this team is just so frustratingly close to beat the bottom half of the conference on a regular basis, and doing so would mean Cal would be in the top half of the conference (although not top 4)
I keep thinking that we just need players to make a play, but it's not happening, except for Bradley and Kelly.
Brown had several chances to be that guy at the end of games, but over penetrated or been out of control, and turned the ball over multiple times. That is a disaster in crunch time. Your point guard is suppose to be your most reliable player with the ball, and is supported to settle everyone else down when things get frantic
We've had countless open looks from 3, from our 'shooters' which I'm saying is Foreman, Betley, Grant (tier 1) and Hyder, Celestine (tier 2) and 2K and Bowser (tier 3).
I'm not including Bradley (tier 1) above, because he's clutch.
How many times do we hear an opposing team's bench player "hitting his first 3", or 'hitting only his second three and a 26% 3 point shooter?
How many times has the ball just rolled off (Celestine) or a 14 foot open jumper hitting front rim (Grant, and everyone else who shot it there vs UW)
Collectively it feels to me like confidence. Besides Bradley and Kelly, and maybe Celestine, our confidence seems to be wavering. Betley's confidence is completely shot. You can not explain his poor shooting as only better defenders. He's getting plenty of open looks. The result of players losing confidence is playing tentative, not wanting to take the big shot, and just not making plays in critical times of the game.
Can an offseason help that?
Yes, as experience should help players be more confident, but shooters sometimes go through cold spells no matter how experienced they are