Big game from Obinna Anyanwu scoring 19 points and 10 rebounds leading Cathedral Catholic over San Marcos 58-48. Jaden LeBel added 10 points and 7 rebounds. Big defensive stops from Alex Wade down the stretch
Monster game by 2021 Cal Signee Obinna Anwanyu for Cathedral Catholic. Late in the game kid just kept finding the ball. Big rebounds, big finishes around the rim. His motor won the game. @drbean14pic.twitter.com/8bNJYKYj7D
As I posted in the other thread, Anyanwu only made second team all western league. The western league my have improved since I played (mostly sat) in it, but it is not a ringing endorsement for his season. I agree that he is the strongest recruit, but I do not agree that the class is strong. I would be happy to be proved wrong.
As I posted in the other thread, Anyanwu only made second team all western league. The western league my have improved since I played (mostly sat) in it, but it is not a ringing endorsement for his season. I agree that he is the strongest recruit, but I do not agree that the class is strong. I would be happy to be proved wrong.
Cal's class is ranked 8th in the PAC-12, but 10th in average stars. 9 PAC-12 schools have a 4 or 5 star player coming in. Fox has yet to land a single one. If you include transfers the picture is even more bleak.
The news about Anyanwu is good, not because he is dominating San Diego HS talent inside, which a lot of 6-7 athletic guys can do, but because it sounds like he is recovered from his auto accident.
With Kelly and Anticevich coming back, plus Thorpe and Lars as backups, where we really need help is at small forward, replacing Bradley. Roberson or Alajiki may be better suited to the position if they are better shooters. Rooting for all of them.
As I posted in the other thread, Anyanwu only made second team all western league. The western league my have improved since I played (mostly sat) in it, but it is not a ringing endorsement for his season. I agree that he is the strongest recruit, but I do not agree that the class is strong. I would be happy to be proved wrong.
Well, he had a major injury last Spring and then dealt with COVID restrictions that impacted his ability to get back to organized basketball. By all accounts, he got better and better as this season went along. As shown by the above, he's playing his best ball in the biggest games against the top competition.
He made the All CIF teams as a Sophomore and a Junior and was a near consensus top 75 player nationally before he got hurt.
As I posted in the other thread, Anyanwu only made second team all western league. The western league my have improved since I played (mostly sat) in it, but it is not a ringing endorsement for his season. I agree that he is the strongest recruit, but I do not agree that the class is strong. I would be happy to be proved wrong.
Cal's class is ranked 8th in the PAC-12, but 10th in average stars. 9 PAC-12 schools have a 4 or 5 star player coming in. Fox has yet to land a single one. If you include transfers the picture is even more bleak.
The news about Anyanwu is good, not because he is dominating San Diego HS talent inside, which a lot of 6-7 athletic guys can do, but because it sounds like he is recovered from his auto accident.
With Kelly and Anticevich coming back, plus Thorpe and Lars as backups, where we really need help is at small forward, replacing Bradley. Roberson or Alajiki may be better suited to the position if they are better shooters. Rooting for all of them.
Funny you say that. I found the first highlights of him this year. It shows him bullying smaller players and making lay ups. It does not show any kind of perimeter play or ball handling that will be necessary at the college level. Which does not mean he can't do those things, but it would be better for his growth if he had more of that kind of role. I predict it will take a year or two.
San Diego championship on Saturday between his #2 Cathedral Catholic and #1 Torrey Pines.
As I posted in the other thread, Anyanwu only made second team all western league. The western league my have improved since I played (mostly sat) in it, but it is not a ringing endorsement for his season. I agree that he is the strongest recruit, but I do not agree that the class is strong. I would be happy to be proved wrong.
Well, he had a major injury last Spring and then dealt with COVID restrictions that impacted his ability to get back to organized basketball. By all accounts, he got better and better as this season went along. As shown by the above, he's playing his best ball in the biggest games against the top competition.
He made the All CIF teams as a Sophomore and a Junior and was a near consensus top 75 player nationally before he got hurt.
He was dealt some bad cards for sure. If you want to argue he will be a good 4-year player who will have expanded his game in order to be a solid contributor by the time he is a sophomore or junior, then okay. If instead you are saying he will contribute immediately, which is needed, as part of a "strong" class, then I think it is unlikely.
He should be a developmental player, not the star recruit, and he is clearly the star recruit. Recruiting has to improve to have any chance.
