Jabri Abdur-Rahim, son of Shareef, is in the Portal...He finished the Georgia season as their 2nd leading scorer averaging 12.2 ppg....I wonder if anyone on the Cal staff is aware of the 6'8" SG connection to Cal?
Post Reply
1 of 1
ABDUR-RAHIM
3,880 Views |
18 Replies |
Last: 22 days ago by calumnus
I wonder if you are aware that Jabri's uncle (Shareef's brother), Amir Abdur-Rahim is the head men's basketball coach at South Florida. That is Jabri's likely destination, if he withdraws his name from the NBA draft pool.
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
01Bear said:calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
Every recruiter and every recruit.
Bozeman gets a very bad rap here but his recruitment of Shareef was a master class. Included Cal's world renown reputation in Islamic studies. Hakeem Olajuwon said if he had known about it he would have chosen Cal. Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role. Later Desmond Tutu came to Sproul to thank Cal students for our pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid. Later another Cal coach, Cuonzo Martin, used that same Cal history of social Justice activism to recruit another great player from Atlanta, Jaylen Brown. It is our comparative advantage, it is what can make us really stand out above the many other top academic schools for the top intellectual/academically oriented athletes.
That, and a good NIL program. But never underestimate the need for intelligent young men to feel good about the choices they make. Shareef's essay above shows how important that was and still is to him.
Bozeman was 5 years old when MLK was shot. The shots of MLK on Sproul are iconic (for Cal grads anyway) for sure...but MLK wasn't thanking for anything that involved Todd, directly or indirectly...calumnus said:01Bear said:calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
Every recruiter and every recruit.
Bozeman gets a very bad rap here but his recruitment of Shareef was a master class. Included Cal's world renown reputation in Islamic studies. Hakeem Olajuwon said if he had known about it he would have chosen Cal. Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role. Later Desmond Tutu came to Sproul to thank Cal students for our pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid. Later another Cal coach, Cuonzo Martin, used that same Cal history of social Justice activism to recruit another great player from Atlanta, Jaylen Brown. It is our comparative advantage, it is what can make us really stand out above the many other top academic schools for the top intellectual/academically oriented athletes.
That, and a good NIL program. But never underestimate the need for intelligent young men to feel good about the choices they make. Shareef's essay above shows how important that was and still is to him.
Shareef is my dream choice for Cal AD.
mbBear said:Bozeman was 5 years old when MLK was shot. The shots of MLK on Sproul are iconic (for Cal grads anyway) for sure...but MLK wasn't thanking for anything that involved Todd, directly or indirectly...calumnus said:01Bear said:calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
Every recruiter and every recruit.
Bozeman gets a very bad rap here but his recruitment of Shareef was a master class. Included Cal's world renown reputation in Islamic studies. Hakeem Olajuwon said if he had known about it he would have chosen Cal. Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role. Later Desmond Tutu came to Sproul to thank Cal students for our pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid. Later another Cal coach, Cuonzo Martin, used that same Cal history of social Justice activism to recruit another great player from Atlanta, Jaylen Brown. It is our comparative advantage, it is what can make us really stand out above the many other top academic schools for the top intellectual/academically oriented athletes.
That, and a good NIL program. But never underestimate the need for intelligent young men to feel good about the choices they make. Shareef's essay above shows how important that was and still is to him.
No one implied otherwise.
GMP said:mbBear said:Bozeman was 5 years old when MLK was shot. The shots of MLK on Sproul are iconic (for Cal grads anyway) for sure...but MLK wasn't thanking for anything that involved Todd, directly or indirectly...calumnus said:01Bear said:calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
Every recruiter and every recruit.
Bozeman gets a very bad rap here but his recruitment of Shareef was a master class. Included Cal's world renown reputation in Islamic studies. Hakeem Olajuwon said if he had known about it he would have chosen Cal. Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role. Later Desmond Tutu came to Sproul to thank Cal students for our pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid. Later another Cal coach, Cuonzo Martin, used that same Cal history of social Justice activism to recruit another great player from Atlanta, Jaylen Brown. It is our comparative advantage, it is what can make us really stand out above the many other top academic schools for the top intellectual/academically oriented athletes.
That, and a good NIL program. But never underestimate the need for intelligent young men to feel good about the choices they make. Shareef's essay above shows how important that was and still is to him.
No one implied otherwise.
"Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role."
To me, that read as action and reaction. If that wasn't the case then I am wrong.
mbBear said:GMP said:mbBear said:Bozeman was 5 years old when MLK was shot. The shots of MLK on Sproul are iconic (for Cal grads anyway) for sure...but MLK wasn't thanking for anything that involved Todd, directly or indirectly...calumnus said:01Bear said:calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
Every recruiter and every recruit.
Bozeman gets a very bad rap here but his recruitment of Shareef was a master class. Included Cal's world renown reputation in Islamic studies. Hakeem Olajuwon said if he had known about it he would have chosen Cal. Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role. Later Desmond Tutu came to Sproul to thank Cal students for our pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid. Later another Cal coach, Cuonzo Martin, used that same Cal history of social Justice activism to recruit another great player from Atlanta, Jaylen Brown. It is our comparative advantage, it is what can make us really stand out above the many other top academic schools for the top intellectual/academically oriented athletes.
That, and a good NIL program. But never underestimate the need for intelligent young men to feel good about the choices they make. Shareef's essay above shows how important that was and still is to him.
No one implied otherwise.
"Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role."
To me, that read as action and reaction. If that wasn't the case then I am wrong.
Did you read Shareef's essay? It is the context of recruiting.
Bozeman promoted Cal's history in civil rights with Shareef in recruiting him and Martin promoted Cal's history in civil rights in recruiting Jalen Brown. Just like coaches like Wilcox promote Cal's top academics with recruits. That doesn't mean Wilcox had anything to do with academic research and teaching, He went to Oregon on a football scholarship. However, when you recruit, you promote the positive aspects of the school to recruits. For many, many young, intelligent, educated, African American men (and others) who also excel in athletics, Cal's history and reputation for social activism is potentially a huge selling point. It allowed us to get two of the most highly recruited players in their class from all the way in Atlanta. It, and the Bay Area and Berkeley, is what differentiates us from other top academic schools. It is our <comparative> advantage.
Our competing in the ACC can only increase our awareness and appeal among recruits from Atlanta, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida, states where we already have had some success in recruiting.
calumnus said:mbBear said:GMP said:mbBear said:Bozeman was 5 years old when MLK was shot. The shots of MLK on Sproul are iconic (for Cal grads anyway) for sure...but MLK wasn't thanking for anything that involved Todd, directly or indirectly...calumnus said:01Bear said:calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
Every recruiter and every recruit.
Bozeman gets a very bad rap here but his recruitment of Shareef was a master class. Included Cal's world renown reputation in Islamic studies. Hakeem Olajuwon said if he had known about it he would have chosen Cal. Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role. Later Desmond Tutu came to Sproul to thank Cal students for our pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid. Later another Cal coach, Cuonzo Martin, used that same Cal history of social Justice activism to recruit another great player from Atlanta, Jaylen Brown. It is our comparative advantage, it is what can make us really stand out above the many other top academic schools for the top intellectual/academically oriented athletes.
That, and a good NIL program. But never underestimate the need for intelligent young men to feel good about the choices they make. Shareef's essay above shows how important that was and still is to him.
No one implied otherwise.
"Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role."
To me, that read as action and reaction. If that wasn't the case then I am wrong.
Did you read Shareef's essay? It is the context of recruiting.
Bozeman promoted Cal's history in civil rights with Shareef in recruiting him and Martin promoted Cal's history in civil rights in recruiting Jalen Brown. Just like coaches like Wilcox promote Cal's top academics with recruits. That doesn't mean Wilcox had anything to do with academic research and teaching, He went to Oregon on a football scholarship. However, when you recruit, you promote the positive aspects of the school to recruits. For many, many young, intelligent, educated, African American men (and others) who also excel in athletics, Cal's history and reputation for social activism is potentially a huge selling point. It allowed us to get two of the most highly recruited players in their class from all the way in Atlanta. It is what differentiates us from other top academic schools. It is our comparative advantage.
Our competing in the ACC can only increase our awareness and appeal among recruits from Atlanta, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida, states where we already have had some success in recruiting.
See the sentence I was commenting on...one sentence, not anything else you were saying; figured it for a typo.
I personally don't need any background on Bozeman, having had the chance to meet him off the court, and he was very interested in my parents involvement with the Civil rights movement. But certainly great to point out his positive influence.
But a worthwhile point regarding Cal, and just maybe history being a recruiting opportunity.
mbBear said:calumnus said:mbBear said:GMP said:mbBear said:Bozeman was 5 years old when MLK was shot. The shots of MLK on Sproul are iconic (for Cal grads anyway) for sure...but MLK wasn't thanking for anything that involved Todd, directly or indirectly...calumnus said:01Bear said:calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
Every recruiter and every recruit.
Bozeman gets a very bad rap here but his recruitment of Shareef was a master class. Included Cal's world renown reputation in Islamic studies. Hakeem Olajuwon said if he had known about it he would have chosen Cal. Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role. Later Desmond Tutu came to Sproul to thank Cal students for our pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid. Later another Cal coach, Cuonzo Martin, used that same Cal history of social Justice activism to recruit another great player from Atlanta, Jaylen Brown. It is our comparative advantage, it is what can make us really stand out above the many other top academic schools for the top intellectual/academically oriented athletes.
That, and a good NIL program. But never underestimate the need for intelligent young men to feel good about the choices they make. Shareef's essay above shows how important that was and still is to him.
No one implied otherwise.
"Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role."
To me, that read as action and reaction. If that wasn't the case then I am wrong.
Did you read Shareef's essay? It is the context of recruiting.
Bozeman promoted Cal's history in civil rights with Shareef in recruiting him and Martin promoted Cal's history in civil rights in recruiting Jalen Brown. Just like coaches like Wilcox promote Cal's top academics with recruits. That doesn't mean Wilcox had anything to do with academic research and teaching, He went to Oregon on a football scholarship. However, when you recruit, you promote the positive aspects of the school to recruits. For many, many young, intelligent, educated, African American men (and others) who also excel in athletics, Cal's history and reputation for social activism is potentially a huge selling point. It allowed us to get two of the most highly recruited players in their class from all the way in Atlanta. It is what differentiates us from other top academic schools. It is our comparative advantage.
Our competing in the ACC can only increase our awareness and appeal among recruits from Atlanta, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida, states where we already have had some success in recruiting.
See the sentence I was commenting on...one sentence, not anything else you were saying; figured it for a typo.
I personally don't need any background on Bozeman, having had the chance to meet him off the court, and he was very interested in my parents involvement with the Civil rights movement. But certainly great to point out his positive influence.
But a worthwhile point regarding Cal, and just maybe history being a recruiting opportunity.
Yes, didn't mean to imply he was directly responsible for Cal's centuries long history of opposing injustice.
He witnessed some of it. He was an assistant at Cal in 1990 when Nelson Mandela thanked Cal faculty and students for the pivotal role we played in the peaceful overthrowing of Apartheid when we started the divestiture movement in December 1984.
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/how-students-helped-end-apartheid
calumnus said:mbBear said:calumnus said:mbBear said:GMP said:mbBear said:Bozeman was 5 years old when MLK was shot. The shots of MLK on Sproul are iconic (for Cal grads anyway) for sure...but MLK wasn't thanking for anything that involved Todd, directly or indirectly...calumnus said:01Bear said:calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
Every recruiter and every recruit.
Bozeman gets a very bad rap here but his recruitment of Shareef was a master class. Included Cal's world renown reputation in Islamic studies. Hakeem Olajuwon said if he had known about it he would have chosen Cal. Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role. Later Desmond Tutu came to Sproul to thank Cal students for our pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid. Later another Cal coach, Cuonzo Martin, used that same Cal history of social Justice activism to recruit another great player from Atlanta, Jaylen Brown. It is our comparative advantage, it is what can make us really stand out above the many other top academic schools for the top intellectual/academically oriented athletes.
