Late September, into October, is a sports fan’s dream season. Baseball heads to its playoffs. Football, both college and the NFL, are in full swing and seasons are beginning to take shape. And, hockey and basketball are beginning their camps, with all the hope that exists when every team is still undefeated. So many sports, so little time and attention to offer each.
The 2022-2023 Cal Men’s basketball squad began their regular-season practice sessions Monday. Everyone, in every program, is positive and confident in their prospects for the upcoming season, of course, but in the case of Golden Bears hoops, that confidence might just be well-placed.
Monday also featured a Zoom-only availability with head coach Mark Fox, now in his fourth year at Haas Pavilion, along with seniors Lars Thiemann and Kuany Kuany, known to his teammates as “2K”. All seemed genuinely excited for what their futures hold.
Thiemann spoke at some length about the team’s opportunity to play games in Europe this past summer. He was very pleased to show his teammates the culture, history and architecture of his home country and continent, but also happy to do some exploring on his own, as he had never been either to Paris, or to the part of Belgium the team visited.
“For me,” Thiemann said, “what was most exciting was to go to Düsseldorf, almost my home city, for the guys to see where I’m from, and then we had a game there and played against my old team. I thought it was a great trip for us, as teammates, to bond and to get closer – the shared experience I think will help us become closer, more of a brotherhood.”
Asked what new things he saw, Thiemann noted, “I’d never seen Paris, it was cool, such a beautiful city, even the touristy sights were cool to see.”
Kuany echoed those sentiments, with the additional note that it was ALL new for him: “The trip was a great experience because I’d never been to Europe, getting to bond with my teammates on a long flight. The coolest thing I saw was the PSG (Paris Saint-Germain) Stadium, (Les Parc des Princes), because I’m pretty big on soccer and just to see that stadium was really cool, especially for my teammates to be able to share the moment.”
2K went on to say that the experience of playing two games together in the summer would be very beneficial going forward, noting, “We’ve got a lot of new players.” That might be an understatement, actually.
Cal has four complete newcomers, plus a fifth player who redshirted last season, all of whom are expected to be contributors in Fox’s rotation, which he expects to be 9, but possibly 10 players once the season settles in. “I would like to be able to play nine,” Fox said, “can we get to 10? We’ll see. We’ve got a lot of competition for minutes right now – it’s kind of fun to see every day. We’ve got a lot of guys battling, and a month to figure it out.”
The four newcomers are Irishman ND Okafor (6’-9”, 235 lbs.); 6’-8”, 220 lb. freshman Grant Newell, from Chicago but with an extra year at IMG Academy in Brandenton, Florida; and transfers Devin Askew and DeJuan Clayton. Okafor, who has extensive international experience, is a “5”, like Thiemann, but both Thiemann and Fox think Okafor might see the floor with Thiemann at various times during the year. Fox actually said, “I can play ND at any position from the 2 up to the 5 if I need to,” although that’s no guarantee we will see the big man spotting up on the wing very often.
When asked who has surprised him the most so far this year, Fox immediately said, “there’s no doubt, it’s Grant Newell. He came in and, from Day 1, he’s been impressive with how he works, how he finishes, with how responsible he is. He just has a lot of positive traits on and off the court. I don’t think there’s anyone on our staff who would say differently; Grant has been a tremendous surprise out of the gate.”
Asked if the 2022-23 squad would play a quicker tempo than recent squads have, Fox said, “I think in the past we’ve played a slower tempo than we wanted to because of the talent. Now that we have more depth, I think you’ll see us play a faster pace and see more balance offensively. Obviously, it’s an area we have worked hard on this summer. I think the two transfer guards will impact that area immediately.”
We asked Coach Fox who would be able to lead the team when they really want to run the floor, and he said, “I’d say Joel (returning senior Joel Brown) and Devin (Askew) are the best in that area. They are really good on the open floor and are fast on the dribble.”
