Given the likely attrition we need more guys like this. Madsen is already moving forward even though we are still in the midst of March madness. More defenders please.
Lots of work left to do. Lots. Curtis is a wildcard….will he be healthy? Or here?
Suffice it to say, absent any more defections, these final 4 scholarships need to go big time players ready to make an impact in the ACC if Cal is going to be competitive next season.
Ideally, a big that can shoot, like a Nick Davidson from Nevada, would be a great add in the post. A quality starting caliber PG with some size that can facilitate and defend…plus another shooter and a low-post player that can board and hang with P5 players.
If Ruff can be a factor early at the 2, and Dort/Mahoney can take a step forward in year 2 in the system to provide quality depth in the paint, things could be interesting next season if the staff can close on some impact guys.
I don't know if even Campbell thinks he earned starting time based on his play in the ACC last year and he should probably understand why we're still actively recruiting his position.
Campbell and Dorsey ideally are playing 10-12 mpg in defined roles towards the back end of the rotation next season. If that’s the case, it means Madsen has reloaded with players that can excel at the P5 level and the program should be the better for it.
The Fighting Camels are in North Carolina and play in the Coastal Athletic Association along with College of Charleston, UNC Wilmington, Monmouth, Hofstra, etc….it’s almost always a 1-bid league to the NCAA Tournament, tho there have been seasons where Charleston lost the CAA Tourney and made a run at an at-large bid.
Agree with Jimmy C, first and foremost, we need to get scorers/shooters. Cal had the lowest FG percentage in the ACC - just 41.9% (and other tems shot 46.9% against us) . Every team is scanning the portal for shooters, especially from deep, We also need a big, Hard to build consistent success, when you find yourself needing to rebuild your team every year. UCLA just secured the top player in the portal from New Mexico. Game on.
We were close to that last year. We struggled a bit defending guards, which snowballed into larger defensive lapses... but we had lockdown defenders everywhere else between Stoj, Petraitus, and Sissoko.
Adding a defensive specialist is always good, especially as improvement on D is imperative if next year’s roster is going to be at all competitive with good Power Conference teams and make a push for the Dance.
Let’s see how the rest of the roster sorts out, but we saw last year the difficulty a number of Cal players had offensively making the jump from the mediocre mid-major level to the ACC…this does little to address that so not sure how much of the needle it moves, but we’ll see. We absolutely need to get better on D, so this is definitely a step!
What’s interesting is this is going to be the MO for high majors, they’ll just pluck really good low major players and won’t recruit HS players as much.
You still go after Wilkinson because one-and-done players have always existed. You get them because they will help you THAT year. And with any modicum of success, you can build some sense of stability around that. Imagine if we didn't go after Wilkinson last year and had the same injuries?
I hear ya. But Wilkinson was not a traditional 1-and-done, 4 or 5* guy like Kidd or Jaylen Brown. That’s the deal you make with the elite, Mickey D’s AA types. He was an under-recruited gem they found and subsequently lost…Cal lived with the growing pains, finished 15th out of 18 in a weak ACC and now he’s gone to blossom elsewhere. Not saying there’s any answer, but player retention and development is crucial for a program like Cal, and it’s gonna be a struggle, especially as they try to rebuild a program that historically has been light on that kind of talent.
I get what you're saying, but this is the era we're in. We need coaches who can take a constantly evolving roster and figure out how to maximize what they have, and our focus just needs to be on maximizing the amount of talent we have on our roster any given year without worrying about whether or not they'll stick around.
This is why I wish we would have seen more from the coaching staff that could give some semblance of confidence that a system, an identity, is being forged. All we’ve really seen in 2 seasons is a roster that struggles to defend v. Power Conference opponents, and relies mostly on individual talents and 1-on-1 isolation to get buckets. Granted, it’s a far cry better than the nonsense we saw under Wyking and Fox, but nonetheless nowhere near good enough to contend for any type of postseason berth. Need better coaching from Madsen and staff if this is the new roster normality.
