Thursday, April 29, 2010

Bears pick up talented wing Emerson Murray

Emerson Murray, from the country of Canada, has made a verbal commitment and will sign later this week (http://twitter.com/crownmagazine/status/12903598081). Murray, a combo guard from Vancouver, was ranked as the #2 shooting guard in all of Canada by Hoopstars Canada. His location may have hurt him; previously, the only attention he has received is from a pair of mid-major (albeit high-quality ones) in Gonzaga and St. Mary’s. Another hindrance in his recruiting was a broken ankle he suffered his senior year. He has some great quickness and some great hops. He’s a high flyer, making some highlight reel dunks. His passing is merely solid, but if he’s slotted at the 2 it shouldn’t be much of a problem. His handle is a bit high and undeveloped, but he has shown a wicked crossover. He has shown (against some weaker competition) that he can get to the hole at will. But he’s also shown a nice jumper; I can’t speak to more than my highlight tape viewing, but he appears to have good form and good arc on his shots.




I love this pickup by Coach Montgomery. Murray is an incredibly gifted athlete; he’s quick, and he can jump out of the gym. He’s got a very good handle (it needs a bit of work, but it can play right now), and a good jumper. I see him making an impact somewhere right away, whether it be as the 3rd guard in a 3 guard system or as a point. Welcome to Cal!

Friday, April 23, 2010

2 Bears in the first round: Alualu and Best go to Jaguars, Lions

The California Golden Bears represented well in the 2010 NFL Draft, having 2 players selected in the 1st round. Those 2 were the only Pac-10 players selected in the opening round. Alualu went in the Top 10, to the Jacksonville Jaguars at 10th overall. Jahvid Best went 30th overall to the Detroit Lions. Both Alualu and Best should make an immediate impact and start right away or down the line.




It’s great to see two great players we watched in college go to the next level. It’s also great for recruiting opportunities. Go Bears!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

A Look Back- The 2003-2004 California Golden Bears and how the present day Bears can avoid the similar fate

The 2003-2004 Cal Bears were perhaps the worst team in the Ben Braun era. A team that was coming off a successful campaign and a second round tournament exit suddenly collapsed to a 13-15 record. Of course, the core of the 2002 team left and what was left was a shell of its former self. Sound familiar?




The team lost Joe Shipp, the team’s leading scorer from the previous year, and Brian Wethers, the team’s second leading scorer. A returning starter, Gabriel Hughes, would miss half the season. Returning were Amit Tamir (14.9 points per game), Richard Midgley (9.2 points per game), and not much else (Conor Famulener averaged 3.3 as the next leading returner). Of course, current fan favorite Rod Benson returned (with a terrific .8 points per game!). He, and others, would have to take an increased role. Adding in bodies in the recruiting class were Leon Powe, Ayinde Ubaka, Marquise Kately, and Dominic McGuire. It was a very highly touted class, with Kately being the Northern California Player of the Year, Powe being a prep All-American, and Ayinde Ubaka being a Parade All-American. Very similar to the incoming class, as a matter of fact (even higher- it was a Top-10 class). Expectations were high. The team was ranked in several Top-25 polls, and were 3rd in the preseason Pac-10 poll.



The season, to say the least, started poorly. Cal choked the game away, as they had a 48-34 lead before losing 63-62. A tip-in by Nick Enzweiller with 4.8 seconds remaining lifted Cal Poly to the win, the first loss at home in the non-conference since 1999. Amit Tamir led the team with 13 points and Leon Powe chipped in 12. The Bears would recover, but barely. Amit Tamir followed his own miss and made a tip-in to give Cal a 47-46 victory over BYU. Leon Powe, the promising freshman, scored 18 to lead the Bears. Cal would move forward in non-conference play with their first road game, against UNLV. They would not pass the test, as UNLV would take a 20 point lead before a late Cal surge would make it closer. A Tamir 3 would find its way out to have Cal lose, 59-57. Tamir scored 11 while Powe again led the team with 14 points. Cal would finish its “cupcake” stretch with a game against UC Irvine. After trailing early, the Bears pulled away behind the efforts of Powe 65-57. Ubaka hit a couple key jump shots to lead the Bears by. Powe had a coming out performance (an indication of things to come) with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Now the test would come; Colorado, St. Joseph’s, and Pac-10 play loomed.



Boulder, Colorado is not known for its hostile basketball crowds, but that was the case for the Bears. Colorado trailed only early, but the Bears kept it close for a half before falling ugly 78-60. Amit Tamir showed why he was a top All Pac-10 pick early, scoring 21 points to lead the Bears. Leon Powe chipped in 11. Next, the Bears would take on the Wyoming Cowboys in Berkeley. The Bears would put together a team effort in crushing the Cowboys, 80-55. Marquise Kately, a freshman, scored 18 points to lead Cal. Richard Midgley scored 13 points, Leon Powe added 12, and Ayinde Ubaka scored 10 points. In a game played in Oakland, the Bears took on the St. Joseph’s Hawks. Now, don’t treat them lightly; this team was ranked #11th in the nation, would eventually go undefeated for a good time, and featured Jameer Nelson. Nelson would sink the Bears late, nailing a fadeaway jumper with 4.3 seconds to beat Cal 59-57. Amit Tamir would have a chance to give Cal a lead but would miss a jumper that gave Nelson control. Kately continued showing promise, scoring 16 points on the night. But another freshman, Leon Powe (this is reoccurring Powe love isn’t it?) stole the show, recording his 6th double-double in 7 games with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The Bears would close out non conference play with the Golden Bear Classic, which is set up for Cal to win (hadn’t lost since 1999). Cal would breeze past Columbia behind Midgley’s 21 and Powe’s 16 to set up a game with Air Force for the title. The Bears would find a way to lose, as Air Force upset the Bears 49-44 after Cal squandered a late 38-33 lead. Powe scored 25 points to be a lone bright spot for the Bears. Cal would enter conference play at 4-5.