That, and a good NIL program. But never underestimate the need for intelligent young men to feel good about the choices they make. Shareef's essay above shows how important that was and still is to him.
No one implied otherwise.
"Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role."
To me, that read as action and reaction. If that wasn't the case then I am wrong.
Did you read Shareef's essay? It is the context of recruiting.
Bozeman promoted Cal's history in civil rights with Shareef in recruiting him and Martin promoted Cal's history in civil rights in recruiting Jalen Brown. Just like coaches like Wilcox promote Cal's top academics with recruits. That doesn't mean Wilcox had anything to do with academic research and teaching, He went to Oregon on a football scholarship. However, when you recruit, you promote the positive aspects of the school to recruits. For many, many young, intelligent, educated, African American men (and others) who also excel in athletics, Cal's history and reputation for social activism is potentially a huge selling point. It allowed us to get two of the most highly recruited players in their class from all the way in Atlanta. It is what differentiates us from other top academic schools. It is our comparative advantage.
Our competing in the ACC can only increase our awareness and appeal among recruits from Atlanta, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida, states where we already have had some success in recruiting.
See the sentence I was commenting on...one sentence, not anything else you were saying; figured it for a typo.
I personally don't need any background on Bozeman, having had the chance to meet him off the court, and he was very interested in my parents involvement with the Civil rights movement. But certainly great to point out his positive influence.
But a worthwhile point regarding Cal, and just maybe history being a recruiting opportunity.
Yes, didn't mean to imply he was directly responsible for Cal's centuries long history of opposing injustice.
He witnessed some of it. He was an assistant at Cal in 1990 when Nelson Mandela thanked Cal faculty and students for the pivotal role we played in the peaceful overthrowing of Apartheid when we started the divestiture movement in December 1984.
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/how-students-helped-end-apartheid
"Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role."
I took that as action by Bozeman and a response to the action by MLK. I wasn't questioning anything else.
If that's just bad reading by me, that's fine.
mbBear said:calumnus said:mbBear said:calumnus said:mbBear said:GMP said:mbBear said:Bozeman was 5 years old when MLK was shot. The shots of MLK on Sproul are iconic (for Cal grads anyway) for sure...but MLK wasn't thanking for anything that involved Todd, directly or indirectly...calumnus said:01Bear said:calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
Every recruiter and every recruit.
Bozeman gets a very bad rap here but his recruitment of Shareef was a master class. Included Cal's world renown reputation in Islamic studies. Hakeem Olajuwon said if he had known about it he would have chosen Cal. Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role. Later Desmond Tutu came to Sproul to thank Cal students for our pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid. Later another Cal coach, Cuonzo Martin, used that same Cal history of social Justice activism to recruit another great player from Atlanta, Jaylen Brown. It is our comparative advantage, it is what can make us really stand out above the many other top academic schools for the top intellectual/academically oriented athletes.
That, and a good NIL program. But never underestimate the need for intelligent young men to feel good about the choices they make. Shareef's essay above shows how important that was and still is to him.
No one implied otherwise.
"Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role."
To me, that read as action and reaction. If that wasn't the case then I am wrong.
Did you read Shareef's essay? It is the context of recruiting.
Bozeman promoted Cal's history in civil rights with Shareef in recruiting him and Martin promoted Cal's history in civil rights in recruiting Jalen Brown. Just like coaches like Wilcox promote Cal's top academics with recruits. That doesn't mean Wilcox had anything to do with academic research and teaching, He went to Oregon on a football scholarship. However, when you recruit, you promote the positive aspects of the school to recruits. For many, many young, intelligent, educated, African American men (and others) who also excel in athletics, Cal's history and reputation for social activism is potentially a huge selling point. It allowed us to get two of the most highly recruited players in their class from all the way in Atlanta. It is what differentiates us from other top academic schools. It is our comparative advantage.
Our competing in the ACC can only increase our awareness and appeal among recruits from Atlanta, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida, states where we already have had some success in recruiting.
