Excellent write-up and you make some good points about what has become a frustrating season. To me the problem is simple. Cal's best teams have had players like Brittney Boyd, Alexis-Gray-Lawson, Layshia Clarendon and Asha Thomas in the backcourt and Reshanda Grey, Kristen Anigwe, Devani Hampson and Jennifer Brandon at the post. They have no one of that quality on the current team. There are no players who can carry them in close games. More concerning is there's no help on the way. There is no one in the next recruiting class and, depending on transfers out, probably only room for one to three newcomers via the portal. Selling five star high schoolers on the program is going to be a tough sell. Hopefully Charmin Smith is up to the task.
Thank you for your great analysis. It was just what I needed on this Monday morning after a disappointing weekend for the Bears in Washington. My hope is that Leilani decides to return for one more year likewise Karisma Ortiz who has shown some real growth during the latter part of the season. I think Charmin thought she would have 5'11 guard Alma Elsnitz (Sweden) coming off the bench this season. She was part of that #6 2021 recruiting class. But her Cal career has been marked by far MORE minutes on the injured list and rehab than on the court. Hopefully, she'll be able to contribute next season. I'd also like to see Mia Mastrov gain more confidence on the offensive side of the ball in her junior season. Her defensive skills are starting to shine. We do have a highly-regarded Australian guard, Lulu Laditan-Twidale coming in as a freshman next season. She's 5'10. Otherwise, we should search the transfer portal for a post player and a back-up point guard who can score. Go Bears!!!
"The inches add up." This theme summarizes the issues Cal faces across the board, and I had to re-read the headline to remind myself it was in reference to WBB, and not Wilcox's football program, the MBB program, or even the baseball team.
The story line is almost a copy/paste game to game and season to season. "Cal has some good pieces, and them mostly play hard. But <insert opponent> at some point capitalizes on a Cal area of weakness and prevails."
Overall recruiting certainly continues to bring in some bright spots, but overall, falls short somewhere in terms of speed/size/strength/baseline talent/quality depth/versatility/breadth of talent. Cal attempts to compensate, with varying degrees of success, but the key work there is still compensate. Compounding the problem, the shortcomings mean a tendency to over-rely and overwork the good pieces the Bears do have, which tends to increase the likelihood of injury and illness, which exacerbate the depth and versatility problem.
The result is an inability to be competitive all game long in every game all season, and the losses lead to the bottom 1/3 of the standings. Fixing it isn't easy, or quick, either. The fact that this pattern transcends programs and coaches, some of whom are struggling with more than others, but none are thriving under, suggests that WBB is another victim of a system/culture that does currently not put Cal's programs or players in a position to be able to be successful on other than an occasional basis.
It's time to blow up both men's & women's basketball and, of course, men's football programs and start over. It's impossible to contemplate how that could provide worse results, and it might just help.
What Cal is doing right now is clearly not working. At all.
Seems correctable by recruiting and I think Coach Smith is doing fine, all things considered. It's tough sledding to move up in the Pac. Being "1 or 2 players away" or having future contributors "1 or 2 years away" from their potential can relegate you to the bottom tier of the conference.
Just a very different situation than the men's side despite the disappointment in both teams' results.
Excellent write-up and you make some good points about what has become a frustrating season. To me the problem is simple. Cal's best teams have had players like Brittney Boyd, Alexis-Gray-Lawson, Layshia Clarendon and Asha Thomas in the backcourt and Reshanda Grey, Kristen Anigwe, Devani Hampson and Jennifer Brandon at the post. They have no one of that quality on the current team. There are no players who can carry them in close games. More concerning is there's no help on the way. There is no one in the next recruiting class and, depending on transfers out, probably only room for one to three newcomers via the portal. Selling five star high schoolers on the program is going to be a tough sell. Hopefully Charmin Smith is up to the task.
Thank you for your great analysis. It was just what I needed on this Monday morning after a disappointing weekend for the Bears in Washington. My hope is that Leilani decides to return for one more year likewise Karisma Ortiz who has shown some real growth during the latter part of the season. I think Charmin thought she would have 5'11 guard Alma Elsnitz (Sweden) coming off the bench this season. She was part of that #6 2021 recruiting class. But her Cal career has been marked by far MORE minutes on the injured list and rehab than on the court. Hopefully, she'll be able to contribute next season. I'd also like to see Mia Mastrov gain more confidence on the offensive side of the ball in her junior season. Her defensive skills are starting to shine. We do have a highly-regarded Australian guard, Lulu Laditan-Twidale coming in as a freshman next season. She's 5'10. Otherwise, we should search the transfer portal for a post player and a back-up point guard who can score. Go Bears!!!
"The inches add up." This theme summarizes the issues Cal faces across the board, and I had to re-read the headline to remind myself it was in reference to WBB, and not Wilcox's football program, the MBB program, or even the baseball team.
The story line is almost a copy/paste game to game and season to season. "Cal has some good pieces, and them mostly play hard. But <insert opponent> at some point capitalizes on a Cal area of weakness and prevails."
Overall recruiting certainly continues to bring in some bright spots, but overall, falls short somewhere in terms of speed/size/strength/baseline talent/quality depth/versatility/breadth of talent. Cal attempts to compensate, with varying degrees of success, but the key work there is still compensate. Compounding the problem, the shortcomings mean a tendency to over-rely and overwork the good pieces the Bears do have, which tends to increase the likelihood of injury and illness, which exacerbate the depth and versatility problem.
The result is an inability to be competitive all game long in every game all season, and the losses lead to the bottom 1/3 of the standings. Fixing it isn't easy, or quick, either. The fact that this pattern transcends programs and coaches, some of whom are struggling with more than others, but none are thriving under, suggests that WBB is another victim of a system/culture that does currently not put Cal's programs or players in a position to be able to be successful on other than an occasional basis.
It's time to blow up both men's & women's basketball and, of course, men's football programs and start over. It's impossible to contemplate how that could provide worse results, and it might just help.
What Cal is doing right now is clearly not working. At all.
Seems correctable by recruiting and I think Coach Smith is doing fine, all things considered. It's tough sledding to move up in the Pac. Being "1 or 2 players away" or having future contributors "1 or 2 years away" from their potential can relegate you to the bottom tier of the conference.
Just a very different situation than the men's side despite the disappointment in both teams' results.