Cal Adds Transfer Jordan Shepherd

Damn, you must be fun at parties

Lars will be the most improved player on the team this year by a mile. If the coaches play him early and often allowing him to work out the kinks he'll start to flourish mid season.

Heh, heh. And Joel Brown probably dribbled the ball off his foot.

BeastBear69 said:

---

Damn, you must be fun at parties

Lars will be the most improved player on the team this year by a mile. If the coaches play him early and often allowing him to work out the kinks he'll start to flourish mid season.

---

Actually, I went to one last night at a neighbor's home, a moving away party for these neighbors, with maybe 20 people, and I seemed to be the life of the party for a bit. A great time was had by all. Maybe because none of us discussed Mark Fox or Cal basketball. We talked about their work, their combat service in Iraq, their current work in social media, met the new neighbors moving in, who are in real estate, and social media work, music, and we talked about our neighbors' new home north of Seattle, all while listening and dancing to Santana et al. These folks wouldn't have any interest in Cal or our basketball, or even know what it is. It was refreshing to get away from the few here who trash Cal, our players, the coach, our AD, and if all that fails, we go after each other.

Sheesh what a weird reply. Hope you're doing well man.

You also weirdly pointed out that Lars could have missed a left hook in a picture posted by Cal Twitter. Who cares. It's July. He's supposed to practice those (and miss them) right now.

SFCityBear said:

---

Actually, I went to one last night at a neighbor's home, a moving away party for these neighbors, with maybe 20 people, and I seemed to be the life of the party for a bit. A great time was had by all. Maybe because none of us discussed Mark Fox or Cal basketball. We talked about their work, their combat service in Iraq, their current work in social media, met the new neighbors moving in, who are in real estate, and social media work, music, and we talked about our neighbors' new home north of Seattle, all while listening and dancing to Santana et al. These folks wouldn't have any interest in Cal or our basketball, or even know what it is. It was refreshing to get away from the few here who trash Cal, our players, the coach, our AD, and if all that fails, we go after each other.

---

Good on you!

Can't go wrong with Santana. I remember standing in line at Leopold's to get his first album.

North of Seattle? Go Western Washington Vikings!

BeastBear69 said:

---

Sheesh what a weird reply. Hope you're doing well man.

You also weirdly pointed out that Lars could have missed a left hook in a picture posted by Cal Twitter. Who cares. It's July. He's supposed to practice those (and miss them) right now.

---

I also seem to remember someone criticizing Cal (and California?) for being too liberal, criticized players like Jaylen Brown, coaches like Cuonzo Martin and AD's like Mike Williams.but maybe my memory is faulty. It wouldn't be the first time.

We all want the Cal Bears to be successful and I know I root for every single player on the team. They are unpaid amateurs. They will all be fellow alums and Bears for life. If we discuss individual players I try to do so with respect and restraint. Moreover, you can't (shouldn't) kick players off the team, so we can just root for improvement firm the guys on the team.

Coaches and AD's are a different story. They are paid very large salaries, even $millions from our taxes, ticket purchases and donations. They are usually not Cal Bears, but are hired to provide their services for the Cal Bears. If they are not doing a good job they should be replaced, that is the nature of most extremely high salary jobs. It comes with the territory. So discussing their job performance in forums like this seems entirely appropriate. I agree there is no need to make it personal and sometimes criticism of coaches like Dykes and Jones seemed to cross the line, but again, it comes with the $millions they are being paid.

BeastBear69 said:

---

Sheesh what a weird reply. Hope you're doing well man.

You also weirdly pointed out that Lars could have missed a left hook in a picture posted by Cal Twitter. Who cares. It's July. He's supposed to practice those (and miss them) right now.

---

I was only defending my reputation as a party guy. I'd like to keep getting the invitations.

