It’s been a long time coming but a few of us, maybe even more then a few are getting the feeling Cal Basketball is coming out of the darkness.
Why you might ask? It starts with the realization we have competent coach who has a clear plan of action. He wasn’t a glamorous choice or big name but he has shown he can handle the job.
It’s been a rocky first couple years as he lost some talented players in Justice Sueing and 7’4” Conner H. But he has brought in players committed to Cal and the program. It’s been talked about often how hard it is to pull in the polished guys that end up at UCLA, Arizona, USC & Oregon. So instead he’s found the diamonds in the rough that are a good fit academically and with the system Coach Fox runs.
The biggest step I think the team has made this year is that the players know their roles and embrace them.
I think the turning point was the close loss to a ranked Seton Hall. We hung with them right up to the end. This team believes they can play with anyone.
So yes ASU was a depleted squad dealing with the short notice change in travel plans but that is just noise. The fact of the matter is Cal took care of business.
That leads to the focus on the NEXT game. SC could be ripe for an upset seeing how they have been on the shelf for a good long while. That’s all for now
good write up of the game. more insightful and interesting that most
Yes, Cal looks better than last year, but I'm of the opinion that if we had this team plus Bradley it could have been our year to reach the tournament. Basically it's been a while since we've had a veteran team with a certified star, and this could have been that year had Matt stayed
But that's all water under the bridge, and I'm so happy for the team that they are seeing some success. I think we will continue to beat the bottom 3 teams, and also knock off some higher standing teams on our home court. But how will we do on the road, and we absolutely need to stay healthy (and get some players healthier as they are not at 100%
UCLA, USC and AZ will be very tough, but I think we've got a shot at every other team on our home court
Turns out Cal is a better team w/o Bradley. The point about the offense standing around last year while Bradley created is well taken. They had a winning record for the games he was out & played better team ball. He was certainly capable of putting the team on his back & winning a game, but that is not Fox's style of ball nor is it reliable. Fox is a more capable coach than many on this board have given him credit for. If we can go 2-2 the next four games, that would be a validation of the improvement Don Maclean was referring to. Unfortunately after that are 3 straight games against top ten teams, so going 2-5 in our next 7 would still be the same accomplishment. If that happens, and the team doesn't get down on themselves, the following 8 games on the schedule are all winnable, not that we'd be favored in more than a couple.
" Fox is a more capable coach than many on this board have given him credit for. "
Is he though? He's never taken a team past the second round of the NCAA tournament. He had an excellent record at Nevada and was very average at Georgia and has had to deal with a lot of obstacles here at Cal but hasn't done well either. There are certainly explanations as to why he's done poorly at Cal - ones that I believe - but he hasn't demonstrated an awful lot aside from being able to have a slightly above average defensive team in year 3.
I like what Alajiki has already brought and can see potential with Anwanyu - but these guys (and Okafor and Newell) they all seem fine and potential Pac-12 level players. But there's been so many misses . . . and these guys we have should be volume of the recruits we're getting, but we haven't even gotten a nibble from anyone top 75.
We're consistently in the 60s nationally (or 7/8/9 in the Pac) when we need to be in the 4/5 range in the Pac and in the mid 30s nationally.
Good thing I called ASU being terrible otherwise I would've really had to eat crow from the game adjustment post earlier in the week. Good effort and execution from the boys. It's not pretty but its us and who we are.
Too bad Alajiki didn't have a bigger game because his name sounds like something And-1 announcers would yell when someone does something ridiculously slick and caps it with a dunk.
Anyway, we blew out a team in conference play, which I didn't expect this year. A finish in the middle of the conference with our roster would be a good success and a gateway to higher expectations and respectability.
I agree with coach Fox that it was as complete a performance by the Bears as I have seen in several years. As Don MacLean said "Cal is trending upward."
It’s been a long time coming but a few of us, maybe even more then a few are getting the feeling Cal Basketball is coming out of the darkness.
Why you might ask? It starts with the realization we have competent coach who has a clear plan of action. He wasn’t a glamorous choice or big name but he has shown he can handle the job.
