Thanks for staying with the program after the coaching change and getting better each year. You are a true student-athlete and fine representative of Cal. Now go get paid!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcVxO8Kpjar/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

KoreAmBear said:

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Thanks for sticking with us and getting better each year. A true student-athlete and fine representative of Cal.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcVxO8Kpjar/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

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Dang, from your post I thought he was sticking with us for one more year!

Best of luck Andre!

Civil Bear said:

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KoreAmBear said:

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Thanks for sticking with us and getting better each year. A true student-athlete and fine representative of Cal.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcVxO8Kpjar/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

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Dang, from your post I thought he was sticking with us for one more year!

Best of luck Andre!

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Haha yah I changed the OP as it could have been construed that way. And aloha could mean hello or good-bye. Should have said a hui hou (until we meet again).

The message didn't look too conclusive to me. Reading between the lines I guess he's keeping his options open if he doesn't make the NBA. And with closely-spaced all caps it wasn't all that easy to read.

So if I'm not sure then I think "aloha" is appropriate. Except it dredged up memories of losing to Hawai'i in the NCAA Tournament.

stu said:

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The message didn't look too conclusive to me. Reading between the lines I guess he's keeping his options open if he doesn't make the NBA. And with closely-spaced all caps it wasn't all that easy to read.

So if I'm not sure then I think "aloha" is appropriate. Except it dredged up memories of losing to Hawai'i in the NCAA Tournament.

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I agree. What I think it means is that he will declare for the NBA draft, not get drafted, and then sign a foreign contract if a good one emerges and he is healthy enough to play. If the contract is not good enough/he is not healthy enough, he will come back to college, at Cal or elsewhere (transfer portal). I assume Cal will fill his spot with a transfer during his questioning period, so he is unlikely to come back if he stays in college.

Or I could be wrong about everything, as usual.

sluggo said:

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stu said:

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The message didn't look too conclusive to me. Reading between the lines I guess he's keeping his options open if he doesn't make the NBA. And with closely-spaced all caps it wasn't all that easy to read.

So if I'm not sure then I think "aloha" is appropriate. Except it dredged up memories of losing to Hawai'i in the NCAA Tournament.

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I agree. What I think it means is that he will declare for the NBA draft, not get drafted, and then sign a foreign contract if a good one emerges and he is healthy enough to play. If the contract is not good enough/he is not healthy enough, he will come back to college, at Cal or elsewhere (transfer portal). I assume Cal will fill his spot with a transfer during his questioning period, so he is unlikely to come back if he stays in college.

Or I could be wrong about everything, as usual.

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No I think that is generally the way things will play out. But Fox being an idiot he probably keeps things open and we end up offering to some reach.

socaltownie said:

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sluggo said:

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stu said:

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The message didn't look too conclusive to me. Reading between the lines I guess he's keeping his options open if he doesn't make the NBA. And with closely-spaced all caps it wasn't all that easy to read.

So if I'm not sure then I think "aloha" is appropriate. Except it dredged up memories of losing to Hawai'i in the NCAA Tournament.

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I agree. What I think it means is that he will declare for the NBA draft, not get drafted, and then sign a foreign contract if a good one emerges and he is healthy enough to play. If the contract is not good enough/he is not healthy enough, he will come back to college, at Cal or elsewhere (transfer portal). I assume Cal will fill his spot with a transfer during his questioning period, so he is unlikely to come back if he stays in college.

Or I could be wrong about everything, as usual.

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No I think that is generally the way things will play out. But Fox being an idiot he probably keeps things open and we end up offering to some reach.

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I sure hope Andre cleared all of this with Fox ahead of time, or else we might see Fox close the door on our best returning player for the second straight year.

CalLifer said:

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socaltownie said:

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sluggo said:

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stu said:

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The message didn't look too conclusive to me. Reading between the lines I guess he's keeping his options open if he doesn't make the NBA. And with closely-spaced all caps it wasn't all that easy to read.

So if I'm not sure then I think "aloha" is appropriate. Except it dredged up memories of losing to Hawai'i in the NCAA Tournament.

---

I agree. What I think it means is that he will declare for the NBA draft, not get drafted, and then sign a foreign contract if a good one emerges and he is healthy enough to play. If the contract is not good enough/he is not healthy enough, he will come back to college, at Cal or elsewhere (transfer portal). I assume Cal will fill his spot with a transfer during his questioning period, so he is unlikely to come back if he stays in college.