Askew left high school a year early and enrolled at Kentucky. He was projected as the #1 point guard in the nation with his graduating class, but experienced expected growing pains jumping to an elite program in Lexington. Fox was asked about his confidence level as he has transferred to now his third NCAA program: “I think that’s a good question. Obviously, he took on something that, when I recruited him, I recommended he NOT skip his senior year. But he’s a talented player. We’ve worked hard (for him) to regain his confidence and aggressiveness. I think he would admit he got a little heavy in those previous places, and we’ve trimmed him down. It starts with approach – he’s VERY coachable, and I think he’s got a lot of his confidence back, and it’s about getting him comfortable in a system of play that I think fits him better.
Fox admitted that prior seasons have not been the easiest to watch. “We’ve not had an athletic front line, and that’s hard to overcome in a game with 60+ possessions. Lars, I think, finally got comfortable last year and everyone was excited about how he finished last year. But, Sam Alajiki played really well last season and for his national team (Ireland) this summer. He’s got a strong and athletic body, and you combine him with Grant and we have length and a physicality in the paint that, quite honestly, we’ve not had (during my tenure).”
Fox noted that the program has been rebuilding, itself a hurdle, and also had to work through the challenges of the pandemic. He feels he’s now got a roster that can play aggressively, and hopes they can learn to do so while playing mistake-free basketball. He’s excited to go to practice because he “has been getting a ton of cooperation, and don’t have to fight them every day.”
The Golden Bears open the 2022-23 season with non-conference action against UC Davis, putting their 33-0 all-time record against the Aggies on the line at Haas Pavilion November 7.
"He's excited to go to practice because he "has been getting a ton of cooperation, and don't have to fight them every day.""
A glimpse into Fox practices the last few years. Perhaps why Bradley and Kelly are playing elsewhere and a major reason Fox is an especially bad fit for coaching Cal-student athletes.
"He's excited to go to practice because he "has been getting a ton of cooperation, and don't have to fight them every day.""
A glimpse into Fox practices the last few years. Perhaps why Bradley and Kelly are playing elsewhere and a major reason Fox is an especially bad fit for coaching Cal-student athletes.
Fox tried to pretend Bradley wasn't the star of the team two years ago, esp benching him @UCLA and his post game remarks saying he's merely a good player, which was an insult. You don't have to give them star treatment but you don't need to pretend that he is like the 7th guy in rotation. Bad fit man, bad f'n fit.
The athletic just did their ranking of all D1 coaches. And surprise surprise, they ranked fox in the very bottom tier. Among the 10 worst coaches in the country
"He's excited to go to practice because he "has been getting a ton of cooperation, and don't have to fight them every day.""
A glimpse into Fox practices the last few years. Perhaps why Bradley and Kelly are playing elsewhere and a major reason Fox is an especially bad fit for coaching Cal-student athletes.
Fox tried to pretend Bradley wasn't the star of the team two years ago, esp benching him @UCLA and his post game remarks saying he's merely a good player, which was an insult. You don't have to give them star treatment but you don't need to pretend that he is like the 7th guy in rotation. Bad fit man, bad f'n fit.
It is not like Bradley did not want to be a good player and win. It is not like he does not play defense, San Diego State is a top defensive team. If he has ideas, if he does not agree with you, he is not "fighting you" the idea that players need to just "co-operate" (he clearly means "comply") is just a very outdated notion of coaching.
Cal is a place that attracts smart students and encourages them to speak up and have an opinion. Our ideal student athlete is someone like Jalen Brown, a 5 star who was attracted to Cal and came across the country to attend school and play here for that very reason. We will never get a player like Jalen under Fox. We need a coach that can educate and convincingly explain "why" he wants you to do what he wants. For most of his career thst was Monty, which is why he was successful at places like Stanford and Cal with smart student athletes and why there are so many good coaches who are part of his coaching tree. His players and assistants received a basketball education. Who is In Fox's coaching tree?
The need for compliant players would make him a better fit for a military academy or a small school in the south or Midwest. Just a bad fit for Berkeley.
The athletic just did their ranking of all D1 coaches. And surprise surprise, they ranked fox in the very bottom tier. Among the 10 worst coaches in the country
Yes, his hiring was widely viewed in the media charitably as "a head scratcher."