As I posted in the other thread, Anyanwu only made second team all western league. The western league my have improved since I played (mostly sat) in it, but it is not a ringing endorsement for his season. I agree that he is the strongest recruit, but I do not agree that the class is strong. I would be happy to be proved wrong.
Cal's class is ranked 8th in the PAC-12, but 10th in average stars. 9 PAC-12 schools have a 4 or 5 star player coming in. Fox has yet to land a single one. If you include transfers the picture is even more bleak.
The news about Anyanwu is good, not because he is dominating San Diego HS talent inside, which a lot of 6-7 athletic guys can do, but because it sounds like he is recovered from his auto accident.
With Kelly and Anticevich coming back, plus Thorpe and Lars as backups, where we really need help is at small forward, replacing Bradley. Roberson or Alajiki may be better suited to the position if they are better shooters. Rooting for all of them.
Funny you say that. I found the first highlights of him this year. It shows him bullying smaller players and making lay ups. It does not show any kind of perimeter play or ball handling that will be necessary at the college level. Which does not mean he can't do those things, but it would be better for his growth if he had more of that kind of role. I predict it will take a year or two.
San Diego championship on Saturday between his #2 Cathedral Catholic and #1 Torrey Pines.
Which should be a fantastic game. For those that know LOCAL those 2 schools are like 2 miles (max) apart.
As I posted in the other thread, Anyanwu only made second team all western league. The western league my have improved since I played (mostly sat) in it, but it is not a ringing endorsement for his season. I agree that he is the strongest recruit, but I do not agree that the class is strong. I would be happy to be proved wrong.
Not encouraging. I'm glad to have him because he has the talent and ability to contribute at some point, but unless the team is stacked with talent, 18-10 is an average game at best for any D1 recruit.
As I posted in the other thread, Anyanwu only made second team all western league. The western league my have improved since I played (mostly sat) in it, but it is not a ringing endorsement for his season. I agree that he is the strongest recruit, but I do not agree that the class is strong. I would be happy to be proved wrong.
Not encouraging. I'm glad to have him because he has the talent and ability to contribute at some point, but unless the team is stacked with talent, 18-10 is an average game at best for any D1 recruit.
I don't have any insight into Anyanwu, or HS basketball in general, but I do think it's maybe a bit more instructive to look less at the raw totals and more of the production relative to the team totals. In this case, Anyanwu had 19-10 in a playoff game where his team scored 59 points... so he had about 1/3 of the team's total points. I find that a bit more of an impact than I would expect looking at just his total points scored.
Again, I don't know anything at all about Anyanwu and have no projections about his future at Cal, but there is some context there that might make his future rosier than just looking at his raw points scored.
As I posted in the other thread, Anyanwu only made second team all western league. The western league my have improved since I played (mostly sat) in it, but it is not a ringing endorsement for his season. I agree that he is the strongest recruit, but I do not agree that the class is strong. I would be happy to be proved wrong.
Cal's class is ranked 8th in the PAC-12, but 10th in average stars. 9 PAC-12 schools have a 4 or 5 star player coming in. Fox has yet to land a single one. If you include transfers the picture is even more bleak.
The news about Anyanwu is good, not because he is dominating San Diego HS talent inside, which a lot of 6-7 athletic guys can do, but because it sounds like he is recovered from his auto accident.
With Kelly and Anticevich coming back, plus Thorpe and Lars as backups, where we really need help is at small forward, replacing Bradley. Roberson or Alajiki may be better suited to the position if they are better shooters. Rooting for all of them.
Funny you say that. I found the first highlights of him this year. It shows him bullying smaller players and making lay ups. It does not show any kind of perimeter play or ball handling that will be necessary at the college level. Which does not mean he can't do those things, but it would be better for his growth if he had more of that kind of role. I predict it will take a year or two.
San Diego championship on Saturday between his #2 Cathedral Catholic and #1 Torrey Pines.
That video shows him playing center, establishing post position, boxing out for rebounds and not even being a "stretch" 4 or 5. It is a common situation for an athletic 6-7 215 player in HS. He is playing the position and using the skills that helps his HS win games, but it is not the position and skills his college team needs. People have said he is "the most ready to contribute" but that might be as a reserve at PF, not at SF where we need him. As a 3, some of our other guys might be more ready this year since they have already been playing away from the basket.
However, in one other video I remember seeing him shoot a single good looking 3 from the corner. If he can hit a good percentage from that spot he could be like Theo: hit that shot or pump fake and drive baseline, either for the layup/dunk or dish to a big for the layup/dunk. Rinse and repeat. Simple, but highly effective.