It’s been a rocky first couple years as he lost some talented players in Justice Sueing and 7’4” Conner H. But he has brought in players committed to Cal and the program. It’s been talked about often how hard it is to pull in the polished guys that end up at UCLA, Arizona, USC & Oregon. So instead he’s found the diamonds in the rough that are a good fit academically and with the system Coach Fox runs.
The biggest step I think the team has made this year is that the players know their roles and embrace them.
I think the turning point was the close loss to a ranked Seton Hall. We hung with them right up to the end. This team believes they can play with anyone.
So yes ASU was a depleted squad dealing with the short notice change in travel plans but that is just noise. The fact of the matter is Cal took care of business.
That leads to the focus on the NEXT game. SC could be ripe for an upset seeing how they have been on the shelf for a good long while. That’s all for now
good write up of the game. more insightful and interesting that most
Yes, Cal looks better than last year, but I'm of the opinion that if we had this team plus Bradley it could have been our year to reach the tournament. Basically it's been a while since we've had a veteran team with a certified star, and this could have been that year had Matt stayed
But that's all water under the bridge, and I'm so happy for the team that they are seeing some success. I think we will continue to beat the bottom 3 teams, and also knock off some higher standing teams on our home court. But how will we do on the road, and we absolutely need to stay healthy (and get some players healthier as they are not at 100%
UCLA, USC and AZ will be very tough, but I think we've got a shot at every other team on our home court
Turns out Cal is a better team w/o Bradley. The point about the offense standing around last year while Bradley created is well taken. They had a winning record for the games he was out & played better team ball. He was certainly capable of putting the team on his back & winning a game, but that is not Fox's style of ball nor is it reliable. Fox is a more capable coach than many on this board have given him credit for. If we can go 2-2 the next four games, that would be a validation of the improvement Don Maclean was referring to. Unfortunately after that are 3 straight games against top ten teams, so going 2-5 in our next 7 would still be the same accomplishment. If that happens, and the team doesn't get down on themselves, the following 8 games on the schedule are all winnable, not that we'd be favored in more than a couple.
" Fox is a more capable coach than many on this board have given him credit for. "
Is he though? He's never taken a team past the second round of the NCAA tournament. He had an excellent record at Nevada and was very average at Georgia and has had to deal with a lot of obstacles here at Cal but hasn't done well either. There are certainly explanations as to why he's done poorly at Cal - ones that I believe - but he hasn't demonstrated an awful lot aside from being able to have a slightly above average defensive team in year 3.
I think he is. As this season plays out we will see if his involvement with USA Basketball ( Coach K) has deepened his grasp of the game.
For me just seeing games closed out or even getting towards the end game and we aren’t getting blown up is a positive step.
What are your feelings about the players he has brought in? Or the two lined up for next year?
I like what Alajiki has already brought and can see potential with Anwanyu - but these guys (and Okafor and Newell) they all seem fine and potential Pac-12 level players. But there's been so many misses . . . and these guys we have should be volume of the recruits we're getting, but we haven't even gotten a nibble from anyone top 75.
We're consistently in the 60s nationally (or 7/8/9 in the Pac) when we need to be in the 4/5 range in the Pac and in the mid 30s nationally.
Thursday will be an uphill battle but after a long layoff they may be vulnerable
Good thing I called ASU being terrible otherwise I would've really had to eat crow from the game adjustment post earlier in the week. Good effort and execution from the boys. It's not pretty but its us and who we are.
Too bad Alajiki didn't have a bigger game because his name sounds like something And-1 announcers would yell when someone does something ridiculously slick and caps it with a dunk.
Anyway, we blew out a team in conference play, which I didn't expect this year. A finish in the middle of the conference with our roster would be a good success and a gateway to higher expectations and respectability.
Nice analysis. Thanks. It was a great win, albeit against a poor team.
You can only beat the teams you play.
I agree with coach Fox that it was as complete a performance by the Bears as I have seen in several years. As Don MacLean said "Cal is trending upward."