Or I could be wrong about everything, as usual.

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No I think that is generally the way things will play out. But Fox being an idiot he probably keeps things open and we end up offering to some reach.

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I sure hope Andre cleared all of this with Fox ahead of time, or else we might see Fox close the door on our best returning player for the second straight year.

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I think this is different. Strategically, I think Fox should fill his slot if he can get a Pac12 level transfer. If there is a slot and Kelly wants to come back, then I think he should be taken back, but I don't think Fox should wait for the low probability Kelly comes back.

Now there would be open spots if he stopped recruiting walkon level scholarship players, but that is a different issue.

FWIW VC currently shows nine HS players with Cal offers: only one PG, no C, none over 215 lbs, only one rated above 2-star. Looks like nothing has changed.

sluggo said:

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CalLifer said:

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socaltownie said:

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sluggo said:

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stu said:

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The message didn't look too conclusive to me. Reading between the lines I guess he's keeping his options open if he doesn't make the NBA. And with closely-spaced all caps it wasn't all that easy to read.

So if I'm not sure then I think "aloha" is appropriate. Except it dredged up memories of losing to Hawai'i in the NCAA Tournament.

---

I agree. What I think it means is that he will declare for the NBA draft, not get drafted, and then sign a foreign contract if a good one emerges and he is healthy enough to play. If the contract is not good enough/he is not healthy enough, he will come back to college, at Cal or elsewhere (transfer portal). I assume Cal will fill his spot with a transfer during his questioning period, so he is unlikely to come back if he stays in college.

Or I could be wrong about everything, as usual.

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No I think that is generally the way things will play out. But Fox being an idiot he probably keeps things open and we end up offering to some reach.

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I sure hope Andre cleared all of this with Fox ahead of time, or else we might see Fox close the door on our best returning player for the second straight year.

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I think this is different. Strategically, I think Fox should fill his slot if he can get a Pac12 level transfer. If there is a slot and Kelly wants to come back, then I think he should be taken back, but I don't think Fox should wait for the low probability Kelly comes back.

Now there would be open spots if he stopped recruiting walkon level scholarship players, but that is a different issue.

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This. And what I meant. Kelly can't waffle. Either in or our and if waffling you move on if you are Fox. Bottom line is that the WORST possible thing would be to hold the spot open, have Kelly depart late, and fill with a non-competitive talent. Since Fox I believe this a high probability.

Thanks to Andre for being a gamer and a Bear during this challenging era. Really wish him the best.

Edit - just read his actual post. Lol. Way to cover your bases, Dre.

He has no loyalty to Cal. I would not hold a spot open in the hopes that he cant find a better situation, he will.Time to move on.

KenBurnski said:

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Thanks to Andre for being a gamer and a Bear during this challenging era. Really wish him the best.

Edit - just read his actual post. Lol. Way to cover your bases, Dre.

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Ah yah I didn't get to the part about the transfer portal. *sigh*

My understanding is that he's graduating and in my mind the talk about draft and transfer portal means he'll be gone (whether as a pro or as a grad transfer) so again, aloha to you Dre. Much success on all your endeavors young man.

sluggo said:

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CalLifer said:

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socaltownie said:

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sluggo said:

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stu said:

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The message didn't look too conclusive to me. Reading between the lines I guess he's keeping his options open if he doesn't make the NBA. And with closely-spaced all caps it wasn't all that easy to read.

So if I'm not sure then I think "aloha" is appropriate. Except it dredged up memories of losing to Hawai'i in the NCAA Tournament.

---

I agree. What I think it means is that he will declare for the NBA draft, not get drafted, and then sign a foreign contract if a good one emerges and he is healthy enough to play. If the contract is not good enough/he is not healthy enough, he will come back to college, at Cal or elsewhere (transfer portal). I assume Cal will fill his spot with a transfer during his questioning period, so he is unlikely to come back if he stays in college.

Or I could be wrong about everything, as usual.

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No I think that is generally the way things will play out. But Fox being an idiot he probably keeps things open and we end up offering to some reach.

---

I sure hope Andre cleared all of this with Fox ahead of time, or else we might see Fox close the door on our best returning player for the second straight year.

---

I think this is different. Strategically, I think Fox should fill his slot if he can get a Pac12 level transfer. If there is a slot and Kelly wants to come back, then I think he should be taken back, but I don't think Fox should wait for the low probability Kelly comes back.

Now there would be open spots if he stopped recruiting walkon level scholarship players, but that is a different issue.

