Cal Basketball: Coach Mark Fox Talks About The 'New Normal' As Doors Are Now Closed

His team was emotional after having its season cut short at last week's Pac-12 tournament

By last Wednesday night, after his Cal basketball team had beaten Stanford in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament and had been informed there would be no access to T-Mobile Arena the next day for a shoot-around, coach Mark Fox anticipated what was coming next.

“I met with our team that night and said here’s going to be the protocol,” he said Monday during a conference call with beat writers. “I went over the schedule knowing in the back of my mind that our season could be over with.

“Sure enough, mid-morning the next day we learned the tournament had been canceled.”

The Bears, who expected to play UCLA in a Thursday night quarterfinal game, were done, basketball victims of the spreading COVID-19 pandemic. No final game, no last time walking off the court for Paris Austin and Kareem South.

“The seniors didn't even get to take off their jerseys for the last time,” Fox said. “They had to learn about it in a conference room in Las Vegas. It was really a unique meeting. They were quite emotional about it.”

It's new and strange for everyone, Fox acknowledged.

"This obviously is a situation that none of us have really dealt with. It reminded me a little bit of post-911 and how you still try and function with such an event that altered your normal way of operating."

*** Fox, in the video below, talks about how strong fan support is critical to the Bears' success.

Fox said his top priority after the tournament cancellation was simply getting through the situation, making sure the team got home safely and his players were ready to move forward with academics, even as that part of their experience suffered jarring changes and Cal students shifted to taking classes remotely online.

“As far as the academic piece, still being able to complete their studies and get all that done is really important and somewhat of a challenge because it’s a new normal,” he said. “And this new normal is vastly different than going to class and getting in front of your professor.”

Coping appropriately with all that, Fox said, is important, “so when the semester does end, we can spend our time this summer on basketball.”

Also critical, Fox said, is conveying to his players the importance of following the best practices for staying safe during this unprecedented time in the world.

“I think educating our players on exactly how to stay healthy is important,” Fox said “I'm not a scientist but it appears the virus has a greater affect on people that are a little bit older. As young people, we have to remind them that staying healthy affects the older generation that they come in contact with in their lives.”

Fox said he and his coaches will work remotely rather than gathering in the office, and he said he's grateful that the NCAA shut down recruiting because he did not have to send assistant coaches into harm's way on the road.

Mark Fox, left, looks forward to spending extra time with wife Cindy, and kids Olivia and Parker.

Photo by Kelley L. Cox, KLC fotos

In the meantime, Fox said he looks forward to spending more time at home than he would typically be able to do this time of year. He and his wife moved to the Bay Area not quite a year ago after he was hired, and there still is much to do.

“Obviously, we moved and so there’s a lot of things that have not even been unpacked. Boxes that have not even been touched. I’m sure that’s on my list,” Fox said. “I enjoy being outside. I might work on the yard if the sun ever comes out.”

Parker Fox, the coach’s son, is home from attending school at Clemson, where is a walk-on sophomore guard for the Tigers. Mark Fox said he is excited to catch up with his son.

“It’s almost like we’re getting some bonus time we were not expecting to have,” Fox said. “In this business, your family sacrifices so much. For me, this is some time with son I didn’t anticipate having. He was on a team that won at North Carolina and beat Duke and beat Louisville. He loves his team and is very thankful for the experience he had.”

Fox wished good health to all on the teleconference and playfully said he plans for a while to exercise social distancing from the media.