Cameron Walker has the best high school highlight video that I have ever seen (). Drop steps, bank shots, use of both hands, turn arounds, etc. All the classic stuff. So when I read in the monster thread that he was coming to town, and that he is a Cal target for 2015, I had to see for myself. I went to Friday's game of the Crusader Classic. Shocky says he had 18 points, but that does not tell the whole story.

Walker played mostly 1 during the game. At a long-armed 6'6'' (or maybe taller), his handle is excellent. I think he could play 1 in college, though he is more likely to be a 3. He can cross over and finish with either hand. As shown in the video, he has all kind of moves. He is totally unselfish with pretty good vision. He is a quick jumper, though not a sky walker. Right now he is probably a top 40 player. If he got a little stronger and cleaned up his outside shot (which is a weakness), I think he could be a top 10 player.

Through no fault of his own, his team got blown out. San Ramon Valley does not have anyone near his level, but they have a bunch of very good high school players. Some 5'8'' guy named Jerry got very hot and had 7 three pointers.

There will definitely be a recruiting battle for Walker, so we know he won't come to Cal. I just don't want him to go to Stanford or UCLA so that I can root for him.

Sluggo

that's a terrific & insightful scouting report, sluggo...thx for sharing

hopefully more cal fans will attend hs (& ccsf) games to check out the bears targets

while stanford & ucla will be tough competitors for walker, the bruins signing looney could be an issue for him & stanford will likely have a new hc after this season

san diego state was his 1st big offer & will be a finalist too (his older bro attends ucsd)...wonder if a 4.0 gpa student athelte has ever picked the aztecs

sluggo_Cal;842242938 said:

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Cameron Walker has the best high school highlight video that I have ever seen (). Drop steps, bank shots, use of both hands, turn arounds, etc. All the classic stuff. So when I read in the monster thread that he was coming to town, and that he is a Cal target for 2015, I had to see for myself. I went to Friday's game of the Crusader Classic. Shocky says he had 18 points, but that does not tell the whole story.

Walker played mostly 1 during the game. At a long-armed 6'6'' (or maybe taller), his handle is excellent. I think he could play 1 in college, though he is more likely to be a 3. He can cross over and finish with either hand. As shown in the video, he has all kind of moves. He is totally unselfish with pretty good vision. He is a quick jumper, though not a sky walker. Right now he is probably a top 40 player. If he got a little stronger and cleaned up his outside shot (which is a weakness), I think he could be a top 10 player.

Through no fault of his own, his team got blown out. San Ramon Valley does not have anyone near his level, but they have a bunch of very good high school players. Some 5'8'' guy named Jerry got very hot and had 7 three pointers.

There will definitely be a recruiting battle for Walker, so we know he won't come to Cal. I just don't want him to go to Stanford or UCLA so that I can root for him.

Sluggo

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He's very skilled. One thing about recruiting a guy like him is projecting him defensively. He's not a great athlete and at this time I don't see who he guards at the next level. He's doesn't look quick enough to guard wings and guarding 4's could be a problem, too. Kind of the dilemma UCLA has with Kyle Anderson. It should be interesting to see how he develops.

Sluggo,

Thanks for the video, for attending the game at Riordan in person and your insights. I had planned to go, since I live near Riordan, but was laid up with the flu bug.

What I liked about Walker in the video, aside from all that you mentioned, was that when he is inside, he doesn't have to dunk everything. He can dunk, but he has a big variety of ways to finish in the lane with both hands. I especially like his fadeaway jumper, and the shots he shoots where he hangs in the air on the run and then releases the ball either at the top or on the way down from the top of his jump. The defenders just couldn't stay with him that long.

I wouldn't give up on Cal landing him. In the 2014 class, he is a big target for Cal, and the only small forward or wing that we are recruiting so far. With Kreklow graduating, and perhaps Bird leaving early, Cal will have no one of Walker's height, (with the exception of Moute), and skills to play the 3. So I suspect landing Walker is a big priority, unless Montgomery decides he wants more strength up front, and recruits some power forwards, and one or two end up playing the 3 in a big lineup. I feel Montgomery will give Walker his best effort in recruiting him.

