Bear Territory Tuesday: Changes are made to the 2015-16 Cal men's basketball roster

     During the past week, three changes were made to the Cal men's basketball roster: Tyson Jolly got moved to the class of 2016, Davon Dillard flipped to Oklahoma State, and two-star small forward Roman Davis from Windward School in Los Angeles committed to the team. Both Dillard flipping to Oklahoma State and Jolly moving to the class of 2016 are related to academic issues. Dillard didn't have the grades for Cal and it appears as though Jolly doesn't either, but he's attending a prep school in hopes of sorting out some academic issues so that he can join the Golden Bears in 2016. It should be noted that in the case of Tyson Jolly, he is technically "committed" to join the team in 2016, so it is possible that things don't work out with him, either.

     What does this all mean for the 2015-16 Cal men's basketball team? It means that they aren't going to be as deep as we initially thought, but they still project to be really dangerous. The comforting news for Cal is that so long as they have Ivan Rabb, Jaylen Brown, Tyrone Wallace, Jabari Bird, and Jordan Mathews, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Pac-12.

     What Davon Dillard and Tyson Jolly were expected to bring was energy off the bench and depth at the wing position. Depth is a good thing, but if I can be honest, I felt like Cal had too much depth concentrated at one position. With Tyrone Wallace, Jabari Bird, Jaylen Brown, Jordan Mathews, Davon Dillard, Tyson Jolly, Stephen Domingo, and Roger Moute a Bidias all capable of playing the shooting guard or small forward positions, it looked like Cuonzo Martin had his hands full finding playing time for all of those guys. Now, Wallace is the starting point guard, so that helps, but everybody else would have been competing for minutes that couldn't be properly allocated.

     With Dillard off to Oklahoma State and Jolly not coming over until 2016 (hopefully), suddenly it appears as though Cuonzo Martin will be able to have a more cohesive and consistent 9-10 man rotation. While it would certainly be nice to have Dillard and Jolly for extra depth, the reality of the situation is that there really aren't that many minutes to go around. If you think minutes are precious in the NBA game, where the game lasts for 48 minutes, minutes are even more precious in the college game which lasts for just 40 minutes. I'm sure that in a way, Cuonzo Martin is relieved to have a more clear picture of who is going to be in his rotation and who isn't.

     Here is the rotation that I expect Cuonzo Martin to use in the 2015-16 season: Tyrone Wallace  starting at point guard; Jabari Bird starting at shooting guard; Jaylen Brown starting at small forward; Ivan Rabb starting at power forward; Kingsley Okoroh starting at center; Jordan Mathews off the bench as a reserve shooting guard; Sam Singer off the bench as a reserve point guard and shooting guard; Stephen Domingo off the bench as a reserve shooting guard and small forward; and Kameron Rooks off the bench as a reserve center.

     If Cuonzo Martin is sticking to a nine-man rotation as he said he would do when I heard him speak at Walnut Creek, that is likely the nine-man rotation he rolls with. Guys 10-11 will be Brandon Chauca at reserve point guard and Roger Moute a Bidias at small forward. The 12th spot will either be small forward Roman Davis, shooting guard Nick Hamilton, forward Cole Welle, or guard Nick Kerr (son of Steve Kerr) with the other three being reserves.

So there you have it. That is is the projected 15 man roster for the 2015-16 season. The other two players who may or may not be with the program are point guard Brenden Glapion and center Xavier Valdes. Glapion actually got some minutes last season while Valdes was a walk on who sat out the season due to a hamstring injury. I have heard that Glapion likely won't get a scholarship for next season, but I haven't heard anything to confirm this.

     As for Xavier Valdes, I've heard absolutely nothing on his status, but I assume he is gone, too. Interestingly enough, when asked about Xavier Valdes' status with the team in Walnut Creek, all that Cuonzo Martin said was "Xavier was on the team last season. He sat out with a hamstring injury, but he was on the team". Interpret that answer however you'd like.

    These should be the final changes to the Cal men's basketball roster. I don't foresee any other changes coming to the roster with the exception of Brenden Glapion and Xavier Valdes joining the team as extra reserves.

     Now, I talked about both Dillard and Jolly, but I haven't really addressed Roman Davis. I don't know much about him other than that he is from Los Angeles. Thankfully, CalBears.com has more info on him:

BERKELEY – California head men’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin announced the signing of Los Angeles area standout Roman Davis on Friday. The 6-7, 200-pound small forward will enroll at the University this summer.

