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1* Play Fresno St. -3
Fresno has won last four match-ups.
SJSU only has two games left to coach before filling out his resume for another coaching job. Players have already given up on him as evidenced by the Tulsa debacle.
1*(3-2)
2*(2-1)
3*(1-0)
Game #27: Fresno State (14-12, 8-8 WAC) at
San Jose State (6-20, 3-13 WAC)
Date: Thursday, March 3
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: San Jose, Calif.; The Event Center (5,000)
TV: Comcast Sports Net (Greg Papa, Dave Bollwinkel)
Radio: KMJ AM 580 (Bill Woodward, Dave Severns)
Spanish Radio: KOOR AM 790 (Jess Gonzalez)
Live Audio: www.gobulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State hopes a change of venue can help it turn around a skid that has seen team lose three in a row and eight of the last 11. The Bulldogs (14-12, 8-8 WAC), who went 1-3 on their recent four-game homestand, are currently in a tie with Louisiana Tech and SMU for fourth place in the league standings. On Thursday at 7 p.m., they take on a San Jose State team also reeling. The Spartans (6-20, 3-13) have lost eight in a row and are in last place. Thursday's game is being televised live by Comcast Sports Net (cable 34).
Fresno State enters Thursday's game having dropped three in a row, the second time this year the team has had a streak that long. Since Ray Lopes became head coach prior to the 2002-03 season, the Bulldogs have never had a losing streak longer than three games. It is interesting to note that the three-game losing skid earlier this year was immediately followed by some of Fresno State's best basketball, one that saw them win five of six to jump to the top of the WAC standings with a 5-1 record.
Fresno State finishes up the regular season Saturday at 9 p.m. PT with a road game against Hawaii.
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Spartan Daily- coach's departure long awaited
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Basketball coach's departure long awaited
By Mark Cornejo
Daily Online Editor
February 22, 2005
This shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone. It shouldn't have been a surprise to any fan, any member of the San Jose State University athletic department and it definitely shouldn't have been a surprise to Phil Johnson.
It was reported Tuesday that Johnson, who has led the Spartan men's basketball team to an astoundingly horrific 19-63 record as head coach since 2002, will not be returning to the Spartans.
In a San Jose Mercury News article, sources told reporter Mark Gomez that Johnson will not be returning to the SJSU sidelines after this season. Though he could have just asked anyone on the street and they would have told him the same thing.
The only surprise about Tuesday's announcement was that it took three years for SJSU to fire Johnson. I know he may not be out there playing the games, but 19-63? Come on.
And it wasn't even his record alone that gave reason for his dismissal. In this age of athletes and coaches being placed under a microscope on and off the court, Johnson didn't do much to set an example for his players conduct outside of competition.
Let's just say the words "Phil Johnson" and "designated driver" aren't often used in the same breath - that's unless its "Phil Johnson needs a designated driver ... again."
And through all the losses and drunk-driving infractions, Johnson kept his job.
This fact of life prompted a former colleague of mine to say, "What does Phil Johnson have to do to get fired? Coach a game without pants?"
It seemed the answer to the question didn't lie with Johnson, but with the SJSU athletic director.
Tom Bowen, who was named athletic director in December 2004, has began to clean up some of the garbage that has filled the halls of the department for too many years.
And he should be applauded for his work.
The only question I have is how long would have Johnson stayed on the sidelines if former athletic director Chuck Bell was still running things.
Bell was the man who hired Johnson back in '98, then lost him to the Chicago Bulls (that's right, this man has earned an NBA paycheck, ladies and gentleman) and then hired him once again.
Prior to the 2003-04 college basketball season, ESPN ran a season preview, which started out basically saying the SJSU men's basketball program was the saddest in the country.
Through it all, Bell kept Johnson on as head coach. Are you kidding me?
And it wasn't just Bell who was making sure SJSU would continue to embarrass themselves with Johnson as coach, but interim President Don Kassing.
When asked why Johnson still had a job here at SJSU, Kassing said he was good with "fundamentals."
Well, fundamentals may make someone a prime candidate for the head basketball coach at the YMCA, but not at a Division-I program.
When Bowen came to SJSU, most people saw him as just someone whose job it was to keep Spartan football afloat, but now he has the opportunity to save two programs.
It shouldn't be hard either - I mean how hard could it be to be better than Phil Johnson?
My hope for the Spartans is that Bowen can do for basketball what people think he has already done for football by bringing in an established coach who is willing to turn around a program.
The plan is to always win and fill the seats, but Johnson's program wasn't doing either.
I expect SJSU will be able to find someone to do both, and hopefully this time the new athletic director chooses a role model as well as a coach.
Mark Cornejo is the Spartan Daily online editor.
Fresno has won last four match-ups.
SJSU only has two games left to coach before filling out his resume for another coaching job. Players have already given up on him as evidenced by the Tulsa debacle.
1*(3-2)
2*(2-1)
3*(1-0)
Game #27: Fresno State (14-12, 8-8 WAC) at
San Jose State (6-20, 3-13 WAC)
Date: Thursday, March 3
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: San Jose, Calif.; The Event Center (5,000)
TV: Comcast Sports Net (Greg Papa, Dave Bollwinkel)
Radio: KMJ AM 580 (Bill Woodward, Dave Severns)
Spanish Radio: KOOR AM 790 (Jess Gonzalez)
Live Audio: www.gobulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State hopes a change of venue can help it turn around a skid that has seen team lose three in a row and eight of the last 11. The Bulldogs (14-12, 8-8 WAC), who went 1-3 on their recent four-game homestand, are currently in a tie with Louisiana Tech and SMU for fourth place in the league standings. On Thursday at 7 p.m., they take on a San Jose State team also reeling. The Spartans (6-20, 3-13) have lost eight in a row and are in last place. Thursday's game is being televised live by Comcast Sports Net (cable 34).
Fresno State enters Thursday's game having dropped three in a row, the second time this year the team has had a streak that long. Since Ray Lopes became head coach prior to the 2002-03 season, the Bulldogs have never had a losing streak longer than three games. It is interesting to note that the three-game losing skid earlier this year was immediately followed by some of Fresno State's best basketball, one that saw them win five of six to jump to the top of the WAC standings with a 5-1 record.
Fresno State finishes up the regular season Saturday at 9 p.m. PT with a road game against Hawaii.
------------------------------------------------------------
Spartan Daily- coach's departure long awaited
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basketball coach's departure long awaited
By Mark Cornejo
Daily Online Editor
February 22, 2005
This shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone. It shouldn't have been a surprise to any fan, any member of the San Jose State University athletic department and it definitely shouldn't have been a surprise to Phil Johnson.
It was reported Tuesday that Johnson, who has led the Spartan men's basketball team to an astoundingly horrific 19-63 record as head coach since 2002, will not be returning to the Spartans.
In a San Jose Mercury News article, sources told reporter Mark Gomez that Johnson will not be returning to the SJSU sidelines after this season. Though he could have just asked anyone on the street and they would have told him the same thing.
The only surprise about Tuesday's announcement was that it took three years for SJSU to fire Johnson. I know he may not be out there playing the games, but 19-63? Come on.
And it wasn't even his record alone that gave reason for his dismissal. In this age of athletes and coaches being placed under a microscope on and off the court, Johnson didn't do much to set an example for his players conduct outside of competition.
Let's just say the words "Phil Johnson" and "designated driver" aren't often used in the same breath - that's unless its "Phil Johnson needs a designated driver ... again."
And through all the losses and drunk-driving infractions, Johnson kept his job.
This fact of life prompted a former colleague of mine to say, "What does Phil Johnson have to do to get fired? Coach a game without pants?"
It seemed the answer to the question didn't lie with Johnson, but with the SJSU athletic director.
Tom Bowen, who was named athletic director in December 2004, has began to clean up some of the garbage that has filled the halls of the department for too many years.
And he should be applauded for his work.
The only question I have is how long would have Johnson stayed on the sidelines if former athletic director Chuck Bell was still running things.
Bell was the man who hired Johnson back in '98, then lost him to the Chicago Bulls (that's right, this man has earned an NBA paycheck, ladies and gentleman) and then hired him once again.
Prior to the 2003-04 college basketball season, ESPN ran a season preview, which started out basically saying the SJSU men's basketball program was the saddest in the country.
Through it all, Bell kept Johnson on as head coach. Are you kidding me?
And it wasn't just Bell who was making sure SJSU would continue to embarrass themselves with Johnson as coach, but interim President Don Kassing.
When asked why Johnson still had a job here at SJSU, Kassing said he was good with "fundamentals."
Well, fundamentals may make someone a prime candidate for the head basketball coach at the YMCA, but not at a Division-I program.
When Bowen came to SJSU, most people saw him as just someone whose job it was to keep Spartan football afloat, but now he has the opportunity to save two programs.
It shouldn't be hard either - I mean how hard could it be to be better than Phil Johnson?
My hope for the Spartans is that Bowen can do for basketball what people think he has already done for football by bringing in an established coach who is willing to turn around a program.
The plan is to always win and fill the seats, but Johnson's program wasn't doing either.
I expect SJSU will be able to find someone to do both, and hopefully this time the new athletic director chooses a role model as well as a coach.
Mark Cornejo is the Spartan Daily online editor.
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