Losing this one balances out the positive feelings from that shock Oregon win. An unexpected road pick-up erased by losing the one home game left on the schedule we were supposed to take.
Feb 20, 2022·edited Feb 20, 2022Liked by Alex Khalifa
Thanks Alex...great write-up. Much appreciated...frustrating game.
As an unabashed Alajiki fan because of his versatility on D, physicality, toughness and shooting strength, especially from 3, the 6 minutes were inexplicable...and inexcusable (barring an un-declared injury of course). Fox’s aversion to playing FR is one of his major weaknesses, imho, and shows his inability to adapt to the roster he himself has compiled. Sam should be getting 15-20 minutes per night (Obinna & now Roberson 5-6 mpg, too) because he’s a good enough ball player, especially on D, to do so. He makes things happen and is one of few guys on the roster that has a legitimate nose for the ball.
I’ve also wanted to see Kuany play down-low a bit more. While he lacks the physical strength to consistently bang with the big bodies on the block, his athleticism and length could have been a major advantage on a team that lacks a rim protector. Having KK chase SGs around the 3 point line defensively for most of the year has seemed like a major missed opportunity from Fox, and shows a lack of imagination and innovation from a guy that is a “defensive” mind.
I don’t see any way Knowlton makes a change, given the APR/AK22 injury excuse/OR road sweep...also don’t see how Fox gets this team anywhere above 10th place or near .500 in P12 play next year, given his clear limitations, stubbornness and seeming refusal to adapt. If he can somehow land a scoring PG, that’d be something, but I don’t think they even have any schollies left until someone inevitably enters the portal.
Darkest period in my lifetime for Cal hoops, and I am disappointed because I feel for the MBB program the same way Boss Tanaka felt about the Council that runs the Tokyo Underground in Kill Bill...he loved it...
We had Many opportunities to win, but nobody could put the ball in the basket, and Utah had four And-ones which is very unusual
Can’t even complain about the FT disparity in this one
Not to single out one player but Grant missed a lot of open looks, and as a fifth year senior he is the one to step up and win this type of game
Lars not only filled the box score but he also outplayed their best player. That should have been enough to beat Utah at home
Yes, Brown had only 4 points but if you put that stat in a summary saying he didn’t do enough you should have at least acknowledged that he should have had 6 points
That basket was in crunch time and would have been a huge play. Also he had two clutch FTs at the end. I also noted those FTs were picture perfect with the perfect arc and back spin
I think he can substantially improve his FT percent with a ton of reps in the off-season
2K had a good all around game and is showing more confidence. He will start for us next year
Celestine with the clutch shot to make the buzzer beater possible. He also locked down Gach who has slashed us every game in the past. Grant and 2K also defended him at times
Shepherd makes lots of pump fakes, and hesitation moves and they work well, but Utah’s guards weren’t biting on either (probably Utah coaches scouted him well and they executed the defense well, unlike Oregon who too often try to block shots)
My guess was Sam didn’t play in second half due to defensive. Sam is VERY active on defense but he sometimes is in the wrong place or makes defensive mistakes
Roberson got 2 minutes because he’s just not ready yet, and made a dumb foul. (Grabbing his man from behind because he couldn’t stay with his cut). The type that drive coaches crazy.
Obinina was in to try to defend their center and best player. That experiment clearly didn’t work
Losing this one balances out the positive feelings from that shock Oregon win. An unexpected road pick-up erased by losing the one home game left on the schedule we were supposed to take.
Thanks Alex...great write-up. Much appreciated...frustrating game.
As an unabashed Alajiki fan because of his versatility on D, physicality, toughness and shooting strength, especially from 3, the 6 minutes were inexplicable...and inexcusable (barring an un-declared injury of course). Fox’s aversion to playing FR is one of his major weaknesses, imho, and shows his inability to adapt to the roster he himself has compiled. Sam should be getting 15-20 minutes per night (Obinna & now Roberson 5-6 mpg, too) because he’s a good enough ball player, especially on D, to do so. He makes things happen and is one of few guys on the roster that has a legitimate nose for the ball.
I’ve also wanted to see Kuany play down-low a bit more. While he lacks the physical strength to consistently bang with the big bodies on the block, his athleticism and length could have been a major advantage on a team that lacks a rim protector. Having KK chase SGs around the 3 point line defensively for most of the year has seemed like a major missed opportunity from Fox, and shows a lack of imagination and innovation from a guy that is a “defensive” mind.
I don’t see any way Knowlton makes a change, given the APR/AK22 injury excuse/OR road sweep...also don’t see how Fox gets this team anywhere above 10th place or near .500 in P12 play next year, given his clear limitations, stubbornness and seeming refusal to adapt. If he can somehow land a scoring PG, that’d be something, but I don’t think they even have any schollies left until someone inevitably enters the portal.
Darkest period in my lifetime for Cal hoops, and I am disappointed because I feel for the MBB program the same way Boss Tanaka felt about the Council that runs the Tokyo Underground in Kill Bill...he loved it...
Nice analysis. The Bears did just enough to lose unfortunately.
Frustrating game. Frustrating loss
We had Many opportunities to win, but nobody could put the ball in the basket, and Utah had four And-ones which is very unusual
Can’t even complain about the FT disparity in this one
Not to single out one player but Grant missed a lot of open looks, and as a fifth year senior he is the one to step up and win this type of game
Lars not only filled the box score but he also outplayed their best player. That should have been enough to beat Utah at home
Yes, Brown had only 4 points but if you put that stat in a summary saying he didn’t do enough you should have at least acknowledged that he should have had 6 points
That basket was in crunch time and would have been a huge play. Also he had two clutch FTs at the end. I also noted those FTs were picture perfect with the perfect arc and back spin
I think he can substantially improve his FT percent with a ton of reps in the off-season
2K had a good all around game and is showing more confidence. He will start for us next year
Celestine with the clutch shot to make the buzzer beater possible. He also locked down Gach who has slashed us every game in the past. Grant and 2K also defended him at times
Shepherd makes lots of pump fakes, and hesitation moves and they work well, but Utah’s guards weren’t biting on either (probably Utah coaches scouted him well and they executed the defense well, unlike Oregon who too often try to block shots)
My guess was Sam didn’t play in second half due to defensive. Sam is VERY active on defense but he sometimes is in the wrong place or makes defensive mistakes
Roberson got 2 minutes because he’s just not ready yet, and made a dumb foul. (Grabbing his man from behind because he couldn’t stay with his cut). The type that drive coaches crazy.
Obinina was in to try to defend their center and best player. That experiment clearly didn’t work