What do you expect when Andrej returns?

SFCityBear

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4:16p, 1/27/25

Cal is coming off two nice wins. I was able to attend the Miami game, and what I saw was a big improvement in sharing the basketball, Cal players not forcing many bad shots, instead of looking for teammates who might be able to get open looks.

When Andrej returns to our lineup, he will have the chance to either fit into this improved team and add scoring, or he may slow things down as he works to score on his own. He is obviously a very talented young man, except for once in a while when he was a little careless with his handle. Other than that he is load for any defense to stop. In terms of team play, several times I have watched him drive and get slowed or miss his shot, get the rebound and dribble the ball in the paint some more to work for a second shot, without passing the ball to a teammate who might have an open look at the basket, or who might be able to get another play started.

Cal's players seem to have confidence in each other now, and really meshed in the Miami game. The question now is whether they and Andrej can mesh in a similar fashion. Andrej is a talented player. Lots of teams have had this problem, when they lose their best scorer to an injury for a few games, and they learned quickly how to play with each other, but then have to learn how to adjust to the return of their star. If a team is going to have a problem, this can be a good problem to have.

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oskidunker

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In reply to SFCityBear • 5:00p, 1/27/25

SFCityBear said:
Cal is coming off two nice wins. I was able to attend the Miami game, and what I saw was a big improvement in sharing the basketball, Cal players not forcing many bad shots, instead of looking for teammates who might be able to get open looks.

When Andrej returns to our lineup, he will have the chance to either fit into this improved team and add scoring, or he may slow things down as he works to score on his own. He is obviously a very talented young man, except for once in a while when he was a little careless with his handle. Other than that he is load for any defense to stop. In terms of team play, several times I have watched him drive and get slowed or miss his shot, get the rebound and dribble the ball in the paint some more to work for a second shot, without passing the ball to a teammate who might have an open look at the basket, or who might be able to get another play started.

Cal's players seem to have confidence in each other now, and really meshed in the Miami game. The question now is whether they and Andrej can mesh in a similar fashion. Andrej is a talented player. Lots of teams have had this problem, when they lose their best scorer to an injury for a few games, and they learned quickly how to play with each other, but then have to learn how to adjust to the return of their star. If a team is going to have a problem, this can be a good problem to have.

Hero ball and more loses.

Bring back It’s It’s to Haas Pavillion!

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Harky4

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6:16p, 1/27/25

Andrej does what he is coached by our staff to do and is a very good teammate and team player. We are better with Andrej on the court, and he needs to develop chemistry with Jeremiah that never existed with Balcksher.

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Iamhere2help

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1:51a, 1/28/25

Looks like a totally different team

RedlessWardrobe

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In reply to oskidunker • 7:27a, 1/28/25

oskidunker said:
SFCityBear said:
Cal is coming off two nice wins. I was able to attend the Miami game, and what I saw was a big improvement in sharing the basketball, Cal players not forcing many bad shots, instead of looking for teammates who might be able to get open looks.

When Andrej returns to our lineup, he will have the chance to either fit into this improved team and add scoring, or he may slow things down as he works to score on his own. He is obviously a very talented young man, except for once in a while when he was a little careless with his handle. Other than that he is load for any defense to stop. In terms of team play, several times I have watched him drive and get slowed or miss his shot, get the rebound and dribble the ball in the paint some more to work for a second shot, without passing the ball to a teammate who might have an open look at the basket, or who might be able to get another play started.

Cal's players seem to have confidence in each other now, and really meshed in the Miami game. The question now is whether they and Andrej can mesh in a similar fashion. Andrej is a talented player. Lots of teams have had this problem, when they lose their best scorer to an injury for a few games, and they learned quickly how to play with each other, but then have to learn how to adjust to the return of their star. If a team is going to have a problem, this can be a good problem to have.

Hero ball and more loses.

Either that response is completely disrespectful, or if you really believe it, then how about taking a few minutes to give some specifics to support your answer?

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HearstMining

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In reply to oskidunker • 9:48a, 1/28/25

oskidunker said:
SFCityBear said:
Cal is coming off two nice wins. I was able to attend the Miami game, and what I saw was a big improvement in sharing the basketball, Cal players not forcing many bad shots, instead of looking for teammates who might be able to get open looks.

