Cal or Ziaire Williams?

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/29026645/forward-ziaire-williams-ranked-no-7-espn-100-commits-stanford

Obviously huge for Furd. He's their highest rated recruit in several decades, of not longer. Likely just a one year player but it's gotta give Furd a boost to recruiting viz in general. Props to the kid for valuing academics even sure he's almost a certain NBA player. Wish there were more like him.

comes from a strict military background. Unfortunately, probably wants to be within sight of a degree before he leaves. Wulbrun is an experienced post player coach, so he probably is in good hands. The Pac 12 is sooo bad, I'm not sure he couldn't succeed even playing for a mediocre program.

wifeisafurd said:

---

comes from a strict military background. Unfortunately, probably wants to be within sight of a degree before he leaves. Wulbrun is an experienced post player coach, so he probably is in good hands. The Pac 12 is sooo bad, I'm not sure he couldn't succeed even playing for a mediocre program.

---

Williams is more of a wing player, probably playing more of a small forward spot for Furd than spending much time in the post, I suspect. Plus, he's pretty skinny and has to be well south of 200 lbs

Big C said:

---

CALiforniALUM said:

---

Cal or Ziaire Williams?

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/29026645/forward-ziaire-williams-ranked-no-7-espn-100-commits-stanford

---

Neither. The year we landed Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown, what did that do for anybody's long-term fortunes?

Seems like so long ago...

---

There were NUMEROUS things that conspired that year to stop it from becoming the program trajectory changing year it should hav e been - a feckless chancellor, a miserable AD, a bizzaro set of late season injuries and an administration that undercut Martin's top 5 recruiting targets. Oh and Sonny screwing the pouch to make everyone in the AD ridiculously budget focus.

I would give my left nut to have the #5 ranked recruit int he country. I think neither Ivan or Brown were top 10

socaltownie said:

---

Big C said:

---

CALiforniALUM said:

---

Cal or Ziaire Williams?

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/29026645/forward-ziaire-williams-ranked-no-7-espn-100-commits-stanford

---

Neither. The year we landed Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown, what did that do for anybody's long-term fortunes?

Seems like so long ago...

---

There were NUMEROUS things that conspired that year to stop it from becoming the program trajectory changing year it should hav e been - a feckless chancellor, a miserable AD, a bizzaro set of late season injuries and an administration that undercut Martin's top 5 recruiting targets. Oh and Sonny screwing the pouch to make everyone in the AD ridiculously budget focus.

I would give my left nut to have the #5 ranked recruit int he country. I think neither Ivan or Brown were top 10

---

You forgot the assistant coach involved in a sexual harassment case the week of the NCAA tournament.

Oh and Brown was #4 in the country:
http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/146799/jaylen-brown

socaltownie said:

---

Big C said:

---

CALiforniALUM said:

---

Cal or Ziaire Williams?

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/29026645/forward-ziaire-williams-ranked-no-7-espn-100-commits-stanford

---

Neither. The year we landed Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown, what did that do for anybody's long-term fortunes?

Seems like so long ago...

---

There were NUMEROUS things that conspired that year to stop it from becoming the program trajectory changing year it should hav e been - a feckless chancellor, a miserable AD, a bizzaro set of late season injuries and an administration that undercut Martin's top 5 recruiting targets. Oh and Sonny screwing the pouch to make everyone in the AD ridiculously budget focus.

I would give my left nut to have the #5 ranked recruit int he country. I think neither Ivan or Brown were top 10

---

Shareef was a Top 5 and his short stay didn't do much (long term) for our program either. I agree with your point in that it takes a confluence of good things (and minimizing of bad things) to vault a program forward.

In these days of one-and-done, I'm keepin' my left nut, even though I'm through procreating.

socaltownie said:

---

Big C said:

---

CALiforniALUM said:

---

Cal or Ziaire Williams?

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/29026645/forward-ziaire-williams-ranked-no-7-espn-100-commits-stanford

---

Neither. The year we landed Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown, what did that do for anybody's long-term fortunes?

Seems like so long ago...

---

There were NUMEROUS things that conspired that year to stop it from becoming the program trajectory changing year it should hav e been - a feckless chancellor, a miserable AD, a bizzaro set of late season injuries and an administration that undercut Martin's top 5 recruiting targets. Oh and Sonny screwing the pouch to make everyone in the AD ridiculously budget focus.

I would give my left nut to have the #5 ranked recruit int he country. I think neither Ivan or Brown were top 10

---

You already had them. RSCI Composite top 100 for 2015 had Brown at #3, and Rabb at #5.