For active coaches he is #121 in career winning percentage, helped by early success at Nevada, but he is #300+ based on record at their current school. Crazy that a guy with such a poor record can continue to make $millions and get extended whike up and coming young coaches do not get the opportunity.
"He's excited to go to practice because he "has been getting a ton of cooperation, and don't have to fight them every day.""
A glimpse into Fox practices the last few years. Perhaps why Bradley and Kelly are playing elsewhere and a major reason Fox is an especially bad fit for coaching Cal-student athletes.
Fox tried to pretend Bradley wasn't the star of the team two years ago, esp benching him @UCLA and his post game remarks saying he's merely a good player, which was an insult. You don't have to give them star treatment but you don't need to pretend that he is like the 7th guy in rotation. Bad fit man, bad f'n fit.
It is not like Bradley did not want to be a good player and win. It is not like he does not play defense, San Diego State is a top defensive team. If he has ideas, if he does not agree with you, he is not "fighting you" the idea that players need to just "co-operate" (he clearly means "comply") is just a very outdated notion of coaching.
Cal is a place that attracts smart students and encourages them to speak up and have an opinion. Our ideal student athlete is someone like Jalen Brown, a 5 star who was attracted to Cal and came across the country to attend school and play here for that very reason. We will never get a player like Jalen under Fox. We need a coach that can educate and convincingly explain "why" he wants you to do what he wants. For most of his career thst was Monty, which is why he was successful at places like Stanford and Cal with smart student athletes and why there are so many good coaches who are part of his coaching tree. His players and assistants received a basketball education. Who is In Fox's coaching tree?
The need for compliant players would make him a better fit for a military academy or a small school in the south or Midwest. Just a bad fit for Berkeley.
Can we send both Knowlton and Fox back to the AFA as a package?
"He's excited to go to practice because he "has been getting a ton of cooperation, and don't have to fight them every day.""
A glimpse into Fox practices the last few years. Perhaps why Bradley and Kelly are playing elsewhere and a major reason Fox is an especially bad fit for coaching Cal-student athletes.
Fox tried to pretend Bradley wasn't the star of the team two years ago, esp benching him @UCLA and his post game remarks saying he's merely a good player, which was an insult. You don't have to give them star treatment but you don't need to pretend that he is like the 7th guy in rotation. Bad fit man, bad f'n fit.
It is not like Bradley did not want to be a good player and win. It is not like he does not play defense, San Diego State is a top defensive team. If he has ideas, if he does not agree with you, he is not "fighting you" the idea that players need to just "co-operate" (he clearly means "comply") is just a very outdated notion of coaching.
Cal is a place that attracts smart students and encourages them to speak up and have an opinion. Our ideal student athlete is someone like Jalen Brown, a 5 star who was attracted to Cal and came across the country to attend school and play here for that very reason. We will never get a player like Jalen under Fox. We need a coach that can educate and convincingly explain "why" he wants you to do what he wants. For most of his career thst was Monty, which is why he was successful at places like Stanford and Cal with smart student athletes and why there are so many good coaches who are part of his coaching tree. His players and assistants received a basketball education. Who is In Fox's coaching tree?
The need for compliant players would make him a better fit for a military academy or a small school in the south or Midwest. Just a bad fit for Berkeley.
Can we send both Knowlton and Fox back to the AFA as a package?
That place needs to be cleaned up, and they are the men to do it.
that means roberson, hyper, anyanwu and Celestine all dont play ( barring injuries )
if/when celestine comes back, who else sits - i say bowser
I think your first 8 are logistical. Not sure who the 9th is, Celestine is definitely out. Bowser is the best guess.
Marsalis Roberson is practicing well and is healthy (had a minor knee scope a few months back and then got a bit sick) He is talented so if he stays healthy he likely would be in that first 9. Hyder is still struggling with back issues and Jalen is attacking his PT and is targeting end of year, but who knows if that is at all possible. Monty can shoot it, and is a bit stronger - would be nice to see him step up. A lot of interchangeable players will be interesting to see which combo's are the most effective.
that means roberson, hyper, anyanwu and Celestine all dont play ( barring injuries )
if/when celestine comes back, who else sits - i say bowser
I think your first 8 are logistical. Not sure who the 9th is, Celestine is definitely out. Bowser is the best guess.