I tried to post something positive about Lars with his new found shot, the left handed hook. Lars is slow, and has only one dependable shot, a right hand hook. To keep the defense honest, it would be good if he developed more shots. He needs to extend the range of his right hand hook. He has been able to dunk a couple of times, but needs to take it to the rim more. I think he should learn a short range jump shot, and tip-in follows, a la Omondi Amoke. We need Lars (or whoever plays center for half a game) to give us say, at least 8 points and 6 rebounds a night. all IMO.

As for whether he's making those hooks, it is important that he learn how to make them, even in July. If he can't learn to make them after a few weeks, then it is a waste of time to practice the shot.

Malgy said:

---

I'm not so sure about that starting lineup. Are you up to speed on the incoming Freshman? They are far more athletic than the starting line up you posted and that's what Fox wants to come with. Jordan will start for sure though.

---

Why would Jordan "start for sure though"? So far, Cal transfers from mid-majors have not been able to perform at the same level in the PAC12. We've had only one good one I can think of, Mullins. Others, South, Betley, Foreman, not as good. It doesn't mean Shepherd won't be a good one, only that it might not be a sure thing.

We are possibly more loaded at shooting guard than any other position, in bodies at least, and there is some talent there. Listed at SG are Shepherd, Hyder, and Roberson, true, but SF is a log jam as well, with Celestine, Kuany, Bowser, and Alajiki.

Meanwhile, at point guard, we have Brown, Hyder, Roberson, and Shepherd.

Unless Hyder can recover from his injuries, and show better point guard skills than he did last season, I think we need to look at Shepherd to play behind Brown at PG, say 10-15 minutes.

And depending on how the SF position shakes out, I could see either Celestine or even Alajiki playing the Shooting Guard. Celestine is a good perimeter shooter, and has very good passing skills, especially when he is penetrating. Alajiki, if we can believe his motor, athleticism, ball handling and other skills shown in his video, I don't see how Fox can sit him on the bench. I think he could be in the mix at SF and SG as well. Just my opinion, without having seen any of the new players in person.

SFCityBear said:

---

Malgy said:

---

I'm not so sure about that starting lineup. Are you up to speed on the incoming Freshman? They are far more athletic than the starting line up you posted and that's what Fox wants to come with. Jordan will start for sure though.

---

Why would Jordan "start for sure though"? So far, Cal transfers from mid-majors have not been able to perform at the same level in the PAC12. We've had only one good one I can think of, Mullins. Others, South, Betley, Foreman, not as good. It doesn't mean Shepherd won't be a good one, only that it might not be a sure thing.

We are possibly more loaded at shooting guard than any other position, in bodies at least, and there is some talent there. Listed at SG are Shepherd, Hyder, and Roberson, true, but SF is a log jam as well, with Celestine, Kuany, Bowser, and Alajiki.

Meanwhile, at point guard, we have Brown, Hyder, Roberson, and Shepherd.

Unless Hyder can recover from his injuries, and show better point guard skills than he did last season, I think we need to look at Shepherd to play behind Brown at PG, say 10-15 minutes.

And depending on how the SF position shakes out, I could see either Celestine or even Alajiki playing the Shooting Guard. Celestine is a good perimeter shooter, and has very good passing skills, especially when he is penetrating. Alajiki, if we can believe his motor, athleticism, ball handling and other skills shown in his video, I don't see how Fox can sit him on the bench. I think he could be in the mix at SF and SG as well. Just my opinion, without having seen any of the new players in person.

---

I agree. Last year all we heard was how Hyder was our best player in practice and would be a starter if the NCAA only granted him immediate eligibility. Shepard seems like a decent player, but with a skill set that is very similar to a lot of guys already on the team.

Brown is clearly a PG and will start, unless beat out by Hyder or Shepard (which would be a positive development).

Kelly, Anticevich, Lars and Thorpe are clearly frontline players.

Celestine is a proven player and will start at the 2 or 3.

