Earlier this afternoon, Cal men’s basketball officially announced that they have fired head coach Wyking Jones after just two seasons. GoldenBearReport.com received confirmation from a Cal Athletics source shortly before the announcement. John Canzano of the Oregonian was the first to report it. Below is the official release from Cal Athletics about the coaching change.
BERKELEY – Wyking Jones, who has guided California men's basketball for the past two seasons, will not return as head coach of the Golden Bears next year, Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton announced Sunday. In two seasons at the helm for the Bears, Jones posted a 16-47 record, which included back-to-back wins at Stanford, a marquee upset of No. 25 Washington and a 2-0 record over San Diego State.
"I am grateful to Wyking for his unflagging dedication and commitment to our program during his tenure at Cal, both as a head coach and as an assistant coach," Knowlton said. "I have witnessed - and respected - his strong work ethic, commitment to the University's mission and, perhaps most importantly, his extraordinary care and concern for our student-athletes.
"This was a difficult decision to make and comes after a deliberate and holistic review of our men's basketball program," Knowlton continued. "As always, we were guided by the best interests of our student-athletes, as well as the values and objectives of Cal Athletics and our University. As we quickly turn toward our search for a new head coach for our men's basketball program, I am certain that we will attract a strong, talented and highly qualified pool of candidates. I am confident that we will find someone who will help lead us on a path to being exceptional."
This past season, Cal went 8-23 overall and 3-15 in Pac-12 play, closing out the regular season with three consecutive wins, including a home sweep of the Washington programs and a win at Stanford. Cal fell to Colorado, 56-51, in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament to end the season. Cal slightly improved its record from an 8-24 overall, 2-16 Pac-12 finish in Jones' first season in 2017-18. The Bears finished 12th in the Pac-12 in both of his seasons, with first-round exits in the conference tournament.
In the classroom, two student-athletes received Pac-12 All-Academic nods – Nick Hamilton (first team, 2018) and Justice Sueing (honorable mention, 2019). Jones earned the head coaching job at Cal on March 24, 2017, after serving as an assistant coach for the Bears for two seasons. The University's national search for Jones' replacement begins immediately.
ANALYSIS: Wyking Jones’ tenure at Cal was rocky from the very beginning as he was handed a difficult rebuild job after the departure of Cuonzo Martin. Given a young team with no prior head coaching experience, it was destined to be tough slog for Jones no matter how hard he tried. What added to the complexity of it all was shortly after he was hired, Cal hired a new Athletics Director in Jim Knowlton who inherited a frustrated fan base that was thirsty for a change. Considering that it wasn’t his decision to hire Jones in the first place, it’s only natural for him to stay patient for only so long. Especially after one of the key players, Darius McNeill, decided to leave the program after just two years.
While the lack of wins is what got Jones fired, it should be noted that there were some good things he did for the Cal program. First, he was an assistant under Martin and played a role in Cal reaching their highest seed ever in the NCAA Tournament (#4). Secondly, Jones brought in some quality talent in Matt Bradley, Connor Vanover, Justice Sueing, and Juhwan Harris-Dyson. Unfortunately, his successes on the recruiting trail didn’t translate to success on the court in the way that Cal would have hoped. Lastly, I personally felt that he overall represented the Cal program well. He did his part to support the Cal community and seemed committed to the overall vision of what it means to be a Golden Bear.
The main takeaway from all this is that no matter how well you recruit and how well you are able to represent the university, what matters at the end of the day is the results on the court. College sports is a business and results reign supreme among everything else. When you look at what his teams did on the court, it’s tough to justify keeping Jones around for a third season.
As far as where Cal goes next, they have to begin searching for a new head coach ASAP. Over the coming weeks, we will do our best at GoldenBearReport.com to provide insight into who Cal is looking at and what candidates make the most sense for the program. At the moment, the following candidates spring to mind.
Russ Turner (UC Irvine): Turner currently has the Anteaters dancing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they will face the Oregon Ducks later tonight. During his time at UC Irvine, Turner has led the Anteaters to a 187-127 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances (2015 and 2019). What makes Turner an attractive option for Cal is he has found success while coaching in the UC system. He’s used to the academic restrictions and recruiting in the state of California. When considering his overall package, Turner seems like a logical choice for Cal.
Travis DeCuire (Montana): Like Turner, DeCuire has experience in the UC system. Even better, that experience comes from being an assistant coach under Mike Montgomery at Cal. As a matter of fact, after Montgomery left, there were many who felt DeCuire should have been next in line to coach the program.
During his time at Montana, DeCuire has racked up an impressive 109-58 record while also guiding the Grizzlies to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2018 and 2019. DeCuire has proven that he can coach a team to the big dance on top of having experience at Cal. When discussing possible routes for Cal to go, DeCuire is another option Cal is likely to explore.
Jason Kidd (Former Bucks head coach and Cal star): Reports have already surfaced that Kidd will be under consideration for the Cal job. During his time as a player at Cal, Kidd electrified the Berkeley community with his flashy passing, athleticism, and winning attitude. Cal made the NCAA Tournament in both of his seasons. In his freshman year, Cal reached the Sweet Sixteen after upsetting two-time defending national champion Duke in the second round before falling to Kansas.
While he has playing experience at Cal, Kidd also has head coaching experience in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. Kidd has a 183-190 record as a head coach and has worked with some talented players, most notably Giannis Antetokounmpo. The upside of having a former Cal standout who has worked with elite talent makes Kidd a candidate Cal should seriously consider. The only pause for concern is he’s never coached in the college ranks and has been away from the college game for a long time. Cal might be more wise to go with someone who has more experience in the college level.
Kyle Smith (San Francisco): Smith has spent the last three seasons at San Francisco, leading the Dons to a 63-40 record during his tenure there. He’s familiar with the Bay Area and knows how to recruit on the West Coast.
Prior to his days at San Francisco, Smith spent six seasons coaching in the Ivy League at Columbia, guiding the Lions to a 101-82 record. His time at Columbia shows that he knows how to recruit with academic restrictions and is familiar with the challenges that come with that. While the names I listed above make more sense to me, don’t be surprised if Cal gives Smith a look as well.
