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BlueGoldAg
1.4kIt seems to me that the MBB program has arrived at a pivotal moment. Unfortunately, the 2024-25 season was disappointing. We ended up 15-17 overall, 9-11 in conference play and ended the season on a 7 game losing streak which included a one-and-done in the Big West Tournament.
Jim Les has been at the helm of the Aggies for 14 years now and his overall record is 210 wins and 216 losses. Les took over after Gary Stewart was let go in 2011 after 7 straight losing seasons at the D1 level. Stewart's only winning season was his first in 2003-04 which was the last year for the Aggies in D2. Stewart's overall record in 8 years was a miserable 88-148. So Les inherited a program that had pretty much hit rock bottom.
Here's the Aggie season and conference records since Les has been the head coach prior to this year when we finished 15-17 overall and in 6th place in the conference at 9-11.
The Aggies have won 2 regular season conference titles under Les (2014-15 & 2017-18) but lost in the BW Tournament in both of those years missing the NCAA but did go to the NIT. The 2016-17 team finished 2nd in the conference but won the BW Tournament and went to the NCAA winning a play-in, round of 64 game before losing to #1 Kansas.
So how is everyone feeling about the current state of affairs and trajectory of the program heading into next year and the MWC in 2026?
I have mixed feelings. I think Les is an excellent coach but we seem to be stuck in neutral. We haven't been able to grow into a consistent contender for the conference title like Irvine and we seem to have fallen behind the remarkable growth of San Diego, CSUN and Riverside. I wonder why it has been more difficult for us? Is recruiting at Davis more difficult than it is at these other programs that are surging upward?
In my opinion, Les gets more out of the talent that he has to work with than any other coach in the conference and even on the west coast for that matter. He has also been praised as one of the best coaches in the west for developing outstanding guards and we've had several great ones in his time here. The Aggies have developed a reputation for toughness as well and they always play hard, disciplined defense. Great guards and smart, tough defense is not a bad formula for being successful at the mid-major level but is it enough and is it working well enough for us to be competitive as we move to a higher level of competition?
We had 4300 fans at the San Diego game to end the season. There was electricity in the house and, even though the game was never that close, the fans were into it and it was a whole lot of fun to be there. I believe that it is possible to build a program that brings in good crowds and excitement like that every week especially when we begin playing in the MWC. Win on a consistent basis against good teams that have name recognition for basketball and they will come but only if we are competitive. The arena will be practically empty if we gert run out of the building on a regular basis though.
So what do you think about the current status of the program and what kind of changes, if any, do feel will be needed to build a winning program at a higher level of competition as we play our final year in the Big West and then begin play in the MWC in 2026? -
Toke69
400It does appear that the Aggies have been mired in mediocrity the last 6 years, but I just want to point out that two of those years were afflicted by COVID and the 2021-22 Big West season was especially bad for UC Davis eight league games were cancelled whereas some other Big West teams lost only 2 games and none lost more then the Ags. Taking those two years out, Coach Les' league record for the four years was 40-31.
Another factor to consider in looking at the future Mountain West is that with the MWC losing their best teams (this year's average net rank for those five is 92.2) and some weaker teams moving in, the MWCs average net ranking from this year (excluding UCD) is 206.3. That sure does not sound all that formidable. -
movielover
576Our record has been mediocre. Les at times has had a lot of player turnover, not typical for Davis. We succeed w a star player. The town, campus, and facilities are solid, and we saw no recruiting bump w the new High Performance facility. The team seems to lack passion, and our assistant coaches aren't in demand. -
CA Forever
751It seems like the program has hit a wall under Les. I would argue that we've really only had 1 elite season in Les' tenure (14-15 despite it not being the season we made the tournament) with a couple of additional solid seasons, but outside of that results have been fairly mediocre. It shouldn't be any harder to recruit to Davis than the other UCs in the Big West, but whatever the case we are going to have to step our game up with moving to the MW where we have the possibility of being basement dwellers if things don't change trajectory.
I don't know if Les is the right or wrong guy leading us forward, but when you look at the overall resume to date... it's really not that impressive. He seems like a really good guy though. -
DrMike
857Besides Irvine and, to a lesser extent, UCSB, we’ve been a bit above the average in the BWC over time. The UCR and CSUN hires have turned things around there, and Poly had a big jump (albeit only to the 7th spot) with a grad transfer/senior heavy team. The first two seem to be in good position to sustain it; jury is out on Poly.
Can we get back to a near 20-win, top 4 BWC level consistently?
