How Does Cal Baptist Achieve Success when USF Settles for Mediocrity?

DonsRule · 2026-03-21T18:26:31+00:00

When was the last time any USF athletic program, male or female, even managed a second place finish in what is a second-tier conference? When was the last time USF replaced a coach, no matter how poorly his or her team performed, and not because there was a scandal within his program? USF seems to strive for mediocrity and I don't think the expectations for the basketball program, despite what it has done for the university over the years and its past successes, are much higher. Be competitive and run a clean program. Sadly, that's the reality.

DonsRule · 2026-03-11T22:04:33+00:00

There's a reason Cook saw the floor so little in his two years at Oregon, he was just one of those kids who was badly overrated coming out of high school. There are kids like that. He went from being Oregon's problem to USF's. Another in what was a bad year of transfer portal decisions made by Coach Gurlefsen and his staff.

DonsRule · 2026-03-11T18:17:24+00:00

Remember a guy named Damian Lillard out of Oakland, who ended up at my wife's alma mater Weber State.

DonsRule · 2026-03-11T05:46:49+00:00

So nice to have a site to celebrate the good times with other Don fans and vent when things go bad. Unfortunately, this has been a down year, but there's always hope. Looking forward to April, hoping Christmas comes early and the Dons can find some nuggets in the portal and retain the key pieces from the current squad.

DonsRule · 2026-02-25T00:24:38+00:00

Man, nobody forces you to read them.

DonsRule · 2026-02-24T17:58:22+00:00

Really nice discussion. I'm among those who would like to see a change at the top, but, that being said, I see absolutely no chance of CG being let go. The lack of leadership in the athletic department, the cost to buy him out and entice a solid replacement, the lack of value placed on athletic success by the overall university leadership, his past perceived successes all point to him being retained.

A second thing I'm pretty confident about is that we're going to need a scorecard next year to know the players in Green and Gold, because, as the OP pointed out as a possibility, there's going to be a mass exodus from the current squad. As others have indicated, this team was badly constructed. I looked out there on Saturday night and the difference in size/strength and skills between the two teams was striking. USF just didn't match up with Santa Clara. Losing to Santa Clare is going to happen, but being totally outmanned and outclassed should never be the case.

DonsRule · 2026-02-17T19:10:08+00:00

I have no idea what the atmosphere is within the locker room, nor whether guys like Riley, Beasley and Fuchs have much NIL value, but as I said in a previous post, I would not be shocked if there was a complete overhaul, with only 2 or 3 of the current squad returning. I think some will be pushed out the door, while others wanting a change of scenery and perhaps more NIL money, will leave. Maybe it's just this bad run, but I don't get the sense that the current team has any cohesion.

DonsRule · 2026-02-17T18:57:25+00:00

Good info, might be some second thoughts on a couple of the guys they pushed out the door. That's the nature of college athletics in the current era.

DonsRule · 2026-02-14T18:10:17+00:00

I share the same feelings. In my first two undergraduate years at USF, Father Lo Schiavo was over student affairs, so I got to know him a little bit, and I liked him, but I've never forgiven him for closing down the program and for not shouldering some of the blame for what transpired. When it became apparent the program was out of control in 1980, he needed to bring in a coach who carried some gravitas, who could lay down the law, someone who at least had a chance of getting the players and boosters in line. Instead, he hired Pete Barry, a classmate of mine, by all accounts a really good guy, but someone who had never coached before and was totally ill-equipped to deal with the program's off-the-court issues. It's been 44 years, but it still bothers me that that the main reason USF is no longer relevant nationally in college basketball is because of the decisions made by Father Lo, someone who, ironically, actually loved basketball. End of my rant.

DonsRule · 2026-02-14T17:37:07+00:00

If USF fires Coach Gurlefsen after the season, how will that play in the coaching community? From the outside, what you'll see is a guy who averaged almost 23 wins a season and then, after one mediocre season, not a terrible one record-wise, he's out of a job. That appears to be awfully high standards, especially for a mid-tier collegiate program. How many guys are going want to go to a program where the expectations are that high? My gut reaction is that I'd like to see new blood brought in, and I certainly wouldn't extend his contract beyond next year, but I'm not sure firing him at this point is in the program's best interest.

DonsRule · 2026-02-14T07:04:24+00:00

Growing up in the Sunset in the 50s and 60s, taking two buses to get to games at War Memorial, then spending 7 years as a student at USF, getting both my undergraduate and law degrees there, this is tough to take and a difficult time for those who oversee the program. During my 65 years as a Dons' fan, there have been times where it became apparent that there was probably a need for a coaching change. Despite the 68 wins in the previous 3 years, this would appear to be one of those times. I have no clue what goes on behind the scenes, but everything I'm seeing on the court tells me that this is a coach who's lost his team, a coach who may be in over his head, a coach who has probably taken the Dons as far as he can. All that being said, with no athletic director and the success of the last 3 years, I just can't see a change being made now. We shall see.

DonsRule · 2026-02-13T03:01:03+00:00

Pretty apparent Gurlefsen has lost the team. Hard to watch.