Did you see any Cal coaches at the game at Riordan?

SFCityBear;842243026 said:

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Sluggo,

Thanks for the video, for attending the game at Riordan in person and your insights. I had planned to go, since I live near Riordan, but was laid up with the flu bug.

What I liked about Walker in the video, aside from all that you mentioned, was that when he is inside, he doesn't have to dunk everything. He can dunk, but he has a big variety of ways to finish in the lane with both hands. I especially like his fadeaway jumper, and the shots he shoots where he hangs in the air on the run and then releases the ball either at the top or on the way down from the top of his jump. The defenders just couldn't stay with him that long.

I wouldn't give up on Cal landing him. In the 2014 class, he is a big target for Cal, and the only small forward or wing that we are recruiting so far. With Kreklow graduating, and perhaps Bird leaving early, Cal will have no one of Walker's height, (with the exception of Moute), and skills to play the 3. So I suspect landing Walker is a big priority, unless Montgomery decides he wants more strength up front, and recruits some power forwards, and one or two end up playing the 3 in a big lineup. I feel Montgomery will give Walker his best effort in recruiting him.

Did you see any Cal coaches at the game at Riordan?

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gregg gottlieb & john montgomry attended along with stanford coaches

Shocky1;842243039 said:

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gregg gottlieb & john montgomry attended along with stanford coaches

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That was Thursday. On Friday when I was there the team was playing in Santa Barbara so they were not there. I did not see any coaches, although there were like four people filming, so maybe others were watching.

Sluggo

SFCityBear;842243026 said:

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Sluggo,


I wouldn't give up on Cal landing him. In the 2014 class, he is a big target for Cal, and the only small forward or wing that we are recruiting so far. With Kreklow graduating, and perhaps Bird leaving early, Cal will have no one of Walker's height, (with the exception of Moute), and skills to play the 3. So I suspect landing Walker is a big priority, unless Montgomery decides he wants more strength up front, and recruits some power forwards, and one or two end up playing the 3 in a big lineup. I feel Montgomery will give Walker his best effort in recruiting him.

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Sure he will give effort, but one thing that we have learned is that he never wins recruiting battles. There have been some successes, but these are players who decided early or for whatever reason focused only on Cal. The ones that drag out and involve multiple visits always end badly.

Sluggo

tsubamoto2001;842243010 said:

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He's very skilled. One thing about recruiting a guy like him is projecting him defensively. He's not a great athlete and at this time I don't see who he guards at the next level. He's doesn't look quick enough to guard wings and guarding 4's could be a problem, too. Kind of the dilemma UCLA has with Kyle Anderson. It should be interesting to see how he develops.

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He is a better athlete than Mathews or Singer. By far. At least as athletic as Wallace and taller. No problem guarding 3s. Right now I think strength is more of an issue than quickness.

Funny you mention Kyle Anderson. That was the first player that popped into my head while watching. He is not as tall, but has the same smooth athleticism.

Sluggo

sluggo_Cal;842243053 said:

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That was Thursday. On Friday when I was there the team was playing in Santa Barbara so they were not there. I did not see any coaches, although there were like four people filming, so maybe others were watching.

Sluggo

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What does the team playing in Santa Barbara have to do with whether one of the Cal coaches could go and watch a recruit in another game? Do we think Montgomery can't spare one of his assistants to not be on the bench at the Cal game? Pete Newell won the national title with one assistant, Rene Herririas, and he was usually off scouting opponents or recruiting and was rarely on the bench for a game. Referring to the modern game of basketball, Herrerias once quipped, ""what do all those coaches do on the bench?...they can't possibly have much of an impact on the outcome of the game...they should break out a deck and play some cards or something".

Ben Braun spent most of his timeouts discussing tactics with his several assistants, before he made a decision, and then quickly told the players what to do. Mike Montgomery is not Ben Braun.

:beer:

SF
Most important recruits are those on your team and UCSB was important game

Isn't your post micro management of recruiting?

