Cal has fired men's basketball head coach Wyking Jones.
"Source: Cal has fired men’s basketball coach Wyking Jones," John Canzano tweeted on Sunday, days after reports that Jones would return for a third season. "Came after a meeting on campus mid-day today. He will be bought out of the remainder of his contract."
Jones, promoted from assistant coach in 2017 when Cuonzo Martin left for Missouri, won just 16 games in two seasons (16-47) and finished dead last in the Pac-12 each year. He was making just $1 million per season.
Moments after reporting Jones' dismissal, Canzano tweeted, "Cal’s primary target, I'm told by a campus source, is expected to be Jason Kidd." Kidd is a Bay Area native who won California Mr. Basketball twice while starring at St. Joseph Notre Dame High School (Alameda) and played at Cal from 1992-94. He has never coached college basketball.
If the Golden Bears don't hire Kidd, who might first-year athletics director Jim Knowlton target as their next head coach?
Former Cal assistant Travis DeCuire (2008-14) just finished his fifth season as Montana head coach. He's won 55 games the last two seasons at his alma mater while delivering two NCAA Tournament berths and is rumored to be a potential candidate at Washington State.
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Another former Cal assistant, current Florida State assistant Dennis Gates, could be in the mix. Gates was on Ben Braun's staff from 2005-07, and while he's spent the last eight seasons in Tallahassee, he has relationships on the west coast and has been a key piece of what is regarded as one of the best coaching staffs in college basketball.
San Francisco head coach Kyle Smith could be an option, as could Utah State head coach Craig Smith and UC Irvine head coach Russell Turner. Turner is a former Stanford and Golden State Warriors assistant who's won four Big West regular-season titles and has two tourney appearances in the last five years.
Others to consider: Boise State head coach Leon Rice, Nevada head coach Eric Musselman, East Tennessee State head coach Steve Forbes, former Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew, and former Stanford head coach and current UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins.