“I want to welcome Roman to the family,” Martin said. “His athleticism and toughness will allow him to do a lot of things in our program.  Defensively, I think he has the capability to guard all five positions. He comes from one of the finest academic high schools in California.  We are excited he chose to be a Golden Bear.”

Davis played scholastically at the Windward School in Los Angeles, Calif., where he averaged 9.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game as a senior this past year for the Wildcats. The small forward appeared in 27 games to help guide Windward to a 22-11 overall record. Davis record the game-winning bucket in the final seconds in back-to-back games for the Wildcats this past January. He posted seven blocks in a game during Windward’s Division 5AA playoff run in February.

Davis was selected to the 2015 Division 5AA All-California Interscholastic Federation Boys Basketball Team, as voted by the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association.

He competed for the Earl Watson Elite on the AAU circuit.

 In conclusion, these changes made to the 2015-16 Cal men's basketball roster shouldn't really affect the long-term goals of this team or make us think any less of them. They still are in a great position to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament and should be favorites or co-favorites with Arizona to win the Pac-12. I'm confident that the guys filling in for Jolly and Dillard off the bench will be able to do just fine in their place. Contrary to what some are saying, Cal still has plenty of depth and versatility.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news and Cal basketball updates 

Bear Territory Tuesday: Having two seven-footers gives Cal a unique advantage

     When people talk about Cal basketball now a days, discussion rightfully revolves around the monster recruiting class that Cal has and the chances this team has of making a run to the Final Four. I mean, if you are a Cal basketball fan, what else is there to talk about? Cal has landed two recruits (Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb) who individually are as huge as the signing of Jason Kidd in the early 90s. In addition, since Jason Kidd's freshman season, in which he led the Golden Bears to the Sweet Sixteen, Cal has only gotten back to the Sweet Sixteen once (1997).

     To say the least, Cal basketball hasn't had a lot to cheer for over the years and suddenly there is talk of them contending for a national championship. "Euphoric" is the way I would describe this recruiting explosion and Cal may not even be done landing big names, since there is still a chance Caleb Swanigan, a five-star big man, comes to Cal.

     But what has been lost in all of this recruiting madness is the fact that Cal has two seven-footers (7'1 Kingsley Okoroh and 7'0 Kameron Rooks). Okoroh will be a sophomore next season and Rooks will be a redshirt sophomore after sitting out last season with a torn ACL. After a year of waiting, we will finally get to see what these two bigs can do together and while they are still a work in progress, their potential impact on games is ginormous.

     To give you a sense of how rare it is to have two or more seven-footers on your roster, I quickly scanned the 2014-15 rosters of all power-five conference basketball teams on ESPN.com to see how many seven-footers each team had. It should be noted that it is possible I missed a seven-footer or two since I checked all the centers from these teams and a handful of forwards from each team at random. It is possible that some guys listed as forwards are seven-feet tall and that I happened to miss them. E.g. A couple of seven-foot forwards who I found were Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin and Jakob Poeltl of Utah.

     With all of that as a disclaimer, here is the data I collected: ACC--- Boston College (1). Duke (1). Florida State (3). Louisville (1). Miami (1). Wake Forest (1). Big XII--- Iowa State (1). Oklahoma State (2). Big Ten--- Iowa (1). Northwestern (1). Penn State (1). Purdue (2). Wisconsin (1). PAC-12--- Arizona (2). Cal (2). Oregon State (1). UCLA (1). Utah (2). Washington (2). Washington State (1). SEC--- Auburn (1). Kentucky (2). LSU (2). Vanderbilt (1).

     What this data shows is that most power-five conference schools do not have a seven-footer on their roster. In addition, very few have more than one. So for Cal to have two seven-footers is something that is certainly rare and something that head coach Cuonzo Martin can take advantage of, especially on defense.



     What is especially nice for Cal is that by landing Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown, there will be plenty of shots to go around, which means that Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks can primarily focus on playing good defense, getting rebounds, and clogging up the middle. In addition, this means that Cuonzo Martin can give Rooks and Okoroh a lot of minutes since there will be plenty of other guys who can score, diminishing any offensive liability that comes from having them on the floor.

     One of the more intriguing ideas and possibilities is playing both Rooks and Okoroh together at the same time. If you pair them with Tyrone Wallace, Jordan Mathews, and Jabari Bird, you could have a scary combination of offensive potency and defensive impenetrability. Teams would have a very difficult time scoring on one end of the floor and getting stops on the other. I think this kind of a lineup will only be used on occasion since Ivan Rabb is going to be getting a ton of minutes at power forward, but the fact that Cal has the resources to use this kind of a lineup is huge. More importantly, by having two seven-footers who can both play solid defense, Cuonzo Martin has more flexibility and options than he does with just one.