SFCityBear;842243119 said:

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What does the team playing in Santa Barbara have to do with whether one of the Cal coaches could go and watch a recruit in another game? Do we think Montgomery can't spare one of his assistants to not be on the bench at the Cal game? Pete Newell won the national title with one assistant, Rene Herririas, and he was usually off scouting opponents or recruiting and was rarely on the bench for a game. Referring to the modern game of basketball, Herrerias once quipped, ""what do all those coaches do on the bench?...they can't possibly have much of an impact on the outcome of the game...they should break out a deck and play some cards or something".

Ben Braun spent most of his timeouts discussing tactics with his several assistants, before he made a decision, and then quickly told the players what to do. Mike Montgomery is not Ben Braun.

:beer:

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HoopDreams;842243154 said:

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SF
Most important recruits are those on your team and UCSB was important game

Isn't your post micro management of recruiting?

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Of course, a large number of posts here are written with the frequently unstated notion that the posters know better than Monty and staff.

Go Bears!

Shocky1;842242980 said:

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san diego state was his 1st big offer & will be a finalist too (his older bro attends ucsd)...wonder if a 4.0 gpa student athelte has ever picked the aztecs

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having attended sdsu a couple years, all I can say is, if you are 4.0, DON'T DO IT! The masses will bring you down!

HoopDreams;842243154 said:

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SF
Most important recruits are those on your team and UCSB was important game

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GG told me this once when I asked how recruiting is going. I interpreted it at the time as as "not well". Please don't use this line again. It's a non-starter for me.

I like SFCity's suggestion! Big time!
ABC, always be closing.
Get out there and sell something, dammit!

concordtom;842243405 said:

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GG told me this once when I asked how recruiting is going. I interpreted it at the time as as "not well". Please don't use this line again. It's a non-starter for me.

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Really, CT?

If a phrase offends you, it is best that no one use it on this site?

Go Bears!

concordtom;842243405 said:

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GG told me this once when I asked how recruiting is going. I interpreted it at the time as as "not well". Please don't use this line again. It's a non-starter for me.

I like SFCity's suggestion! Big time!
ABC, always be closing.
Get out there and sell something, dammit!

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The most important recruits are those on your team.

Interesting question/data gathering - I don't recall that nearly ANY assistants are EVER away from a team on a road game. Maybe, but I watch a decent amount of both UCONN and Michigan hoop when I can and all the assistants are on the bench during games.

socaltownie;842243449 said:

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Interesting question/data gathering - I don't recall that nearly ANY assistants are EVER away from a team on a road game. Maybe, but I watch a decent amount of both UCONN and Michigan hoop when I can and all the assistants are on the bench during games.

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maybe if you actually went to basketball & football games instead of watching them on tv on your sofa like a lazy fatazz you would notice some of the interesting details of the games

of course you are a very busy guy organzing the large donors to fire sonny...

SFCityBear;842243119 said:

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What does the team playing in Santa Barbara have to do with whether one of the Cal coaches could go and watch a recruit in another game? Do we think Montgomery can't spare one of his assistants to not be on the bench at the Cal game? Pete Newell won the national title with one assistant, Rene Herririas, and he was usually off scouting opponents or recruiting and was rarely on the bench for a game. Referring to the modern game of basketball, Herrerias once quipped, ""what do all those coaches do on the bench?...they can't possibly have much of an impact on the outcome of the game...they should break out a deck and play some cards or something".

:beer:

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I don't disagree with what you are saying, but the lower assistants already made an appearance. I am not sure why Monty himself did not show up in person on Saturday. (Maybe he did, assuming he didn't.) Walker is a program-changing recruit IMO. I am sure he would notice.

Sluggo

HoopDreams;842243154 said:

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SF
Most important recruits are those on your team and UCSB was important game

Isn't your post micro management of recruiting?

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I completely agree with you that the players we already have on the team are our most important recruits. But they are no longer recruits. Do they need to be individually coached and supported, even during games?

