College hoops decline

[colhenrylives]

It's unfortunate but a reality today. Northern California men's college basketball is a shell of what it once was. Every October, hope springs eternal. That hope is dashed on a regular basis. We're stuck with mediocrity.

The last NorCal team to win a Division I national title was Cal in 1959. Only one program, St. Mary's, has shown recent signs of life _ and the Gaels have done so (on a relatively modest basis) by larding its East Bay roster with foreign players, most from Australia.

Stanford, under Coach Mike Montgomery, had a decent run on the national stage many years ago but that era ended when he took an ill-fated job with the NBA Warriors. Cal, with Jason Kidd running the show, had a very brief moment early in the NCAA tourney. But that comet flared out quickly and Coach Todd Bozeman got canned in the process.

So why has the NorCal college scene become such a grim hoops desert, a national afterthought? There are many causes. And, remember, there was a time (the 1940s through much of the 1970s) when that wasn't the case. Stanford won the NCAA title in 1942. USF won the NIT championship in 1949 when that crown meant something. Santa Clara went to the Final Four in 1952. The Dons grabbed two national titles in a row in 1955 and 1956. Cal followed with that 1959 crown. That's it.

None of our teams has played for a Division 1 championship in 59 years (Cal lost to Ohio State in the Division I finale at the Cow Palace in 1960). We've gone through 12 presidents during that period.

Let's take a look at some of the causes for the decline:

• The overwhelming and utter domination of UCLA beginning in the early 1960s and extending into the 1970s.
• The sudden decision to cancel the USF program due to illegal activity early in the 1980s.
• Small on-campus arenas _ only Cal has a significant basketball venue.
• The arrival of ESPN and cable-TV which emphasized East Coast college basketball (hello, Big East emerging out of nowhere) in TV prime time.
• The un-TV-friendly West Coast time zone.
• The presence of the NBA in both the Bay Area and Sacramento. The championship run by the Warriors has been especially damaging because college basketball suffers in comparison with the team's all-star roster (although that success could be coming to an end soon).
• The presence of the G League in Santa Cruz (it may seem like a small thing but it tends to re-emphasize the NBA's overall cache).
• Low basketball budgets throughout the NorCal men's scene _ and that includes coaches' salaries and recruiting dollars.
• The stifling pro presence of the Warriors, Kings, Niners, Raiders (for the time being), Sharks, Giants and Athletics, all of which siphon off customer bucks and eyeballs and dominate the fickle attention of the assorted media.
• Heavy national recruiting of NorCal preps by big-budget schools east of the Rockies (and some West Coast programs as well).
• Coaches who get hired here and can't wait to bail for greener climes (thank you, Randy Bennett for hanging in there by the way).
• The lack of a big-time, major pre-season tournament at a large NorCal arena.

 

[colhenrylives]

When the Warriors' San Francisco Chase Center opens for business in the fall, perhaps ownership, in order to stimulate the regional college game/pipeline, ought to create a big-time college tourney in concert with one or two of the area's Division I programs and the city itself. It's a thought. Way, way back in the day, the original Cable Car Classic was conducted in SF; it was the brainchild of a Warriors' PR guy and one of his pals. That was a long time ago. A lot has changed.

 

[Streak One]

You have to keep players from your region in the region. Look at the top players from 2018/2019 from NorCal and a high number went to non-NorCal schools. Put those players in local programs and the final product looks different

 

[coachlittle]

texas had 5 teams in the big dance compared to only 2 from CA .
No. 3 Houston (Midwest Region)
No. 15 Abilene Christian (Midwest)
No. 3 Texas Tech (West)
No. 9 Baylor (West)
Prairie View A&M (First four)

 

[colhenrylives]

You have to keep players from your region in the region. Look at the top players from 2018/2019 from NorCal and a high number went to non-NorCal schools. Put those players in local programs and the final product looks different

Could the same thing be said for places like Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia, Dallas, Los Angeles, etc. and their suburbs? In other words, if every good prep player stayed home, what would the college landscape look like?

 

[coach_augie]

yah im not sure where to put a finger on the real reason West Coast teams haven't been successful lately. USC as the resources yet look at where they're at. UCLA and it's fanbase have unrealistic expectations...shoot Howland went to three straight final four's and look where it landed him! Cal hasn't been a true contender in years and since Montgomery left Stanford, same thing.

While I think that the Professional teams do have a little impact on the attendance at a lot of these games, I'm not sold that it's a impactful reason. What Norcal universities (all levels) will need to reinvigorate their program is a proven track winner (hard sell but not impossible) or the next best thing...a young ambitious coach that will eat, breathe, sleep recruiting. Billy Donovan is an example of that and even Mick Cronin (new UCLA coach) was one of the best recruiters around as an assistant.

 

[jordan24]

Perhaps Oracle Atena can be used for the NorCal tip-off, NCS and NorCal Regional early round matchups? I’m sure it will come at a better price than SF Chase Center.

 

[da real]

You have to keep players from your region in the region. Look at the top players from 2018/2019 from NorCal and a high number went to non-NorCal schools. Put those players in local programs and the final product looks different

I agree that ideally schools should recruit locally and for some regions, {see southern california}, it would make a huge difference if they were able to keep their best players from leaving.

In the northern California, the big time talent is not here and none of the schools are viewed as destination jobs, nor do they pay like a destination job would.

The regions universities do not have the WILL or WANT to be national powers.

 

[Streak One]

Could the same thing be said for places like Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia, Dallas, Los Angeles, etc. and their suburbs? In other words, if every good prep player stayed home, what would the college landscape look like?

You defintely can and it is a reason why schools like DePaul and St. John's have struggled.

 

[Streak One]

I agree that ideally schools should recruit locally and for some regions, {see southern california}, it would make a huge difference if they were able to keep their best players from leaving.

In the northern California, the big time talent is not here and none of the schools are viewed as destination jobs, nor do they pay like a destination job would.

The regions universities do not have the WILL or WANT to be national powers.

Yes, it isn't always easy to get a player to stay home, but the misses are very interesting. If you look at the Top 10 prospects from 2017-2019 (30 total), SIX have signed with NorCal colleges. There are still some open guys in 2019, but out of those 30 I'm sure there are some more who could have helped these schools

 

[da real]

Streak, the help the local schools do what? Have a winning record? Winning a conference? Qualify for the tournament? Sweet Sixteen? Final Four? National Championship?

 

[Streak One]

I think it would make local programs more relevant in their leagues. I’m of the belief that it is an improvement from the results they are getting now