The University of California also has a women's basketball program. That team was also in action today at Haas, defeating St. Mary's, 74-69 to run their record to 7-1.
Glimpses indeed. Kennedy's court presence just calms everything down for his teammates. Though he had an off shooting night, he had 9 rebounds and led the team with 4 assists. I'm excited to see what this team does come conference play.
KK definitely needs to get into a rhythm on O…he was really forcing things today, which is completely to be expected given his absence.
But the athleticism he brings was noticeable. Rodney Brown and ND Okafor also with some solid minutes…it’ll be interesting to see what becomes of Brown’s PT when Askew and Celestine return.
But I am really looking forward to seeing this team at full strength.
I saw him forcing things and I support it. It's his first game back and he's probably rusty, he needs it. I love how much freedom Madsen is giving his players to just play on the court without benching them for mistakes, etc. Just letting everyone play and learn.
I feel like with Wilcox, some of these guys would have just disappeared.
Cone in rhythm is key - his 3 missed 3 pointers last night were when he was drifting left or right, just like his 8 out of 9 long range misses vs SDSU. He gets excited & starts putting up lower percentage shots. If he can stay in rhythm & move in a line directly towards the basket on his 3's, he's the anthesis of the type of player Fox was recruiting - tall athletes who hopefully can learn to shoot. Cone is a shorter ball handling-type who can fill it up. Love watching him play.
I was in San Juan Cap for the SDSU game…they were short-handed but battled. This is a good team that had guys on the outer periphery of the rotation playing minutes they really weren’t supposed to be playing and taking shots they really shouldn’t have been taking.
They looked solid tonight, and they will be better.
Missing one imho. If Askew gets more than a few minutes, it would derail the building team chemistry. He's a streaky shooter who does best in garbage time. He gets impatient, resorts to throwing up bad shots, makes a few bad passes every game. He's an ok 7th or 8th man, but not any sort of reliable contributor.
Strong disagree. He's the perfect initiator for an offense like this where he does not have to score. He has exceptional court vision and is a great floor leader. My ideal 5 is Askew, Cone, Tyson, Kennedy, Aimaq. Celestine and Newell when they need more size.
I think the problem is he wants to score too much to primarily be an initiator. And I would dispute the 'perfect' and 'exceptional' characterizations - I agree he's an above average initiator but has uneven court vision (sometimes great, sometimes awful) as evidenced by his predictible (but few per game) bad choices when passing.
I think Askew is benefiting from having knowledgeable coaches this year and will continue to mesh with the system we are running. Last year was brutal in that he had to force things because the coaches didn’t know how to adjust to each game’s changing dynamics. It was noticeable to me how much better he looked in the sunglass game vs in game one. I think there will be times we need a taller point guard. The big conundrum is getting Grant Newell out of his funk.
Your point is well taken. I only saw him in the first few games of the season and he was his usual self. I was thinking to myself that I hope the coaches bring the hammer down & get him to blend into what they're trying to do if he wants court time. Glad to hear you saw a change, hope it continues.
I think Newell's funk is 100% mental just as Joel Brown's free throw shooting was. Hard to get someone's mind straight from the outside, but maybe if something clicks in a game, he'll snap out of it & can realize his potential.
I don't use that platform anymore so I appreciate you posting that great vid. I wish Cal athletics would post this stuff on Youtube or other sites as well. The joy on the team and in the stands is pure heaven.
What a great game by the Bears. The energy, the ball movement, the athleticism of the players. This is basketball the way I like to see it played. Patient, and then deadly. Love hearing the energy in the stands too. Can't wait to see the team play live when they come up here to the PNW. Go Mad Dog! Go Bears!
Solid win. Several great performances for sure. Considering it was only his first appearance KK showed he can be a game changer.
