McBride resigns after 2 seasons as Cal men’s basketball coach
When California University hired Kent McBride, an energetic young coach with a successful track record, in the spring of 2016, it appeared the men’s basketball program would be stable for years to come.
That stability lasted less than two years.
McBride abruptly resigned as the Vulcans’ head coach Wednesday, three days shy of two years from the day the school announced his hiring.
McBride’s resignation was announced in a five-sentence article on California’s athletics website. It stated that McBride cited family reasons for his resignation.
McBride took to social media to further explain his resignation.
“For 12 years, I have loved coaching college basketball. Wonderful memories and wonderful relationships,” he wrote on Twitter.
“I always wanted my players to be ‘selfless’ people and think about others before themselves. Well, it’s time for me to set that example within my own family.
“I think my number 1 job is to be a great Husband and Father. I haven’t balanced this very well over the years. So, I look forward to spending more focused time on being the example I want for my kids. I am resigning as Head Coach at California Pa and announcing a commitment to the McBride family.”
Before becoming the head coach at California, the 35-year-old McBride was head coach for five seasons at Concord (W.Va.). In his last season at Concord, McBride guided the Mountain Lions to the Mountain East Conference tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II tournament.
California was 21-35 in two seasons under McBride, including 14-30 in the PSAC. Last season, the Vulcans were 11-17 overall and 7-15 in the conference for the second consecutive year.
The Vulcans’ roster during McBride’s initial season did not include a senior and had only one returning starter. He installed a faster-paced offense than Cal utilized under longtime head coach Bill Brown. The Vulcans averaged 79.5 points per game last season and made 224 three-pointers.
California said the search for a new coach will begin immediately. When McBride was hired, it capped a bizarre and lengthy search for Brown’s replacement. The original search included on-campus interviews with five candidates, then the job was “reopened” and a different search committee hired McBride, who was one of the original finalists.