Cal women’s basketball, on the back of just narrowly missing the NCAA tournament, is returning four starters.
Forgive me if I belabor the point, but just so we’re clear: last year’s team, who beat two tournament teams and lost by single digits to five other tournament teams, is returning four starters.
I think that simple fact is worth intrinsically celebrating, regardless of what the Bears achieve this year.
After suffering the sting of just missing the NCAA tournament, Lulu Twidale, Gisella Maul, Mjracle Sheppard, and Taylor Barnes all could have easily transferred to another team. Any of the four would have been highly sought after players that nearly every team in the country would have wanted on the roster. Hell, based on how other people ranked the players available in the transfer portal, I think Lulu Twidale would have been one of the 5 or 10 most sought after players in the country.
They all chose to come back to Berkeley and play for Charmin Smith.
For fans who want to watch Cal win games, retaining these players is tremendously exciting. Cal will enter the season with expectations of making the NCAA tournament and competing toward the top of the ACC.
For fans who have developed an emotional connection to the players on the roster, this is a wonderful development. Those of us who raised their hands in anticipation every time Lulu released a quick trigger 3, who loved watching Mjracle make life miserable for an opposing guard, who thrilled at the development from Taylor and Gisella last year, we all have something to celebrate.
And for fans who hate the transfer portal, who hate seeing constant roster churn year after year, you will get to enjoy a year that will remind them of the good old days. You can watch individual players develop, and watch a cohesive roster develop, just like back in the day when you could expect most of a team’s roster to return.
On Thursday night, the Bears crushed Long Beach State. This was expected - LBSU was just 5-25 last year, lost their best player, and fired their coach. They’re basically starting over. Cal went on an 18-2 run that started midway through the 1st quarter to put the game away, then outscored LBSU 30-5 in the 3rd quarter to put on an exclamation point. It was 76-25 when Cal called off the dogs, and the only drama left was whether or not Shannon Dowell was going to get a triple double (she finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists).
On one hand, LBSU was too overmatched to learn a ton from this game. On the other hand, Cal treated LBSU like an overmatched team, and dominated them accordingly, which is one sign that the Bears are poised to improve on their 25-26 season.
Cal played 13 different players (with Mjracle Sheppard still out with an injury) and nobody played more than 26 minutes. Five Bears hit double figures and 12 Bears hit a field goal. Of the Bears who played, only reserve Anastasia Drosouni didn’t score, in part because she unfortunately suffered an injury shortly after entering the game.
Cal’s next few games will tell us a bit more - USF and UCSB are pretty solid mid-majors - but we won’t really start learning a ton about this team until they play Gonzaga in Hawaii on November 23, and when the Bears finally play power conference competition when Texas A&M comes to Berkeley on December 3.
So, how good will this team be?
1-4, the Bears look talented and deep. Obviously you have Cal’s 4 returning starters: Mjracle Sheppard at point, Lulu at shooting guard, and Taylor Barnes and Gisella Maul on the wings. Missouri 4th year transfer Shannon Dowell and Aussie freshmen Ruby Perkins and Zara Russell look to be the primary guard/wing back-ups.
Ultimately, the answer almost certainly depends on how successful Cal is at replacing the contributions of Sakima Walker, who exhausted her eligibility last year. Cal’s center brought a little bit of everything to the position, acting as Cal’s primary rim protector, defensive rebounder, and interior scorer. One returner and two newcomers will have the chance to fill her shoes, either individually or in the aggregate. Naya Ojukwu, Albina Syla, and Jovana Jevtovic have collectively played 40 minutes in each of Cal’s first two games, and they each bring something unique to the position.
Cal fans of course already know Naya Ojukwu, who joined Cal via transfer from Morgan State. Undersized at 6’1’’, Ojukwu is nevertheless a relentless offensive rebounder and 2nd chance finisher. Her size can sometimes limit her to playing in certain matchup situations, but she brings a unique skillset.
Albina Syla, a 3rd year transfer from Rhode Island, is probably the best interior defender of the trio. She uses her 6’5’’ frame to block and alter shots, and she’s the best defensive rebounder of the group as well.
And finally, freshman Jovana Jevtovic from Serbia may already be the best offensive player of Cal’s three centers. Already a contributor last year on a professional euro team, Jevtovic is controlled around the basket and looks like a solid finisher, and she may offer a skillset that Charmin Smith has never had from a center before: the ability to stretch the floor and hit a 3. But it remains to be seen how she’ll hold up physically against more talented opposition.
If Charmin Smith is able to either find the best option(s) among those three players, or successfully mix and match them to put them in positions to highlight their strengths, this can be a deep, dynamic team.
There are lots of reasons to watch this team. The obvious reason is that they’re going to be good. Our computer overlords expect Cal to have a winning record in the ACC and to make the tournament, and I fully agree.
I want to highlight the 2nd obvious reason: Lulu Twidale is worth the cost of admission on her own.
After suffering through a cold-shooting start to her junior season she caught fire in ACC play, hitting 37% on her 3s despite the fact that every single team started their scout with the intention of denying her looks. Her ability to get shots off quickly and hit them anyway still dazzles me.
But it was the growth in her all-around game that is worth highlighting. She improved her finishing inside, both by percentage and by volume. She improved her assist rate and lowered her turnover rate. She got to the line more frequently than ever before, and was money from the charity stripe.
In short, she improved herself from a solid rotation player into an unquestioned star offensive player. An all-conference level player that a power conference team can build around.
And she’s started the season red hot, hitting 9 of her first 14 threes on the season.
I think she’s poised for a special season, and she’d be reason enough to come to Haas Pavilion even if the team around her wasn’t expected to make the tournament. Add that in and the choice is obvious: you should make this team appointment viewing.
A matchup of the two universities I have attended, and a lopsided one at that.