There are still some schools like Wisconsin that'll continue recruit HS players, but they'll be few and far between. I actually predict within the next 3 years the Big Ten and SEC will breakaway and form their own governing body eliminating the NCAA. Then the Big Ten & SEC will stop playing other schools and just play each other. That'll precipitate the end of the ACC as the member institutions will vote to dissolve the conference and the Big Ten & SEC will pick the 5-6 members from the ACC they want; it'll also force Notre Dame to end its independence, and the NCAA will in effect become a secondary governing body.
It's unfortunate but that's what is going to happen as the NCAA is basically irrelevant now anyway.
Ames gives them an additional guy that has shown he belongs in the ACC...that makes 2 legit ACC-caliber players, with a solid glue guy in Rytis and just a lot of question marks.
Honestly, the roster likely still needs a few more guys capable of contributing at the P5 level, with at least one being a legitimate shooter. Plenty of work to be done - hopefully Madsen and staff are hitting the recruiting trail hard.
Given the likely attrition we need more guys like this. Madsen is already moving forward even though we are still in the midst of March madness. More defenders please.
Current Scholarship Roster
1. Andrej
2. Rytis
3. Lee Dort
4. DJ Campbell
5. Devin Curtis
6. Nolan Dorsey
7. Jovani Ruff (FR)
8. Semetri Carr (FR)
9. Spencer Mahoney
Lots of work left to do. Lots. Curtis is a wildcard….will he be healthy? Or here?
Suffice it to say, absent any more defections, these final 4 scholarships need to go big time players ready to make an impact in the ACC if Cal is going to be competitive next season.
Ideally, a big that can shoot, like a Nick Davidson from Nevada, would be a great add in the post. A quality starting caliber PG with some size that can facilitate and defend…plus another shooter and a low-post player that can board and hang with P5 players.
If Ruff can be a factor early at the 2, and Dort/Mahoney can take a step forward in year 2 in the system to provide quality depth in the paint, things could be interesting next season if the staff can close on some impact guys.
We have a bit of a log jam at the 2 guard w Campbell, Dorsey and Ruff. I hope that Madsen knows what he's doing
Just some context. We had a logjam at the wings. 2 injuries later we were depleted the rest of the season. So I’ll take it wherever we can get it
I don't know if even Campbell thinks he earned starting time based on his play in the ACC last year and he should probably understand why we're still actively recruiting his position.
Campbell and Dorsey ideally are playing 10-12 mpg in defined roles towards the back end of the rotation next season. If that’s the case, it means Madsen has reloaded with players that can excel at the P5 level and the program should be the better for it.
With Dai Dai and Milos added to this list, I still want at least 1 more guard and 1 more big -- but both need to be like P5 level transfers.
Agreed. Even with these additions we’re a bottom quarter roster in the ACC currently. Plenty of more work still to be done.
Where is Campbell University and what D level is it?
The Fighting Camels are in North Carolina and play in the Coastal Athletic Association along with College of Charleston, UNC Wilmington, Monmouth, Hofstra, etc….it’s almost always a 1-bid league to the NCAA Tournament, tho there have been seasons where Charleston lost the CAA Tourney and made a run at an at-large bid.
Thanks. Lots of info
I like this add more if it’s part of a play to increase depth.
Agree with Jimmy C, first and foremost, we need to get scorers/shooters. Cal had the lowest FG percentage in the ACC - just 41.9% (and other tems shot 46.9% against us) . Every team is scanning the portal for shooters, especially from deep, We also need a big, Hard to build consistent success, when you find yourself needing to rebuild your team every year. UCLA just secured the top player in the portal from New Mexico. Game on.
would be nice to become a team that is tough in the paint on both ends, has sound D and makes their free throws, and makes clutch shots
We were close to that last year. We struggled a bit defending guards, which snowballed into larger defensive lapses... but we had lockdown defenders everywhere else between Stoj, Petraitus, and Sissoko.