And while he might play the 3 and defend the three, it is possible he could play more inside on offense with Anticevich playing more outside. However, he will not be nearly as successful playing inside against bigger college players as he is playing against smaller HS players.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
You could be right but I'll be disappointed if that's the case. These grad transfers are great if it's the one player that really makes makes your team a contender for the conference championship but otherwise they just suck up playing time from your longer term prospects. I hope that Hyder improves with a summer of practice, weight training, and the knowledge that he'll actually play this upcoming season (I understand he got jerked around last year with the NCAA ruling on his transfer).
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
You could be right but I'll be disappointed if that's the case. These grad transfers are great if it's the one player that really makes makes your team a contender for the conference championship but otherwise they just suck up playing time from your longer term prospects. I hope that Hyder improves with a summer of practice, weight training, and the knowledge that he'll actually play this upcoming season (I understand he got jerked around last year with the NCAA ruling on his transfer).
Fox does play a lot of players. So it is not like a player that is not starting gets buried on the bench. Last year I do wish Celestine had played more and Betley less, but maybe Celestine got as much time as he could handle given his injury.
The reality is that the players need to get better during the offseason and practice. The class of 2019 did not make the progress that was needed last season, for whatever reason.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
Not much in the way of shooters on this returning roster. Celestine will get a chance to show what he can do. Anticevich is so streaky; needs some all-around consistency. Kelly has a nice touch out to about 18 feet. Foreman is a shooter, for sure, but is he a maker?
The rest of them, maybe they can improve somewhat from where they were. Every little bit helps, I guess.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
Not much in the way of shooters on this returning roster. Celestine will get a chance to show what he can do. Anticevich is so streaky; needs some all-around consistency. Kelly has a nice touch out to about 18 feet. Foreman is a shooter, for sure, but is he a maker?
The rest of them, maybe they can improve somewhat from where they were. Every little bit helps, I guess.
Yes, beside the team lacking talent, they also don't fit together. Of all eleven recruits in the last three years Celestine is the only good 3-point shooter, except possibly Klonaras, who probably cannot play because he cannot move. That is a losing formula.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
Not much in the way of shooters on this returning roster. Celestine will get a chance to show what he can do. Anticevich is so streaky; needs some all-around consistency. Kelly has a nice touch out to about 18 feet. Foreman is a shooter, for sure, but is he a maker?
The rest of them, maybe they can improve somewhat from where they were. Every little bit helps, I guess.
Yes, beside the team lacking talent, they also don't fit together. Of all eleven recruits in the last three years Celestine is the only good 3-point shooter, except possibly Klonaras, who probably cannot play because he cannot move. That is a losing formula.
The roster looks to be below average in all facets of the game: size, shooting, athleticism, defense. Well, I guess they have consistency going for them! The one advantage they will have over most other conference schools is experience in the program, but...
Hey players and coaches: If you're reading this and it irks you to see that I wrote it, note that I WANT you to do well, so go bust your butts and prove me wrong! I would be delighted to be wrong and the crow I would eat in front of you would taste great. You are -- each and every one of you -- a gazillion times the player I ever was (even though my 3-on-3 Cal intramural team went undefeated my last year). Go Bears!
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
Not much in the way of shooters on this returning roster. Celestine will get a chance to show what he can do. Anticevich is so streaky; needs some all-around consistency. Kelly has a nice touch out to about 18 feet. Foreman is a shooter, for sure, but is he a maker?
The rest of them, maybe they can improve somewhat from where they were. Every little bit helps, I guess.
Yes, beside the team lacking talent, they also don't fit together. Of all eleven recruits in the last three years Celestine is the only good 3-point shooter, except possibly Klonaras, who probably cannot play because he cannot move. That is a losing formula.
The roster looks to be below average in all facets of the game: size, shooting, athleticism, defense. Well, I guess they have consistency going for them! The one advantage they will have over most other conference schools is experience in the program, but...
Hey players and coaches: If you're reading this and it irks you to see that I wrote it, note that I WANT you to do well, so go bust your butts and prove me wrong! I would be delighted to be wrong and the crow I would eat in front of you would taste great. You are -- each and every one of you -- a gazillion times the player I ever was (even though my 3-on-3 Cal intramural team went undefeated my last year). Go Bears!
I disagree in part. I count 5 plus athletes among the 11 recruits (not listed to prevent arguing) and 10 of 11 at least average athletically. I think Brown and Kuany are naturally good defenders, and the rest are good enough athletes that they can be taught. Fox did an amazing job helping Austin become a better defender, and with normal practice time upcoming should be able to teach the others.