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From a purely logical sense, I agree. Fox should plan as if Andre isn't returning. I just (1) have little faith that he will replace Andre with a player who helps the team as much, and (2) would not put it past him to cut bait with Andre even if he wanted to return, independent of what the replacement options were. I guess I just don't have any faith in Fox.

stu said:

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FWIW VC currently shows nine HS players with Cal offers: only one PG, no C, none over 215 lbs, only one rated above 2-star. Looks like nothing has changed.

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Knock me over with a feather. Cal will continue to bring in the walkon level high school talent as long as Fox is the coach. I am slightly more optimistic about transfers. He can offer all you can eat shooting to experienced players like he did to Shepherd. Shepherd is not good enough for the NBA, but I can imagine a better version who wants to show out for the scouts.

KoreAmBear said:

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KenBurnski said:

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Thanks to Andre for being a gamer and a Bear during this challenging era. Really wish him the best.

Edit - just read his actual post. Lol. Way to cover your bases, Dre.

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Ah yah I didn't get to the part about the transfer portal. *sigh*

My understanding is that he's graduating and in my mind the talk about draft and transfer portal means he'll be gone (whether as a pro or as a grad transfer) so again, aloha to you Dre. Much success on all your endeavors young man.

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As I said, if he decides over the summer to play college basketball , there might not be a slot at Cal. It makes sense to enter the portal just in case. I think he is being smart.

oskidunker said:

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He has no loyalty to Cal. I would not hold a spot open in the hopes that he cant find a better situation, he will.Time to move on.

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Why are you no longer a student at Cal? Have you no loyalty?

He has been at Cal 4 years, played four years, and got a degree.

In the era of the transfer portal, through bad coaching, with a lot of losing, he is the one player (plus maybe Anticevich) who had value in the portal who didn't leave.

I support without reservation any Cal athlete who finishes a degree here, whether or not they use any remaining eligibility elsewhere.

That includes WBB player Cailyn Crocker, who will finish her degree from the Haas School of Business in just 3 years!

philbert said:

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stu said:

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I support without reservation any Cal athlete who finishes a degree here, whether or not they use any remaining eligibility elsewhere.

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+1....unless they choose to goto Furd.

Yeah, Andre kind of lists coming back to Cal as an option of last resort. He'd come back only if there aren't any other options. Can't really blame him. He's done his time.

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Agree

Perhaps my take on Andre's post is secondary to the larger concerns about state of Cal BB, but his was similar to Bradley's, expressing what appears to be genuine gratitude for being @ Cal....

That won't substitute for success for us long-suffering fans/alumni, but for me if the sentiments are true, then it is pleasing that Andre and Bradley [and others] got out of Cal what we did.....

HearstMining said:

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I really enjoyed Andre's progress at Cal. He was a rugged rebounder, improved his defense and most importantly, figured out how to get his shot off against longer, more athletic opponents. He and Shep really have some polish to their games. Nobody else on the team was even close. I'm holding out hope for Celestine, though.

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Absolutely. I love players that stay for four years and get better every year. Also, I've always enjoyed watching players who post up really well.

Andre Kelly is a great Golden Bear! I wish he had finished the year healthy and got the all-conference recognition he had been building up to. If he ends up coming back next season, fantastic, but even as it stands now a job well done here for Andre.

I'm certain that Coach Fox or one of his Surrogates will give a press briefing and explain how they expect to handle the manpower situation going forward.

calfanz said:

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I'm certain that Coach Fox or one of his Surrogates will give a press briefing and explain how they expect to handle the manpower situation going forward.

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If we sign a transfer and he is admitted, we will hear. It would be nice if more info were leaked to the press so we could follow along, but of the things to not like about Fox, his lack of openness to the media and fans is low on my list.

Most years there is a freshman or two who looks to be special

They have an immediate impact which catches your eye, and grow into an important role early.

Some level out and continue to be a role player, some leave for various reasons, and some continue to grow into a leader of the team and face of the program

Kelly is that player for this team over his four years at Cal

His post play footwork was advanced from day one, enabling him to score over bigger, stronger, longer, more athletic players, shooting at an impressive 55%.

His defense made a major jump from a liability to solid. His poise and confidence grew as did his scoring and rebounding in his soph year

His junior year showed another improvement in his scoring and rebounding, and he became a good defender. However the Covid year hurt his conditioning limiting his explosiveness and minutes

Then in his senior year he put it all together… leadership, scoring over big, long, athletic defenders, strong rebounding and defense and clutch performances.