Thus I would consider EVERYONE else, Shepard and Hyder included, even walkons, as candidates for the 5th starting position. Even consider going big with Kuany or Anywanu as a 3. Just get the best talent we have on the floor. And a major consideration should be 3 pt shooting, which is one of our major deficiencies, particularly among the returning and incoming players. Hopefully everyone except maybe Lars and Kelly, is in a gym right now practicing their 3 pt shot.

calumnus said:

---

BeastBear69 said:

---

Sheesh what a weird reply. Hope you're doing well man.

You also weirdly pointed out that Lars could have missed a left hook in a picture posted by Cal Twitter. Who cares. It's July. He's supposed to practice those (and miss them) right now.

---

I also seem to remember someone criticizing Cal (and California?) for being too liberal, criticized players like Jaylen Brown, coaches like Cuonzo Martin and AD's like Mike Williams.but maybe my memory is faulty. It wouldn't be the first time.

We all want the Cal Bears to be successful and I know I root for every single player on the team. They are unpaid amateurs. They will all be fellow alums and Bears for life. If we discuss individual players I try to do so with respect and restraint. Moreover, you can't (shouldn't) kick players off the team, so we can just root for improvement firm the guys on the team.

Coaches and AD's are a different story. They are paid very large salaries, even $millions from our taxes, ticket purchases and donations. They are usually not Cal Bears, but are hired to provide their services for the Cal Bears. If they are not doing a good job they should be replaced, that is the nature of most extremely high salary jobs. It comes with the territory. So discussing their job performance in forums like this seems entirely appropriate. I agree there is no need to make it personal and sometimes criticism of coaches like Dykes and Jones seemed to cross the line, but again, it comes with the $millions they are being paid.

---

I was confused over this post, as it did not seem to be a reply to BeastBear69, but instead a personal attack against me without using my name. I could be wrong, but if it was the case, I need to correct a few things which you got wrong.

First off, if you have evidence I ever criticized Cal for being "too liberal", then please provide it. I have never ever said that or thought that. You can use the BI search function and there will be no post where I used the word "liberal". You can do a Google search and there will be no record of my writing the word "liberal".

Deep down inside, I am a liberal, meaning the liberalism of John Locke. I was raised a liberal Democrat, and while at Cal, I worked as a Democratic Party Campaign official to elect Lyndon Johnson as President. I also participated in the Free Speech Movement, to give Communists the right to speak and distribute literature on campus. What I said about Cal at the time was that Cal was not liberal enough. Liberalism is based on freedom, and liberal college campuses like Cal were founded to give students access to all ideas, to freedom of speech, and the freedom to debate. Today Cal, like many universities, limits free speech to exclude some ideas and speech, especially that of conservatives. Several conservatives have been not been given permission to speak on campus, and those who are allowed to appear, are often shouted down by angry students, or physically threatened or abused by outside mobs. One speaker was permitted to speak, but told that she would have to pay for her own security, and was not willing or able to do so. Cal's administration does not seem to be liberal enough, because if it were, it would allow free speech and open debate without threat. Many schools today have created so-called "safe spaces", where students who are offended by some speech or ideas (read conservative) can go and isolate themselves so they will not have to hear such speech or read it. I don't know if Cal has such spaces or not, but if it does, then that is more evidence that Cal is "not liberal enough" in my opinion. The Democratic Party of today is not the party of Pat Moynihan, or Lyndon Johnson, or the Kennedys. It is increasingly influenced by its far Left members, and many liberals like myself find we have more in common today with Conservatives, which make up a sizeable portion of the Republican Party.

As to criticism of a player or a coach, I try to accurately portray what I see on court, and point out what a player or coach is doing or not doing that is not in line with good basketball practice as I understand it. I try not to make it a criticism of the person, but rather pointing out some aspect that the player or coach has not yet learned. It is not a fault, but just something to be learned. I do criticize some behavior, like Mike Montgomery shoving a player, Todd Bozeman paying a recruit under the table, Cuonzo Martin being paid but not seriously coaching his players in their final game against Bakersfield. I don't remember criticizing AD Williams, except to criticize the hiring of Wyking Jones.