See the sentence I was commenting on...one sentence, not anything else you were saying; figured it for a typo.
I personally don't need any background on Bozeman, having had the chance to meet him off the court, and he was very interested in my parents involvement with the Civil rights movement. But certainly great to point out his positive influence.
But a worthwhile point regarding Cal, and just maybe history being a recruiting opportunity.
Yes, didn't mean to imply he was directly responsible for Cal's centuries long history of opposing injustice.
He witnessed some of it. He was an assistant at Cal in 1990 when Nelson Mandela thanked Cal faculty and students for the pivotal role we played in the peaceful overthrowing of Apartheid when we started the divestiture movement in December 1984.
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/how-students-helped-end-apartheid
"Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role."
I took that as action by Bozeman and a response to the action by MLK. I wasn't questioning anything else.
If that's just bad reading by me, that's fine.
It seems clear enough to me. He promoted Cal's role, not "his" role. Especially in the context of recruiting Shareef.
He WAS at Cal when Nelson Mandela came to thank us, but he had nothing to do with bringing Mandela here or with our earlier actions in overthrowing Apartheid. It did make a big impression on him which he shared with Shareef and was one of the things that brought Shareef to Cal. And certainly he was not at Cal in the 1950s when students went to Mississippi as Freedom Riders or in the 1930s when we helped form the Lincoln Brigade to fight Hitler and Mussolini in Spain.
If I was not clear, you can chalk it up to the sloppiness of my writing on a message board using my thumb on an iPhone without sufficient editing.
Cheers!
Also Harry Edwards on faculty and actively teaching through the 90s, not sure when he stepped into the emeritus role, maybe when he moved over to Oakland citygov?
Just a few counterpoints to the idea that things that happened at Berkeley last century could make a difference in recruiting this century, with apologies to Mr. Abdur-Rahim (who happens to be talking about his Cal recruiting experience in the last century):
1. Most 18-year-olds believe social activism is posting on social media, a toxic wasteland that along with NIL is destroying all things good.
2. Berkeley's storied history of free speech and social justice is something to be proud of. Unfortunately that ended around 1994, when political polarization began, the parties stopped talking, and campus social activism became people yelling and cursing at each other at Sather Gate or trying to ban speakers.
3. The recent rush out the door of the entire roster confirms for me that the only thing that drives recruitment is self-interest, greed and the search for more dollars. These kids are not transferring somewhere and asking, "Does this campus culture match my sense of social justice?"
I wish it weren't this way, and that a kid might come to campus and see it the way I do, as one of the best intellectual centers in the world. Do they still give out free electric scooters to athletes? More freebies. Work on building team leaders with a longer tenure, who can meet with recruits and mentor. Those are the opinions recruits will care about, not a lecture on the Free Speech Movement which happened before their grandparents were in college.
1. Most 18-year-olds believe social activism is posting on social media, a toxic wasteland that along with NIL is destroying all things good.
2. Berkeley's storied history of free speech and social justice is something to be proud of. Unfortunately that ended around 1994, when political polarization began, the parties stopped talking, and campus social activism became people yelling and cursing at each other at Sather Gate or trying to ban speakers.
3. The recent rush out the door of the entire roster confirms for me that the only thing that drives recruitment is self-interest, greed and the search for more dollars. These kids are not transferring somewhere and asking, "Does this campus culture match my sense of social justice?"
I wish it weren't this way, and that a kid might come to campus and see it the way I do, as one of the best intellectual centers in the world. Do they still give out free electric scooters to athletes? More freebies. Work on building team leaders with a longer tenure, who can meet with recruits and mentor. Those are the opinions recruits will care about, not a lecture on the Free Speech Movement which happened before their grandparents were in college.
barsad said:
Just a few counterpoints to the idea that things that happened at Berkeley last century could make a difference in recruiting this century, with apologies to Mr. Abdur-Rahim (who happens to be talking about his Cal recruiting experience in the last century):
1. Most 18-year-olds believe social activism is posting on social media, a toxic wasteland that along with NIL is destroying all things good.
