Didn't do much in terms of stats - but how much did they play? Will either of them make any impacts this year?

Neither played very much, nor had much of an impact when they were in. In the case of Thiemann, I think he was was bothered by Pepperdine's athleticism and quickness, and the pace of play, so I don't think this was a great matchup for him, especially early in the season. But I thought he showed more potential in the exhibition game, and I think he'll ultimately be more of a contributor once he adjusts to the speed of the college game.

DK looks less ready, and I don't really have a good sense yet of what his real strengths are. He doesn't seem to have the confidence yet, and so he looks tentative out there. He may take a little longer until he's ready to contribute.

LOUMFSG2 said:

---

Neither played very much, nor had much of an impact when they were in. In the case of Thiemann, I think he was was bothered by Pepperdine's athleticism and quickness, and the pace of play, so I don't think this was a great matchup for him, especially early in the season. But I thought he showed more potential in the exhibition game, and I think he'll ultimately be more of a contributor once he adjusts to the speed of the college game.

DK looks less ready, and I don't really have a good sense yet of what his real strengths are. He doesn't seem to have the confidence yet, and so he looks tentative out there. He may take a little longer until he's ready to contribute.

---

good summary, especially on DK

I felt Lars changed shots and was physical inside
but against quicker players he couldn't move his feet fast enough

but our interior defense wasn't strong, so we will need his defense this year

LOUMFSG2 said:

---

Neither played very much, nor had much of an impact when they were in. In the case of Thiemann, I think he was was bothered by Pepperdine's athleticism and quickness, and the pace of play, so I don't think this was a great matchup for him, especially early in the season. But I thought he showed more potential in the exhibition game, and I think he'll ultimately be more of a contributor once he adjusts to the speed of the college game.

DK looks less ready, and I don't really have a good sense yet of what his real strengths are. He doesn't seem to have the confidence yet, and so he looks tentative out there. He may take a little longer until he's ready to contribute.

---

Good summary. DK is a mystery at this point. As for Lars, it looked like he is still catching up to the speed of the game (Pepperdine plays much faster than St Martin). That could catch up in a couple games or take most of the season, but let's hope not. Lars has a good build and won't get pushed around, but there's a lot of head and neck on him, so he might play more like 6-9 players we see more often.

BeachedBear said:

---

LOUMFSG2 said:

---

Neither played very much, nor had much of an impact when they were in. In the case of Thiemann, I think he was was bothered by Pepperdine's athleticism and quickness, and the pace of play, so I don't think this was a great matchup for him, especially early in the season. But I thought he showed more potential in the exhibition game, and I think he'll ultimately be more of a contributor once he adjusts to the speed of the college game.

DK looks less ready, and I don't really have a good sense yet of what his real strengths are. He doesn't seem to have the confidence yet, and so he looks tentative out there. He may take a little longer until he's ready to contribute.

---

Good summary. DK is a mystery at this point. As for Lars, it looked like he is still catching up to the speed of the game (Pepperdine plays much faster than St Martin). That could catch up in a couple games or take most of the season, but let's hope not. Lars has a good build and won't get pushed around, but there's a lot of head and neck on him, so he might play more like 6-9 players we see more often.

---

DK struggled with his U17 Greek team and his minutes declined until he was no longer in the rotation. His confidence may be down and is in a new country, new environment. His path to getting minutes is defense, hustle and three point shooting.

The two guys we just signed for next year are both wings, if that tells us anything.

Big C said:

---

The two guys we just signed for next year are both wings, if that tells us anything.

---

It tells me our coaches haven't yet found a PG, which IMHO is our most critical 2020 need. Class balance might be another factor as we have three 2019 bigs but only one 2019 wing.

so what are thge healthy concerns of Dyson and kuany??

Joel Brown is a very good point guard, especially for a freshman.

oskidunker said:

---

Joel Brown is a very good point guard, especially for a freshman.

---

I agree but I don't see a backup.

oskidunker said:

---

Joel Brown is a very good point guard, especially for a freshman.

---

Very good point guards need to be able to knock down free throws.

Civil Bear said:

---

oskidunker said:

---

Joel Brown is a very good point guard, especially for a freshman.

---

Very good point guards need to be able to knock down free throws.

---

sample size?

Dear Ursa: After watching Brown clank the rim off the backboard, I'm not sure I need a sample size. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I, do, like the other facets of his game. Fox badly needs to snag a quality PG in the next class. At least ONE of your PG's MUST be able to shoot.I do like Monty as a broadcaster. The next time Walton does a Cal game, I will either drive to the Golden Gate Bridge, or, vote for a communist next year ( please see all the demo candidates except Joe Biden) needless to say, I don't expect to survive either option.

Civil Bear said:

---

oskidunker said:

---

Joel Brown is a very good point guard, especially for a freshman.

---

Very good point guards need to be able to knock down free throws.

---

Not only that but point guards need to get to the line in the first place. That's one of the reasons I never thought of McNeill as a capable lead guard. The quality points create opportunities for others, create opportunities for themselves and get to the line and McNeill did none of those things well.

Pretty clear what Fox loves about Brown: an aggressive on-ball defender like we haven't seen at Cal in a long time. He's obviously not a scorer or shooter at this point, but if he can distribute well, keep turnovers in check and play in your face D to opposing ball handlers, he'll earn quality minutes.

That said, gotta love the response from Austin in the second half. I'd we get THAT Paris, we're in considerably better shape going forward.

helltopay1 said:

---

Dear Ursa: After watching Brown clank the rim off the backboard, I'm not sure I need a sample size. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I, do, like the other facets of his game. Fox badly needs to snag a quality PG in the next class. At least ONE of your PG's MUST be able to shoot.I do like Monty as a broadcaster. The next time Walton does a Cal game, I will either drive to the Golden Gate Bridge, or, vote for a communist next year ( please see all the demo candidates except Joe Biden) needless to say, I don't expect to survive either option.

---

HTP,

You've captured the very essence of being a CAL fan. It's quite sad and LOL funny.

TheSouseFamily said:

---

Civil Bear said:

---

oskidunker said:

---

Joel Brown is a very good point guard, especially for a freshman.

---

Very good point guards need to be able to knock down free throws.

---

Not only that but point guards need to get to the line in the first place. That's one of the reasons I never thought of McNeill as a capable lead guard. The quality points create opportunities for others, create opportunities for themselves and get to the line and McNeill did none of those things well.

Pretty clear what Fox loves about Brown: an aggressive on-ball defender like we haven't seen at Cal in a long time. He's obviously not a scorer or shooter at this point, but if he can distribute well, keep turnovers in check and play in your face D to opposing ball handlers, he'll earn quality minutes.

That said, gotta love the response from Austin in the second half. I'd we get THAT Paris, we're in considerably better shape going forward.

---

Agree on McNeill. He was your standard combo guard, a popular way of describing who is good but not outstanding at penetrating and distributing the ball or shooting.

As to Brown and Austin, I'm not sure it will be an either/or proposition. It may be the Brown will play when more defense is needed, and Austin will play when more offense is needed. Also, Fox spent several minutes of the last game where he had both of them on the floor at the same time, which I wondered about, because neither is a scorer, but it might work. Brown could concentrate on defending the opponent's best guard, while Austin would concentrate on running the offense. Fox, unlike Wyking Jones, has plenty of players who can knock down threes, (Bradley, South, Gordon, Kelly, Anticievich, some better than others, but all capable) so he can get away with having two guards on the floor who can't shoot threes. It will depend on matchups.

SFCityBear said:

---

Fox, unlike Wyking Jones, has plenty of players who can knock down threes, (Bradley, South, Gordon, Kelly, Anticievich, some better than others, but all capable) so he can get away with having two guards on the floor who can't shoot threes. It will depend on matchups.

---

Jones had all those guys but South, plus he had McNeil and Vanover.

Agreed, I'm not sure there are more Cal players this season capable of making 3-pointers than there were last year under WJ, particularly given that the 3-point line has been moved back this season from 20'9" to the significantly longer distance of 22"1 3/4".

We shot the 3 well against Pepperdine but much of that was the result of a very good night by Bradley, who was on the team and shot a high percentage from beyond the arc last year.

bradley and south can hit a 3. not so sure about our other guys.

Beardog26 said:

---

Agreed, I'm not sure there are more Cal players this season capable of making 3-pointers than there were last year under WJ, particularly given that the 3-point line has been moved back this season from 20'9" to the significantly longer distance of 22"1 3/4".

We shot the 3 well against Pepperdine but much of that was the result of a very good night by Bradley, who was on the team and shot a high percentage from beyond the arc last year.

---

Last season what you had was Bradley, McNeill, Vanover, and Anticevich. This season it will be Bradley, South, Gordon, Anticevich, and Kelly. And we haven't even seen Kuany or Klonaras shoot them yet. Several have reported that Klonaras can shoot, and I heard Kuany may be able to as well.

And the NCAA must have had a complicated formula to come up with an odd-ball dimension of 22'-1 3/4". Ridiculous. But it didn't seem to bother Cal's shooters, except Grant maybe. Austin should not be taking many threes, maybe one a game, and Brown maybe not that many. I don't know if Lars can make one.

Against Pepperdine, Bradley was on fire, South good as well, but Anticevich missed 3 attempts. Gordon went 2-2 and Kelly 1-1. Last season, Sueing shot only 30% but took more threes than anyone else, which made no sense. I think Fox will try and have Bradley take the most threes, unless someone else gets hot in a game.

I showed up a bit early last Tuesday so I could see the Bears warm-up and to take a look at the incoming guys. What struck me was how it appeared that there seemed to be a new system of pre-game practice. 3 guys would do shooting drills being fed balls from a team mate, and the shooter would stick to his specialty. So, I watched Bradley drill 3 pointers (9 out of 10?), while the bigs practiced post moves, over and over. Paris took mid-range pull-up jumpers and so on. Klonaras who was thought to be an outside threat, also focused on shooting from 3 point range but he made maybe 1 of 10. I had visions of a bulkier Nikola Knezevic. I hope this early take is just a bad dream, but Klonaras definitely appears to lack confidence in his shot. Hopefully his hustle and defense get him some court time and he can work out his shooting. For my untutored eyes, his form looks ok but his ball does't have the classic rotation of Bradley.

SFCityBear said:

---

And the NCAA must have had a complicated formula to come up with an odd-ball dimension of 22'-1 3/4". Ridiculous.

---

The complicated formula was to match the International (FIBA) distance of 6.75 meters.

stu said:

---

Big C said:

---

The two guys we just signed for next year are both wings, if that tells us anything.

---

It tells me our coaches haven't yet found a PG, which IMHO is our most critical 2020 need.

---

Not high on Joel Brown?

I think any program can easily recover from the loss of Paris Austin. Boise State included.

SFCityBear said:

---

Against Pepperdine, Bradley was on fire, South good as well, but Anticevich missed 3 attempts.

---

Anticevich was excellent against Pepperdine. I'd never really considered him much of a chance at becoming a factor on the team, but he made several plays that made me do a double-take.

Agreed. Anticivich impressed me against Pepperdine, both with his ability to score and hit mud-range jumpers but also with some effective rebounding. I realize that Pepperdine didn't have a tall and dominant front line, but we badly needed what he gave us on the boards. I hope he can continue to provide that presence, particularly if we will be without Thorpe and Lars for much of any future game(s).

Pigskin Pete said:

---

Not high on Joel Brown?

---

Who will be the backup PG? Bradley? Harris-Dyson? Klonaras? A walk-on? Or the recipient of our last scholly?

Pigskin Pete said:

---

SFCityBear said:

---

Against Pepperdine, Bradley was on fire, South good as well, but Anticevich missed 3 attempts.

---

Anticevich was excellent against Pepperdine. I'd never really considered him much of a chance at becoming a factor on the team, but he made several plays that made me do a double-take.

---

My post was only about three point shooting. I wrote earlier that Anticevich was impressive with those two drives from the top of the key, where he took the ball strong to the hoop. Along with his strong rebounding, he looks to have found more confidence.

Beardog26 said:

---

Agreed. Anticivich impressed me against Pepperdine, both with his ability to score and hit mud-range jumpers but also with some effective rebounding. I realize that Pepperdine didn't have a tall and dominant front line, but we badly needed what he gave us on the boards. I hope he can continue to provide that presence, particularly if we will be without Thorpe and Lars for much of any future game(s).

---

Pepperdine had two guys 6-9 and two guys 6-8, and they were quicker and more athletic than us. That hurt Cal in the first half interior defense.

You mentioned being without Thorpe and Lars for much of future games. Was the reason Thorpe did not play Tuesday due to his earlier injury? Is he not fully recovered? And Is Lars injured? I hadn't heard that.

Pigskin Pete said:

---

stu said:

---

Big C said:

---

The two guys we just signed for next year are both wings, if that tells us anything.

---

It tells me our coaches haven't yet found a PG, which IMHO is our most critical 2020 need.

---

Not high on Joel Brown?

I think any program can easily recover from the loss of Paris Austin. Boise State included.

---

Let's hope Paris stays healthy for the rest of this season. I've seen Brown. He has athletic ability, and serviceable on defense, but his shot is suspect and only one assist for a point guard in a game doesn't cut it. He has some learning to do to be able to play 30 minutes at PAC12 level, I'd guess. If Paris plays like he did in the 2nd half, with Brown backing up, or coming in for defense, we'll be OK at PG.

I do not know why Lars didn't play much and Thorpe not at all. I was only commenting that Anticivich's contributions were important and will be needed in the future, particularly if any of our other bigs are either out or playing few minutes.

Beardog26 said:

---

I do not know why Lars didn't play much and Thorpe not at all. I was only commenting that Anticivich's contributions were important and will be needed in the future, particularly if any of our other bigs are either out or playing few minutes.

---

Thanks. I hope both will be OK to play for the UNLV.game. Injuries are a way of life in college ball nowadays it seems. It is good we have depth now, even if we don't have a lot of experienced players.

SFCityBear said:

---

Pigskin Pete said:

---

stu said:

---

Big C said:

---

The two guys we just signed for next year are both wings, if that tells us anything.

---

It tells me our coaches haven't yet found a PG, which IMHO is our most critical 2020 need.

---

Not high on Joel Brown?

I think any program can easily recover from the loss of Paris Austin. Boise State included.

---

Let's hope Paris stays healthy for the rest of this season. I've seen Brown. He has athletic ability, and serviceable on defense, but his shot is suspect and only one assist for a point guard in a game doesn't cut it. He has some learning to do to be able to play 30 minutes at PAC12 level, I'd guess. If Paris plays like he did in the 2nd half, with Brown backing up, or coming in for defense, we'll be OK at PG.

---

Brown did have 6 assists in 14 minutes of play in the exhibition game, so he's capable of facilitating.

stu said:

---

Pigskin Pete said:

---

Not high on Joel Brown?

---

Who will be the backup PG? Bradley? Harris-Dyson? Klonaras? A walk-on? Or the recipient of our last scholly?

---

Or a grad transfer. I'm sure it'll work out.

Alkiadt said:

---

SFCityBear said:

---

Pigskin Pete said:

---

stu said:

---

Big C said:

---

The two guys we just signed for next year are both wings, if that tells us anything.

---

It tells me our coaches haven't yet found a PG, which IMHO is our most critical 2020 need.

---

Not high on Joel Brown?

I think any program can easily recover from the loss of Paris Austin. Boise State included.

---

Let's hope Paris stays healthy for the rest of this season. I've seen Brown. He has athletic ability, and serviceable on defense, but his shot is suspect and only one assist for a point guard in a game doesn't cut it. He has some learning to do to be able to play 30 minutes at PAC12 level, I'd guess. If Paris plays like he did in the 2nd half, with Brown backing up, or coming in for defense, we'll be OK at PG.

---

Brown did have 6 assists in 14 minutes of play in the exhibition game, so he's capable of facilitating.

---

I hope you are right. Fox likes him enough to play him, and I trust Fox so far. The exhibition game was against weak competition. Pepperdine was a step up in competiton. They were quicker and more athletic than Cal overall. Pac12 teams will likely be a step up from Pepperdine. So we will learn more about Brown as the season progresses.