Hind is gone. Why?

bearchamp;842277131 said:

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Hind is gone. Why?

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Wow. Where you see this? There goes the backup guard...

"not fitting in"

http://lovewomensbasketball.com/2014/02/05/hind-ben-abdelkader-leaves-university-of-california-will-finish-season-at-sint-katelijne-waver/

That's a bummer. In another thread I commented that many times the Bears do not play with intensity and can often seem to lack discipline and fundamentals. It's not a team that shows a high basketball IQ. Maybe that will change or it's just the games I've seen. I thought Hind was one of the few that did show a lot of intensity and mental toughness. Was looking forward to her development.

I wonder how she didn't fit in.

6 players now in the 2013-2015 classes. Yikes. If there wasn't already enough pressure on recruiting. Could be UCLA all over again (this year) if a big class isn't signed.

Huge bummer as Hind was one of my favorites. Seemed like she was enjoying herself at Cal but I am sure it is hard to be on the other side of the world away from your family at 18...

Just thinking out loud in my head...2015

1)Green
2)Jefflo
3)Cowling
4)Range
5)Anigwe

Sub:Waters


A phenomenal group? Yes. Superhumans who don't need the ability to rest or foul? Not quite.

5-8 recruits for 2015. 5 is a minimum. There should be 12-15 offers out there. I'm really starting to wonder if Gottlieb can do this. Final Four or not, if you can't recruit in this game you will fail miserably. A failure to have a very successful recruiting class for 2015 may spell doom for the program and for the staff.

She started several games and had lots of minutes of playing time earlier in the season. Hind Ben Abdelkader has seen her PT shrink to single digits and the coach has placed Mercedes Jefflo ahead of her as a starter or first substitute. Hind has seen playing time in the 1st half of games lately but then never left the bench during the 2nd half.

I'll never forget the game when she nailed 4 of 6 three pointers for the Bears.
Best of luck,
GO BEARS!


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CalFanatic;842277215 said:

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6 players now in the 2013-2015 classes. Yikes. If there wasn't already enough pressure on recruiting. Could be UCLA all over again (this year) if a big class isn't signed.

Huge bummer as Hind was one of my favorites. Seemed like she was enjoying herself at Cal but I am sure it is hard to be on the other side of the world away from your family at 18...

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dfineguy;842277280 said:

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5-8 recruits for 2015. 5 is a minimum. There should be 12-15 offers out there. I'm really starting to wonder if Gottlieb can do this. Final Four or not, if you can't recruit in this game you will fail miserably. A failure to have a very successful recruiting class for 2015 may spell doom for the program and for the staff.

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It is not doomsday for Cal. Coach G is in the running for plenty great 2015 recruits. If we can't land them than it will be justified to start worrying since we won't have subs:p

Really wonder where we stand with Burke and Thomas. With Hind leaving at least we know Green will really get the opportunity to shine early.

It would be amazing for Howard (USF) to pull a Joan Caloriao and start feeling Golden

bearchamp;842277131 said:

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Hind is gone. Why?

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They need more diversity on the team in EVERY respect! It's why others have left.

This does not speak well for team cohesion. Captains should have made sure that a valuable contributor felt at home, especially one from overseas, and simply not allowed this to happen.

For Hind to become so unhappy that she would abandon her team at this point in the season speaks volumes -- and is not a good sign.

(Of course, she could have been a problem, but usually the "outsider" isn't the catalyst for team issues.)

barabbas;842277378 said:

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They need more diversity on the team in EVERY respect! It's why others have left.

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Kind of a vicious circle..if the recruits don't come because of this..to diversify could be difficult process..

OBear073akaSMFan;842277448 said:

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Kind of a vicious circle..if the recruits don't come because of this..to diversify could be difficult process..

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Recruits won't come because they don't feel comfortable with the current profile of the current team; some have left for same reason.

It seems we are speaking in code...and I suppose it is none of my business, but in Bball circles is Cal known as a non-diverse team? Has this become a thing? Are we talking race or sexuality?

I could imagine that a team that internally identifies itself one way either become very tight knit...or exclusive in a way that limits itself. Is there any way to have a conversation about this that is not presumptuous or prejudice or a violation of trust?

blungld;842277478 said:

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It seems we are speaking in code...and I suppose it is none of my business, but in Bball circles is Cal known as a non-diverse team? Has this become a thing? Are we talking race or sexuality?