2. Berkeley's storied history of free speech and social justice is something to be proud of. Unfortunately that ended around 1994, when political polarization began, the parties stopped talking, and campus social activism became people yelling and cursing at each other at Sather Gate or trying to ban speakers.
3. The recent rush out the door of the entire roster confirms for me that the only thing that drives recruitment is self-interest, greed and the search for more dollars. These kids are not transferring somewhere and asking, "Does this campus culture match my sense of social justice?"
I wish it weren't this way, and that a kid might come to campus and see it the way I do, as one of the best intellectual centers in the world. Do they still give out free electric scooters to athletes? More freebies. Work on building team leaders with a longer tenure, who can meet with recruits and mentor. Those are the opinions recruits will care about, not a lecture on the Free Speech Movement which happened before their grandparents were in college.
Jalen Brown was not that long ago. He had much better paying options. He has written essays saying much the same thing as Shareef.
Mark Fox drove off Justice Sueing (who WAS attracted to Cal for the reasons Jalen Brown was) based on reputation and first impressions. He drove off Matt Bradley for having an opinion about Matt Bradley, he didn't allow outside observation of practices, he didn't even let his assistants be interviewed. Mark Fox was antithetical to any notion of independent thinking and social Justice and I doubt he sold Cal to recruits on that basis. Most of his recruits came because Cal was their best D1 offer. I don't know why the few who left without degrees are leaving, but my assumption it is for basketball reasons.
Cool to see that article. I was one of the 158 who were arrested then. Fun times.calumnus said:mbBear said:calumnus said:mbBear said:GMP said:mbBear said:Bozeman was 5 years old when MLK was shot. The shots of MLK on Sproul are iconic (for Cal grads anyway) for sure...but MLK wasn't thanking for anything that involved Todd, directly or indirectly...calumnus said:01Bear said:calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
Every recruiter and every recruit.
Bozeman gets a very bad rap here but his recruitment of Shareef was a master class. Included Cal's world renown reputation in Islamic studies. Hakeem Olajuwon said if he had known about it he would have chosen Cal. Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role. Later Desmond Tutu came to Sproul to thank Cal students for our pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid. Later another Cal coach, Cuonzo Martin, used that same Cal history of social Justice activism to recruit another great player from Atlanta, Jaylen Brown. It is our comparative advantage, it is what can make us really stand out above the many other top academic schools for the top intellectual/academically oriented athletes.
That, and a good NIL program. But never underestimate the need for intelligent young men to feel good about the choices they make. Shareef's essay above shows how important that was and still is to him.
No one implied otherwise.
"Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role."
To me, that read as action and reaction. If that wasn't the case then I am wrong.
Did you read Shareef's essay? It is the context of recruiting.
Bozeman promoted Cal's history in civil rights with Shareef in recruiting him and Martin promoted Cal's history in civil rights in recruiting Jalen Brown. Just like coaches like Wilcox promote Cal's top academics with recruits. That doesn't mean Wilcox had anything to do with academic research and teaching, He went to Oregon on a football scholarship. However, when you recruit, you promote the positive aspects of the school to recruits. For many, many young, intelligent, educated, African American men (and others) who also excel in athletics, Cal's history and reputation for social activism is potentially a huge selling point. It allowed us to get two of the most highly recruited players in their class from all the way in Atlanta. It is what differentiates us from other top academic schools. It is our comparative advantage.
Our competing in the ACC can only increase our awareness and appeal among recruits from Atlanta, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida, states where we already have had some success in recruiting.
See the sentence I was commenting on...one sentence, not anything else you were saying; figured it for a typo.
I personally don't need any background on Bozeman, having had the chance to meet him off the court, and he was very interested in my parents involvement with the Civil rights movement. But certainly great to point out his positive influence.
But a worthwhile point regarding Cal, and just maybe history being a recruiting opportunity.
Yes, didn't mean to imply he was directly responsible for Cal's centuries long history of opposing injustice.