Finding myself starting to put JT in the same conversation as JK and KJ. Though they all possess(ed) unique skill sets, when they were on the floor I can’t(couldn’t) take my eyes off them. Case in point. 2nd half Cal making a surge and JT feeling the crowd not stepping up after a bucket even though he is off the ball marking someone in the corner he gestured make some noise and we responded nicely.
I think JT only got one T. The first half forearm to the SC player’s face was a flagrant One which aren’t classified as technicals. I don’t know for sure
They beat Furd and Oregon already so they're a quality team. I only caught the end but it looked like we were clicking offensively and defensively. That we suppressed their scoring (they seem get in the 80s when they win) gives me hope that our defense is already solidifying. I'm not sure how much to attribute to missing players.
Solid team, but missing their second leading scorer. Cal was favored to win. Cal was a well-rounded team tonight, it was a relatively comfortable win over a decent opponent.
Santa Clara won at Stanford and beat Oregon on a neutral court.
At full strength, they’re a real solid club. Could see them knocking off the ‘Zags this year, and beating St. Mary’s. They play a good Wazzu club on a neutral court the night Wilcox plays in their bowl game.
The University of California also has a women's basketball program. That team was also in action today at Haas, defeating St. Mary's, 74-69 to run their record to 7-1.
Great win. Santa Clara has some nice wins. They were missing a key piece, but Cal was missing 2.
Showed glimpses of what could be.
Glimpses indeed. Kennedy's court presence just calms everything down for his teammates. Though he had an off shooting night, he had 9 rebounds and led the team with 4 assists. I'm excited to see what this team does come conference play.
KK definitely needs to get into a rhythm on O…he was really forcing things today, which is completely to be expected given his absence.
But the athleticism he brings was noticeable. Rodney Brown and ND Okafor also with some solid minutes…it’ll be interesting to see what becomes of Brown’s PT when Askew and Celestine return.
But I am really looking forward to seeing this team at full strength.
I saw him forcing things and I support it. It's his first game back and he's probably rusty, he needs it. I love how much freedom Madsen is giving his players to just play on the court without benching them for mistakes, etc. Just letting everyone play and learn.
I feel like with Wilcox, some of these guys would have just disappeared.
Great team win. Every player contributed but Kennedy was a spark plug on offense and lockdown on defense
Having him in the line up allowed everyone else to play in their natural role
But Tyson had a double double and stepped up when we needed it. He is a all conference type player
Aimaq is a strong and skilled C. Some big beef battles down low against some 7 footers but it was his array of shots that was impressive
Cone shot in rhythm and hit SEVEN treys!
Also liked Brown’s contribution in limited minutes
When we get Celestine and Askew back we will be talented and deep
Cone in rhythm is key - his 3 missed 3 pointers last night were when he was drifting left or right, just like his 8 out of 9 long range misses vs SDSU. He gets excited & starts putting up lower percentage shots. If he can stay in rhythm & move in a line directly towards the basket on his 3's, he's the anthesis of the type of player Fox was recruiting - tall athletes who hopefully can learn to shoot. Cone is a shorter ball handling-type who can fill it up. Love watching him play.
I was in San Juan Cap for the SDSU game…they were short-handed but battled. This is a good team that had guys on the outer periphery of the rotation playing minutes they really weren’t supposed to be playing and taking shots they really shouldn’t have been taking.
They looked solid tonight, and they will be better.
Agree. Looks like our rotation will be Aimaq, Tyson, Cone, Kennedy, Grant, Celestine, Askew, Okofor, Brown, Larson
That a 9+ rotation
With this depth we will be able to play fast and be more aggressive on defense
I actually really like Pavlovic and want to see more of him.
I agree. I am excited about this team. I think we are going to surprise some teams this season and really surprise some ACC teams next season.
This is how you build a program.
Missing one imho. If Askew gets more than a few minutes, it would derail the building team chemistry. He's a streaky shooter who does best in garbage time. He gets impatient, resorts to throwing up bad shots, makes a few bad passes every game. He's an ok 7th or 8th man, but not any sort of reliable contributor.