     In conclusion, the flexibility and luxury of having two seven footers is getting overlooked by everybody who is talking Cal basketball and I want to bring it to your attention. When you have something rare, you have an advantage in that what you possess is something rare. Cal certainly has something rare in having these two seven-footers and I can't wait to see how Cuonzo Martin utilizes them. Go Bears!

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

Bear Territory Tuesday: After landing Jaylen Brown, the sky is the limit for Cal basketball

     Jaylen Brown, a 6'7, 220 pound 5-star small forward from the state of Georgia has committed to Cal. He is a top-five recruit in the country and just like Ivan Rabb, he is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Via CalBears.com:  "Brown was named the 2015 Gatorade Georgia Boys Player of the Year, USA Today’s All-USA Georgia Player of the Year, Georgia’s Mr. Basketball and the Class 6A Player of the Year by the Georgia Sports Writers Association, the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Class 6A North Player of the Year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Class 6A Player of the Year, and the Marietta Daily Journal Class 6A Player of the Year. He was a consensus First Team 6A All-State selection, and a two-time All-Cobb County Player of the Year as a junior and a senior. Brown was also a consensus All-Cobb County First Team pick each of the past two years.   The elite small forward averaged 28 points and 12 rebounds as a senior to lead Wheeler High School to a 30-3 overall record, a No. 6 national ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 poll, and the school’s first Georgia 6A state title since 2009. Like Rabb, Brown sealed his high school’s state title at the free throw line."

     The news of Tyrone Wallace returning for his senior season already made Cal a national championship contender and a consensus Top-25 team. But after landing Jaylen Brown, Cal is now stacked to the point that there is no reason to doubt this team's ability to win a national championship. With three McDonald's All-Americans (Ivan Rabb, Jaylen Brown, and Jabari Bird) on its roster to go along with Tyrone Wallace, Cal will have one of the most talented teams in the country.

     What's scary is that I haven't even yet mentioned Jordan Mathews, Stephen Domingo, Tyson Jolly, Davon Dillard, Sam Singer, Kameron Rooks, or Kingsley Okoroh. I keep wanting to talk about what they are going to bring to the table, but every week Cal keeps on landing another monster recruit. Perhaps next week I'll be able to do a piece on them in more detail, but what I can say about them as a collective whole is that they bring depth to this Cal team and that is what really makes them so scary.

     If you have a couple of NBA lottery picks on your team, you are automatically a national championship contender, but you can still fall short if you don't have enough depth. Cal won't have an issue with depth at all, especially at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Cuonzo Martin will have a wide array of quality options to turn to at all times, which will allow him to make sure the guys he has on the floor are fresh.

     The only concern I have for this Cal team is whether or not they'll be able to adjust to being the hunted. For so long, Cal has been the team trying to upset the big name schools like Arizona. I can attest from personal experience at Cal games, that the Arizona game has always been the big game of the year because it's Cal's one chance at playing with the big boys. But now, Cal is going to be in the same national championship discussion with the likes of Arizona, Utah, and Kentucky, and I wonder whether or not this team is mentally ready to have those kind of expectations.

     But in truth, that discussion is for another week. What I want to drive home to all of you this week is that Cal has a team that can win a national championship in 2016. The pieces are all there. They have the leadership of quality upperclassmen, the talent, and the depth to win a national title. The only question is whether or not they will deliver. Go Bears!

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news 


   

Bear Territory Tuesday: Ivan Rabb commits to Cal!

     Five-star power forward Ivan Rabb from Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, CA has committed to Cal for the upcoming season! This is not a dream. This is reality. A player with the potential to be a top-five pick in the 2016 NBA Draft has chosen to play for Cal over traditional basketball powerhouses like Arizona and Kentucky.

     As a Cal graduate and fan of Cal athletics, all I can say is "Wow! This is huge!" When I heard the news I was beyond ecstatic. I was tweeting out all sorts of stuff and probably making a fool of myself. But I didn't care at the time and I still don't. Cal has landed perhaps the biggest basketball recruit in the history of the school. If that isn't a reason for a Cal basketball fan to go bananas, I don't know what is.