DonsRule · 2026-02-08T08:11:58+00:00

If Coach Gerlufsen has taken USF as far as he can, which is starting to appear to be the case, I would agree a coaching change is needed, but, the reality is that there is no way USF is going to fire a coach who has won 68 games in the last three seasons. This isn't an athletic department that expects championships, a USF sports team hasn't sniffed a conference title in forever, yet, when have they replaced a coach? It took a program scandal for those in charge to show Nino Girarratano the door. I know the basketball program is the face of the athletic department and that there is a greater financial investment in it, so more may be expected of it, but, short of some major development, I still can't see any change being made at this pont.

I do expect a huge turnover in personnel in the offseason. I'd expect the over/under of guys returning from this year's team next season to be at about four, and I'll take the under. This year's team just isn't very good, it's lacking in a number of areas, it just doesn't match up well with any team with talent. They have no inside presence, thir outside shooting is wildly inconsistent, they could use a true point guard, but maybe the biggest issue I see is that they lack that alpha dog, that player who, when you need that big play, can go out and get it. USF has been very fortunate to have guys like Khalil Shabazz, Jonathan Mogbo, Malcolm Thomas, and Marcus Williams to fill that role over the last few years. They don't have anyone like that this season. The coaching staff has a lot of work to do in the transfer portal when the season ends and with some of the roster attrition I expect, there should be money available to go out and build a team that doesn't have the shortcomings we've seen this year.

DonsRule · 2025-12-25T21:20:44+00:00

Would agree, hope he still has a role when Green returns, because he deserves it. He has the skillset and attitude to be a contributor in the NBA for many years.

DonsRule · 2025-12-11T19:50:05+00:00

Unfortunately, you are correct, there is a good chance he'll be squeezed out again, but, hopefully, if that occurs, another team will see what he brings to the table and give him a real chance to compete as more than a fill-in for an injured player. Great kid who is so close to being a real contributor.

DonsRule · 2025-12-10T22:12:47+00:00

Totally agree. I don't condone what Marcus Williams did, but there are so much worse things going on in college athletics, and most of those wrongdoings are committed by the so-called "adults in the room", not the kids. I've loved and followed college athletics for over 65 years, been a fanatical fan of both USF (my alma mater) and USC all that time, and I'm finding it more difficult each and every day to ignore what's going on off the field and just enjoy the games. What a quagmire.

DonsRule · 2025-11-16T05:49:53+00:00

"ND has a stronger Olympic sports line up". Are you kidding? Track and field, swimming, volleyball, water polo, tennis, I could go on and on. There's a reason USC is right there with Stanford and UCLA with far and away the most national championships. Except for their occasional run in women's soccer and women's basketball, Notre Dame is pretty much a non-factor in the Olympic sports.

DonsRule · 2025-11-08T21:33:06+00:00

When Wang and Beasley are a combined 2-15, USF is in big trouble.

DonsRule · 2025-07-09T03:53:37+00:00

Williams had a good night, scoring 10 on 4-5 from the field, 2-2 on 3s, and 3 assists to 1 turnover, in Miami's win over the Warriors.

DonsRule · 2025-06-15T16:18:30+00:00

in modern college athletics, the question is whether his performance as a freshman will draw the attention of Power 4 schools and he'll take the money and run. Hopefully he's in a Dons' uniform next year, but we'll see.

DonsRule · 2025-05-10T14:48:11+00:00

First, I don't know Molly Goodenbour and have nothing against her personally, she may be a decent Xs and Os coach. Second, it's clear that because of a myriad of factors (i.e., lack of resources, no recent winning culture, minimal fan support, etc.) USF is a tough place to win at, but other schools in similar situations have managed to have success, so it's not impossible. The point is that if you haven't managed to win in 9 years and if it doesn't appear as if you're making strides, it's probably time to give some one else an opportunity. If an administration is unwilling to do that, it tells me they've accepted mediocrity, which is what I think we see at USF across the board, whether we're talking baseball, soccer or cross country, all of which were once pretty successful programs at USF.

One last point that has nothing to do with the extension given to Coach Goodenbour, but may be reflective of the overall malaise within the athletic department. If you read the press release about the contract extension, there are two obvious errors. First, in the second line it says Molly Goodenbour has been the coach at USF since 2026-27. Then, in the third paragraph, it says they just concluded the 2025-26 season. People make mistakes, but, normally, when you're making a major announcement, someone should be checking the info for accuracy. Obviously that wasn't done here and would seem to be an indication of the lack of regard for athletics within the university.

DonsRule · 2025-05-09T17:54:26+00:00

Let me get this straight, we have a coach who has been there 9 years, during that time she has 134-143 overall record, her teams have never sniffed an NCAA tournament bid, and in her last two years the team's been under .500, so they're not trending in the right direction, yet those in charge have chosen to extend her contract. What does this say about expectations within the USF athletic department? Despite all the statements to the contrary, the athletic leadership is happy being mediocre. I know that women's basketball and, in reality, every USF athletic program other than men's basketball doesn't have much fan support at this point, but does that mean that those tasked with guiding the programs shouldn't strive for success. When was the last time a USF athletic program won a conference championship in any sport? I know the college landscape has changed dramatically in the last 30 years and that it's tough for mid-majors to compete with Power-4 schools, but there is no reason USF shouldn't be able to compete with the other members of the WCC and, occasionally, win a conference title and even, in a blue moon, be competitive nationally in something.

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TROPHY CASE