I did not do any calculations but I think Cal is as tall as the Warriors. There are four players at least 6'8'' and the recruits from the last two classes are long limbed athletes in the 6'5'' to 6'7'' range. You have to admit the team does not lack size, if nothing else.
I don't think it is a winning strategy to recruit good athletes with weak offensive basketball skills, but it is a strategy, and we will see in the next two years how it looks. IF the team can score, success is possible, but I don't see how they can score.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
Not much in the way of shooters on this returning roster. Celestine will get a chance to show what he can do. Anticevich is so streaky; needs some all-around consistency. Kelly has a nice touch out to about 18 feet. Foreman is a shooter, for sure, but is he a maker?
The rest of them, maybe they can improve somewhat from where they were. Every little bit helps, I guess.
Yes, beside the team lacking talent, they also don't fit together. Of all eleven recruits in the last three years Celestine is the only good 3-point shooter, except possibly Klonaras, who probably cannot play because he cannot move. That is a losing formula.
The roster looks to be below average in all facets of the game: size, shooting, athleticism, defense. Well, I guess they have consistency going for them! The one advantage they will have over most other conference schools is experience in the program, but...
Hey players and coaches: If you're reading this and it irks you to see that I wrote it, note that I WANT you to do well, so go bust your butts and prove me wrong! I would be delighted to be wrong and the crow I would eat in front of you would taste great. You are -- each and every one of you -- a gazillion times the player I ever was (even though my 3-on-3 Cal intramural team went undefeated my last year). Go Bears!
I disagree in part. I count 5 plus athletes among the 11 recruits (not listed to prevent arguing) and 10 of 11 at least average athletically. I think Brown and Kuany are naturally good defenders, and the rest are good enough athletes that they can be taught. Fox did an amazing job helping Austin become a better defender, and with normal practice time upcoming should be able to teach the others.
I did not do any calculations but I think Cal is as tall as the Warriors. There are four players at least 6'8'' and the recruits from the last two classes are long limbed athletes in the 6'5'' to 6'7'' range. You have to admit the team does not lack size, if nothing else.
I don't think it is a winning strategy to recruit good athletes with weak offensive basketball skills, but it is a strategy, and we will see in the next two years how it looks. IF the team can score, success is possible, but I don't see how they can score.
I'm wondering if it's less a strategy than a reality. If Fox concludes or has realized that he can't recruit the plus athletes with strong offensive bball skills, then he has a choice between recruiting weak athletes+good offensive skills or strong athletes+weak offensive skills. I'm guessing with that choice, he will choose the latter as they are likely to be better defenders, and he is focused on having a strong defense. And, as the saying goes, you can't teach athleticism, so he may be of the mindset that he can at least coach up some of those athletes into having better offensive skills.
Can he really? I don't know. I do think he can teach defense; it's less clear to me that he can really teach offense.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
Not much in the way of shooters on this returning roster. Celestine will get a chance to show what he can do. Anticevich is so streaky; needs some all-around consistency. Kelly has a nice touch out to about 18 feet. Foreman is a shooter, for sure, but is he a maker?
The rest of them, maybe they can improve somewhat from where they were. Every little bit helps, I guess.
Yes, beside the team lacking talent, they also don't fit together. Of all eleven recruits in the last three years Celestine is the only good 3-point shooter, except possibly Klonaras, who probably cannot play because he cannot move. That is a losing formula.
The roster looks to be below average in all facets of the game: size, shooting, athleticism, defense. Well, I guess they have consistency going for them! The one advantage they will have over most other conference schools is experience in the program, but...
Hey players and coaches: If you're reading this and it irks you to see that I wrote it, note that I WANT you to do well, so go bust your butts and prove me wrong! I would be delighted to be wrong and the crow I would eat in front of you would taste great. You are -- each and every one of you -- a gazillion times the player I ever was (even though my 3-on-3 Cal intramural team went undefeated my last year). Go Bears!
I disagree in part. I count 5 plus athletes among the 11 recruits (not listed to prevent arguing) and 10 of 11 at least average athletically. I think Brown and Kuany are naturally good defenders, and the rest are good enough athletes that they can be taught. Fox did an amazing job helping Austin become a better defender, and with normal practice time upcoming should be able to teach the others.
I did not do any calculations but I think Cal is as tall as the Warriors. There are four players at least 6'8'' and the recruits from the last two classes are long limbed athletes in the 6'5'' to 6'7'' range. You have to admit the team does not lack size, if nothing else.
