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Cal Men's Basketball Coach Montgomery Retires

BERKELEY (CBS / AP) — California coach Mike Montgomery is retiring after six seasons at the school.

Cal announced the decision after Montgomery met with athletic director Sandy Barbour on Monday. ESPN first reported Montgomery's decision.

The 67-year-old Montgomery decided to retire following an up-and-down season that ended last Wednesday with a loss to SMU in the quarterfinals of the NIT.

The Golden Bears went 21-14 and made the postseason for the sixth time in as many years under Montgomery but struggled late in the season and missed out on a return trip to the NCAAs.

Montgomery finishes his career with a 677-317 record, having also spent 18 years at Stanford and eight at Montana. Montgomery also had disappointing seasons as head coach of the NBA's Golden State Warriors in between his stints at Stanford and Cal.

Montgomery went 130-73 at Cal, posting the most wins in a six-year stretch in school history. He ranks third on the school's all-time wins list. He also retires with the third-most conference wins in Pac-12 history with 282 and ranks 25th on the NCAA's all-time list for career victories.

He had received a two-year contract extension in July 2012 to remain at the school through 2015-16. Ahead of the 2011-12 season, Montgomery disclosed he had bladder cancer and underwent surgery that left him cancer-free.

Montgomery then led the Golden Bears to a 24-10 record that season, a runner-up finish in the Pac-12 Conference and a first-round loss to South Florida in the NCAA tournament.

He also helped Cal capture its first league title in 50 years in 2010. The Bears then beat Louisville in their NCAA tournament opener before losing to Duke.

Montgomery's only other NCAA tournament win came last season, when the Bears beat UNLV in their opener before losing to Syracuse in the round of 32. The 2012-13 season was marred for Montgomery when he was publicly reprimanded by the Pac-12 and the school for shoving star player Allen Crabbe during a game.

Montgomery, whose career as a head coach began at Montana in 1978, coached many eventual NBA stars at both Stanford and Cal.

At Stanford, Montgomery reached 12 NCAA tournaments with 10 straight second-round appearances and a trip to the 1998 Final Four.

Montgomery's son, John, just completed his third season as an assistant coach under his father after previously working as Cal's director of basketball operations.

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