Fox out after four years as Golden Bears coach
Cal fired Mark Fox as its head men's basketball coach Thursday, making official a move that was not unexpected amid the program's struggles on the court and dwindling interest from the fan base.
Fox was let go after the Bears went 3-29 in his fourth season. It was a season that saw Cal lose its first 12 games and end with 16 straight losses.
Cal lost 69-52 to Washington State in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament Wednesday to conclude the worst season in the program's 114 years. Cal finished with the most losses in a season, the lowest winning percentage (.094) in school history, and its fewest wins in a season since it went 2-0 in 1913-14.
Injuries played a part in this season's struggles, but fan apathy was also becoming an issue. The Bears averaged 2,155 fans at 11,858-seat Haas Pavilion, the lowest of any men's power six program this season.
“This was a difficult decision
and one that I do not take lightly,” Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton said in a statement. “After deliberately and holistically evaluating all aspects of our program, I felt a change was needed at this time. We will always be guided by the best interests of our student-athletes, as well as the values of our University.”
Fox was let go with one year and reportedly about $1.8 million remaining on the $8.25 million contract he signed in 2019. Various
reports suggest San Jose State coach Tim Miles and UC Santa Barbara coach Joe Pasternack as potential candidates to replace Fox at Cal.
Overall, Fox's record in Berkeley was 38-87. Cal has not been to the NCAA tournament since 2016.
Fox arrived in Berkeley with high expectations after taking Georgia and Nevada to the NCAAs five times between 200418. Cal's best season under Fox was his first, with the Golden Bears going from back-to-back eightwin seasons under former head coach Wyking Jones to finish with a 14-18 record in 2019-20.
But the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly stunted any growth, as Cal's release announcing Fox's removal said the coach had to navigate “some of the most disruptive restrictions in the country.”
Fox's Bears went 9-20 in 2020-21 and 12-20 in 202122, putting him firmly on the hot seat entering this season. Fox's fate may have been sealed by Cal's nonconference performance, with the Bears going 1-12 and losing games to six mid-major schools.
Cal did win back-toback Pac-12 games early in the season, beating Colorado on New Year's Eve and Stanford on Jan. 6 at home. It never won another game under Fox.
Now, the Golden Bears will be looking for their first winning season since 2016-17 and their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2015-16, both under Cuonzo Martin. Martin left Berkeley to take the head coaching job at Missouri in 2017.