I don't think it is a winning strategy to recruit good athletes with weak offensive basketball skills, but it is a strategy, and we will see in the next two years how it looks. IF the team can score, success is possible, but I don't see how they can score.
I'm wondering if it's less a strategy than a reality. If Fox concludes or has realized that he can't recruit the plus athletes with strong offensive bball skills, then he has a choice between recruiting weak athletes+good offensive skills or strong athletes+weak offensive skills. I'm guessing with that choice, he will choose the latter as they are likely to be better defenders, and he is focused on having a strong defense. And, as the saying goes, you can't teach athleticism, so he may be of the mindset that he can at least coach up some of those athletes into having better offensive skills.
Can he really? I don't know. I do think he can teach defense; it's less clear to me that he can really teach offense.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
You could be right but I'll be disappointed if that's the case. These grad transfers are great if it's the one player that really makes makes your team a contender for the conference championship but otherwise they just suck up playing time from your longer term prospects. I hope that Hyder improves with a summer of practice, weight training, and the knowledge that he'll actually play this upcoming season (I understand he got jerked around last year with the NCAA ruling on his transfer).
I imagine the Fox knows there is a risk that his job could be in jeopardy if they have another terrible season. So I think he'll play whoever he thinks will help him win the most games. I do not think he will play to develop guys at the cost of wins.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
Not much in the way of shooters on this returning roster. Celestine will get a chance to show what he can do. Anticevich is so streaky; needs some all-around consistency. Kelly has a nice touch out to about 18 feet. Foreman is a shooter, for sure, but is he a maker?
The rest of them, maybe they can improve somewhat from where they were. Every little bit helps, I guess.
Yes, beside the team lacking talent, they also don't fit together. Of all eleven recruits in the last three years Celestine is the only good 3-point shooter, except possibly Klonaras, who probably cannot play because he cannot move. That is a losing formula.
The roster looks to be below average in all facets of the game: size, shooting, athleticism, defense. Well, I guess they have consistency going for them! The one advantage they will have over most other conference schools is experience in the program, but...
Hey players and coaches: If you're reading this and it irks you to see that I wrote it, note that I WANT you to do well, so go bust your butts and prove me wrong! I would be delighted to be wrong and the crow I would eat in front of you would taste great. You are -- each and every one of you -- a gazillion times the player I ever was (even though my 3-on-3 Cal intramural team went undefeated my last year). Go Bears!
I disagree in part. I count 5 plus athletes among the 11 recruits (not listed to prevent arguing) and 10 of 11 at least average athletically. I think Brown and Kuany are naturally good defenders, and the rest are good enough athletes that they can be taught. Fox did an amazing job helping Austin become a better defender, and with normal practice time upcoming should be able to teach the others.
I did not do any calculations but I think Cal is as tall as the Warriors. There are four players at least 6'8'' and the recruits from the last two classes are long limbed athletes in the 6'5'' to 6'7'' range. You have to admit the team does not lack size, if nothing else.
I don't think it is a winning strategy to recruit good athletes with weak offensive basketball skills, but it is a strategy, and we will see in the next two years how it looks. IF the team can score, success is possible, but I don't see how they can score.
I'm wondering if it's less a strategy than a reality. If Fox concludes or has realized that he can't recruit the plus athletes with strong offensive bball skills, then he has a choice between recruiting weak athletes+good offensive skills or strong athletes+weak offensive skills. I'm guessing with that choice, he will choose the latter as they are likely to be better defenders, and he is focused on having a strong defense. And, as the saying goes, you can't teach athleticism, so he may be of the mindset that he can at least coach up some of those athletes into having better offensive skills.
Can he really? I don't know. I do think he can teach defense; it's less clear to me that he can really teach offense.
It is the strategy he took at Georgia. However, I think he had access to more/better athletes at Georgia and academics were not a concern. Monty, both at Cal and at Stanford, brought in a mix of both types, with athletic less-skilled players rebounding and defending and setting picks for less athletic players with skills, especially shooters. However he favored the less athletic players with skills, the athletic guys without skills (Amoke, for example) often rode the bench.
Fox's strategy produced a .500 conference season average at Georgia over his 9 years there, but I doubt it can achieve even that mediocrity at Cal. We were #303 in scoring last year and I think our scoring will plummet. How low can we go?
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
Not much in the way of shooters on this returning roster. Celestine will get a chance to show what he can do. Anticevich is so streaky; needs some all-around consistency. Kelly has a nice touch out to about 18 feet. Foreman is a shooter, for sure, but is he a maker?