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If you look at [URL="http://bearinsider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=842273189#post842273189"][COLOR="Blue"]barabbas' post from another thread[/COLOR][/URL], he's not talking about sexuality.

Define sexuality?

LegoBear;842277184 said:

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"not fitting in"

http://lovewomensbasketball.com/2014/02/05/hind-ben-abdelkader-leaves-university-of-california-will-finish-season-at-sint-katelijne-waver/

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Does anyone feel confident in their knowledge of the subtleties of the French language? This was the language used in the original report, which the second blogger then abbreviated into "not fitting in". There's a big difference between saying "the team (or situation) wasn't a good fit for me" and saying "I didn't feel like I fit in with this group".

[INDENT]Mais la jeune bruxelloise a dcid de rorienter la suite de sa carrire courtant son sjour amricain sentant que cela ne lui correspondait pas totalement. [/INDENT]

Also, the semi-official line from the team is that Hind left to be closer to her family. I say semi-official because there hasn't been any news release or direct quotes, but that's what they'll say if asked. Of course, we were initially told that Erika Johnson left to be closer to her home in the state of Washington, then next thing we knew she transferred to North Carolina. What Erika told the coaches in a face-to-face meeting wasn't the real reason, so I don't know if the same is happening with Hind. We'll never know unless we see a quote from Hind.

wvitbear;842277542 said:

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Define sexuality?

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Huh? If you're having trouble understanding what I said, read barabbas' previous post in the context of what was being discussed in that other thread. (Hopefully you knew that when I highlighted something in bold blue, it means that you should click on it to go to barabbas' previous post.)

Bottom line is blungld asked a question and I answered it, in the terms used in the original question. He chose not to use more elaborative language, so I won't either.

I saw Hind at a restaurant Saturday night with Afure, Ace, Justine, and Mikayla. Seems like she was accepted and included by these teammates. I would guess that being this far away from home in a very different culture and not playing especially well in recent games may have been the biggest factors if she was unhappy.

annarborbear;842277599 said:

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I saw Hind at a restaurant Saturday night with Afure, Ace, Justine, and Mikayla. Seems like she was accepted and included by these teammates. I would guess that being this far away from home in a very different culture and not playing especially well in recent games may have been the biggest factors if she was unhappy.

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Wasn't it mentioned at the Uconn game that she got see her family in New York afterword concluding the Maggie Dixon Classic? Might have really played a factor in home sickness as she seemed a little in a funk after. That, plus her ankle injury, and her fall/minor injury Sunday might have all gotten to her at the conclusion after the Stanford game. Easy to speculate without knowing for certain. It certainly seemed like she fit in.

Good luck to Hind in all her future endeavors.

Hate to say it, but I had actually begun to wonder whether Hind could compete successfully in the PAC12. People had been absolutely blowing by her on defense during the PAC12 season, and her three point shooting, which needed to be her strength, had dropped to 29%. I can see why the coaches were not relying on her in close games, especially on defense. That said, she would have been a good reserve to have if she had accepted that role and worked hard to get stronger and more fundamentally sound on defense. Nice, quality person from everything I could see. But the job was not getting done in some important areas.

Whatever happened for this kid, I am a disappointed fan. I was similarly disappointed when Brenna Heater left some years ago.

I hope this is the last transfer we have for some time to come. Adolescences is a complicated stage of development.

from that quote, it seems like that is what he or she is talking about. And I read the sequence.

Sorry to hear about Hind's departure. My recollection from the time of her recruitment is that our coaching staff was going after her, but we didn't get her, y'all did. Oh well. Best wishes to Hind, and fingers crossed that you fill her spot with an even stronger piece.

CalFanatic;842277324 said:

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It would be amazing for Howard (USF) to pull a Joan Caloriao and start feeling Golden

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Are we in line for a couple more transfers next year? If so, Howard would be a great get for sure. .346 on the 3 ball and a 10.6 average for a frosh is not bad.

blungld;842277478 said:

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It seems we are speaking in code...and I suppose it is none of my business, but in Bball circles is Cal known as a non-diverse team? Has this become a thing? Are we talking race or sexuality?