Throughout it all he was a great teammate, good student and great representative to the University

Thank you Dre for all the blood, sweat and tears you've put in while wearing a Cal jersey

It's been a great run

HoopDreams said:

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Most years there is a freshman or two who looks to be special

They have an immediate impact which catches your eye, and grow into an important role early.

Some level out and continue to be a role player, some leave for various reasons, and some continue to grow into a leader of the team and face of the program

Kelly is that player for this team over his four years at Cal

His post play footwork was advanced from day one, enabling him to score over bigger, stronger, longer, more athletic players, shooting at an impressive 55%.

His defense made a major jump from a liability to solid. His poise and confidence grew as did his scoring and rebounding in his soph year

His junior year showed another improvement in his scoring and rebounding, and he became a good defender. However the Covid year hurt his conditioning limiting his explosiveness and minutes

Then in his senior year he put it all together… leadership, scoring over big, long, athletic defenders, strong rebounding and defense and clutch performances.

Throughout it all he was a great teammate, good student and great representative to the University

Thank you Dre for all the blood, sweat and tears you've put in while wearing a Cal jersey

It's been a great run

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I say this as a big Andre fan, but lack of self-discipline hurt his conditioning more than COVID. He was a doughy freshman and made a huge jump in conditioning before his second year so you'd hope he would have wanted to retain that fitness. There was nothing to prevent him from running, buying some weights on Craigslist and using them, eating sensibly, etc. But ya know, they're still kids and self-discipline comes with maturity. Fox shares the blame as he should have been on his butt with weekly phone calls and/or given him a regular workout plan. It's to Andre's credit that he really put it together his final year, until the injury.

Seems like Andre staying with Fox is the last choice. Makes sense.

Good for Andre, bad for us.

Andre says he is declaring for the NBA draft. Does anyone think he will be drafted, or, at best, he will get a chance in one of the overseas leagues?

Go Bears!

Too slow for Nba. Europe, maybe. Likely he needs another year to develop three point shot since Fox rarely let him take one of which he is capable.

oskidunker said:

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Too slow for Nba. Europe, maybe. Likely he needs another year to develop three point shot since Fox rarely let him take one of which he is capable.

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At his height wouldn't good handles and a Trey be a minimum prerequisite for the NBA?

bearister said:

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oskidunker said:

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Too slow for Nba. Europe, maybe. Likely he needs another year to develop three point shot since Fox rarely let him take one of which he is capable.

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At his height wouldn't good handles and a Trey be a minimum prerequisite for the NBA?

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At a minimum. Or be Rodman- like with quickness and ability to get almost all rebounds.

bearister said:

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oskidunker said:

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Too slow for Nba. Europe, maybe. Likely he needs another year to develop three point shot since Fox rarely let him take one of which he is capable.

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At his height wouldn't good handles and a Trey be a minimum prerequisite for the NBA?

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You guys will laugh, but when I first saw Andre as a freshman, I thought, "Charles Barkley!". At Auburn, Barkley was overweight and didn't have much of an outside game but could rebound like crazy. OK, it didn't turn out that way, but yeah, Andre needs an improved handle, a 3pt shot. And I'd think a mid-range shot he can take off a dribble. And he probably needs to get stronger - I'm thinking Wes Unseld / Lebron strength so he can move people around since he won't me outjumping guys. I think he'll need these attributes even for Europe if he wants to have a multi-year career.

HearstMining said:

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bearister said:

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oskidunker said:

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Too slow for Nba. Europe, maybe. Likely he needs another year to develop three point shot since Fox rarely let him take one of which he is capable.

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At his height wouldn't good handles and a Trey be a minimum prerequisite for the NBA?

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You guys will laugh, but when I first saw Andre as a freshman, I thought, "Charles Barkley!". At Auburn, Barkley was overweight and didn't have much of an outside game but could rebound like crazy. OK, it didn't turn out that way, but yeah, Andre needs an improved handle, a 3pt shot. And I'd think a mid-range shot he can take off a dribble. And he probably needs to get stronger - I'm thinking Wes Unseld / Lebron strength so he can move people around since he won't me outjumping guys. I think he'll need these attributes even for Europe if he wants to have a multi-year career.

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Certainly good enough to play pro now outside the NBA if he wants to. I suspect he will end-up going to a more competitive program where he can get playing time and development for another year, and then head off to Europe.