Remember, we were about 3 minutes from another NCAA appearance last season so things aren’t desperate.
We don’t seem to be able to get quality players from SoCal; maybe that changes when we get out of a SOCal-centric league? We haven’t had a quality foreign player which seem so common in our league (Anyone see Caleb Fuller representing on Senior night). That seems to be the Irvine model for consistent high level play.
Les finds diamonds in the rough but we don’t seem to get guys on those ‘top 40 recruits’ list (Stokes is a top 5 NorCal but not on a state wide list). I think there were hopes that Roberson was a plug in impact player - that remains to be seen. -
TrainingRm67
59UCD has 3 assistant coaches for MBB. LBSU, Bakersfield, and Fullerton also have 3 assistants. All the other BW schools have at least 4 assistants. That's 1 (or 2) more people to work on recruiting, game planning, player development, etc.
Jen Gross has 5 assistant coaches this year.
What's the budget for either MBB or WBB? Who has the final say on how it's allocated? More bodies make a difference, especially over time. I wonder how long the other BW schools have had larger coaching staffs?
Perhaps expanding the coaching staff will be part of the increased expenditures on basketball that were part of the agreement to move to the Mountain West? -
Russ Bowlus
355Jen Gross has 5 assistant coaches this year.
Including one specifically for working with bigs! -
TrainingRm67
59Most of the comments have been about Jim Les' ability to recruit, develop players, and do the X'x and O's. But being head coach is also about managing the program resources. And with the changes in athletics that we talk about, it's becoming even more about that,
Does anyone have a sense of how Jim is win that regard? -
DrMike
857that’s her husband, correct?
that’s a great point. Adding one or more that can focus a great deal of time/effort on the recruiting front would be big.
Might have to work with Mrak on foreign recruits. I’m not sure how scholarships for basketball get charged for out of state or foreign; for football, scholarship cost for out of state players reflects the difference in tutition. -
TrainingRm67
59I think Laura Baugh is now probably the point person on coaching the bigs. Based on her University of Tennessee and WNBA stints.
And looking at the data in the Cal Matters article, we've been outspent on the NIL front by UCSB, UCSD, UCI and Sac State, Since none of the three UC's have football programs, MBB is probably their flagship sport, and get the lion's share of NIL. The NIL spending disparity for our MBB program is probably much worse than just the gross amounts indicate.
Finally to CA Forever's point, "It shouldn't be any harder to recruit to Davis than the other UCs", Santa Barbara,San Diego (La Jolla), and to a little lesser degree, Irvine are all more of the California Image / Vibe than Davis is. We got no sandy beach to walk along. That in itself is probably a big selling point, especially for out-of-state and foreign players. -
movielover
576Let's be fair to Coach Stewart:
- Coach Stewart had the highest winning percentage of any coach in transition history (pre UCSD)
- "In all, the Aggies won more games than any other four-year transition program with Stewart at the helm"
- Had the lowest budget and coaching salaries in DI
- He taught four PE1 classes per year
- He beat Stanford
- "Stewart made an immediate impact on the Aggie program in 2003-04. Taking over a team that finished three games under .500 the previous season, he guided UC Davis to an 18-9 record and a 15-7 mark in the Division II powerhouse California Collegiate Athletic Association." (UC Davis Athletics)
UC Davis Men's Basketball Record
Gary Stewart - last three years
2008-09 ....13 - 19, 6 - 9
2009-10 ....14 - 18, 8 - 8
2010-11 ... 10 - 20, 4 - 12
...................37 - 57, 18 - 29
.................(.394).......(.383)
Jim Les - first three years
2011-12 ..... 5 - 26, 3 - 13
2012-13 ....14 - 17, 9 - 9
2013-14 ..... 9 - 22, 4 - 12
...................28 - 65, 16 - 34
.................(.292).......(.320) -
CA Forever
751I should have been more clear on my point. I wasn't so much talking about location. Yes, places like La Jolla are probably more appealing in a general sense than Davis. I was more talking about academic restrictions in terms of recruiting. I have to imaging that Davis, San Diego, Riverside, and Irvine all have relatively similar academic requirements for their athletes... definitely more rigorous than Long Beach, Bakersfield, Fullerton, etc. All that being said, the other UCs feel like they are gapping us in terms of success.
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TrainingRm67
59Three last thoughts (for me) on this thread.
I heard John Madden once say that if a coach is doing a good job, it was stupid to get rid of him unless you absolutely KNEW you had someone better signed and ready to step in and replace him. Not sure that's very realistic in the present coaching climate, in just about any sport.