Marsalis Roberson is practicing well and is healthy (had a minor knee scope a few months back and then got a bit sick) He is talented so if he stays healthy he likely would be in that first 9. Hyder is still struggling with back issues and Jalen is attacking his PT and is targeting end of year, but who knows if that is at all possible. Monty can shoot it, and is a bit stronger - would be nice to see him step up. A lot of interchangeable players will be interesting to see which combo's are the most effective.
Unless Roberson has fixed his shooting stroke (which in my amateur opinion is off the charts bad) he will not find the court
that means roberson, hyper, anyanwu and Celestine all dont play ( barring injuries )
if/when celestine comes back, who else sits - i say bowser
I think your first 8 are logistical. Not sure who the 9th is, Celestine is definitely out. Bowser is the best guess.
Marsalis Roberson is practicing well and is healthy (had a minor knee scope a few months back and then got a bit sick) He is talented so if he stays healthy he likely would be in that first 9. Hyder is still struggling with back issues and Jalen is attacking his PT and is targeting end of year, but who knows if that is at all possible. Monty can shoot it, and is a bit stronger - would be nice to see him step up. A lot of interchangeable players will be interesting to see which combo's are the most effective.
Unless Roberson has fixed his shooting stroke (which in my amateur opinion is off the charts bad) he will not find the court
In a sane world, that would be true. However, the experience with Fox is that defense/defensive effort trumps all else, so if he can show that, he will play. Then when we lose a game where we give up only 32 points but only score 21, Fox can blame the defensive effort.
that means roberson, hyper, anyanwu and Celestine all dont play ( barring injuries )
if/when celestine comes back, who else sits - i say bowser
You're not out of place. Maybe a might early, unless you have seen all these players playing in person before. I for one have not seen Clayton, Askew, Newell, and Okafor, and I've seen precious little of Roberson and Bowser. I'd guess 4thGen, if anyone here, has seen all the players play in person at some point.
And many college players mature and improve a lot over a summer, and this was the first summer since the beginning of Covid, that Fox has had to work with his players, so I expect we might see some serious improvement. Another thing we may not know is how much, if at all, the players injured previously, Brown, Bowser, Roberson, and Hyder, will be ready to play at 100%.
The thing I like is that since Fox has been here, this is the first season where we might be able to seriously talk about different combinations, and depth. Initially, I heard that Okafor was a project, not yet ready to start, and now Fox says he can play him at any position from 2 to 5. How wild a concept is that? I guess it means he's not a passer, but everything else is on the table. When is the first game?
Initially, I heard that Okafor was a project, not yet ready to start, and now Fox says he can play him at any position from 2 to 5. How wild a concept is that? I guess it means he's not a passer, but everything else is on the table.
Initially, I heard that Okafor was a project, not yet ready to start, and now Fox says he can play him at any position from 2 to 5. How wild a concept is that? I guess it means he's not a passer, but everything else is on the table.
I took it to mean he's not a ball handler.
That is certainly possible, maybe more possible. I think we are all interested in seeing this youngster in action.
I'm interested to see all 4 of our new player. I think each is going to get significant playing time and at least 2 will start. I'm expecting a lot out of Askew and Newell
I am excited to see how fast we play. I think this year will be a true test of whether the issue truly was depth/talent or if Fox just is unimaginative and boring with his x's and o's. If we play slow as usual, it must be the latter.
To play fast you need to get clean rebounds with primarily two or at most 3 players attacking the glass and quickly kicking it out to players already on the break
(another way is to get steals)
If you can do that and get numbers it's increases your scoring efficiency as you can score at the rack
If you don't have numbers you have to have shooters on the 3 point line
Both approaches to scoring is better because the defenses are not set
But I'm skeptical as I don't think those success factors describe our team
It's not just a matter of running (its not a pickup game)
eastcoastcal said:
I am excited to see how fast we play. I think this year will be a true test of whether the issue truly was depth/talent or if Fox just is unimaginative and boring with his x's and o's. If we play slow as usual, it must be the latter.