I would hold on to both nuts if I were you, and I would certainly not trade one for a recruit. This is a team game requiring at least 5 players, so that great team of ours needed at least 3-5 more players, not as good as either of them, but say as good as Montgomery recruit, #94 ranked Tyrone Wallace, who was the team's best player. Then we maybe go somewhere. You can sign all the #5s that you want, but they still have to show up for the big games and play like #5s. They are fun to watch, and may get your rocks off, but I would not put any money on them. First of all, the are EIGHTEEN. As Amarillo Slim said, "Never bet on anything that eats." Rabb did play well vs Hawaii. The other 5-stars, Bird and Brown, did not show up. I'm being harsh, but those are facts of life. Great players can and do get hurt. Great players sometimes have a bad game.

I just hope Freshman Terry stays in the draft and a team picks him hoping he can be a poor man's Steph Curry.

TheSouseFamily said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

comes from a strict military background. Unfortunately, probably wants to be within sight of a degree before he leaves. Wulbrun is an experienced post player coach, so he probably is in good hands. The Pac 12 is sooo bad, I'm not sure he couldn't succeed even playing for a mediocre program.

---

Williams is more of a wing player, probably playing more of a small forward spot for Furd than spending much time in the post, I suspect. Plus, he's pretty skinny and has to be well south of 200 lbs

---

As a preliminary, for whatever, reason, Furd is building, a really good class, including also a top 100 player guard from Bishop Gorman. With Tyrell Terry (if he pulls his name from the NBA draft), they have 2 top 100 guards, Williams, Davis and probably De Saliva at center. That is a small line-up of 5 and high 4 star talent.

the last article I saw on Williams, lists him at 6'9" and 195. Unless he gained a few inches and lost a few pounds, he is more like 6'7" and 210 for those of us who saw him in February. More of a power 3 game like say Brown. Uses his strength, and I assume has a good shot. A 3 or a small ball 4. Given who Furd is recruiting, I can seem them running and playing small. Game I saw him in, he didn't do much outside shooting. Just went over people. Sierra is really loaded with talent, For those not watching, they have Dwayne Wade's kid and LeBron's kid.

longseeker said:

---

I just hope Freshman Terry stays in the draft and a team picks him hoping he can be a poor man's Steph Curry.

---

Terry is a good player, though the game I saw Furd against Cal, Davis was the primary scorer.

wifeisafurd said:

---

TheSouseFamily said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

comes from a strict military background. Unfortunately, probably wants to be within sight of a degree before he leaves. Wulbrun is an experienced post player coach, so he probably is in good hands. The Pac 12 is sooo bad, I'm not sure he couldn't succeed even playing for a mediocre program.

---

Williams is more of a wing player, probably playing more of a small forward spot for Furd than spending much time in the post, I suspect. Plus, he's pretty skinny and has to be well south of 200 lbs

---

As a preliminary, for whatever, reason, Furd is building, a really good class, including also a top 100 player guard from Bishop Gorman. With Tyrell Terry (if he pulls his name from the NBA draft), they have 2 top 100 guards, Williams, Davis and probably De Saliva at center. That is a small line-up of 5 and high 4 star talent.

the last article I saw on Williams, lists him at 6'9" and 195. Unless he gained a few inches and lost a few pounds, he is more like 6'7" and 210 for those of us who saw him in February. More of a power 3 game like say Brown. Uses his strength, and I assume has a good shot. A 3 or a small ball 4. Given who Furd is recruiting, I can seem them running and playing small. Game I saw him in, he didn't do much outside shooting. Just went over people. Sierra is really loaded with talent, For those not watching, they have Dwayne Wade's kid and LeBron's kid.

---

We should be OK. From what I saw the last two seasons, Haase does a better job with less talent,

Big C said:

---

If there could be such a thing as the second coming of a Jason Kidd, who would stay all four years, injury-free, I might consider giving my left nut.

---

With the NBA available after one season to players on Kidd's level, the best anyone can probably get for a four-year player is someone on the level of Payton Pritchard.

SFCityBear said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

TheSouseFamily said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

comes from a strict military background. Unfortunately, probably wants to be within sight of a degree before he leaves. Wulbrun is an experienced post player coach, so he probably is in good hands. The Pac 12 is sooo bad, I'm not sure he couldn't succeed even playing for a mediocre program.

---

Williams is more of a wing player, probably playing more of a small forward spot for Furd than spending much time in the post, I suspect. Plus, he's pretty skinny and has to be well south of 200 lbs

---

As a preliminary, for whatever, reason, Furd is building, a really good class, including also a top 100 player guard from Bishop Gorman. With Tyrell Terry (if he pulls his name from the NBA draft), they have 2 top 100 guards, Williams, Davis and probably De Saliva at center. That is a small line-up of 5 and high 4 star talent.

the last article I saw on Williams, lists him at 6'9" and 195. Unless he gained a few inches and lost a few pounds, he is more like 6'7" and 210 for those of us who saw him in February. More of a power 3 game like say Brown. Uses his strength, and I assume has a good shot. A 3 or a small ball 4. Given who Furd is recruiting, I can seem them running and playing small. Game I saw him in, he didn't do much outside shooting. Just went over people. Sierra is really loaded with talent, For those not watching, they have Dwayne Wade's kid and LeBron's kid.