I confess my ignorance, so I honestly don't know what these assistant coaches do for a living, especially during a game. What are his responsibilities? Coaching? Advice for the head coach? Keeping certain statistics? Cheering? Moral support? I would guess it is some of all of these things. But aside from coaching and giving advice to the head coach, all of the other duties could be carried out by the plethora of staff members who sit on the bench as well. Here is an interesting article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/sports/ncaabasketball/theyre-here-there-and-everywhere-college-basketball-assistants.html?_r=0

What other responsibilities could an assistant coach have that supports the team, other than sitting on the bench during a game? One is scouting, and another is recruiting.

Are either of those responsibilities more valuable to the team than whatever that coach does during the game? In Newell's day, where there was no videotape, advance scouting of opponents was an integral part of a team's success. Newell often said that Rene Herrerias was the best scout around, and often credited Rene's reports when Cal had a victory over a top opponent. Newell kept a card file on every top player in the country, strengths and weaknesses. How could Newell teams be so successful with no one on the bench to help him? The same with John Wooden.

Montgomery has a wealth of experience to impart to his assistants, and he does that during the game. I would expect that they learn more than they give. I would expect that he gets some suggestions from his assistants, but not nearly as many as Ben Braun got during a game. Montgomery often calls timeouts and never converses with his assistants, but instead goes right into talking to his players.

I can see where scouting is less of a priority now, with all of the videotape available for assistants to break down. But still, there is nothing like seeing a team play in person, like for an important upcoming road game to send a scout to the arena to not only evaluate the opponent, but also to check out the floor, the crowd, the rims, anything that gives the other team an edge. If the only night that a scout could visit was the same night as a Cal game, what would be the loss to the Cal team if he was to go and do the scouting job, and not be on the bench that night?

As to recruiting, I don't see the conflict there either, though it is not valuable to the current team as scouting is. The assistant is doing his job, and working to support and help the program by recruiting. I guess I just don't understand what the assistant coaches' duties are during the game, enough to respect those contributions so much that it would preclude their ever missing a game to watch an opponent play or watch a recruit play a game. I am sure many of you can educate me on this, because there must be some value in having all these assistants on the bench, because all or nearly all of the teams in the nation are doing it.

:beer:

Shocky1;842242980 said:

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that's a terrific & insightful scouting report, sluggo...thx for sharing

hopefully more cal fans will attend hs (& ccsf) games to check out the bears targets

while stanford & ucla will be tough competitors for walker, the bruins signing looney could be an issue for him & stanford will likely have a new hc after this season

san diego state was his 1st big offer & will be a finalist too (his older bro attends ucsd)...wonder if a 4.0 gpa student athelte has ever picked the aztecs

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Ucla just got another forward commit for 2014. I think Stanford will be tough to beat for Walker.

SFBearz;842243703 said:

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Ucla just got another forward commit for 2014. I think Stanford will be tough to beat for Walker.

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agreed, walker feels like a stanford kind of guy

good catch on jonah bolden committing to ucla for 2014...this should pave the way hopefully for bears to solidify a #1 position with cameron oliver

Shocky1;842243882 said:

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agreed, walker feels like a stanford kind of guy

good catch on jonah bolden committing to ucla for 2014...this should pave the way hopefully for bears to solidify a #1 position with cameron oliver

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I don't see how we shouldn't be the favorite for Oliver unless his grades are an issue. He'd be a really good get. He's an long athlete that can really score.

Shocky1;842243882 said:

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agreed, walker feels like a stanford kind of guy

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Doesn't it kinda depend on whom they hire?

atoms;842244001 said:

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Doesn't it kinda depend on whom they hire?

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I doubt it. You think Dawkins is the reason kids sign for Stanford?

"His grades are most definitely an issue."

Ok, then his grades will be an issue for UCLA and Stanford as well. Right?

Shocky1;842243482 said:

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maybe if you actually went to basketball & football games instead of watching them on tv on your sofa like a lazy fatazz you would notice some of the interesting details of the games

of course you are a very busy guy organzing the large donors to fire sonny...

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We'll better time than spent looking for cheese cake that objectifies women.

1947;842244005 said:

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"His grades are most definitely an issue."

Ok, then his grades will be an issue for UCLA and Stanford as well. Right?

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MB is talking about Cameron Oliver.