To play fast you need to get clean rebounds with primarily two or at most 3 players attacking the glass and quickly kicking it out to players already on the break
(another way is to get steals)
If you can do that and get numbers it's increases your scoring efficiency as you can score at the rack
If you don't have numbers you have to have shooters on the 3 point line
Both approaches to scoring is better because the defenses are not set
But I'm skeptical as I don't think those success factors describe our team
It's not just a matter of running (its not a pickup game)
eastcoastcal said:
I am excited to see how fast we play. I think this year will be a true test of whether the issue truly was depth/talent or if Fox just is unimaginative and boring with his x's and o's. If we play slow as usual, it must be the latter.
Playing "faster" is relative. You are talking about fast breaks and pushing tempo. Fox's teams at Cal and at Georgia played intentionally slow. Cal was #300+ in tempo last year, one of the slowest playing teams in the country, milking the clock before even attempting a shot and trying to deny any shot on defense. A team like Gonzaga plays very fast, not with fast breaks, but looking for good shots early in the shot clock and enticing their opponents into bad percentage shots rather than deny any shot.
If the question is: will we (again) use the majority of the shot clock ?
The strategy behind that are:
- playing slow limits our turnovers - we get better shots - we are better able to get back on defense - we give our opponents fewer shots
I'd say if thats fox's strategy i see no reason why he would do differently with this team
He says we have more depth so thats a small factor to play faster, but otherwise I dont think it outweighs the reasons he chooses his 'take the air out of the ball' approach.
We are not deep in the front court so need Lars to play huge minutes and we are otherwise young and will have too many turnovers and bad shots if we speed up. The one player that enabled us to play fast was Jordan, but we still played slow and he's gone. Unless our two transfer guards are as better I don't see it
Fox just answered the question in a fan/media positive way before the season. He probably answered it the same way last pre-season if asked the same question
calumnus said:
HoopDreams said:
To play fast you need to get clean rebounds with primarily two or at most 3 players attacking the glass and quickly kicking it out to players already on the break
(another way is to get steals)
If you can do that and get numbers it's increases your scoring efficiency as you can score at the rack
If you don't have numbers you have to have shooters on the 3 point line
Both approaches to scoring is better because the defenses are not set
But I'm skeptical as I don't think those success factors describe our team
It's not just a matter of running (its not a pickup game)
eastcoastcal said:
I am excited to see how fast we play. I think this year will be a true test of whether the issue truly was depth/talent or if Fox just is unimaginative and boring with his x's and o's. If we play slow as usual, it must be the latter.
Playing "faster" is relative. You are talking about fast breaks and pushing tempo. Fox's teams at Cal and at Georgia played intentionally slow. Cal was #300+ in tempo last year, one of the slowest playing teams in the country, milking the clock before even attempting a shot and trying to deny any shot on defense. A team like Gonzaga plays very fast, not with fast breaks, but looking for good shots early in the shot clock and enticing their opponents into bad percentage shots rather than deny any shot.
If the question is: will we (again) use the majority of the shot clock ?
The strategy behind that are:
- playing slow limits our turnovers - we get better shots - we are better able to get back on defense - we give our opponents fewer shots
I'd say if thats fox's strategy i see no reason why he would do differently with this team
He says we have more depth so thats a small factor to play faster, but otherwise I dont think it outweighs the reasons he chooses his 'take the air out of the ball' approach.
We are not deep in the front court so need Lars to play huge minutes and we are otherwise young and will have too many turnovers and bad shots if we speed up. The one player that enabled us to play fast was Jordan, but we still played slow and he's gone. Unless our two transfer guards are as better I don't see it
Fox just answered the question in a fan/media positive way before the season. He probably answered it the same way last pre-season if asked the same question
Playing slow or fast has a major statistical component. The more possessions the lower the variance of the result. If you are the better team you want lower variance, if you are the worse team you want higher variance. As Cal is almost always the worse team statistically they want to play slow.
The statistical argument is general. There are specific team factors that you discuss.