     Of course, there are still a lot of questions that we don't have answers to. We don't know if Tyrone Wallace is coming back or if Jaylen Brown will also commit to Cal. We also don't know how good other commits like Tyson Jolly and Davon Dillard are going to be be. As a whole, we don't know how good Cal's basketball team is going to be next season.

     These are questions that I will address in the future. But for now, all I want to do is enjoy this moment of Cal basketball landing such a huge recruit. Cal may not be able to recruit the best players from all across the country, but they should be able to recruit anybody who is playing in their own backyard. They did that with Rabb and certainly can expect to continue to do so in the future.

     Head coach Cuonzo Martin, assistant Yanni Hufnagel, and the rest of the coaching staff should feel really pleased with what they have accomplished. Yes, there were factors outside of their own control, but they obviously did a good job making Rabb feel like he was valued and wanted at this program.

     Via SF Gate: "I'm going to the University of Cal-Berkely," Rabb said. "I felt the most at home there. It felt like family."  

     Cuonzo Martin and his entire staff certainly contributed to his decision to come to Cal and their contribution should not go unnoticed. As a Cal fan, I feel really good knowing that these guys are at the head of the basketball program. Go Bears!

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA and Cal basketball news

Bear Territory Tuesday: Pac-12 tournament ends in a fitting way for Cal

     The California Men's Basketball team did not accomplish their lofty goal of winning the Pac-12 tournament last week. As a matter of fact, they didn't even come close. After blowing the doors off of Washington State 84-59 in their opening round game, Cal fell back to earth the next day against the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats, losing 73-51.

     While the result wasn't a happy one for Cal fans, it was a fitting result to end the season for Cal, who despite showing flashes of brilliance, never was able to fully get their act together all season. The fact that Cal looked dominant one day and inferior the next day pretty much sums up the entire season for Cal. They either looked really good or really bad.

     Now, in the game against Arizona, I thought Cal actually did a lot of things well. They played hard and physical, and they didn't let Arizona destroy them like they did the last time they faced each other in Tucson. Jabari Bird himself said after the game: "We went out there, competed, played hard. We didn't give up like we did the last game." The fact that Cal played hard, competed, and didn't just roll over and die was certainly a nice thing to see, but all the same, it was still a 20+ point loss and a reminder that this program has a long ways to go before they can actually compete for a national championship.

     Probably the best part of the Bears' trip to Vegas was watching David Kravish go out on a high note. Yeah, he struggled against Arizona, but against Washington State he was dominant, scoring 25 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. To see him end his collegiate career with a dominant performance like that was certainly heart-warming knowing how hard he has worked and what he has meant to the program. Cal fans should definitely remember this trip to Vegas for his dominant performance over Washington State.

     Going back to my point about this being a fitting end for Cal, head coach Cuonzo Martin has to find ways to get Cal to play more consistently next season. There was certainly enough talent on this roster to make the NCAA tournament, but what did Cal in was their inability to consistently play at a high level. If Cal played every game like they did against Washington State and even Arizona, they would have made the field of 68. Instead, Cal struggled to consistently bring the same level of intensity and passion to the floor every night, and that is why the best they could do was go to the CBI, an invitation that Cuonzo Martin declined.

     As for what I'll be blogging about on "Bear Territory Tuesday" during the off-season, I don't entirely know, but rest assured that I'll keep this segment chugging along as a staple of my blog during the off-season and for years to come. There are some exciting things that I can turn my attention to like recruiting, the NBA draft, and even how some other Cal Bears are doing now that they are pros. I'll find things to talk about during the off-season, but I just haven't mapped out what it is exactly that I'll be talking about each week. But that's part of the fun. I'm in just as much suspense as you are. As a matter of fact, 45 minutes ago, I didn't even know what exactly I was going to write about this week. A lot of things just come at the spur of the moment.

      I've had a great time blogging about Cal hoops on here and I am even more excited to see how things go during the off-season as I continue to build "Bear Territory Tuesday". And yes, you may have noticed that sometimes it's Tuesdays and Thursdays. But if there is one thing I can tell you for sure, it's going to be on Tuesdays from now on. The main reason is that it fits better with the flow of the basketball season. Cal plays games typically on Wednesdays or Thursdays and either Saturdays or Sundays, sometimes Fridays.

     Anyways, rarely is there a Tuesday game and Tuesday is a nice time of the week to recap what happened in the past week.  So I guess while there is a lot of mystery of as to what I'll blog about on "Bear Territory Tuesday" going forward, it's nice to know that it will firmly be on Tuesdays. I guess that's a start! Go Bears!

