tilmon and Blake Harris (later transferred). He has since landed four-stars Torrance Watson and Tray Jackson (also transferred) but has lost a few St. Louis recruiting battles to Texas, Kentucky, UNC, and Ohio State that I think many Mizzou fans expected him to win (but that might've been delusional, it's tough to fend off the likes of Kentucky and UNC).

As for Fox at UGA, as others have stated, landing Caldwell-Pope was huge. He landed three other four-star, top-150 players while at UGA. (Houston Kessler, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds). You could make an argument he helped with Amanze Ngumezi and Ignas Sargiunas. And one of his most impactful players while there was three-star Yante Maten that developed into an elite SEC player.

But Tom Crean is proving you really can recruit to UGA as he signed more top-150 players in his first two classes than Fox did in all nine of his. It's not to say Fox won't have success bringing in top talent at Cal. We all hope he does. It's just that he's not proven himself to be an elite recruiter so far.

---

A couple of corrections and additions re Fox and Crean at Georgia. Fox landed Caldwell-Pope, Tyree Crump, Rayshaun Hammonds, Yante Maten, and also Nicolas Claxton. Claxton made 2nd team all-SEC, left after 2 seasons, and was 31st pick in the NBA Draft. I don't have your top 150 list, but of the RSCI top 100 list, Crean didn't land anyone in his first season at Georgia. In his second season he landed Anthony Edwards (#4), and Edwards had a good year, but left for the NBA, one and done. He landed Sahvir Wheeler (#85) and Christian Brown (#63) who are having good careers at Georgia. He also landed Jaykwon Walton (#75), who has averaged one or two points for two seasons, and entered the transfer portal in December. In his 3rd season at Georgia, Crean landed only K.D. Johnson, who missed the first 10 games with academic issues, and has now been cleared to play by the NCAA. So while Crean has landed a couple more highly ranked recruits in his 3 seasons as Fox landed in 9 seasons, all of Fox's top ranked recruits had good careers at Georgia, only 3 of Crean's are still with Georgia, and one of those has yet to play his first game.

---

He averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists a game. His shooting averages were low, but I'd still put him in the column of solid college career, even if it was one year. He made an impact.

---

"Made an impact" is underselling it. He was 2nd team all-conference and Freshman player of the year. We don't and haven't had a college player that good in 5 years. And we had 4 NBA players on that team.

---

I mean, totally. The dude was clearly an exceptional player. But he didn't make the impact on the program I think many at UGA were hoping for. The team finished with a .500 record and were the worst team in the SEC besides Vanderbilt. And it didn't lead to Crean signing any follow-up blue-chip recruits. The program is really no better off for having him and don't really have a case for recruiting future five-star recruits compared to other SEC schools like Kentucky, Tennessee, or Florida. Or even Alabama or LSU.

---

I take your point generally. I don't think any one and done alone can change the trajectory of the program, but if they didn't have him they probably would've been one of the worst high major teams in college. It's tough to sell absolutely nothing. The perception of legitimacy that comes with having a blue chip get drafted #1 is at least something.

---

See one Jason Kidd.

---

He did? We went from mediocre program before he came, to mediocre program that cheated after he left

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LOL, I'm guessing you weren't around for the trajectory. Cal went from only 1 NCAA appearance in 20 years to 11 in 20 years...and then there was the part about needing to enlarge Harmon.

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calumnus said:

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SFCityBear said:

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SFBear92 said:

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calbears4ever said:

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SFBear92 said:

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calbears4ever said:

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Anticevich has NBA potential IMO and he should go for the draft if he has the chance; he's one of Cal's best players

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It embarrasses me when Cal fans say stupid things like this

---

You can't deny that Anticevich is one of the best players Cal has right now

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You can't deny that that fact means that this team is horrible

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I'd bet Oregon players and coach sure didn't think we were horrible, for 35 minutes at least. Cal gave them fits. And that was without Anticevich. I'll wager Cal gives them an even better game at Haas, especially if both Bradley and Anticevich are in the lineup. Might even beat the mighty Ducks.

---

This is how Oregon media viewed the game:

"12 days after its last game, Oregon looked to shake off the rust against the Golden Bears in a New Year's Eve clash.....With N'Faly Dante out for the season with an ACL tear, Will Richardson still sidelined with a thumb injury, PG Jalen Terry unavailable and newly eligible Franck Kepnang now on the active roster, the Ducks continue to reshuffle their rotations and lineups.....
"That first half tonight I thought we took a step back and really gave up some easy baskets," Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. "

So mostly Oregon's media and coach focused on Oregon, and the rust, injuries and mistakes that from their perspective kept Cal in the game.

But that is typical, here is Fox on the same game:
"We made some errors and had some plays we'd like to have back. I thought the first half we played really confidently and we competed well throughout the night," Cal coach Mark Fox said. "in the second half, we just had a drought. We put so much pressure on our defense."

So Oregon isn't saying "Cal is a really good team and was competing with us" their perspective is they were playing badly and finally got their act together. However, our perspective is not "Oregon was playing badly" it is Cal was playing well against a good team but a few mistakes and bad luck cost us the game. The truth may be some of both or neither.
Again, the bottom line is the scoreboard.

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