When Andrej returns to our lineup, he will have the chance to either fit into this improved team and add scoring, or he may slow things down as he works to score on his own. He is obviously a very talented young man, except for once in a while when he was a little careless with his handle. Other than that he is load for any defense to stop. In terms of team play, several times I have watched him drive and get slowed or miss his shot, get the rebound and dribble the ball in the paint some more to work for a second shot, without passing the ball to a teammate who might have an open look at the basket, or who might be able to get another play started.

Cal's players seem to have confidence in each other now, and really meshed in the Miami game. The question now is whether they and Andrej can mesh in a similar fashion. Andrej is a talented player. Lots of teams have had this problem, when they lose their best scorer to an injury for a few games, and they learned quickly how to play with each other, but then have to learn how to adjust to the return of their star. If a team is going to have a problem, this can be a good problem to have.

Hero ball and more loses.

So, are you saying that Andrej isn't smart enough observe how the team's offense improved over the last two games he sat out, or that he doesn't care and just wants to get his points?

Harky4

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9:53a, 1/28/25

We are very lucky to have Andrej as a talented player who draws double defensive coverage often; end of comment.

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Jeff82

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9:54a, 1/28/25

IU expect the team to continue to play well. For one thing, having Andrej and Wilkinson in the game together keeps opposing defenses from keying on either of them, because both are able to get shots on their own. That's going to be important against teams that are better defensively at the perimeter than FSU and Miami. It also means we don't have to rely so much on whether Blacksher is on for a given night, since he tends to be the streaky one offensively of the guards.

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Iamhere2help

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10:05a, 1/28/25

Lets just hope when hes back were even better and who knows make the NCAA's = lol

SFCityBear

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In reply to Harky4 • 3:03p, 1/28/25

Harky4 said:
Andrej does what he is coached by our staff to do and is a very good teammate and team player. We are better with Andrej on the court, and he needs to develop chemistry with Jeremiah that never existed with Balcksher.

I'm not sure I can agree with this. Miami was not a ranked team, but they were a decent team in the perhaps the lowest rated of the Power conferences. They had good players, some of whom gave Cal plenty of trouble. But the Miami game was maybe the best Cal has looked offensively against a good opponent all season, and that was without Andrej. (Just my opinion) How he fits in now is anybody's guess.

Almost all of Cal's players arrived here knowing they would have to learn to trust their teammates, or whom to trust, and whom to trust less than that. I don't mean to single Andrej out, because there are others who drive into the paint, and if they miss, and get the rebound back, will try another shot. Blackmer comes to mind, but there are others as well. Any player who drives to the bucket and takes a shot, is the player on the court who knows best about where the ball is going to carom, and he often has the best chance for the rebound. And players who drive to the basket are aggressive by nature, and will usually opt to take a second shot if they get the ball back. That is usually the first thought they have. Nothing wrong or abnormal about that.

However, a cardinal rule in basketball has been for many years, "If you are double-teamed, one of your teammates is open. Find that man and pass the ball to him." And a player driving in the paint, is often double-teamed, or about to be double-teamed. In that situation, it is often advisable not to waste time trying to work for a second shot against a double-team, or against a much taller defender, but to quickly sense or look around for that open teammate. He often will have a better look, maybe wide open, and so get the ball to him ASAP.

In that Miami game, I seldom felt that Cal players were not trusting each other. They looked for the open man, and got the ball to him on many occasions. The only thing that made the game so close, was they could not stop a couple of Miami's best players from scoring. Andrej will still have to learn to fit in to this concept of sharing the ball when he misses a shot near the basket, and gets the rebound or picks up the loose ball. If they are doubling him, he needs to quickly judge whether to try another shot attempt, or get the ball to a teammate. Look, he is not a ball hog. He may just need to "develop chemistry" with all his teammates, including Blacksher and Jeremiah, and they need to develop chemistry with him.

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socaltownie

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3:20p, 1/28/25

This teams problems are NOT on the offensive end. It is defensively and especially a challenge with speed at the 5 (we get hurt by 5s that can go outside because our bigs have a hard time getting out and then getting back to rim protect) and then on the high hedge screen. We have been better at that for the last three games and that isn't about AS....it is about our guards playing with more fire to fight through those screens so they don't give up easy baskets.

