One of the really interesting things I’ve noticed in a contrast to last season is for this season’s offensive system, Madsen relies quite a lot on a read and react, option based offense system whereas under the previous administration, it was a pretty heavy directed system- namely first look to the high post to initiate the offensive flow. It feels, in my amateur eyes, that the players are reacting really well to this trust in decision making and hopefully when Askew and Celestine are back - that gives us the solid ball handling to allow Tyson more freedom to attack off the catch instead of having to initiate all the time.
Agree on the freedom the players have. Madsen talks alot about everyone's ability to pass, and everyone has the greenlight to grab the rebound and push it up the court.
Turnovers and defense should tighten as the team gels. And the Santa Clara win pointed in that direction. The early losses were disappointing but not surprising nor troubling.
If we were getting crushed I'd be worried. I'm not given Madsen the injury benefit that I didn't also give Fox, but it's also encouraging to see how we've looked when the deck is stacked. Hoping Askew can help with some of our turnover issues. I do think this team will win big games if we can hit threes at a higher clip and figure out how to mitigate them to the mean on the other end. We get to the line at an impressive rate and have more scoring options at the end of games than we have since Cuonzo.
For the longest time we were down to one single player - Don Coleman, Justice Sueing, Matt Bradley, Jordan Shepard, Dejuan Clayton - woof those were some tough years - except Matty Bradley, but even then teams could just send a double.
Coach Madsen brings a lot of positives to the table. As the players get more comfortable in the system we will tough to beat.
Does anyone know for sure if Celestine has aggravated the injury that sidelined him last year? Haven’t heard anything about what is happening with Curtis(6’11” big). Larson is contributing and getting valuable experience but we may need another big.
Guys, I hate to cast some doubts on both of your game watching abilities but Celestine played ten minutes against Butler and missed a shot. (This is not just box score looking either I definitely remember seeing him)
Great synopsis and I share the same enthusiasm and appreciation. All I've ever wanted as a Cal fan is teams that play smart and hard. Lose of win, as long as it's not only losing, I want teams I can cheer for because they reflect the unspoken values of our University: Be smarter and try harder than the next person. I've written here recently that I love the aggression, esprit de corps, and play making of this team. Easy to cheer for. They love playing together, fight for each other and deserve our fan support.
This team has a ton of talent and when everyone is healthy we are deep
It's frustrating our record doesn't show it
Tyson is an all conference player and is a scorer, passer, defender and rebounder
Defenses know he's most dangerous as a slasher and their defenses key on that. That's why that backdoor play is the perfect play for us. It defeats our opponents defensive strategy, takes advantage of Tyson's slashing and passing ability, and now he has the perfect partner to execute it (Kennedy)
thanks for breaking down that play (and the others)
For sure we need to give Coach Madsen and his staff the time to bring in his own recruits for a couple of years, and give the current players the time they need to adjust to Madsen’s way of doing things. If anyone can bring Cal BB to prominence, it is Madsen. Still remember the iconic call, “AND HE WAS FOULED!” when Madsen’s furd team reached the final Four in their exciting game. Glad Madsen has come to Cal.
I liken Kennedy's return from injury to Mendoza's first start for Cal football. In both instances the offense looked more polished and confident. And Kennedy's presence on defense seemed to motivate his teammates to up their defensive game. Granted, we only have a one-game sample with Kennedy, but all signs are pointing in the right direction.
In Cal's early loses, there was a lack of offensive cohesion and execution, and terrible defense. Then the loss of two starters apparently contributed to the confusion on the court. But the performance against Santa Clara showed real promise with the current cast of starters and bench support. We still need to learn how to set screens, work the baseline with Pete Newell's reverse action since we have a bonified center who can work down low, and continue to control turnovers. The game against a strong Butler team may reveal more about team development. The Santa Clara game was the type of performance that we all hoped to see from a Madsen program.
We lost a few games as the team was learning to play with each other, so that's fine. The mistakes have been getting fewer and fewer each game, and Keonte coming back completely changed the dynamic of our team. And Askew/Celestine are still out. This is an exciting roster that will peak towards March, I just hope we don't dig too deep a hole by then. I don't expect us to get into bubble talk, but a conference tourney run into the NIT would be a fun start to our turnaround.
Great analysis! This team has some areas for improvement but has also been a bit unlucky in my opinion.
The coaches need money to attract players.
One of the really interesting things I’ve noticed in a contrast to last season is for this season’s offensive system, Madsen relies quite a lot on a read and react, option based offense system whereas under the previous administration, it was a pretty heavy directed system- namely first look to the high post to initiate the offensive flow. It feels, in my amateur eyes, that the players are reacting really well to this trust in decision making and hopefully when Askew and Celestine are back - that gives us the solid ball handling to allow Tyson more freedom to attack off the catch instead of having to initiate all the time.
