Mark Fox completes hiring of new Cal MBB staff

UPDATED: Quotes from the official press release from Cal Athletics have been blockquoted.

Mark Fox has completed the hiring of his Basketball Staff. He has brought on former New Mexico Assistant Chris Harriman and former Iowa Assistant Andrew Francis. Fox retained the services of Assistant Marty Wilson, who was brought on at the start of last season by former HC Wyking Jones. Jordan Jackson is also a holdover from the Wyking Jones era. Jackson maintains his role as the strength and conditioning coach or the program. Fox’s mentor, Trent Johnson, joins the staff as well. He has taken the role of Men’s Basketball Analyst, which does not allow him to do on-court coaching but film sessions among other backroom advising. T

Chris Harriman joins the the program from New Mexico. He was the Associate HC from 2015 to 2019 for the Lobos. He was the only hold-over when the Lobos underwent a coaching change in 2017. Prior to his stay at New Mexico, Coach Harriman was at Nebraska for three years under HC Tim Miles. He also was an assistant coach under Rick Majerus between 2008 to 2012. Coach Harriman hails from Sydney, Australia and is known to have strong recruiting ties to international players, specifically Australia and New Zealand.

“Chris brings a wealth of experience and contacts in basketball from across the globe,” Fox said. “He trained under the great Rick Majerus and has been an exceptional recruiter. I am excited to add someone with great international experience and basketball expertise to our Cal basketball family.”

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander named Harriman one of the “Top 5 Up-and-Coming Division I Assistants” on CBS Sports, with Norlander writing, “Few guys have the international networking and contacts like Harriman. He’s the long-term valuable hire, the guy who finds the gem buried under 20 feet of mud.” Additionally, national basketball insider Jeff Goodman named Harriman one of the top three international recruiters in Division I college basketball.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to have this amazing opportunity. You don’t have to be born in the U.S. to appreciate the incredible reputation Cal has as the No. 1 public university in the world,” Harriman said. “I came here to be part of the Cal family and to share in the great traditions, but more importantly I came here to help Coach Fox build a great basketball program. Having the opportunity to work for someone I respect and admire and is a teacher of the game made this move a no-brainer for me.”

Andrew Francis joins the program after 10 years at Iowa. He spent 13 years with HC Fran McCaffery, 3 at Siena before the last 10 years at Iowa. Francis first started his coaching career as a video assistant under Jay Wright at Villanova before joining McCaffery at Siena. Francis was well liked by the Iowa fan base and his players. His reputation as a recruiter is tireless and his main recruiting areas were Minnesota and the east coast. During his time at Iowa, the Hawkeyes made 4 NCAA tournaments along with top 25 rankings in each of those 4 seasons. Francis also helped secure six top 100 recruits from 2012 to 2019.

“Andrew has worked side-by-side with an outstanding coach in Fran McCaffery for more than a decade,” Fox said. “His contacts across the entire country will be a tremendous benefit to our program. I have admired his ability and his impact on young people for many years.”

“I’m tremendously excited and honored to have this opportunity to work at a world-class institution like Cal, and to work for a successful, highly respected coach in Coach Fox,” Francis said.

Marty Wilson joined the Golden Bears as an assistant coach prior to last season. Prior to joining the Bears, Wilson was the HC at his alma mater, Pepperdine for seven seasons.

“I have known Marty for more than a quarter of a century and his knowledge of the West Coast, the Pac-12 and of our current situation will be of great value as we begin to rebuild this program,” Fox said. “He has already been extremely helpful in the transition and I know he will continue to serve this program at a high level.”

“I truly appreciate the opportunity and I am extremely excited to be a part of Coach Fox’s staff,” Wilson said. “Our relationship goes back almost 25 years, and we share a valuable mentor who has shaped our philosophies. I believe Coach Fox will do great things here at Cal that everyone can be proud of.”

Trent Johnson comes to Berkeley after taking a few years off from coaching. He last coached TCU from 2012-2016. He built Nevada up with Fox. The Wolfpack would make a Sweet 16 appearance in 2004 and would continue that success with Fox in his next two seasons. Trent Johnson left to be Mike Montgomery’s successor at Stanford, leading the Cardinal to a Sweet 16 in 3 NCAA tournament appearances. Johnson would leave Stanford for LSU after his best recruits, in the Lopez twins, graduated. He only made the tournament once more during his 4 years at LSU and also his 4 years at TCU.

“Trent Johnson has been a part of my family for nearly three decades. His commitment to developing young people is second to none,” Fox said. “As a coach he led the league at Nevada, Stanford and LSU, and his expertise and experience will be a valuable part of our program.”

“I am thrilled to be able to reunite with Coach Fox while we work to build something special here in Berkeley,” Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to mentoring our guys as we develop high-character, high-caliber young men in the great tradition of Cal Athletics.”

Welcome to Berkeley!