Take care of your Chicken

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oskidunker

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In reply to HearstMining • 3:22p, 1/28/25

HearstMining said:
oskidunker said:
SFCityBear said:
Cal is coming off two nice wins. I was able to attend the Miami game, and what I saw was a big improvement in sharing the basketball, Cal players not forcing many bad shots, instead of looking for teammates who might be able to get open looks.

When Andrej returns to our lineup, he will have the chance to either fit into this improved team and add scoring, or he may slow things down as he works to score on his own. He is obviously a very talented young man, except for once in a while when he was a little careless with his handle. Other than that he is load for any defense to stop. In terms of team play, several times I have watched him drive and get slowed or miss his shot, get the rebound and dribble the ball in the paint some more to work for a second shot, without passing the ball to a teammate who might have an open look at the basket, or who might be able to get another play started.

Cal's players seem to have confidence in each other now, and really meshed in the Miami game. The question now is whether they and Andrej can mesh in a similar fashion. Andrej is a talented player. Lots of teams have had this problem, when they lose their best scorer to an injury for a few games, and they learned quickly how to play with each other, but then have to learn how to adjust to the return of their star. If a team is going to have a problem, this can be a good problem to have.

Hero ball and more loses.
So, are you saying that Andrej isn't smart enough observe how the team's offense improved over the last two games he sat out, or that he doesn't care and just wants to get his points?

I guess we will bave to wait and see what happens.

Bring back It’s It’s to Haas Pavillion!

RedlessWardrobe

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3:26p, 1/28/25

I think what this all comes down to is, nobody thinks Andrej is selfish, but after watching several games it is noticeable that when he drives to the hoop, his ability/willingness to dish the ball when necessary is slightly lacking as opposed to other players. Not a big difference, but noticeable. And again, I think this issue has nothing to do with Andrej's mindset, but more of an instinctual issue. And it most likely developed throughout the years because you have to believe that at former levels he was so dominant that it wasn't even necessary for him to dish the ball off. You have to think that over time this minor problem will be corrected as Andrej plays more and more. That's about all I can say about it.

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Big C

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In reply to RedlessWardrobe • 5:47p, 1/28/25

^ Very diplomatic! ^

SFCityBear

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In reply to socaltownie • 6:34p, 1/28/25

socaltownie said:
This teams problems are NOT on the offensive end. It is defensively and especially a challenge with speed at the 5 (we get hurt by 5s that can go outside because our bigs have a hard time getting out and then getting back to rim protect) and then on the high hedge screen. We have been better at that for the last three games and that isn't about AS....it is about our guards playing with more fire to fight through those screens so they don't give up easy baskets.

I agree that we have more problems on the defensive end, but we are no great shakes when it comes to offense, and we could win a few more of these games if we took better percentage shots on offense. Cal is dead last in the ACC (17th place) in field goal percentage, and 15th place in effective field goal percentage.

Now Cal either has players who don't shoot too well, or Cal is not taking high percentage attempts, that is players not shooting shots that are easier for them to make. I don't think it is the former, as Cal does shoot threes reasonably well, and they shoot free throws well. I think that if they are open, they can put the ball in the basket. So I think we should take better percentage shots that players are comfortable shooting.

Cal also commits too many turnovers on offense, many of which result in points for our opponents. I don't think we should abandon trying to improve the offense, and concentrate only on improving our defense. We are somewhat limited physically on defense, but offensively, if we could score say, 3 or 4 more baskets per game, we'd have won some of those games we lost.

Harky4

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7:09p, 1/28/25

Andrej's presence may be missed more on defense than on offense, IMO

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RedlessWardrobe

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In reply to Big C • 7:24a, 1/29/25

Big C said:

^ Very diplomatic! ^

I always try to be - almost to a fault.

HearstMining

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In reply to Harky4 • 7:59a, 1/29/25

Harky4 said:
Andrej's presence may be missed more on defense than on offense, IMO

Interesting that you should say that. While Andrej is second on the team in blocked shots, I've seen multiple occasions where he has lost his man due to a quick change in direction. Maybe he's too upright and needs to get into a lower defensive stance.

As for people contending that the team plays better without Andrej, it's probably the same people who said that Cal played better when Matt Bradley was out.