---

We should be OK. From what I saw the last two seasons, Haase does a better job with less talent,

---

Not sure I understand. Do you mean that Stanfurd has less talent than Cal, or do you mean that Haase does better with less talent than he does with more talent? If the latter, I agree fully. If the former, I beg to differ.

UrsaMajor said:

---

SFCityBear said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

TheSouseFamily said:

---

wifeisafurd said:

---

comes from a strict military background. Unfortunately, probably wants to be within sight of a degree before he leaves. Wulbrun is an experienced post player coach, so he probably is in good hands. The Pac 12 is sooo bad, I'm not sure he couldn't succeed even playing for a mediocre program.

---

Williams is more of a wing player, probably playing more of a small forward spot for Furd than spending much time in the post, I suspect. Plus, he's pretty skinny and has to be well south of 200 lbs

---

As a preliminary, for whatever, reason, Furd is building, a really good class, including also a top 100 player guard from Bishop Gorman. With Tyrell Terry (if he pulls his name from the NBA draft), they have 2 top 100 guards, Williams, Davis and probably De Saliva at center. That is a small line-up of 5 and high 4 star talent.

the last article I saw on Williams, lists him at 6'9" and 195. Unless he gained a few inches and lost a few pounds, he is more like 6'7" and 210 for those of us who saw him in February. More of a power 3 game like say Brown. Uses his strength, and I assume has a good shot. A 3 or a small ball 4. Given who Furd is recruiting, I can seem them running and playing small. Game I saw him in, he didn't do much outside shooting. Just went over people. Sierra is really loaded with talent, For those not watching, they have Dwayne Wade's kid and LeBron's kid.

---

We should be OK. From what I saw the last two seasons, Haase does a better job with less talent,

---

Not sure I understand. Do you mean that Stanfurd has less talent than Cal, or do you mean that Haase does better with less talent than he does with more talent? If the latter, I agree fully. If the former, I beg to differ.

---

Sorry for any confusion. The latter, by all means. In fact Haase almost said that when he praised his team last season, adding that "they were less talented than some of his earlier teams" or something like that. They had been successful, until they ran into the buzz saw known as the Cal Bears.

In my view, the one real accomplishment by Cuonzo Martin was, along with Rabb, getting Jaylen Brown to come to Cal, when he could have gone anywhere. The fact that he did, and that he praises his year here, and encourages others to follow him, is a good thing. That said, it's a double-edged sword. Brown didn't do much during his year here to develop additional facets to his game, compared to what he has done since going to the Celtics. But you can't have it both ways. Brown came here because he wanted to spend his one year in college getting some intellectual stimulation. You can't credit him for doing that, and then complain that he's not spending all his spare time in the gym developing his jump shot. In a perfect world, I'd rather have no one get one-and-dones, and make the college game a test of who can develop players over several years. Right now, we probably can't get the one-and-done players who are only interested in basketball, because they can't get qualified, and the one-and-dones who want the Cal experience probably contribute only the skills they came here with, making it a hit-or-miss situation. I'd still take a one-and-done who wanted to come, for their physical talents.

As for Furd, it looked to me like Haase underachieved this year, relative to the talent he had, so getting a good class was imperative for him to stay off the hot seat. I'd say the jury is still out on him as a coach.

Haase is my second favorite Stanfurd coach after Johnny Dawkins. I'd much rather see a 5-star like Wiiliams at Stanfurd vs Arizona or Oregon or just about any other P12 school (other than Cal, of course).

Jeff82 said:

---

In my view, the one real accomplishment by Cuonzo Martin was, along with Rabb, getting Jaylen Brown to come to Cal, when he could have gone anywhere. The fact that he did, and that he praises his year here, and encourages others to follow him, is a good thing. That said, it's a double-edged sword. Brown didn't do much during his year here to develop additional facets to his game, compared to what he has done since going to the Celtics. But you can't have it both ways. Brown came here because he wanted to spend his one year in college getting some intellectual stimulation. You can't credit him for doing that, and then complain that he's not spending all his spare time in the gym developing his jump shot. In a perfect world, I'd rather have no one get one-and-dones, and make the college game a test of who can develop players over several years. Right now, we probably can't get the one-and-done players who are only interested in basketball, because they can't get qualified, and the one-and-dones who want the Cal experience probably contribute only the skills they came here with, making it a hit-or-miss situation. I'd still take a one-and-done who wanted to come, for their physical talents.

As for Furd, it looked to me like Haase underachieved this year, relative to the talent he had, so getting a good class was imperative for him to stay off the hot seat. I'd say the jury is still out on him as a coach.

---

+1. The times they have miked him up I have been WHOLLY under impressed with his coaching.