Conference play would begin with 2 games against Washington and Washington State, both at Haas Pavilion. Amit Tamir led the Bears, scoring 21 and several 3’s late to sink the Huskies 76-62. Leon Powe maintained his high level of play, with 19 points and 14 rebounds. The Bears strong play would not continue against the Cougars, as they fell 55-50 despite the overall poor play of the Bears (Tamir the only one playing well; he scored 16). Cal would head to Arizona, to take on the Wildcats. #3 Arizona would dismantle the Bears 95-75, with Leon Powe sitting out. Rod Benson would score 11 and Marquis Kately would lead with 18. A solid performance in Tempe would net the Bears a road conference win 74-62, with Powe leading with 16 in a return from injury. Heading to Palo Alto, the Bears would take on the hated Cardinal and future Cal coach Mike Montgomery. Stanford, 14-0 at the time, would narrowly defeat the Bears 68-61, with Richard Midgley scoring 19 (all in the 2nd half) to lead the Bears back.



Heading home to Berkeley, the Bears would take on the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins. Ayinde Ubaka would hit 2 big free throws, and Midgley would lead with 22 points to lead the Bears over the Trojans 63-62. Going against the highly touted UCLA Bruins, the 2 big fellows Tamir and Powe both scored 19 to lead the upset 76-62. Going on the road again, Cal took on Oregon and Oregon State. Marquise Kately would lead with 17, but the Ducks won the opener 68-56. The Beavers would have no such luck. Amit Tamir’s 20 points and Powe’s 20 would lead Cal to a 88-74 victory. The Bears would take on the Wildcats, this time in Haas. #12 Arizona wouldn’t stand a chance against the big guys, as Powe scored 21 and Tamir added his own 21 to gain an upset win 87-83. But they weren’t done yet. They would pull off the sweep, as Marquise Kately and Richard Midgley both went for 20+ to defeat Arizona State 85-83. At 7-4, Cal had a chance to do avenge an old loss to Stanford. 21-0 #2 Stanford would take out the upset-hopeful Bears 69-58, with Kately leading the team with 16.



In a game I don’t want to remember, UCLA crushed Cal 66-49. USC would defeat Cal despite Tamir’s 20 points 70-60. In an OT thriller, Powe would lead Cal past Oregon 85-81 due to his 21 points. Cal would pull off the sweep 75-58, with Tamir scoring his 1,000th point on Senior Day. Powe would add 23. Cal would finish the season with 2 ugly losses to Washington 76-58, and Washington State 70-58.



They would go to the Pac-10 Tournament, starting with a game against Oregon. A potential Cinderella run was ended before it started, with Tamir closing his great college career with 24 points in a 87-82 loss. Powe scored 20 in the final game of his freshman season.



The Final 2003-2004 California Golden Bear Stats

http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/051104aaa.html

Cal finished the season 13-15, with a 9-9 record in conference play. They went 2-9 on the road and 11-4 at home.



The team wasn’t horrendous; after a poor start, they had a decent season in conference play. But the team was altogether flawed; after Powe and Tamir, the offense struggled. Powe was also injured at times and ineffective when doubled because of the lack of 3 point shooters. The best 3 point shooter was Tamir at 35%; the guard play was very weak. However, Powe, Kately, Ubaka, and McGuire all showed flashes that boded well for the future. Sadly, Powe would be hurt by injuries, Kately and McGuire would transfer out, and Ubaka would battle bouts of inconsistency.



The clubs are very similar. A lot of talented freshman enter the program, and will be counted on to carry a scoring load. The offense will be mainly post oriented with Kamp, Zhang, and Sanders-Frison likely carrying the load. The guard play is suspect with unknowns all around (though Gutierrez is a far better player than any guard). So how can the Bears do better than their 2003-2004 counterparts.



How the current version can do better:

1. Don’t shoot too many 3’s. 31% shooting was one of the reasons they struggled so much. Other than Crabbe, there are few shooters capable of hurting the opposition. No jacking up 3’s like last year. More pounding to the inside and dribble drives.

2. Keep it respectable on the road. A 2-9 road record does you no favors, as the 2003-2004 squad pulled off. Playing that poorly guarantees a losing season.

3. Don’t turn it over. Cal is good enough to beat a lot of teams talent-wise, but they don’t have a true point yet. Even if they don’t have one, avoiding turnovers can lead to more possessions and more points Turnovers are a pain, and if the Bears can avoid turning it over 14.1 times per game (as that team did) they should improve

4. Solid point guard play. Goes hand in hand with #3, but warrants its own section. Avoiding turnovers, generating assists, and playing solid defense is all we ask. Ayinde Ubaka didn’t do that, and it helped sink the Bears. Brandon Smith doesn’t need to be spectacular, just okay.

5. Team Play. There is no great player at creating their own shot, so finding the open man and working the ball around will be far more important.



The 2003-2004 club can be learned from. If they learn from this team, a NCAA Tournament berth is in reach. If not, they are doomed to repeat their history. Go Bears!