The rest of them, maybe they can improve somewhat from where they were. Every little bit helps, I guess.
Yes, beside the team lacking talent, they also don't fit together. Of all eleven recruits in the last three years Celestine is the only good 3-point shooter, except possibly Klonaras, who probably cannot play because he cannot move. That is a losing formula.
The roster looks to be below average in all facets of the game: size, shooting, athleticism, defense. Well, I guess they have consistency going for them! The one advantage they will have over most other conference schools is experience in the program, but...
Hey players and coaches: If you're reading this and it irks you to see that I wrote it, note that I WANT you to do well, so go bust your butts and prove me wrong! I would be delighted to be wrong and the crow I would eat in front of you would taste great. You are -- each and every one of you -- a gazillion times the player I ever was (even though my 3-on-3 Cal intramural team went undefeated my last year). Go Bears!
I disagree in part. I count 5 plus athletes among the 11 recruits (not listed to prevent arguing) and 10 of 11 at least average athletically. I think Brown and Kuany are naturally good defenders, and the rest are good enough athletes that they can be taught. Fox did an amazing job helping Austin become a better defender, and with normal practice time upcoming should be able to teach the others.
I did not do any calculations but I think Cal is as tall as the Warriors. There are four players at least 6'8'' and the recruits from the last two classes are long limbed athletes in the 6'5'' to 6'7'' range. You have to admit the team does not lack size, if nothing else.
I don't think it is a winning strategy to recruit good athletes with weak offensive basketball skills, but it is a strategy, and we will see in the next two years how it looks. IF the team can score, success is possible, but I don't see how they can score.
True, 4 of our last 5 recruits are reported to be good athletes, so Fox seems to be trying to improve us in that area. You're probably counting Thorpe as a "plus athlete". I would say he "looks like he would be a plus athlete".
I would describe Kuany as a "potentially good defender". If he were a "naturally good defender" (like Brown), I think he would've gotten a lot more minutes the past two seasons.
Outside of Thiemann and Kuany, we have been length-challenged up front and Kuany hasn't played much and Thiemann probably shouldn't have played as much.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
Not much in the way of shooters on this returning roster. Celestine will get a chance to show what he can do. Anticevich is so streaky; needs some all-around consistency. Kelly has a nice touch out to about 18 feet. Foreman is a shooter, for sure, but is he a maker?
The rest of them, maybe they can improve somewhat from where they were. Every little bit helps, I guess.
Yes, beside the team lacking talent, they also don't fit together. Of all eleven recruits in the last three years Celestine is the only good 3-point shooter, except possibly Klonaras, who probably cannot play because he cannot move. That is a losing formula.
The roster looks to be below average in all facets of the game: size, shooting, athleticism, defense. Well, I guess they have consistency going for them! The one advantage they will have over most other conference schools is experience in the program, but...
Hey players and coaches: If you're reading this and it irks you to see that I wrote it, note that I WANT you to do well, so go bust your butts and prove me wrong! I would be delighted to be wrong and the crow I would eat in front of you would taste great. You are -- each and every one of you -- a gazillion times the player I ever was (even though my 3-on-3 Cal intramural team went undefeated my last year). Go Bears!
I disagree in part. I count 5 plus athletes among the 11 recruits (not listed to prevent arguing) and 10 of 11 at least average athletically. I think Brown and Kuany are naturally good defenders, and the rest are good enough athletes that they can be taught. Fox did an amazing job helping Austin become a better defender, and with normal practice time upcoming should be able to teach the others.
I did not do any calculations but I think Cal is as tall as the Warriors. There are four players at least 6'8'' and the recruits from the last two classes are long limbed athletes in the 6'5'' to 6'7'' range. You have to admit the team does not lack size, if nothing else.
I don't think it is a winning strategy to recruit good athletes with weak offensive basketball skills, but it is a strategy, and we will see in the next two years how it looks. IF the team can score, success is possible, but I don't see how they can score.
I'm wondering if it's less a strategy than a reality. If Fox concludes or has realized that he can't recruit the plus athletes with strong offensive bball skills, then he has a choice between recruiting weak athletes+good offensive skills or strong athletes+weak offensive skills. I'm guessing with that choice, he will choose the latter as they are likely to be better defenders, and he is focused on having a strong defense. And, as the saying goes, you can't teach athleticism, so he may be of the mindset that he can at least coach up some of those athletes into having better offensive skills.
Can he really? I don't know. I do think he can teach defense; it's less clear to me that he can really teach offense.