Strong disagree. He's the perfect initiator for an offense like this where he does not have to score. He has exceptional court vision and is a great floor leader. My ideal 5 is Askew, Cone, Tyson, Kennedy, Aimaq. Celestine and Newell when they need more size.
I think the problem is he wants to score too much to primarily be an initiator. And I would dispute the 'perfect' and 'exceptional' characterizations - I agree he's an above average initiator but has uneven court vision (sometimes great, sometimes awful) as evidenced by his predictible (but few per game) bad choices when passing.
I think Askew is benefiting from having knowledgeable coaches this year and will continue to mesh with the system we are running. Last year was brutal in that he had to force things because the coaches didn’t know how to adjust to each game’s changing dynamics. It was noticeable to me how much better he looked in the sunglass game vs in game one. I think there will be times we need a taller point guard. The big conundrum is getting Grant Newell out of his funk.
Your point is well taken. I only saw him in the first few games of the season and he was his usual self. I was thinking to myself that I hope the coaches bring the hammer down & get him to blend into what they're trying to do if he wants court time. Glad to hear you saw a change, hope it continues.
I think Newell's funk is 100% mental just as Joel Brown's free throw shooting was. Hard to get someone's mind straight from the outside, but maybe if something clicks in a game, he'll snap out of it & can realize his potential.
Most complete Cal basketball game I've seen in years.
Anyone know why Tyson wasn't ejected after picking up his second technical?
I don't recall there being two on him in that game...
He was called for one in the first half
<3 the All Gold unis & THIS!
https://x.com/CalMBBall/status/1731149264678735876?s=20
I don't use that platform anymore so I appreciate you posting that great vid. I wish Cal athletics would post this stuff on Youtube or other sites as well. The joy on the team and in the stands is pure heaven.
What a great game by the Bears. The energy, the ball movement, the athleticism of the players. This is basketball the way I like to see it played. Patient, and then deadly. Love hearing the energy in the stands too. Can't wait to see the team play live when they come up here to the PNW. Go Mad Dog! Go Bears!
Solid win. Several great performances for sure. Considering it was only his first appearance KK showed he can be a game changer.
Finding myself starting to put JT in the same conversation as JK and KJ. Though they all possess(ed) unique skill sets, when they were on the floor I can’t(couldn’t) take my eyes off them. Case in point. 2nd half Cal making a surge and JT feeling the crowd not stepping up after a bucket even though he is off the ball marking someone in the corner he gestured make some noise and we responded nicely.
I think JT only got one T. The first half forearm to the SC player’s face was a flagrant One which aren’t classified as technicals. I don’t know for sure
You are correct, only 1 T
Bravo, BB Bears!
Let's hope this signals a turn around for BB, too.
They beat Furd and Oregon already so they're a quality team. I only caught the end but it looked like we were clicking offensively and defensively. That we suppressed their scoring (they seem get in the 80s when they win) gives me hope that our defense is already solidifying. I'm not sure how much to attribute to missing players.
Thanks BP!
Question for those more knowledgeable: how good is Santa Clara? Record wise looks good but I'm not sure who they have played?
Solid team, but missing their second leading scorer. Cal was favored to win. Cal was a well-rounded team tonight, it was a relatively comfortable win over a decent opponent.
Santa Clara was 1.5 point favorites.
Oh. I saw espn had us at like 57% winning, thought that meant we were favored. Thank you for correction.
Thank you very much !Appreciated.
Santa Clara won at Stanford and beat Oregon on a neutral court.
At full strength, they’re a real solid club. Could see them knocking off the ‘Zags this year, and beating St. Mary’s. They play a good Wazzu club on a neutral court the night Wilcox plays in their bowl game.
And Oregon, missing starters, beat a good Michigan team
Santa Clara's got at-large aspirations this year, especially with BYU out and St. Mary's in a down year. This is a very solid win.