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

Bear Territory Thursday: How hot should the seat be for Cuonzo Martin?

                                          (Credit: Calbears.com. Click here for source) 

     The California Men's Basketball team got absolutely flogged by Arizona State and #6 Arizona last week at home. The Arizona State game ended in an embarrassing 79-44 final score and the Arizona game ended almost as badly 73-50. Tonight Cal faces off against Washington State on the road at 8:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks and on Sunday, Cal will face Washington on the road at 12:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks. Rather than breaking down what went wrong in their last two games and give my usual "here's what Cal needs to fix" routine, I will instead address the hot seat that head coach Cuonzo Martin should be sitting on.

     At the moment, Cal is 11-9 overall and an abysmal 1-6 in the Pac-12. What's worse is that on average, in Pac-12 play, Cal loses by the score of 72.7-58.7, which is a point differential of -14 on average. In addition, Cal has lost each of their last five games by at least 10 points. What do these numbers show? These numbers show that Cal has not even remotely been competitive in any of their recent games.

     If Cal was losing these games by five points or fewer, or even by single digits, one could try to put some lipstick on the pig and say that Cal is at least competitive and that they just need to finish games. But with all of these losses being by double digits, there is no way that any sort of positive spin can be attributed to them.

     Cal at the moment is playing terrible basketball and at some point their head coach Cuonzo Martin has to start taking some responsibility. I've so far been a fan of Cuonzo Martin. He says all the right things in his press conferences, he seems aware of a lot of the same concerns that I have as a fan/analyst, and yet his "wisdom" isn't translating into wins. As a matter of fact, the team has regressed over the course of the season with each game being more and more unbearable to watch. This regression has to make one question whether or not Cuonzo Martin is the right man for the job.

      I do have specific reasons for why I question Cuonzo Martin's coaching in addition to the fact that the team is getting their clocks cleaned every night. These reasons have to do with things I've heard from people close to the team as well as my own personal observations.

     The first reason I question Cuonzo Martin's coaching has to do with conditioning. I've heard from two sources close to the team that the team really stepped it up in terms of the amount of conditioning that they were doing during the offseason. One of these sources even told me that a player was crying after the intense workouts that Cuonzo Martin had put them through.

     If Cal was winning more ball games this year, I could easily justify Cuonzo Martin ramping up the intensity of their workouts. But so long as the team struggles, I have to wonder whether or not this team is getting overworked and is reaching a point of burnout. Looking at the Arizona State game as an example, the team looked absolutely tired the whole game and they hadn't played in over a week! It's certainly possible that Cuonzo Martin is overworking his players, which would explain their poor play on both ends of the floor.

     The second reason I question Cuonzo Martin's coaching is that the team is having a difficult time scoring the basketball and getting into an offensive rhythm. The type of offensive system that a coach implements is huge to the success of his team and when a team can't score, one has to question the system. Especially when the coach has quality players.

     I notice a lot of the time that Cal doesn't score early on in the shot clock and that they slow the tempo down, which in my opinion doesn't really suit the player personnel too well. This team needs to be running up and down the floor like they were against Syracuse instead of slowing the game down and waiting to shoot until the shot clock is in single digits. Cuonzo Martin appears to perhaps be guilty of trying to make the players fit his system instead of creating a system that fits his players.

     Third, there is no real rhyme or reason to the adjustments that Cuonzo Martin makes to the rotation. I was all in favor of his decision to start Kingsley Okoroh at center since this team has struggled to match up with teams in the post, but then he relegated Okoroh to an off the bench role and went with Dwight Tarwater at the power forward position who is very undersized for the position.

     In addition, freshman point guard Brandon Chauca appears to be in Cuonzo Martin's doghouse, hardly seeing the floor during the last five games. Given that Chauca can score the basketball and knock down some outside shots, one has to question why he isn't getting more minutes when scoring is one of this team's biggest issues.
   
     Lastly, this team is very schizophrenic. Some nights they really bring it and other nights they don't. Such inconsistencies in their effort and play has to make one question the pre-game preparation that Cuonzo Martin does. Especially since this team routinely finds themselves getting whipped like a chow in the first half.

     How hot should the seat be for Cuonzo Martin? I think that the seat he sits on should be very hot. Cuonzo Martin is getting paid a lot of money to coach at Cal, which is the #1 public university in the world and traditionally one of the better basketball programs in the Pac-12. Cal doesn't expect to compete for national championships, but they do expect to be a top four team in the Pac-12 and make the NCAA tournament on a regular basis. So far this team is not even close to living up to those expectations and Cuonzo Martin has to be the one accountable for it.