If the question is: will we (again) use the majority of the shot clock ?
The strategy behind that are:
- playing slow limits our turnovers - we get better shots - we are better able to get back on defense - we give our opponents fewer shots
I'd say if thats fox's strategy i see no reason why he would do differently with this team
He says we have more depth so thats a small factor to play faster, but otherwise I dont think it outweighs the reasons he chooses his 'take the air out of the ball' approach.
We are not deep in the front court so need Lars to play huge minutes and we are otherwise young and will have too many turnovers and bad shots if we speed up. The one player that enabled us to play fast was Jordan, but we still played slow and he's gone. Unless our two transfer guards are as better I don't see it
Fox just answered the question in a fan/media positive way before the season. He probably answered it the same way last pre-season if asked the same question
Playing slow or fast has a major statistical component. The more possessions the lower the variance of the result. If you are the better team you want lower variance, if you are the worse team you want higher variance. As Cal is almost always the worse team statistically they want to play slow.
The statistical argument is general. There are specific team factors that you discuss.
agree. i cover this in 'we give our opponents fewer shots' (we of course also give ourselves fewer shots too)
Initially, I heard that Okafor was a project, not yet ready to start, and now Fox says he can play him at any position from 2 to 5. How wild a concept is that? I guess it means he's not a passer, but everything else is on the table.
I took it to mean he's not a ball handler.
That is certainly possible, maybe more possible. I think we are all interested in seeing this youngster in action.
Okafor is a project. There are hours of recent video of him on youtube, whole games, and I have sadly watched the video. He is a good but not great athlete and has very little in the way of basketball skills. Fox says a lot of BS.
Newell is much more of a question mark because he barely played last year and did not play the year before. He is intriguing because he is mysterious. Okafor is known.
Okafor will have to play some 5 as Lars cant play 40 minutes and he cant matchup well with some players, and that doesn't even consider foul trouble
Without okafor we will be extremely small and lack any beef
sluggo said:
SFCityBear said:
Civil Bear said:
SFCityBear said:
Initially, I heard that Okafor was a project, not yet ready to start, and now Fox says he can play him at any position from 2 to 5. How wild a concept is that? I guess it means he's not a passer, but everything else is on the table.
I took it to mean he's not a ball handler.
That is certainly possible, maybe more possible. I think we are all interested in seeing this youngster in action.
Okafor is a project. There are hours of recent video of him on youtube, whole games, and I have sadly watched the video. He is a good but not great athlete and has very little in the way of basketball skills. Fox says a lot of BS.
Newell is much more of a question mark because he barely played last year and did not play the year before. He is intriguing because he is mysterious. Okafor is known.
Okafor will have to play some 5 as Lars cant play 40 minutes and he cant matchup well with some players, and that doesn't even consider foul trouble
Without okafor we will be extremely small and lack any beef
No doubt Okafor will get 10 or 15 minutes a game. Because there is no one else with his size other than the starter. But that does not mean he is anything more than a project.
Okafor will have to play some 5 as Lars cant play 40 minutes and he cant matchup well with some players, and that doesn't even consider foul trouble
Without okafor we will be extremely small and lack any beef
No doubt Okafor will get 10 or 15 minutes a game. Because there is no one else with his size other than the starter. But that does not mean he is anything more than a project.
I haven't watched game video like you, so I will reserve judgment
however given he's only a freshmen, I don't have high expectations
my point is he probably needs to play regardless based on the roster on this team
Okafor will have to play some 5 as Lars cant play 40 minutes and he cant matchup well with some players, and that doesn't even consider foul trouble
Without okafor we will be extremely small and lack any beef
No doubt Okafor will get 10 or 15 minutes a game. Because there is no one else with his size other than the starter. But that does not mean he is anything more than a project.
I haven't watched game video like you, so I will reserve judgment
however given he's only a freshmen, I don't have high expectations
my point is he probably needs to play regardless based on the roster on this team
At halftime of today's game Knowlton talked about "the excitement of Cal basketball under Mark Fox." To be fair, he also talked about the "excitement" of the game and our "explosive offense" so maybe he is as being sarcastic.