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Calbear73

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9:14a, 1/29/25

The Cal team is a work in progress and anyone who expects us to compete at the top tier of the ACC this year has unrealistic expectations. This team has come a long way since the beginning of the year and has improved greatly. Kudos to Madsen, his staff and the players for working so hard to be a better team. Developing a winning team at Cal is going to be a process and Madsen has them headed in the right direction. At the same time, Madsen and his staff are also learning and he has acknowledged that they have had to change their approach and in some cases simplify things to make it easier for players to understand.

Bringing 11 new players into the fold with no foundational pieces returning for the 2nd year in a row has been a major challenge to this staff. Cal is definitely improving as the players learn to play together and better understand what the coaches want from them. I'd say that right now Cal is a mid-level ACC team and as I predicted in an earlier post that they would win 7 of their last 13 games which would put them at 16-15 overall and 9-11 for the year. That will be a major improvement and assuming most of our players return next year, it puts the Bears in a position to compete against the top half of the ACC which is the best conference in college basketball.

Wilkinson's play has elevated as he learned to play at the college level. Even though he's come off the bench in most games, his minutes continue to increase as he improves and he's a more dependable scorer than Blacksher has been. That said, Blacksher is still an important piece on this team and provides valuable minutes even as his time on the floor decreases. Stojakovic is also learning how to be an effective piece as he learns how to be a leader on this team. I can only see him getting better as he continues to develop his outside shot and learns to play within the Cal scheme as his team & teammates emerge.

The future of Cal Basketball is looking bright and it will be interesting to see what happens in the off season in terms of getting another big to replace Sossoko, which players chooses to stay at Cal & which players we are able to bring to Cal. With so many players likelly to return and the addition of two 4-Star guards to the program Madsen & staff will be able to build on the foundation they are establishing this year.

Go Bears!

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StillNoStanfurdium

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In reply to SFCityBear • 10:12p, 1/29/25

SFCityBear said:
Harky4 said:
Andrej does what he is coached by our staff to do and is a very good teammate and team player. We are better with Andrej on the court, and he needs to develop chemistry with Jeremiah that never existed with Balcksher.
I'm not sure I can agree with this. Miami was not a ranked team, but they were a decent team in the perhaps the lowest rated of the Power conferences. They had good players, some of whom gave Cal plenty of trouble. But the Miami game was maybe the best Cal has looked offensively against a good opponent all season, and that was without Andrej. (Just my opinion) How he fits in now is anybody's guess.

Almost all of Cal's players arrived here knowing they would have to learn to trust their teammates, or whom to trust, and whom to trust less than that. I don't mean to single Andrej out, because there are others who drive into the paint, and if they miss, and get the rebound back, will try another shot. Blackmer comes to mind, but there are others as well. Any player who drives to the bucket and takes a shot, is the player on the court who knows best about where the ball is going to carom, and he often has the best chance for the rebound. And players who drive to the basket are aggressive by nature, and will usually opt to take a second shot if they get the ball back. That is usually the first thought they have. Nothing wrong or abnormal about that.

However, a cardinal rule in basketball has been for many years, "If you are double-teamed, one of your teammates is open. Find that man and pass the ball to him." And a player driving in the paint, is often double-teamed, or about to be double-teamed. In that situation, it is often advisable not to waste time trying to work for a second shot against a double-team, or against a much taller defender, but to quickly sense or look around for that open teammate. He often will have a better look, maybe wide open, and so get the ball to him ASAP.

In that Miami game, I seldom felt that Cal players were not trusting each other. They looked for the open man, and got the ball to him on many occasions. The only thing that made the game so close, was they could not stop a couple of Miami's best players from scoring. Andrej will still have to learn to fit in to this concept of sharing the ball when he misses a shot near the basket, and gets the rebound or picks up the loose ball. If they are doubling him, he needs to quickly judge whether to try another shot attempt, or get the ball to a teammate. Look, he is not a ball hog. He may just need to "develop chemistry" with all his teammates, including Blacksher and Jeremiah, and they need to develop chemistry with him.

Is Miami really a decent team? They were on a 8 game losing streak, are dead last in the ACC with 0 conference wins, have won 4 games total, and had previously lost by 37, 43, 35, & 10. They most recently lost again by 11 to Virginia. Now those recent losses were to great, good, and decent teams to be sure, but of course they didn't only lose to ACC contenders. They have a loss on there to 7-16 Charleston Southern (7th in the Big South).