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

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  

Bear Territory Thursday: Is Cal getting overlooked?

                                          (credit: basketball.wikia.com)

     Going into this season, the main teams people have their eyes on in the PAC-12 are Utah, Stanford, UCLA, and Arizona. There is a great season preview of the PAC-12 by Dan Hanner of Real GM that goes into more detail about why these teams are expected to be good. In his preview of Cal,  Hanner concludes that Cal "can sneak into the tournament", implying that a trip to the tournament is the best they can hope to do and that odds are not in their favor to do so.
     Hanner's core thesis that supports his conclusion is:

"With Ty Wallace and David Kravish Back, and with Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews likely to make the sophomore leap and become dominant players, California's core four players are very strong. But the rest of the roster is filled with a bunch of recruits with fairly low potential."

 The first part I agree with, but the second part I disagree with. I agree that Tyrone Wallace, David Kravish, Jabari Bird, and Jordan Mathews make a fantastic core four. I disagree that the rest of the roster is weak.
     First of all, Cal has really nice depth at point guard. Freshman point guard Brandon Chauca is actually very talented judging by the tape I watched of him. He has a very nice shot, good ball handling skills, and the potential to be a fantastic play maker.
     As for sophomore point guard Sam Singer, he too is an underrated player. He wasn't much of a scoring threat last season, but he showed tremendous capability when it came to handling the ball, making plays for others, and playing good defense. If he improved his shot over the summer, which I'm sure he did, he will be a difference maker in Cuonzo Martin's rotation.
     This depth at point guard is huge because it gives Cuonzo Martin a lot more options and flexibility with his rotations. Even though I expect Tyrone Wallace to be the starting point guard, Wallace has the size to play shooting guard at 6'5. By having other viable options at point guard, Martin can use Wallace at the shooting guard position to give Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews some relief. It also allows Martin the chance to experiment with Jabari Bird at the power forward position, which could give certain teams serious matchup problems.

                                                       

                             
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     As for up front, freshman center Kingsley Okoroh is raw, but stands tall at 7'1. He should be able to provide a sound post presence for the Golden Bears and keep them from feeling like small ball is their only option. If he can earn a lot of minutes, David Kravish will be able to play his more natural position of power forward and thus be much more effective inside. Plus, Roger Moute a Bidias could be due for a breakout year of sorts. I don't know where his ceiling is, but I think he is really going to surprise people and prove effective as a viable power forward option in "small ball" packages.
    While it's true that I like Cal's bench much better than Hanner does, what really makes me optimistic for Cal is Jabari Bird. He really came into his own in the NIT last season, and I think he was only showing us a glimpse of what is in store for him. I don't think he was hyped as an NBA first round draft pick for nothing. What we saw from him in the NIT is what everybody was waiting for all season.
     Now that he has a year under his belt and is being asked to step up, I expect him to deliver the goods and become one of the best players in the country. If Bird can play like a first round pick, Cal by default will be a team that has a chance to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. All you need to be dangerous in the NCAA tournament is a couple of players who are willing to step up in crunch time.  David Kravish will be one of those players and I'm confident that Jabari Bird will be the other.
     To answer the question in the title of my article "Is Cal getting overlooked?", I think the answer is yes. The potential to make a run in the NCAA tournament is definitely there when you have a potential lottery pick on your hands, three other players who are likely to play in the NBA, and quality role players.

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

Bear Territory Thursday: Will Cal go with small ball?

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     One of the more interesting things to speculate about the Cal Men's Basketball team is what type of lineups their head coach Cuonzo Martin will go with, especially on the front line. The most experienced front court players on this Cal team are David Kravish (6'10), Christian Behrens (6'8), and Roger Moute a Bidias (6'6), none of which are true centers. The only true centers on this Cal team are freshman Kingsley Okoroh (7'1) and sophomore center Kameron Rooks (7'0), who is redshirting the season due to a torn ACL.
 
     With Rooks not playing this season and Okoroh only a freshman, odds look very high that Cal will roll with a lot of small lineups this season. With Kravish being the only guy outside of Okoroh who is capable of playing center, what type of lineups should Cal fans expect to see?
   
     First of all, lets get the backcourt situation figured out. Tyrone Wallace, who played a lot of shooting guard last season is expected to start at point guard. As for the shooting guard position, I assume that Jordan Mathews will be the starter with Jabari Bird sliding over to the small forward position. Cuonzo Martin might go with some other looks, but I expect those three guys to be starting at those positions.
   