Kind of related to that, Jim Les WANTS to be at UCD. He voluntarily left his alma mater, Bradley, to return to the Sacramento area and take the UCD job, because he and his wife wanted to return to this area. This isn't a stepping stone for Jim Les, the way it would be for many good, even very good, coaches who might replace him. Having someone who wants to stay at a UCD type school in a Big West or Mountain West conference is worth a great deal. IMHO
Jen Gross seems to have a great deal of respect for Les. That says a great deal as well. -
movielover
576"Les, also a standout guard for BU in the 1980s, had three years left on his Bradley contract when he was fired on March 6 after nine seasons as head coach."
https://www.sj-r.com/story/sports/2011/07/10/les-considers-suing-bradley/42931137007/
His last year was his worst, he went 12-20 / 4-14. The 4 conference wins and 9th place finish - both his worst marks in nine years.
I believe he returned to Sacramento as he kept his home in Granite Bay. -
DrMike
857actually Les was fired at Bradley in 2011. I think we got him on the cheap because they still owed him money (there were lawsuits about how much they owed him). But I agree that this is where he wants to be.
I do think he is going to need help from the administration NOW to be competitive next year and moving ahead to the MWC. -
TrainingRm67
59Movie lover & DrMike - I stand corrected. I relied on my memory and a quick perusal of the bio on the UCD MBB website. Did not due diligence as I should. Mea culpa! : > (
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Toke69
400If this discussion is all about whether Jim Les should be retained, I think it is too easy to focus the whole issue on him as opposed to he overall future of the program. Thus I think many of the comments here are misguided following the frustration of a disappointing season. We all knew that last several Big West games were going to be tough and not likely to result in more than two wins, given the nature of the opposition. Next year the Big West will probably be even tougher with UCSD and UCI having their usual strong teams and Cal Poly coming on. My final thought here is that Jim Les is a good coach and the MWC will not be a huge step up for UC Davis. Best to not change horses in the middle of the stream.
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DrMike
857I think what was frustrating about this season is that there were 5 BWC games that could/should have been wins : 2 v Bako, home v LB, home vs CSUN and road v UCR. Win 3 of those and 12-10 looks pretty decent.
Of course, I’m ignoring possible losses like home v Hawaii! -
movielover
576What are his strengths? Nobody has courted him, and I believe he's the only 4 year SA to not make the rotation in decades.
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eastbayaggie
121I think someone posted that TY Johnson got $50k(?) in NIL money. I don't know if we're just paying star athletes only in the future, (e.g. Lan Larison), or if we plan to spread the NIL wealth in the future. I also don't know if we project to spend at least $50k in NIL money for future basketball prospects. -
Sailorgabe
19From an outsiders prospective, I'd say the team is too comfortable. Mr. Les has had a good run, but it is time to shake things up. We need to identify a young coach who is would like a shot at running a team. Who is out there? -
Aggie Cisco
23Looks like the rumor is that sac state is going to hire Michigan assistant coach Justin Joyner after the tournament. He is a Bay Area native, UCSB MBB captain/alum, and his wife was the “previous”(correction by LeFan) women’s soccer coach at UCD.
Seems like a smart choice for sac to hire this local up and coming coach. I’m slightly jealous of this hire, he seems like a promising coach.
I like coach Les. But I feel we need to move on to a young energetic coach, who can better connect with the next generation of players, and can push a more proactive and aggressive style of play. -
LeFan
19
Wife is former UCD coach. She bolted to Oregon and took her best player along. Joyner played for Bob and coached under Randy Bennett. Must be desperate to get back west to take that job. -
movielover
576We have a lot of hoop alums who have had success.
Gus Argenal at DII CSUSB has been successful and previously was an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas, "where he helped lead the Razorbacks to a Sweet Sixteen and an Elite Eight appearance" over two seasons. He won 23 games this year, and 27 last year, only losing the championship game.
Some are high on Brandon Laird, now at Idaho. Local guy.
Danny Yoshikawa has spent 5 years at St. Mary's College. As head coach at West Valley College (Saratoga) he recorded a 144-47 record for a .753 winning percentage over five seasons. He also coached in Japan for two years, and logged time at UCSB and USF. SMC: "He compiled an impressive 100-29 overall record in his four years as a player, and as a senior, was honored as the Conference Player of the Year and UC Davis Athlete of the Year."
There's at least another six promising coaches. -
Sailorgabe
19Very interesting name. I like your thought process here. West Valley has had a great program at the JUCO level.
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