Bear Territory Tuesday: Five things we learned from Cal's exhibition games

Yes, it's "Bear Territory Tuesday", but "Bear Territory Thursday" will be this upcoming Thursday, so nothing is changing with the segment. I put this off until today because Cal's second exhibition game was last Thursday and I wanted to do a recap of sorts for both exhibition games. Anyways, here is a list of five things that I think we learned from Cal's two exhibition games.

1. Brandon Chauca has some issue with the NCAA

Freshman point guard Brandon Chauca has some sort of issue with the NCAA that is keeping him from playing and no, it has nothing to do with academics or benefits. Ryan Gorcey made that part clear in a tweet earlier today.

Martin "still waiting" on NCAA for clearance on Brandon Chauca. Says it's not extra benefits, or academics.
— Ryan Gorcey (@RGBearTerritory) November 11, 2014

2. Sam Singer has improved his shot

Sam Singer is one of the best players that Cuonzo Martin has coming off the bench. He showed improvements with his shot during these two exhibition games, knocking down some threes while looking much more comfortable with his shot.

3. Kingsley Okoroh is raw, but capable of making an impact this season

There is no doubt that freshman 7'1 center Kingsley Okoroh lacks offensive polish, but I liked what I saw from him on the defensive end with his shot blocking and rebounding abilities. He blocked four shots against CSU-San Marcos and he throws really nice outlet passes after he grabs a defensive rebound.

As for his offense, he needs to do a better job positioning himself in the paint and getting higher up in the post. But even there, he seems more comfortable with the ball in his hands than Kameron Rooks did at this same time last year.  

4. Tyrone Wallace is much better as a point guard 

Tyrone Wallace looks so much more comfortable on the floor as a point guard and it really showed during these two exhibitions. When he has the ball in his hands, he really is able to do a lot of cool things in terms of creating for others as well as slashing to the rim and finishing. It was hard for him to play shooting guard last year alongside Justin Cobbs for the vast bulk of his playing minutes. Expect him to thrive this year as the team's primary ball handler.

5. Cuonzo Martin still isn't sure who to play alongside David Kravish in the post 

As of right now, Christian Behrens is the starting power forward and David Kravish is the starting center. However, Behrens didn't get a large chunk of minutes in comparison to other guys who can also play alongside Kravish. Kingsley Okoroh and Dwight Tarwater also got a fair amount of minutes. I still think Kingsley Okoroh is the best guy to start right now.  He's the only true center on the team who is healthy, and David Kravish is a natural power forward.

 If Christian Behrens is able to log in a lot of minutes at power forward, that would be different. But if it's going to be musical chairs in the post with Kravish as the only consistent post presence, I think Cuonzo Martin might as well start Kingsley Okoroh and really develop him over the course of the season. Plus, as I mentioned above, Kingsley is already a very solid defender and rebounder, so it isn't like he's a liability on the court.


---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord 

Bear Territory Thursday: What to look for in Cal's upcoming exhibitions

                                               (credit: www.sportslogos.net) 

     The Cal Men's Basketball team has two exhibitions within the next week, both of which will be played in Berkeley at Haas Pavilion. On Halloween night, CSU-East Bay will come to Berkeley and then on November 6, it will be CSU-San Marcos.
     What is of importance in these two games is the fact that it will give Cal head coach Cuonzo Martin a chance to experiment with different lineups and start to get a feel for his team. What I will try to do is give you a sense of what to look for in both of these games.
     The first thing that Cal fans should expect to see is a lot of different lineups. If you have been following my coverage of the Cal Men's Basketball team, you know Cuonzo Martin can use a lot of different lineups. What better place to try stuff out than in exhibition games that don't count in the win-loss column? One such experiment could be Jabari Bird used as a power forward and another such experiment could be Dwight Tarwater as a power forward, which according to David Kravish is also a possibility.
     If there is an area of experimentation that Cal fans should look for, it's at the power forward position. With Kameron Rooks red shirting the season due to his torn ACL, Cal will likely go small a lot of the time, but it isn't entirely clear what type of lineups we will see as a result.
     The good news is that there are some options for Cuonzo Martin to go with at that position in terms of going small. Bird and Tarwater have already been mentioned, but Roger Moute a Bidias is another guy who likely gets some time as a stretch-four.
     In addition to various guys taking a stab at the power forward position, Cal fans should also be looking at how freshmen Brandon Chauca and Kingsley Okoroh do. Chauca is a 5'9 point guard and Okoroh is a 7'1 center, so it certainly won't be hard to tell them apart! Both guys could play really important roles on this team. Especially Okoroh since Cal is really struggling in the size department without Kameron Rooks.
     If Okoroh is able to play quality minutes right out of the shoot, there won't be as much pressure on Cuonzo Martin to use a lot of small lineups, which I think would overall be a good thing. Small ball works in stretches, but if it's used all the time it's really hard to not get absolutely killed on the boards. Even when you have a quality big man like David Kravish.
     Overall, these first two games will be really interesting to watch. Obviously it's our first look into the Cuonzo Martin era, but more importantly, it will be our first look into what kind of lineups we should see and what kind of basketball Cal will be playing. I can't wait!

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord