HoopDreams;842760934 said:

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if we had Mathews on this team, we would have been one of the conference favorites, and had a chance for a deep NCAA run. Without him we are a very good team and can still go far, but a bad foul here, unlucky bounce there + we have to stay healthy

bottom line is Cal with Mathews would be bringing in a very good shooter off the bench, or we would have had the luxury of having deep threats from all over the floor. He would have made us extremely dangerous to any team in the country

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If some of these rumors are true, maybe it's better he's gone. As mentioned in a previous thread, the team chemistry just looks different this year. It seems like a bunch of talented players who know exactly what their role is and have bought all in. Last year, it didn't really seem that way.

HoopDreams;842760934 said:

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if we had Mathews on this team, we would have been one of the conference favorites, and had a chance for a deep NCAA run. Without him we are a very good team and can still go far, but a bad foul here, unlucky bounce there + we have to stay healthy

bottom line is Cal with Mathews would be bringing in a very good shooter off the bench, or we would have had the luxury of having deep threats from all over the floor. He would have made us extremely dangerous to any team in the country

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Hey HD:

I think you are nuts to believe that having Mathews here would make THAT big of a difference.
I don't want to review every position on the court and dissect our weaknesses.
I really liked Mathews, but what he brings wasn't going to make us into a Deep NCCA Run team.

ducky23;842760945 said:

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If some of these rumors are true, maybe it's better he's gone. As mentioned in a previous thread, the team chemistry just looks different this year. It seems like a bunch of talented players who know exactly what their role is and have bought all in. Last year, it didn't really seem that way.

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It's been way too soon for me to make such a statement. Ivan hasn't even played. Moore has 1 official game under his belt.

concord

perhaps you are right that JM might not have made a big enough difference for a 'deep run', but what I meant is he made it possible, as 3 point shooting as proven to be the X factor in basketball, and with Bird, Mullins and Jordan, we would have had 3 elite shooters. Plus Domingo.

concordtom;842760969 said:

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Hey HD:

I think you are nuts to believe that having Mathews here would make THAT big of a difference.
I don't want to review every position on the court and dissect our weaknesses.
I really liked Mathews, but what he brings wasn't going to make us into a Deep NCCA Run team.

---

HoopDreams;842760994 said:

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concord

perhaps you are right that JM might not have made a big enough difference for a 'deep run', but what I meant is he made it possible, as 3 point shooting as proven to be the X factor in basketball, and with Bird, Mullins and Jordan, we would have had 3 elite shooters. Plus Domingo.

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Would Mullins have come to Cal if JM had stayed?

jyamada;842761017 said:

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Would Mullins have come to Cal if JM had stayed?

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Mullins committed to Cal before Mathews made his mind up to leave.

Civil Bear;842761018 said:

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Mullins committed to Cal before Mathews made his mind up to leave.

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not what those in the know claim

concordtom;842760893 said:

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You are both older than me, and can I just say, I really appreciate old people.
So full of wisdom, life experience - young people think they know so much, and while they may be quick AND smart, there is often something missing.
I wish I could capture so many old folks' life stories down. I'm sure you both have great tales to tell.
I'm getting there.... Just hope I can find a biographer before I go.
Thanks for sharing with us on this board.
Cheers.

---

Tom. My guess is that I'm a couple of years older than you based on your posting. That said, talking about " wishing you could capture so many old folks life stories " just ruins it for me. Please be sure you know what you're talking about as well as who when you "opine" about others.
Thanks for listening.

dal9;842761025 said:

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not what those in the know claim

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Those claiming to be in the know only know what those actually in the know want them to know.

But for the sake of argument let me rephrase: Mullins committed while Mathews was still part of the team.

Civil Bear;842761018 said:

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Mullins committed to Cal before Mathews made his mind up to leave.

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wrong, your talking out of your azz

Shocky1;842761043 said:

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wrong, your talking out of your azz

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And you are showing yourself to be the jock-sniffing wannabe insider that you are.

Whatever the facts are about the possibility of having both Mathews and Mullins on this year's Cal squad, HD is certainly correct that having both would have strengthened this team, assuming a good chemistry among the whole.

If the insinuations are correct that Mathews might have adversely affected team chemistry this year, then it's a different story.

Without my meaning in any way to derogate Jordan', I, for the present at least, stick by me impression that Mullins is a better addition to the team than Mathews is a loss.

Go Bears!

petalumabear;842761032 said:

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Tom. My guess is that I'm a couple of years older than you based on your posting. That said, talking about " wishing you could capture so many old folks life stories " just ruins it for me. Please be sure you know what you're talking about as well as who when you "opine" about others.
Thanks for listening.

---

My two cents: The existence of very young people with wisdom and insights it took me more than years to arrive at, plus the existence of older people without such wisdom and insights (or, in any case, any wisdom and insights that have meant anything to me - and I at least think I am always on the lookout for wisdom and insights), I think is both undeniable and enough to suggest that historically crackpot ideas around such things as reincarnation and/or the inheritance of acquired traits may have something. At the least, it is meaningful (again, at least to me) to break the assumed bond between age and wisdom.

If you had asked this time last year whether Jordan was a cancer I wouldn't have concluded by anything I saw from him that he was disgruntled. That said, I could see him wanting to play a different role on the team than the one he was playing. As far as what Jordan brought to the team, he was always a player that seemed to know what he was supposed to be doing and when to do it. He was the prototypical coaches son who was very good at dissecting the floor and making good game flow decisions. He was a cool gunslinger that didn't shy away from the big shot and was better than most in making them. He was also a player who could on a few nights be the solo catalyst for a win. He had the ability to drop 30 points in the bucket himself with great ease, but had little reliable consistency in doing so. The question becomes whether he would have continued his basketball improvement this year by becoming a more consistent player. I'm not entirely sure that on a Martin team that Jordan would have had much ceiling to grow into this year, since Martin seems to like to roll players in and out frequently, making a streaky player like Jordan less valuable in some ways.

south bender;842759985 said:

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I did not say "older," as you likely are not. I have noticed many times of late that when I look around (restaurant, public shower room, etc.), I am thinking, damn, I'm the oldest person here! Fortunately age so far has not diminished my passionate love for the game of basketball!



Go Bears!

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petalumabear;842761032 said:

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Tom. My guess is that I'm a couple of years older than you based on your posting. That said, talking about " wishing you could capture so many old folks life stories " just ruins it for me. Please be sure you know what you're talking about as well as who when you "opine" about others.
Thanks for listening.

---

Petaluma:
I was referring to SouthBender's statement, not you. See above.
I stand by my claim of interest in old folks' stories and experiences.
My grandmother is now 98. She is losing her ability to carry on conversation, but I've had nearly 50 years of hearing her stories, particularly about her grandfather who fought in the Civil War or her g grandmother who was a wealthy cattle rancher in the 1880's after coming the the golden state via mule over the Isthmus of Panama in 1852. My step-father is 93 and I've enjoyed his stories for 35 years - the oldest one being the oral history of a family slight passed down, "Thy father is a Tory and his father before thee." Consider that a yesteryear "Yo Mama!"
What was it like in the depression?
What was it like during WW2?
Ask an older German about the Holocaust and see what they say.
It's been a lot of fun for me to do genealogical studies and learn that Ben Franklin was a 1st cousin (6 gens removed), that I'm descended from William Brewster of the Mayflower, that I have a ggggg grandfather who was a sea captain who went all around the world (London, Honolulu, China, etc.) in the late 1700's - his biggest cargo being 13000 elephant seal hides from South America which he and his crew slaughtered themselves - OUCH!
How cool would it be if I could talk to these relatives!!!
One day, perhaps my grandchildren will ask me questions about events in my life. It's been an interesting life. I think most people can claim that. I should tell them about how I was there at The Play in 1982.

CALiforniALUM;842761095 said:

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If you had asked this time last year whether Jordan was a cancer I wouldn't have concluded by anything I saw from him that he was disgruntled. That said, I could see him wanting to play a different role on the team than the one he was playing. As far as what Jordan brought to the team, he was always a player that seemed to know what he was supposed to be doing and when to do it. He was the prototypical coaches son who was very good at dissecting the floor and making good game flow decisions. He was a cool gunslinger that didn't shy away from the big shot and was better than most in making them. He was also a player who could on a few nights be the solo catalyst for a win. He had the ability to drop 30 points in the bucket himself with great ease, but had little reliable consistency in doing so. The question becomes whether he would have continued his basketball improvement this year by becoming a more consistent player. I'm not entirely sure that on a Martin team that Jordan would have had much ceiling to grow into this year, since Martin seems to like to roll players in and out frequently, making a streaky player like Jordan less valuable in some ways.

---

I always thought the team wasn't big enough for both Bird and Mathews, as they were similar players in the same class. I admired how they seemed to get along well, often rotating starting positions and minutes on the court.
I wouldn't be surprised if that conflict for leadership at the position ultimately had quite a bit to do with his departure.
Doesn't make anybody a bad guy.

concordtom;842761105 said:

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I always thought the team wasn't big enough for both Bird and Mathews, as they were similar players in the same class. I admired how they seemed to get along well, often rotating starting positions and minutes on the court.
I wouldn't be surprised if that conflict for leadership at the position ultimately had quite a bit to do with his departure.
Doesn't make anybody a bad guy.

---

+1 (I'm long winded and not very direct)

concordtom;842761103 said:

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Petaluma:
I was referring to SouthBender's statement, not you. See above.
I stand by my claim of interest in old folks' stories and experiences.
My grandmother is now 98. She is losing her ability to carry on conversation, but I've had nearly 50 years of hearing her stories, particularly about her grandfather who fought in the Civil War or her g grandmother who was a wealthy cattle rancher in the 1880's after coming the the golden state via mule over the Isthmus of Panama in 1852. My step-father is 93 and I've enjoyed his stories for 35 years - the oldest one being the oral history of a family slight passed down, "Thy father is a Tory and his father before thee." Consider that a yesteryear "Yo Mama!"
What was it like in the depression?
What was it like during WW2?
Ask an older German about the Holocaust and see what they say.
It's been a lot of fun for me to do genealogical studies and learn that Ben Franklin was a 1st cousin (6 gens removed), that I'm descended from William Brewster of the Mayflower, that I have a ggggg grandfather who was a sea captain who went all around the world (London, Honolulu, China, etc.) in the late 1700's - his biggest cargo being 13000 elephant seal hides from South America which he and his crew slaughtered themselves - OUCH!
How cool would it be if I could talk to these relatives!!!
One day, perhaps my grandchildren will ask me questions about events in my life. It's been an interesting life. I think most people can claim that. I should tell them about how I was there at The Play in 1982.

---

TOM... You did this elsewhere today but the whole discussion around older was between me and Southbender.. I started the whole "older" discussion with him then you jump in and have no sense of what he and I were discussing.. I replied and now find this out... its great that you are participating but when you jump into a conversation make sure you are in synch with the context or the whole thing goes awry.. as for your historical jones please keep scratching it but not in someone elses conversation please.

south bender;842759959 said:

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Too early to be certain, but I prefer Mullins, because of his all around game. As I have said already on another thread, the only thing that Mathews does better is the 3, and Mullins is no slouch from beyond the arc. Mullins, from the little I have seen, is sort of the basketball equivalent of a 5 tool player.

Indeed, our team looks much more to be a team without Wallace, Brown, and Mathews.

---

+1. Mullins is the basketball equivalent of a 5-tool player. From what little we have seen, he can do it all, so far at least. The skills are there: shoot from distance, drive, pass, rebound, dribble, and play defense. The question is whether he can do it against a little better competition. The PAC12 was over-rated last season, but likely still well above Ivy League.

As to a comparison with Mathews, well, Mullins actually shot a little better than Mathews last season, 44% to 42% on threes, 47% to 42% overall FG%. Mullins shot free throws better as well, 86% career, while Mathews best year was 80% in 2016. I always expected Mathews to be a better free throw shooter, and he was a little disappointing to me in that area.

What impressed me most about Mullins so far is his court sense. When he has the ball, he seems to know where his teammates are. He is a pass first player, except when he is wide open. I remember him taking only one bad shot, that airball in the last game. He looks to make teammates better, and looks to get them the ball. He also impressed me with his rebounding and finding loose balls. He looked like Tyrone Wallace in that regard, which was Wallace's best quality, IMO. It is intuition, and really hard to teach. He has been Cal's #2 rebounder through 2 games, with 7 in each game, behind Rooks with a total of 15. That may be an aberration as he only averaged 4 rebs at Columbia. Defensively, he looks pretty good, so far.

Cal does look more like a team now, even though the competition has been weak. The signs are there. I wouldn't want to fully draw the conclusion until we see them in more games, and a game or two against a good defense. Cuonzo's teams of the last two years looked like more of a team as well in a few of their preseason games.

my guess is mathews is the better shooter
mullins is the the better ball handler (although that's not saying much considering mathews was extremely weak in that category) and better passer

after only one game, that's about as much as I'd venture to guess

SFCityBear;842761171 said:

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+1. Mullins is the basketball equivalent of a 5-tool player. From what little we have seen, he can do it all, so far at least. The skills are there: shoot from distance, drive, pass, rebound, dribble, and play defense. The question is whether he can do it against a little better competition. The PAC12 was over-rated last season, but likely still well above Ivy League.

As to a comparison with Mathews, well, Mullins actually shot a little better than Mathews last season, 44% to 42% on threes, 47% to 42% overall FG%. Mullins shot free throws better as well, 86% career, while Mathews best year was 80% in 2016. I always expected Mathews to be a better free throw shooter, and he was a little disappointing to me in that area.

What impressed me most about Mullins so far is his court sense. When he has the ball, he seems to know where his teammates are. He is a pass first player, except when he is wide open. I remember him taking only one bad shot, that airball in the last game. He looks to make teammates better, and looks to get them the ball. He also impressed me with his rebounding and finding loose balls. He looked like Tyrone Wallace in that regard, which was Wallace’s best quality, IMO. It is intuition, and really hard to teach. He has been Cal’s #2 rebounder through 2 games, with 7 in each game, behind Rooks with a total of 15. That may be an aberration as he only averaged 4 rebs at Columbia. Defensively, he looks pretty good, so far.

Cal does look more like a team now, even though the competition has been weak. The signs are there. I wouldn't want to fully draw the conclusion until we see them in more games, and a game or two against a good defense. Cuonzo's teams of the last two years looked like more of a team as well in a few of their preseason games.

---

Maybe Mathews will improve his handle and court vision at Gonzaga (his first reported line does seem to indicate that); but it was undoubtedly the case that, while here, he was good at neither (and not great at defense), definitely pluses (over last year's Mathews) in favor of this year's Mullins so far.

I am disappointed to read the negative comments in this thread, personal accusations about Jordan Mathews’ character, seemingly without any evidence.

“Mathew’s dad was a pain in the ass, and made coaching Jordan impossible”.

I don’t buy this, for two reasons: First, over the course of his three years, he improved his defense, improved his handle, developed a drive to the basket, learned to finish some, and improved his free throw shooting. And second, he always played hard for three years. If his dad was interfering, both Cuonzo and he put up with it for 3 years. Did it suddenly get worse at the end of last season? I doubt it.

“Negative energy” ‘It’s cancer……If he was unhappy last year, everyone felt that.”

What are we saying here? I saw nearly all the games last season, and I never noticed him playing like he was unhappy. He was not D.J. Seeley, giving about 20% effort on the court, because Monty was not giving him enough playing time. Mathews played as hard in the last game at Cal as he did in his entire career, which was 100% effort. I would bet that if he had chosen to stay at Cal, would have played at 100% this year too. Calling a player’s attitude “cancer” is just disgusting. This a game, for goodness’ sake. Have you ever had cancer? I have had it. Cancer is serious stuff, life and death, not any thing to do with a game.

Another fan says, “And he ditched his teammates”. Did he say that about Jaylen Brown? Did he say that about Allen Crabbe? I guess they didn’t ditch their teammates, because they left for truckloads of money, so that is an OK reason.

When Mathews arrived on campus 3+ years ago, after spending some time playing with and getting to know his recruiting class, he was interviewed and said, “I’m ready to go to war with these guys.” So what saddens me is that 4 of his teammates are playing their final season at Cal, and some other reason swayed him to lose his passion for Cal and his teammates, and choose not to continue “going to war with them”. We can speculate on the reason, but we will likely never know the truth. Rather than rip a young man for character flaws, we need to remember we all were young once and perhaps made a decision we came to regret. I sure did. As a fan I don’t like it that he is not on this team. Shooters like that are not a dime a dozen, and we could have used him and his obvious skill and positive energy, which is all we ever saw from him on the court. If we are going to wish Jaylen Brown and Allen Crabbe well, then it is time to wish Jordan Mathews well, and move on. We have a different, probably very exciting team this year.

HoopDreams;842760934 said:

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if we had Mathews on this team, we would have been one of the conference favorites, and had a chance for a deep NCAA run. Without him we are a very good team and can still go far, but a bad foul here, unlucky bounce there + we have to stay healthy

bottom line is Cal with Mathews would be bringing in a very good shooter off the bench, or we would have had the luxury of having deep threats from all over the floor. He would have made us extremely dangerous to any team in the country

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Not convinced. Did you not think we played MUCH better exterior defense last night? I did. Now it is against a mid-major but we contested shots MUCH better. How much of this is Mathews/Mullins and how much Ty I will reserve judgement but it is so much better when we can switch every screen and not get a horrific mismatch.

socaltownie;842761215 said:

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Not convinced. Did you not think we played MUCH better exterior defense last night? I did. Now it is against a mid-major but we contested shots MUCH better. How much of this is Mathews/Mullins and how much Ty I will reserve judgement but it is so much better when we can switch every screen and not get a horrific mismatch.

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well this thread seems to be about JM, but you brought up Ty now
IMHO Ty was (at least as a junior or senior) a far better defender than any of our new players. Maybe Mullins is close, but no comparison between Ty and Moore or Coleman. None.

SFCityBear;842761213 said:

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I am disappointed to read the negative comments in this thread, personal accusations about Jordan Mathews' character, seemingly without any evidence.

"Mathew's dad was a pain in the ass, and made coaching Jordan impossible".

I don't buy this, for two reasons: First, over the course of his three years, he improved his defense, improved his handle, developed a drive to the basket, learned to finish some, and improved his free throw shooting. And second, he always played hard for three years. If his dad was interfering, both Cuonzo and he put up with it for 3 years. Did it suddenly get worse at the end of last season? I doubt it.

"Negative energy" 'It's cancerIf he was unhappy last year, everyone felt that."

What are we saying here? I saw nearly all the games last season, and I never noticed him playing like he was unhappy. He was not D.J. Seeley, giving about 20% effort on the court, because Monty was not giving him enough playing time. Mathews played as hard in the last game at Cal as he did in his entire career, which was 100% effort. I would bet that if he had chosen to stay at Cal, would have played at 100% this year too. Calling a player's attitude "cancer" is just disgusting. This a game, for goodness' sake. Have you ever had cancer? I have had it. Cancer is serious stuff, life and death, not any thing to do with a game.

Another fan says, "And he ditched his teammates". Did he say that about Jaylen Brown? Did he say that about Allen Crabbe? I guess they didn't ditch their teammates, because they left for truckloads of money, so that is an OK reason.

When Mathews arrived on campus 3+ years ago, after spending some time playing with and getting to know his recruiting class, he was interviewed and said, "I'm ready to go to war with these guys." So what saddens me is that 4 of his teammates are playing their final season at Cal, and some other reason swayed him to lose his passion for Cal and his teammates, and choose not to continue "going to war with them". We can speculate on the reason, but we will likely never know the truth. Rather than rip a young man for character flaws, we need to remember we all were young once and perhaps made a decision we came to regret. I sure did. As a fan I don't like it that he is not on this team. Shooters like that are not a dime a dozen, and we could have used him and his obvious skill and positive energy, which is all we ever saw from him on the court. If we are going to wish Jaylen Brown and Allen Crabbe well, then it is time to wish Jordan Mathews well, and move on. We have a different, probably very exciting team this year.

---

The rumor was that he was unhappy with his role last year. Also that the coaches asked him to shoot less from 2 and he was very unhappy with that. If any of this is true, big if, I have to side with the coaches on their request. Mathews was the worst 2 point shooter on the team other than guys who barely shot the ball. His value on offense was as a 3 point shooter. He should have been looking inside the 3 point line just enough to keep the defense honest. Even in his first game at Gonzaga, he was 1-3 inside the 3 point stripe.

That said, I didn't see any indication on the floor that he didn't try his hardest. I think implying he was a cancer is a poor choice of words, though I don't think the poster meant it that way. But I do think it is fair to say that if he was very unhappy with his role, and it seems like he was, and if the coaches don't believe changing that role is in the best interest of the team, and it appears they (rightfully in my opinion) don't, it is better for Cal and Jordan that he is not here. Even the most hardworking players can impact the team if they are unhappy.

I believe Mullins was a replacement, not an addition. Early returns imply we at the very least won't see much of a drop off. That being the case, I'd rather have the guy that wants to be here.

As for the stuff about his dad, yes it is all rumor.

socaltownie;842759914 said:

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I am not rooting against him. Hate Zaga for quasi-tampering. But Jordan got his degree so good will and god speed.

(BTW - if you are frustrated that one of our GRADUATES decided to move on then your priorities are, I might submit, slightly askew. It isn't professional - it is college...and Mathews is a college grad.)

---

I think it was Ronnie Knox's (whoops Matthew) daddy who did the tampering. Gonzaga was just the beneficiary.

SFCityBear;842761171 said:

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+1. Mullins is the basketball equivalent of a 5-tool player. From what little we have seen, he can do it all, so far at least. The skills are there: shoot from distance, drive, pass, rebound, dribble, and play defense. The question is whether he can do it against a little better competition. The PAC12 was over-rated last season, but likely still well above Ivy League.

As to a comparison with Mathews, well, Mullins actually shot a little better than Mathews last season, 44% to 42% on threes, 47% to 42% overall FG%. Mullins shot free throws better as well, 86% career, while Mathews best year was 80% in 2016. I always expected Mathews to be a better free throw shooter, and he was a little disappointing to me in that area.

What impressed me most about Mullins so far is his court sense. When he has the ball, he seems to know where his teammates are. He is a pass first player, except when he is wide open. I remember him taking only one bad shot, that airball in the last game. He looks to make teammates better, and looks to get them the ball. He also impressed me with his rebounding and finding loose balls. He looked like Tyrone Wallace in that regard, which was Wallace's best quality, IMO. It is intuition, and really hard to teach. He has been Cal's #2 rebounder through 2 games, with 7 in each game, behind Rooks with a total of 15. That may be an aberration as he only averaged 4 rebs at Columbia. Defensively, he looks pretty good, so far.

Cal does look more like a team now, even though the competition has been weak. The signs are there. I wouldn't want to fully draw the conclusion until we see them in more games, and a game or two against a good defense. Cuonzo's teams of the last two years looked like more of a team as well in a few of their preseason games.

---

Agree on the need for restraint here.

I think it is way too early to be congratulating our team on its team play, or to be concluding that Mullins is equal to or better than Mathews. First of all, with respect to the team, I thought we were awful in the exhibition game against Cal Baptist. I agree we looked good against South Dakota State, but that means we looked good in one of two games against low end competition. As for Mullins v Mathews, we are really going to have to wait and see how Mullins looks in PAC 12 play or against better non conference teams. I can't count the number of times I've been burned by irrational exuberance about a new player after one or two games, only to be slammed back to reality as the season progressed and said player proved to struggle against quality opposition. We should remember that some of Mathew's great games came against top ranked teams, so he has proven his worth where it matters most, even if he didn't do it every game(he did it in a lot of games). I'll be honest that I was really pleased with both Mullins and team play in the South Dakota game (and Mullins looked good in the exhibition game too), so I am holding my breath, and hoping along with rest of you.

SFCityBear;842761213 said:

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Another fan says, "And he ditched his teammates". Did he say that about Jaylen Brown? Did he say that about Allen Crabbe? I guess they didn't ditch their teammates, because they left for truckloads of money, so that is an OK reason.

---

Pretty much, yes.

I agree. Some other thoughts:
- You can never have enough shooting. This is true at all levels of basketball. Just look at the Ws. Mathews + Mullins would have been awesome, and would have greatly increased out chances at a Tourney run.
- the Matthews as cancer speculation is typical. Throw the guy that just left under the bus. Happens with teams and business all the time.
- Hope Mullins continues to blossom on our team as scorer and zone-buster.

petalumabear;842761141 said:

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TOM... You did this elsewhere today but the whole discussion around older was between me and Southbender.. I started the whole "older" discussion with him then you jump in and have no sense of what he and I were discussing.. I replied and now find this out... its great that you are participating but when you jump into a conversation make sure you are in synch with the context or the whole thing goes awry.. as for your historical jones please keep scratching it but not in someone elses conversation please.

---

Sorry.
I heard "old people" and jumped to the edge of my seat: "Old people? I like old people!!!!"

Gonzaga plays our future opponent SDSU tonight. Should be a great game to watch on ESPN2.

Ty was not a good defender when it came to guarding his man, especially at the 1. Slow feet, overly aggressive (reached too much), and often looked to chase after his guy burned him. This contributed heavily to the foul trouble we experienced last year as too often our bigs were now having to help off their man and collapse under the hoop.

Was Ty a good defender overall? Sure. Definitely a good rebounder if you count that as defense, and was great at stepping into the passing lanes. If he had played the 2, he would have been better defensively since his speed would be better matched to those he guarded, so part of this definitely falls on the coaches.

SonomaBear;842761382 said:

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I agree. Some other thoughts:
- You can never have enough shooting. This is true at all levels of basketball. Just look at the Ws. Mathews + Mullins would have been awesome, and would have greatly increased out chances at a Tourney run.
- the Matthews as cancer speculation is typical. Throw the guy that just left under the bus. Happens with teams and business all the time.
- Hope Mullins continues to blossom on our team as scorer and zone-buster.

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"Throw him under the bus"?? A lot of speculation as to why what happened and why it happened. I think even the biggest fans of JM who think its OK what he did would have to wonder what really went on. First little brother doesn't commit. Dad is a known coach. Then JM transfers to Gonzaga. Now, it could be as simple as Gonzaga is perceived to be better than Cal this year, or Mark Few might fit JM better than CM does, or, or, or.......But he did leave us at an unusual time in his career, where Cal spent a lot of time and energy building him into our future success. Obviously, something in the "JM Machine" saw it differently. I, for one, sure wish he was playing here at Cal this year, but by leaving he hurt Cal. And it is Cal that I care about.

OdontoBear66;842761539 said:

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.......But he did leave us at an unusual time in his career

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Uh, not really. He left us AFTER he graduated!

Can we just end this thread by stating that Jordan was the bomb?



Do a google search - images- for "jordan mathews cal" and relive the good times!
It's all good, Jordan.

We turn the page and move on. Go Bears!