dk_b
GOLD
Great school but it's Berkeley, not some amazing city where 18 year olds want to flock to. Palo Alto, Westwood, etc much more attractive city wise. I agree he could have advanced further on average in NCAA's but when you have to face SCU literally every single year in the first round because of the dumb travel reasons for early round games, that's tough too. SCU is good just about every year. Even Stanford have lost to SCU a few times I believe. Maybe, just maybe all the letters of support that's been sent to CAL AD and to the news station will one day be released? Probably not. It's always a 2 way street is all I'm saying. Another factor why some big time coaches may not want CAL is it really doesn't pay too(149k before taxes)well for a big d1 job especially living in the Bay Area. Other areas of the country, that's good. There is a reason he coaches at Mustang and runs some camp program.
That is really interesting commentary about Berkeley/Pablo Alto/Westwood/Santa Clara and what 18 year olds want. As someone who has spent a lot of time in all those communities (less in Westwood/West LA than in the others) and currently spends a lot of time with teenagers and young adults, I think there are a lot of 18 year olds who do want to flock to B-town (and certainly many who prefer something w/a less Berkeley vibe) - under normal times, it is rich mix of food, art, cultural and political history and intellectual vibrancy. For such a small city, it offers a ton (and has proximity to so much more). But I think you are either commenting about your own likes or painting young people with an awfully broad brush.
I agree with you re the unfortunate match-ups against SCU. That has presented a challenge for Cal (losing Indigo to an early red card was just brutal in 2017). And I agree that coach pay IS a big issue at Cal - it’s a problem throughout the athletic department. Berkeley is an expensive city and we know that other parts of the Bay are equally pricey.
You should encourage the people who have sent letters of support to make them public. They don’t need the AD’s or KTVU’s permission to release the letters. I’m surprised that that has not happened.