I think we could get those pieces. That’s been the problem the last two years from my firsthand view of the team. We’ve had rotation pieces, etc. but they were starting and playing major minutes when they should’ve been coming off the bench.
Absolutely. My concern is the depth and the rotation guys. Ideally Rytis stays and in him you have a glue guy that can play multiple positions and fill different roles on the team. Andrej could use one more year and is going to the focal point next season, but if this team is going to be competitive against Tournament-caliber teams, we need an impact big and a floor general PG that can shoot and defend P5 Conference guards.
Opening the portal during not only Bowl season but also March Madness has got to be the two most obvious FU’s to the college sports system by the big donor networks yet. Doubt this is fixed in my lifetime.
College sports is broken. The NCAA has its head so far up their rear (or its leadership has been bought off), that they are paralyzed to do anything about it. Such times call for outside the box thinking, but I have zero faith that the NCAA would execute on a plan to fix it, or even try to come up with a plan.
I know it's easy to be pessimistic, but remember that Madsen bought in Tyson, Aimaq, Andrej and other players via the portal. He has shown that he can pull in impact players, plus the incoming freshmen give Cal a whole new backcourt.
Andrej would obviously be devastating were he to leave. As for the rest, it's unfortunately the state of the game these days.
Agreed. This is absolutely an NCAA problem and Cal is certainly not the only school dealing with this insanity. However, it makes the previous 6 seasons of incompetence all the more damaging because this was nowhere near a healthy program that he inherited.
My concern is while he has brought in top-heavy talent, and will hopefully continue to do so, the talent level of secondary players, depth pieces and the execution of the X’s and O’s that are needed to build any type of continuity and make any kind of leap have been lacking.
Will absolutely continue to root for the Bears and don’t wanna speak for others, but personally my interest in college hoops and the NCAA Tournament is at an all-time low because Cal’s been irrelevant since the Obama administration. Ugh.
Ha! Absolutely NOT - was not implying anything of the sort. Just used it as a time stamp to say it’s been a long while since the Bears were in the NCAA Tournament discussion…
So tough to be a Cal fan in the Williams/Knowlton eras. Not good…we’re an Andrej declaration away from being pretty much back at rock bottom, unfortunately.
Let’s see who Madsen brings in but with the defensive struggles, poor shooting and consistent lapses in fundamentals that we’ve seen his first 2 seasons here, we’re most likely looking at yet another season of abject mediocrity next year and a bottom 1/3rd finish in the ACC.
It’s virtually impossible to build a healthy program and foster any type of identity when you’re making wholesale changes every year and are coming off a decade of irrelevance. Worst case scenario - damn.
I don’t think Andrej is transferring wouldn’t make sense. Plus, if you look at his recent post on Instagram I think he hinted at coming back to cal… or maybe it’s a stretch lol. Look at the song choice that Andrej chose to use for his Instagram reel post 👀👀🤔… perhaps??
Thank you for tracking this dizzying amount of trackable information. I will look forward (pun intended) to the final report on next season’s opening day preview.
It's hard to see Cal as anything other than a doormat in BBall at this level.
Feels like Deja vu all over again… need to recruit locally and find a way to get one or two blue chippers.
I think we could get those pieces. That’s been the problem the last two years from my firsthand view of the team. We’ve had rotation pieces, etc. but they were starting and playing major minutes when they should’ve been coming off the bench.
Absolutely. My concern is the depth and the rotation guys. Ideally Rytis stays and in him you have a glue guy that can play multiple positions and fill different roles on the team. Andrej could use one more year and is going to the focal point next season, but if this team is going to be competitive against Tournament-caliber teams, we need an impact big and a floor general PG that can shoot and defend P5 Conference guards.
Opening the portal during not only Bowl season but also March Madness has got to be the two most obvious FU’s to the college sports system by the big donor networks yet. Doubt this is fixed in my lifetime.
100%.
It’s an inexplicably stupid and cannibalistic practice to do to your own product. Sheer lunacy.
If they undo what players have now there needs to be harsher penalties for coaches leaving while under contract too.
That Kevin Willard crap was awful.
College sports is broken. The NCAA has its head so far up their rear (or its leadership has been bought off), that they are paralyzed to do anything about it. Such times call for outside the box thinking, but I have zero faith that the NCAA would execute on a plan to fix it, or even try to come up with a plan.
The NCAA has been made toothless by legal action. They are just an organizing body now; no longer enforcers.
I know it's easy to be pessimistic, but remember that Madsen bought in Tyson, Aimaq, Andrej and other players via the portal. He has shown that he can pull in impact players, plus the incoming freshmen give Cal a whole new backcourt.
Andrej would obviously be devastating were he to leave. As for the rest, it's unfortunately the state of the game these days.
Agreed. This is absolutely an NCAA problem and Cal is certainly not the only school dealing with this insanity. However, it makes the previous 6 seasons of incompetence all the more damaging because this was nowhere near a healthy program that he inherited.
My concern is while he has brought in top-heavy talent, and will hopefully continue to do so, the talent level of secondary players, depth pieces and the execution of the X’s and O’s that are needed to build any type of continuity and make any kind of leap have been lacking.
Will absolutely continue to root for the Bears and don’t wanna speak for others, but personally my interest in college hoops and the NCAA Tournament is at an all-time low because Cal’s been irrelevant since the Obama administration. Ugh.
Really? What did the Obama administration have to do with NIL? I hope that's not what you were suggesting
Ha! Absolutely NOT - was not implying anything of the sort. Just used it as a time stamp to say it’s been a long while since the Bears were in the NCAA Tournament discussion…
Thanks BP. Tough times.
Doesn't hurt as much as Wilkinson but I do think they would have been a vital part of next year's team and not "pushed" out.
Hope Andrej stays (I don't think he'll leave but WHO KNOWS???) so we won't be doing our 3rd reboot in a row.
So tough to be a Cal fan in the Williams/Knowlton eras. Not good…we’re an Andrej declaration away from being pretty much back at rock bottom, unfortunately.
Let’s see who Madsen brings in but with the defensive struggles, poor shooting and consistent lapses in fundamentals that we’ve seen his first 2 seasons here, we’re most likely looking at yet another season of abject mediocrity next year and a bottom 1/3rd finish in the ACC.
It’s virtually impossible to build a healthy program and foster any type of identity when you’re making wholesale changes every year and are coming off a decade of irrelevance. Worst case scenario - damn.
I don’t think Andrej is transferring wouldn’t make sense. Plus, if you look at his recent post on Instagram I think he hinted at coming back to cal… or maybe it’s a stretch lol. Look at the song choice that Andrej chose to use for his Instagram reel post 👀👀🤔… perhaps??
“I LOVE MY BOYS … GO BEARS FOREVER!!!”
Never forget.
And tears walking off the field.
Thank you for tracking this dizzying amount of trackable information. I will look forward (pun intended) to the final report on next season’s opening day preview.
Omot, really?
Arghhhh. SMH.
afraid to compete