It is the strategy he took at Georgia. However, I think he had access to more/better athletes at Georgia and academics were not a concern. Monty, both at Cal and at Stanford, brought in a mix of both types, with athletic less-skilled players rebounding and defending and setting picks for less athletic players with skills, especially shooters. However he favored the less athletic players with skills, the athletic guys without skills (Amoke, for example) often rode the bench.
Fox's strategy produced a .500 conference season average at Georgia over his 9 years there, but I doubt it can achieve even that mediocrity at Cal. We were #303 in scoring last year and I think our scoring will plummet. How low can we go?
I think Amoke had skills at least in rebounding, but was undersized. I believe he thrived at CS Fullerton after he transferred.
Anyanwu's Cathedral Catholic lost the CIF championship after being tied with less than a second left on a 30 footer from an out of bounds play. He was not in the top 4 scorers on his team.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
Not much in the way of shooters on this returning roster. Celestine will get a chance to show what he can do. Anticevich is so streaky; needs some all-around consistency. Kelly has a nice touch out to about 18 feet. Foreman is a shooter, for sure, but is he a maker?
The rest of them, maybe they can improve somewhat from where they were. Every little bit helps, I guess.
Yes, beside the team lacking talent, they also don't fit together. Of all eleven recruits in the last three years Celestine is the only good 3-point shooter, except possibly Klonaras, who probably cannot play because he cannot move. That is a losing formula.
The roster looks to be below average in all facets of the game: size, shooting, athleticism, defense. Well, I guess they have consistency going for them! The one advantage they will have over most other conference schools is experience in the program, but...
Hey players and coaches: If you're reading this and it irks you to see that I wrote it, note that I WANT you to do well, so go bust your butts and prove me wrong! I would be delighted to be wrong and the crow I would eat in front of you would taste great. You are -- each and every one of you -- a gazillion times the player I ever was (even though my 3-on-3 Cal intramural team went undefeated my last year). Go Bears!
I disagree in part. I count 5 plus athletes among the 11 recruits (not listed to prevent arguing) and 10 of 11 at least average athletically. I think Brown and Kuany are naturally good defenders, and the rest are good enough athletes that they can be taught. Fox did an amazing job helping Austin become a better defender, and with normal practice time upcoming should be able to teach the others.
I did not do any calculations but I think Cal is as tall as the Warriors. There are four players at least 6'8'' and the recruits from the last two classes are long limbed athletes in the 6'5'' to 6'7'' range. You have to admit the team does not lack size, if nothing else.
I don't think it is a winning strategy to recruit good athletes with weak offensive basketball skills, but it is a strategy, and we will see in the next two years how it looks. IF the team can score, success is possible, but I don't see how they can score.
I'm wondering if it's less a strategy than a reality. If Fox concludes or has realized that he can't recruit the plus athletes with strong offensive bball skills, then he has a choice between recruiting weak athletes+good offensive skills or strong athletes+weak offensive skills. I'm guessing with that choice, he will choose the latter as they are likely to be better defenders, and he is focused on having a strong defense. And, as the saying goes, you can't teach athleticism, so he may be of the mindset that he can at least coach up some of those athletes into having better offensive skills.
Can he really? I don't know. I do think he can teach defense; it's less clear to me that he can really teach offense.
It is a strategy given his choices. Of course he would prefer players that can do everything. But when you recruit players who would otherwise be going to the Big Sky, tradeoffs need to be made. I do appreciate that there appears to be a strategy rather than just recruiting random players.
It would be nice if the others were more ready to play right away, but they are actually less ready.
The question is assuming Kelly, Anticevich, Celestine and Brown in the starting lineup, who is the 5th starter replacing Bradley? Who is your best guess?
My guess is Shepherd. I think he will beat out Hyder, who would be another option. It would be geat if Kuany has improved enough to start as he has a lot more upside than the other two. Bowser looks the part but last year could not shoot.
Not much in the way of shooters on this returning roster. Celestine will get a chance to show what he can do. Anticevich is so streaky; needs some all-around consistency. Kelly has a nice touch out to about 18 feet. Foreman is a shooter, for sure, but is he a maker?
The rest of them, maybe they can improve somewhat from where they were. Every little bit helps, I guess.
Yes, beside the team lacking talent, they also don't fit together. Of all eleven recruits in the last three years Celestine is the only good 3-point shooter, except possibly Klonaras, who probably cannot play because he cannot move. That is a losing formula.