     With positions 1-3 established, we can now look at the front court. What makes the most sense from a practical standpoint is to start Kingsley Okoroh at center and David Kravish at power forward. If this is how things go, Christian Behrens can come off the bench to play power forward and center, and Roger Moute a Bidias can come off the bench to play a mix of small forward and power forward.
   
     However, as I implied above, with Okoroh being a freshman, Cuonzo Martin may not want to throw him to the wolves and start him. He may prefer him to come off the bench. In that case, that means David Kravish has no choice but to start at center and either Christian Behrens or Roger Moute a Bidias starts at power forward. Either way, if Kingsley comes off the bench, Cal will be playing small ball by default.  May I add that in this lineup, Jabari Bird would be playing out of his position as he is more of a natural shooting guard. The only position where Cal would have a size advantage is point guard since Tyrone Wallace stands at 6'5.
   
     There are some other possible lineups which might have to be used as well. One such possibility would be Sam Singer at point guard, Jordan Mathews at shooting guard, Tyrone Wallace at small forward, Jabari Bird at power forward, and David Kravish at center. This kind of lineup is not likely to be used much, but it could be used in spurts. Cal is a team with not a lot of size and a lot of athleticism at the wing, which is the formula for small ball: Athletic wings + small frontcourt = small ball.

     This is not to say that David Kravish cannot play big inside. He can. He blocks a lot of shots and is very active in the paint. His offensive polish inside and defensive abilities allow him to play center just fine. It's the other guys who make this lineup small.

     With that being the case, it's all the more important that David Kravish plays big inside. With Kingsley Okoroh still looking relatively raw, odds are good that Kravish will be the only legitimate threat in the post. He'll have his work cut out for him this season and he'll have to play even bigger than last season. Especially with Richard Solomon gone.

     In conclusion, Cal will struggle to dominate people in the paint. Only David Kravish can reasonably be expected to be a force in the paint. But with him likely playing a lot of center against 7-footers, it's going to be all the more important that the players playing positions 1-3 really step it up and help space the floor.

     If Tyrone Wallace is able to penetrate and attack the rim like he does, if Jordan Mathews is knocking down threes, and if Jabari Bird is capable of scoring both inside and out, then Cal's small ball lineups could thrive. If they don't do their jobs effectively, then David Kravish will likely have to put up with a lot of double teams and guys who are bigger than him at the center position.

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

Bear Territory Thursday: 2014-15 Cal Men's Basketball Preview

                                         (credit: www.cougcenter.com)

With the college basketball season starting in six weeks, it's time for me to start my coverage of the Cal Men's Basketball team on here in my new segment "Bear Territory Thursday". Once a week I'll be doing a blog post on the California Golden Bears since I currently go to the school and I really got into the team last season. I got season tickets last year, missing only one game (the Fresno State game), and I got my season tickets again this year. Having followed the team really closely last year while also tweeting about them, I feel like I have ample knowledge about the team to start covering them more in-depth this season.

I hope that this segment will provide Cal fans a fun place to stay updated on the team and non-Cal fans a window into the college game. Now that I've set up an introduction to this new segment, let me dive into my season preview for the 2014-15 California Golden Bears.

The California Golden Bears are coming off a season that was filled with lots of highs and lows. The ultimate high point of the season was Justin Cobbs' game winning shot from the corner to down #1 ranked Arizona at the buzzer. I was present at that game and got to rush the court with my fellow students. It was an unbelievable moment and one that will forever go down in history as one of the greatest moments in the history of Cal athletics.

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The low point of the season was missing the NCAA tournament. Losses to Utah, Stanford, USC, and Colorado down the stretch cost the Golden Bears a spot in the NCAA tournament. After having such a high point with the win over Arizona, it was unfathomable to think that Cal would actually miss the tournament.

However, despite the low of missing the NCAA tournament, Cal got a second wind in the NIT and ended up losing to SMU in a heart breaker. During the NIT, Cal freshman shooting guard Jabari Bird started to show flashes of why he was a McDonald's High School All-American and why many NBA scouts had such keen interest in his talent, scoring 20 points on 3/6 three-point shooting in the game against SMU. It was disappointing to go out on a loss, but it was also encouraging to know that the future of the team appeared to be in good hands.