Worth noting that no other school needed OT to win except for Mount St. Mary's (11-9 and 5th place in the MAAC) who staged a comeback and beat them by 4 (deja vu) after being down 10 at the 1st half.

Miami's 4 wins are over 3-17 Coppin State (7th in the MEAC), 9-12 Binghamton (8th in the Am. East), 8-13 Fairleigh Dickinson (3rd in the NEC), & our old football friends the 9-14 Presbyterian Blue Hose (8th in the Big South). If my counting is correct, they are 1 of only 20 teams in all of D1 Men's basketball (includes 352 teams across 31 conferences) to have 4 or fewer wins.

All this to say that I just cannot fathom how you view Miami as currently being a "decent team".

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Cal8285

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In reply to StillNoStanfurdium • 3:22p, 1/30/25

StillNoStanfurdium said:
SFCityBear said:
Harky4 said:
Andrej does what he is coached by our staff to do and is a very good teammate and team player. We are better with Andrej on the court, and he needs to develop chemistry with Jeremiah that never existed with Balcksher.
I'm not sure I can agree with this. Miami was not a ranked team, but they were a decent team in the perhaps the lowest rated of the Power conferences. They had good players, some of whom gave Cal plenty of trouble. But the Miami game was maybe the best Cal has looked offensively against a good opponent all season, and that was without Andrej. (Just my opinion) How he fits in now is anybody's guess.

Almost all of Cal's players arrived here knowing they would have to learn to trust their teammates, or whom to trust, and whom to trust less than that. I don't mean to single Andrej out, because there are others who drive into the paint, and if they miss, and get the rebound back, will try another shot. Blackmer comes to mind, but there are others as well. Any player who drives to the bucket and takes a shot, is the player on the court who knows best about where the ball is going to carom, and he often has the best chance for the rebound. And players who drive to the basket are aggressive by nature, and will usually opt to take a second shot if they get the ball back. That is usually the first thought they have. Nothing wrong or abnormal about that.

However, a cardinal rule in basketball has been for many years, "If you are double-teamed, one of your teammates is open. Find that man and pass the ball to him." And a player driving in the paint, is often double-teamed, or about to be double-teamed. In that situation, it is often advisable not to waste time trying to work for a second shot against a double-team, or against a much taller defender, but to quickly sense or look around for that open teammate. He often will have a better look, maybe wide open, and so get the ball to him ASAP.

In that Miami game, I seldom felt that Cal players were not trusting each other. They looked for the open man, and got the ball to him on many occasions. The only thing that made the game so close, was they could not stop a couple of Miami's best players from scoring. Andrej will still have to learn to fit in to this concept of sharing the ball when he misses a shot near the basket, and gets the rebound or picks up the loose ball. If they are doubling him, he needs to quickly judge whether to try another shot attempt, or get the ball to a teammate. Look, he is not a ball hog. He may just need to "develop chemistry" with all his teammates, including Blacksher and Jeremiah, and they need to develop chemistry with him.
Is Miami really a decent team? They were on a 8 game losing streak, are dead last in the ACC with 0 conference wins, have won 4 games total, and had previously lost by 37, 43, 35, & 10. They most recently lost again by 11 to Virginia. Now those recent losses were to great, good, and decent teams to be sure, but of course they didn't only lose to ACC contenders. They have a loss on there to 7-16 Charleston Southern (7th in the Big South).

Worth noting that no other school needed OT to win except for Mount St. Mary's (11-9 and 5th place in the MAAC) who staged a comeback and beat them by 4 (deja vu) after being down 10 at the 1st half.

Miami's 4 wins are over 3-17 Coppin State (7th in the MEAC), 9-12 Binghamton (8th in the Am. East), 8-13 Fairleigh Dickinson (3rd in the NEC), & our old football friends the 9-14 Presbyterian Blue Hose (8th in the Big South). If my counting is correct, they are 1 of only 20 teams in all of D1 Men's basketball (includes 352 teams across 31 conferences) to have 4 or fewer wins.

All this to say that I just cannot fathom how you view Miami as currently being a "decent team".

I can fathom it. Miami's three games before playing Cal were extremely close -- they only lost by a combined 115 points. You can't fathom how that's indecent?

What? Oh, um, never mind.