Good hire for the program in a very tight spot.
https://cal.rivals.com/news/cal-women-s-basketball-charmin-smith-hired-as-head-coach
https://cal.rivals.com/news/cal-women-s-basketball-charmin-smith-hired-as-head-coach
Charmin Smith is the new HC at Cal
- Thread starter Streak One
- Start date
I don’t follow the college game the same way I do the high school game, but why do you say it is declining?
It hasn’t had a big moment outside of the Final Four but went to the tournament 7 of 8 years under Gottlieb and won a game in six of those years. Had three (?) first round picks in the WNBA draft.
I would call it steady (glass half full) or stagnate (glass half empty).
Promoting the top assistant has mixed results over the years. Key will be landing some of the local recruits they have been close but missed on recently.
It hasn’t had a big moment outside of the Final Four but went to the tournament 7 of 8 years under Gottlieb and won a game in six of those years. Had three (?) first round picks in the WNBA draft.
I would call it steady (glass half full) or stagnate (glass half empty).
Promoting the top assistant has mixed results over the years. Key will be landing some of the local recruits they have been close but missed on recently.
OK, let's start with who's returning from the 10th place team in the Pac-12:
Jaelyn Brown (started 32 games): 4.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg
CJ West (1 start): 3.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Alaysia Styles (0 starts): 1.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Oft-injured Mi'Cole Cayton and seldom-seen post Chen Yue are the other two.
So that's the start: The cupboard is bare, and no elite recruits (as far as anyone can tell) are on the way.
Now, look at Cal's recent Pac-12 history, a 30-42 record over the past four seasons. The finishes?
7th
5th
7th
10th
And those finishes came with the No. 8 overall pick in the WNBA draft in the middle.
Finally, Kianna Smith transferred already, and McKenzie Forbes is in the portal.
And remember, the Pac-12 is the best women's basketball conference in the country, so there's not much opportunity for quick improvement. A 10th place team losing everyone (with nothing coming in) is unlikely to improve, and much more likely to drop in the standings.
Jaelyn Brown (started 32 games): 4.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg
CJ West (1 start): 3.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Alaysia Styles (0 starts): 1.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Oft-injured Mi'Cole Cayton and seldom-seen post Chen Yue are the other two.
So that's the start: The cupboard is bare, and no elite recruits (as far as anyone can tell) are on the way.
Now, look at Cal's recent Pac-12 history, a 30-42 record over the past four seasons. The finishes?
7th
5th
7th
10th
And those finishes came with the No. 8 overall pick in the WNBA draft in the middle.
Finally, Kianna Smith transferred already, and McKenzie Forbes is in the portal.
And remember, the Pac-12 is the best women's basketball conference in the country, so there's not much opportunity for quick improvement. A 10th place team losing everyone (with nothing coming in) is unlikely to improve, and much more likely to drop in the standings.