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Going into this season, what is probably going to be the biggest challenge is moving on from seniors Justin Cobbs and Richard Solomon. Cobbs was one of the best point guards in all of college basketball and Richard Solomon also came into his own as one of the best big men in the country. When Cal needed a basket in crunch time, they always counted on Justin Cobbs and Richard Solomon to deliver the goods. Now that those guys are gone, others will have to step up.

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The good news is that there appears to be other guys ready to fill the void left by Cobbs and Solomon. The guy most ready to fill that void is David Kravish, who plays the power forward position. Kravish is going to be a senior this year and he is coming off his best season in a Golden Bears uniform in which he averaged 11.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. He too was one who the team could count on in crunch time, remaining consistent and steady throughout the season.

If there is anything certain and definitive that I can tell you about the Cal Men's Basketball team, it is that David Kravish will come to play every night. He will score, he will rebound, and he will defend. He will always play a complete game on both ends of the floor.

As for the rest of the team, that really remains to be seen. Jabari Bird, who I've already mentioned has the talent to be really good this year and turn Cal into a legitimate threat to win the Pac-12. If Bird turns into an NBA first round pick, Cal could be scary. However, it's no slam dunk that he becomes that kind of player since he still seems to be a work in progress.

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The other two players who legitimately can fill the void left by Cobbs and Solomon are Tyrone Wallace (junior) and Jordan Mathews (sophomore). Wallace is a 6'5 combo guard who played a lot of shooting guard last season, but seems to be more of a natural point guard. His driving, ball handling, and passing abilities are fantastic, but his outside shot comes and goes. While it is was encouraging that his three point percentage improved from 22.4% in his freshman year to 32.1% in his sophomore year, his three point shooting was still a weak spot for him and one that he'll have to continue to improve on if he wants to be effective at the shooting guard position.

 He didn't have the kind of season that everybody hoped he would have in his sophomore year after there were whispers of him being a potential first round pick in the NBA draft. He only averaged 11.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. More importantly, he wasn't reliable down the stretch when Cal needed him to step up. There were some games when he evaporated and appeared to be invisible as Justin Cobbs, Richard Solomon, and David Kravish carried the load.

With Cobbs and Solomon now gone, Wallace will get a chance to prove that the hype around him is legitimate. If he backs up the hype along with Jabari Bird, Cal will have a really competitive team that will be tough to beat whether they are at home or on the road.

As for Jordan Mathews, who is a natural shooting guard, he too could be really good. His 32 points against Oregon on the road last season raised some eyebrows across the PAC-12 and gave people reason to believe that he could be something special. But like Wallace and Bird we'll have to see if the hype around him is legitimate. If he can come into his own, Cal's new head coach Cuonzo Martin will have four quality pieces to work with. 

As for the rest of the team, there isn't anybody who can be expected to fill the void left by Cobbs and Solomon, but there are guys who can be really nice pieces to go alongside the four guys I just mentioned. Sam Singer is a really solid point guard who passes well, defends well, and doesn't turn the ball over. His assist to turnover ratio last season was above 2.0 which I found to be remarkable for a freshman.

Incoming freshmen Brandon Chauca, a 5'9 point guard, and Kingsley Okoroh, a 7'1 center, will also be players who could make a difference on this Cal team. Chauca was really good at scoring the ball in high school and Okoroh has the potential to be a force in the paint.

Swingman Roger Moute a Bidias and power forward Christian Behrens should also be able to provide quality minutes off the bench as well. Moute a Bidias might be in for a breakout season of sorts, but the lack of minutes he got last year makes it really hard to gauge where his ceiling is.

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Last but certainly not least is the departure of head coach Mike Montgomery and the arrival of new head coach Cuonzo Martin, who coached last season at Tennessee. Martin has a good track record and the players at Tennessee from what I've heard really loved him. What helps confirm this to me is that one Cal player I talked to said he loves Coach Martin and that he is excited to play for him.

Also, for what it's worth, I've been hearing from people close to the team that Martin is really making the team work hard and put in the extra time so that they can get a grip on his basketball philosophy. In addition, other Cal players have told me to expect big things this season, implying that they are really buying into Martin's coaching method and philosophy.

To sum this all up, what I will say is that Cal has the potential to be as good as they were last year and possibly better. If Jabari Bird and Tyrone Wallace show why they were hyped to be first round picks in the NBA draft, Cal could make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. If those guys fail to live up to the hype, then Cal will be in a dog fight to make the NCAA tournament. The uncertainty surrounding Bird, Wallace, and Mathews is the biggest question mark going into the season. Until we see how those guys pan out, we won't be able to figure out the ceiling of this Cal team. Go Bears!

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

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