Agree on the freedom the players have. Madsen talks alot about everyone's ability to pass, and everyone has the greenlight to grab the rebound and push it up the court.
Turnovers and defense should tighten as the team gels. And the Santa Clara win pointed in that direction. The early losses were disappointing but not surprising nor troubling.
If we were getting crushed I'd be worried. I'm not given Madsen the injury benefit that I didn't also give Fox, but it's also encouraging to see how we've looked when the deck is stacked. Hoping Askew can help with some of our turnover issues. I do think this team will win big games if we can hit threes at a higher clip and figure out how to mitigate them to the mean on the other end. We get to the line at an impressive rate and have more scoring options at the end of games than we have since Cuonzo.
For the longest time we were down to one single player - Don Coleman, Justice Sueing, Matt Bradley, Jordan Shepard, Dejuan Clayton - woof those were some tough years - except Matty Bradley, but even then teams could just send a double.
Such a fabulous explanation of everything happening with Cal basketball. Your basketball mind is really genius.
Coach Madsen brings a lot of positives to the table. As the players get more comfortable in the system we will tough to beat.
Does anyone know for sure if Celestine has aggravated the injury that sidelined him last year? Haven’t heard anything about what is happening with Curtis(6’11” big). Larson is contributing and getting valuable experience but we may need another big.
Curtis is redshirting. I think the Celestine injury is different than last year.
Thanks. Is Celestine expected back soon?
Nothing definite but he and Askew are supposedly another week or so. Both out of the boots.
Guys, I hate to cast some doubts on both of your game watching abilities but Celestine played ten minutes against Butler and missed a shot. (This is not just box score looking either I definitely remember seeing him)
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401581167
My comment was made before the game :-) I thought he would be out for the Butler game.
Whoops! I thought I was in the game recap! My bad
Great synopsis and I share the same enthusiasm and appreciation. All I've ever wanted as a Cal fan is teams that play smart and hard. Lose of win, as long as it's not only losing, I want teams I can cheer for because they reflect the unspoken values of our University: Be smarter and try harder than the next person. I've written here recently that I love the aggression, esprit de corps, and play making of this team. Easy to cheer for. They love playing together, fight for each other and deserve our fan support.
This team has a ton of talent and when everyone is healthy we are deep
It's frustrating our record doesn't show it
Tyson is an all conference player and is a scorer, passer, defender and rebounder
Defenses know he's most dangerous as a slasher and their defenses key on that. That's why that backdoor play is the perfect play for us. It defeats our opponents defensive strategy, takes advantage of Tyson's slashing and passing ability, and now he has the perfect partner to execute it (Kennedy)
thanks for breaking down that play (and the others)
For sure we need to give Coach Madsen and his staff the time to bring in his own recruits for a couple of years, and give the current players the time they need to adjust to Madsen’s way of doing things. If anyone can bring Cal BB to prominence, it is Madsen. Still remember the iconic call, “AND HE WAS FOULED!” when Madsen’s furd team reached the final Four in their exciting game. Glad Madsen has come to Cal.
I liken Kennedy's return from injury to Mendoza's first start for Cal football. In both instances the offense looked more polished and confident. And Kennedy's presence on defense seemed to motivate his teammates to up their defensive game. Granted, we only have a one-game sample with Kennedy, but all signs are pointing in the right direction.
Nice progress being made! Curious as to how recruiting is going for 2024?
In Cal's early loses, there was a lack of offensive cohesion and execution, and terrible defense. Then the loss of two starters apparently contributed to the confusion on the court. But the performance against Santa Clara showed real promise with the current cast of starters and bench support. We still need to learn how to set screens, work the baseline with Pete Newell's reverse action since we have a bonified center who can work down low, and continue to control turnovers. The game against a strong Butler team may reveal more about team development. The Santa Clara game was the type of performance that we all hoped to see from a Madsen program.
We lost a few games as the team was learning to play with each other, so that's fine. The mistakes have been getting fewer and fewer each game, and Keonte coming back completely changed the dynamic of our team. And Askew/Celestine are still out. This is an exciting roster that will peak towards March, I just hope we don't dig too deep a hole by then. I don't expect us to get into bubble talk, but a conference tourney run into the NIT would be a fun start to our turnaround.
Totally agree. I'm wholly enjoying the ride. The record will be whatever the record will be.
What's happened to Celestine? I recall a productive game early in the season and then no sign of him?
Injured the last 4 games.