A Report on Why Cal Is Struggling in Basketball

Cal’s men’s basketball team is 3-20, the third straight year – and the fifth time in the past six seasons – that the Golden Bears have lost at least 20 games.

John Canzano, a former Oregonian columnist who now reports independently under Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano, took a long look at why Cal has struggled recently in the sport in an article titled, “Canzano: Cal flying low in men’s basketball.”

It should be noted that Cal has had more than its share of injuries this season, and the athletic department is fighting a financial battle to keep all of its 28 sports afloat.

Having said that, Canzano reported a number of issues, including cost-cutting, lack of creativity and concerns about athletic department leadership.

Although it is worth reading the entire article, here are some of the key points:

---Cal, despite its losing record, had $954,846 in profit from basketball, according to the report, which was more from basketball than UCLA or Oregon.

UCLA’s program reached the Elite Eight last March, but Cal beat the pants off the Bruins when it came to the bottom line. Despite the losing record, the Bears profited $153,000 more than UCLA. Cal also beat another perennial contender, Oregon, by clearing $145,000 more than the Ducks last year.

In the fiscal year ending in June of 2022, UCLA spent $11.9 million on men’s basketball. Oregon poured $10.9 million into its program. Cal played in a mostly-empty home arena and didn’t generate large sport-specific donations but it kept costs down. Program expenditures totaled $7.5 million.

Between Cal and its conference peers, the largest disparity in the men’s basketball investment came in coaching salaries, travel expenditures and game-day costs.UCLA spent

$1.5 million on team travel in 2022. Oregon spent $1.1 million. Cal’s men’s basketball travel expenses were only $652,000, in part, because the program more frequently utilized commercial flights vs. flying via charters.

---Practice facility and creative solutions

The Cal men’s basketball team shares its practice facility. Not just with the women’s team, but with the entire student body. The Bears hold their practices at UC Berkeley’s campus Recreational Sports Facility.

Former Cal coach Ben Braun came up with a creative solution during his tenure (1996-2008). Braun forged a relationship with the Golden State Warriors. His players took a 20-minute bus ride from campus to the NBA franchise’s practice facility in downtown Oakland.

And

Braun worked closely with booster Bob Haas, a Cal graduate and the grand nephew of Levi Strauss, to build a film room for the men’s and women’s programs. And when the Goldman family, Cal’s largest current donor, was told that Braun used $250,000 of his own money to start an academic-achievement fund, it matched the donation on the spot. The Goldman family went all-in and Braun said he’ll never forget it.

---Recruiting

“How do you get better players?” said Braun. “You didn’t charter like some others. You have no practice facility. You’re not going to get the best players. You’re going to get some good academics, though.”

Braun has coached against Fox.

“I think he’s a good coach who is facing a lot of challenges.”

Fox’s current five-year contract runs through March of 2024.

---Athletic director Jim Knowlton

But is he right for Cal?

In 2018, Knowlton became the latest in a line of curious AD hires in Berkeley. None of the last four Cal athletic directors arrived with a background that included personal experience with football or men’s basketball.

Again, please read the entire article to get the proper context for these excerpts, but the report provides an interesting perspective on the Cal basketball program.

Cover photo of Mark Fox, USA TODAY Sports

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