Him and Petraitis will clamp up everyone!
Adding a defensive specialist is always good, especially as improvement on D is imperative if next year’s roster is going to be at all competitive with good Power Conference teams and make a push for the Dance.
Let’s see how the rest of the roster sorts out, but we saw last year the difficulty a number of Cal players had offensively making the jump from the mediocre mid-major level to the ACC…this does little to address that so not sure how much of the needle it moves, but we’ll see. We absolutely need to get better on D, so this is definitely a step!
A D and 3 wing with length is always good!
But to me the most important are players with high basketball IQ.
What’s interesting is this is going to be the MO for high majors, they’ll just pluck really good low major players and won’t recruit HS players as much.
Yup, it’s really already happening. Saw an interview with Calapari, and Mcafee iirc, where it’s clear HS recruiting is taking it on the chin.
Honestly I don’t understand why you even recruit HS athletes anymore - it sucks but look at Wilkinson…that’s happening all the time now.
You still go after Wilkinson because one-and-done players have always existed. You get them because they will help you THAT year. And with any modicum of success, you can build some sense of stability around that. Imagine if we didn't go after Wilkinson last year and had the same injuries?
I hear ya. But Wilkinson was not a traditional 1-and-done, 4 or 5* guy like Kidd or Jaylen Brown. That’s the deal you make with the elite, Mickey D’s AA types. He was an under-recruited gem they found and subsequently lost…Cal lived with the growing pains, finished 15th out of 18 in a weak ACC and now he’s gone to blossom elsewhere. Not saying there’s any answer, but player retention and development is crucial for a program like Cal, and it’s gonna be a struggle, especially as they try to rebuild a program that historically has been light on that kind of talent.
I get what you're saying, but this is the era we're in. We need coaches who can take a constantly evolving roster and figure out how to maximize what they have, and our focus just needs to be on maximizing the amount of talent we have on our roster any given year without worrying about whether or not they'll stick around.
This is why I wish we would have seen more from the coaching staff that could give some semblance of confidence that a system, an identity, is being forged. All we’ve really seen in 2 seasons is a roster that struggles to defend v. Power Conference opponents, and relies mostly on individual talents and 1-on-1 isolation to get buckets. Granted, it’s a far cry better than the nonsense we saw under Wyking and Fox, but nonetheless nowhere near good enough to contend for any type of postseason berth. Need better coaching from Madsen and staff if this is the new roster normality.
There are still some schools like Wisconsin that'll continue recruit HS players, but they'll be few and far between. I actually predict within the next 3 years the Big Ten and SEC will breakaway and form their own governing body eliminating the NCAA. Then the Big Ten & SEC will stop playing other schools and just play each other. That'll precipitate the end of the ACC as the member institutions will vote to dissolve the conference and the Big Ten & SEC will pick the 5-6 members from the ACC they want; it'll also force Notre Dame to end its independence, and the NCAA will in effect become a secondary governing body.
It's unfortunate but that's what is going to happen as the NCAA is basically irrelevant now anyway.
UPDATED - 4.5.25
1. Andrej
2. Rytis
3. Lee Dort
4. DJ Campbell
5. Devin Curtis
6. Nolan Dorsey
7. Jovani Ruff (FR)
8. Semetri Carr (FR)
9. Spencer Mahoney
10. Dai Dai Ames
11. Milos Ilic
——————
Ames gives them an additional guy that has shown he belongs in the ACC...that makes 2 legit ACC-caliber players, with a solid glue guy in Rytis and just a lot of question marks.
Honestly, the roster likely still needs a few more guys capable of contributing at the P5 level, with at least one being a legitimate shooter. Plenty of work to be done - hopefully Madsen and staff are hitting the recruiting trail hard.
Thanks Rob.
Desperately needed more consistent shooting. Looks like he's capable of filling this role.