He witnessed some of it. He was an assistant at Cal in 1990 when Nelson Mandela thanked Cal faculty and students for the pivotal role we played in the peaceful overthrowing of Apartheid when we started the divestiture movement in December 1984.
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/how-students-helped-end-apartheid
Oski87 said:Cool to see that article. I was one of the 158 who were arrested then. Fun times.calumnus said:mbBear said:calumnus said:mbBear said:GMP said:mbBear said:Bozeman was 5 years old when MLK was shot. The shots of MLK on Sproul are iconic (for Cal grads anyway) for sure...but MLK wasn't thanking for anything that involved Todd, directly or indirectly...calumnus said:01Bear said:calumnus said:
Yes, Shareef's brother is a coach and his high school PG is a coach. However:
Shareef: "How Picking Cal-Berkeley was One of the Best Plays I Ever Made"
https://www.shareefabdurrahim.com/how-picking-cal-berkeley-was-one-of-the-best-plays-i-ever-made/
That should be required reading for every recruiter.
Every recruiter and every recruit.
Bozeman gets a very bad rap here but his recruitment of Shareef was a master class. Included Cal's world renown reputation in Islamic studies. Hakeem Olajuwon said if he had known about it he would have chosen Cal. Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role. Later Desmond Tutu came to Sproul to thank Cal students for our pivotal role in the ending of Apartheid. Later another Cal coach, Cuonzo Martin, used that same Cal history of social Justice activism to recruit another great player from Atlanta, Jaylen Brown. It is our comparative advantage, it is what can make us really stand out above the many other top academic schools for the top intellectual/academically oriented athletes.
That, and a good NIL program. But never underestimate the need for intelligent young men to feel good about the choices they make. Shareef's essay above shows how important that was and still is to him.
No one implied otherwise.
"Bozeman also promoted Cal's role in the Civil Rights movement, with MLK coming to Sproul Plaza to thank the students for our role."
To me, that read as action and reaction. If that wasn't the case then I am wrong.
Did you read Shareef's essay? It is the context of recruiting.
Bozeman promoted Cal's history in civil rights with Shareef in recruiting him and Martin promoted Cal's history in civil rights in recruiting Jalen Brown. Just like coaches like Wilcox promote Cal's top academics with recruits. That doesn't mean Wilcox had anything to do with academic research and teaching, He went to Oregon on a football scholarship. However, when you recruit, you promote the positive aspects of the school to recruits. For many, many young, intelligent, educated, African American men (and others) who also excel in athletics, Cal's history and reputation for social activism is potentially a huge selling point. It allowed us to get two of the most highly recruited players in their class from all the way in Atlanta. It is what differentiates us from other top academic schools. It is our comparative advantage.
Our competing in the ACC can only increase our awareness and appeal among recruits from Atlanta, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida, states where we already have had some success in recruiting.
See the sentence I was commenting on...one sentence, not anything else you were saying; figured it for a typo.
I personally don't need any background on Bozeman, having had the chance to meet him off the court, and he was very interested in my parents involvement with the Civil rights movement. But certainly great to point out his positive influence.
But a worthwhile point regarding Cal, and just maybe history being a recruiting opportunity.
Yes, didn't mean to imply he was directly responsible for Cal's centuries long history of opposing injustice.
He witnessed some of it. He was an assistant at Cal in 1990 when Nelson Mandela thanked Cal faculty and students for the pivotal role we played in the peaceful overthrowing of Apartheid when we started the divestiture movement in December 1984.
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/how-students-helped-end-apartheid
Nice! I was one of the students in Prof. Price's Political Science of Southern Africa class in Fall of 1984 that met to say "What can we do?" and came up with the idea of the divestiture movement and the slogan "UC out of South Africa!" I graduated that December but am proud of what we all accomplished together. The spark we lit turned into a worldwide divestiture and boycott movement that finally brought down one of the most evil systems of the 20th century.
Featured Stories
See All
Ahead of the Game
by Carol Ghiglieri
Cal Baseball Defeats USC 6-3 to Win The Series
by Cal Athletics
Ohio State Portal WR Kyion Grayes Fired Up To Be a Bear
by Jim McGill