The roster looks to be below average in all facets of the game: size, shooting, athleticism, defense. Well, I guess they have consistency going for them! The one advantage they will have over most other conference schools is experience in the program, but...
Hey players and coaches: If you're reading this and it irks you to see that I wrote it, note that I WANT you to do well, so go bust your butts and prove me wrong! I would be delighted to be wrong and the crow I would eat in front of you would taste great. You are -- each and every one of you -- a gazillion times the player I ever was (even though my 3-on-3 Cal intramural team went undefeated my last year). Go Bears!
I disagree in part. I count 5 plus athletes among the 11 recruits (not listed to prevent arguing) and 10 of 11 at least average athletically. I think Brown and Kuany are naturally good defenders, and the rest are good enough athletes that they can be taught. Fox did an amazing job helping Austin become a better defender, and with normal practice time upcoming should be able to teach the others.
I did not do any calculations but I think Cal is as tall as the Warriors. There are four players at least 6'8'' and the recruits from the last two classes are long limbed athletes in the 6'5'' to 6'7'' range. You have to admit the team does not lack size, if nothing else.
I don't think it is a winning strategy to recruit good athletes with weak offensive basketball skills, but it is a strategy, and we will see in the next two years how it looks. IF the team can score, success is possible, but I don't see how they can score.
I'm wondering if it's less a strategy than a reality. If Fox concludes or has realized that he can't recruit the plus athletes with strong offensive bball skills, then he has a choice between recruiting weak athletes+good offensive skills or strong athletes+weak offensive skills. I'm guessing with that choice, he will choose the latter as they are likely to be better defenders, and he is focused on having a strong defense. And, as the saying goes, you can't teach athleticism, so he may be of the mindset that he can at least coach up some of those athletes into having better offensive skills.
Can he really? I don't know. I do think he can teach defense; it's less clear to me that he can really teach offense.
It is a strategy given his choices. Of course he would prefer players that can do everything. But when you recruit players who would otherwise be going to the Big Sky, tradeoffs need to be made. I do appreciate that there appears to be a strategy rather than just recruiting random players.
cal has been small for a few years. even Bradley is an undersized player.
so I think last year's class and this year's class emphasized length
so I think last year's class and this year's class emphasized length
I'd say these guys are long for guards but not for small forwards. And some of them will be playing small forward, if not power forward.
I get it: positionless basketball, small ball, blah blah blah, but has it come to this, where we have two consecutive recruiting classes of "emphasizing length" and none of the guys are over 6-7?
so I think last year's class and this year's class emphasized length
I'd say these guys are long for guards but not for small forwards. And some of them will be playing small forward, if not power forward.
I get it: positionless basketball, small ball, blah blah blah, but has it come to this, where we have two consecutive recruiting classes of "emphasizing length" and none of the guys are over 6-7?
It is a weird thing to worry about. Cal has three sophomores (assuming they are staying) at the 4 and 5 positions to go with two seniors. They have bodies. Now have added longer players at the wings. Of all their problems, of which there are many, size is not one of them.
so I think last year's class and this year's class emphasized length
I'd say these guys are long for guards but not for small forwards. And some of them will be playing small forward, if not power forward.
I get it: positionless basketball, small ball, blah blah blah, but has it come to this, where we have two consecutive recruiting classes of "emphasizing length" and none of the guys are over 6-7?
It is a weird thing to worry about. Cal has three sophomores (assuming they are staying) at the 4 and 5 positions to go with two seniors. They have bodies. Now have added longer players at the wings. Of all their problems, of which there are many, size is not one of them.
Agreed. We have 5 players that are 6-8 or over for the 4/5 positions. Then we have 7 players that are 6-6 or 6-7 with one that plays center in HS. That is a lot of length. Size and quantity is not the issue.
The following year we will only lose Anticevich for sure.
What we are missing is shooters, scorers, playmakers.
so I think last year's class and this year's class emphasized length
I'd say these guys are long for guards but not for small forwards. And some of them will be playing small forward, if not power forward.
I get it: positionless basketball, small ball, blah blah blah, but has it come to this, where we have two consecutive recruiting classes of "emphasizing length" and none of the guys are over 6-7?
It is a weird thing to worry about. Cal has three sophomores (assuming they are staying) at the 4 and 5 positions to go with two seniors. They have bodies. Now have added longer players at the wings. Of all their problems, of which there are many, size is not one of them.
I admit to worrying about weird things now and then... like all the times last season in which we were just ABUSED inside, playing Kelly and Anticevich as our bigs (and Kelly defends better than he used to as an underclassman).
