16 Comments
Nov 7, 2023·edited Nov 7, 2023

Also, Tommies HC Johnny Tauer is a total badass. He's gone 247–87 with the Tommies, and won 12 straight MIAC championships at one point. But that's not all: He has done this while moonlighting as a tenured professor of psychology at the school.

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Slacker either hasn’t published or updated his website since 2009. But he’s got a chapter on cognitive dissonance from his days in grad school, so he’s good in my book.

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Solid opening game against a veteran team. Yeah I know they’re from a small school, but never underestimate an experienced team that knows how to win and play team basketball.

These are the games where we would choke in the past.

Just keep building our experience, confidence and team chemistry through what’s probably going to be an up and down season.

Crossing fingers that the injuries aren’t severe.

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Nov 7, 2023·edited Nov 7, 2023

That St Thomas team hits their 3’s and plays very efficiently. Under the circumstances, a real solid opening win at less than full strength, IMO.

After this initial showing, Cone could be frustrating with the streakiness, but when he inevitably gets on a heater, it’s gonna make for some raucous times at Haas and some sure timeouts by Dana Altman, Tommy Lloyd, etc…

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Kennedy, in street clothes tonight, had his forearm and wrist/thumb wrapped. Is it a broken thumb, a wrist injury or …? Without him, without Tyson and without Newell (anyone know why Newell couldn’t go in the second half?), I could really see Cal struggle this year. Aimaq looked great offensively in the paint. Celestine was on fire. Considering how well St. Thomas shot the ball and clamped down on Aimaq in the second half, Cal needed someone to get hot, and it was Celestine. Overall it was a mixed showing by Cal tonight. Six assists is not going to cut it most times. This easily could have been a loss.

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Cal media was mentioning 4-6 weeks for Kennedy

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Nov 7, 2023·edited Nov 7, 2023

Tendon injury for Kennedy.

Newell with a bad step...hoping just a little hyper extension of the knee and day to day. That would be best case.

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Nov 7, 2023Liked by Rick Chen

So is that how basketball is supposed to be played? It's been so very long since I saw that from our team. Fast, hard, smart, fight, shooters. I can get used to this mighty fast. Go Bears!

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And did you note as I did how excited Celestine was to "win one for coach"? He was practically giddy the whole interview. That's a player, and maybe team, who loves to play for a coach and is bought in. Portends good things.

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Nov 7, 2023Liked by Rick Chen

Defense needs work but love to see us pressing! Should be fun, only way to go is up!

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Nov 7, 2023·edited Nov 7, 2023Liked by Rick Chen

Even though there were maybe only 2,500 there, the crowd was engaged and alive, and loud in the last 5 minutes. Felt like a community again. The Tommies are very well coached. We need more help at the rim. Daws is pretty limited defensively. All in all I’m encouraged. But without Tyson though just scrappy is probably our ceiling.

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3000 and yeah they got loud at the end. Missing Newell (2H) and Curtis hurt our rim protection tonight.

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I'm sure you can find that yourself, maybe even on Wikipedia, but I think I read recently most highly attended game was in the 3.5K range. And the least around 1.5K. I'd guess we averaged around 2.5K, which may actually be generous. I don't know what the energy was for those games, because I made it a personal policy not to attend any.

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Nov 7, 2023Liked by Rick Chen

I'm really just hoping for a competitive team. Maybe some wins so that it gets my hopes up only to be devastated when we lose.

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Nov 7, 2023·edited Nov 7, 2023

Nice BP! Cone coming alive turned the tide. He’ll go for 30 once this year, mark my words.

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