I could imagine that a team that internally identifies itself one way either become very tight knit...or exclusive in a way that limits itself. Is there any way to have a conversation about this that is not presumptuous or prejudice or a violation of trust?

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Wow, are we speaking in code. And I am certain it is none of my business either. What is making players at Cal not comfortable? Because it is a team we support, and loss of any player effects that team, we are somewhat entitled to the generalities, never the specifics. I would guess it either boils down to plus/minus as to sexuality, or plus/minus as blungld suggests as to race. Do I give a hoot one way or the other? NO. But do I care what effects things that diminish us as a team, as happened today? Yes.

dfineguy;842277280 said:

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5-8 recruits for 2015. 5 is a minimum. There should be 12-15 offers out there. I'm really starting to wonder if Gottlieb can do this. Final Four or not, if you can't recruit in this game you will fail miserably. A failure to have a very successful recruiting class for 2015 may spell doom for the program and for the staff.

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Is that there are no Sophs on the roster. We really need to balance out our roster. Need to bring in at least 4 players for this years class, and 4 or 5 next year. We got 2 committed for this year, and one next so we have like 6 spots open? Are we also going to be playing the transfer game next year again? I don't mind taking in transfers for a quicker infusion of talent, but sometimes there is baggage connected to them. I thing we need to have a least a minumum of 6 HS players committed by the end of the 2014-15 season to go along with the 4 remaining, that would give us at least a 10 player roster, not including transfers, which I suspect are going to be a sure thing.

I'm sorry to see Hind go, and I wish her the best.

In 2015 we'll have just 5 non-freshmen: 2 shooting guards, 2 wings, and 1 forward. I wonder if our coaches will be able to find any late-developing 2014 players? If not we'll need a monster 2015 class, which we should be well positioned to get.

Yeah, let's cut the BS and hear about some sources and specifics if we are going to criticize our "diversity". As far as I know, we have kids of different religions, some kids of mixed races, some LGBT, some Political Science majors, some future CEO's, and some kids who draw or do art. We have a diverse coaching staff, including, incredibly, some Stanford graduates. If you look around campus, you get automatic diversity by coming to Berkeley, but you do have to embrace it and want to experience it. The only thing we don't have is enough shooters.

wvitbear;842277660 said:

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from that quote, it seems like that is what he or she is talking about ...

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No. Up until barabbas posted on that other thread, the discussion was focused on that topic. THEN he added "It might be better for the Cal program, in terms of access to more recruits, if it were more diverse in general. Now, I know the last line is going to start the what do you mean questions, but it's kind of obvious." He wouldn't have added the phrase "in general" and the following sentence if he were simply continuing on the same topic. He's saying that there's another issue of diversity that people aren't talking about even though it is obvious.

Now, just 6 days after he posted, we have a departure that in his opinion reinforces what he had said. That's why he said on this thread "They need more diversity on the team in EVERY respect! It's why others have left." Blungld didn't understand the veiled reference because he either didn't read or remember that previous thread, but I sure remembered. So when blungld asked his question, I answered.

Of course I could have let barabbas answer (or not answer) for himself, but I answered because it was my way of saying yes, as a longtime observer of this program and as someone familiar with the departures that he is referencing, I know what he's talking about. That doesn't mean I agree with his conclusions, but that caveat also doesn't necessarily mean I disagree with his conclusions.

I hope that was all opaque enough for this discussion in code.

Way beyond my comprehension. I'm going to play my guitar.

I guess all of you close to the program know "the code". But the important thing is not the specifics with any one player, but is there an intolerance within the program for LGBTs, or for straight players, or white players, or black players, that is so bad that it effects the program? That is really pretty simple. No indictment of any player's choices, but answers that need to come forward about the program's direction. This whole line of query is so ridiculous and is probably continued by those not in "the know" because Cal has always (and I am admittedly old) been a house of tolerance. So what is not being tolerated here. It needs to be flushed out and resolved is what I am saying. Forget the bullish*t code. Get to the bottom of it and correct it.

ps. And let me add, that until it is identified and corrected it must be put on the top. This is Lindsey Gottlieb's problem, now let us see the correction. It is wrong.

OdontoBear66;842277915 said:

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I guess all of you close to the program know "the code". But the important thing is not the specifics with any one player, but is there an intolerance within the program for LGBTs, or for straight players, or white players, or black players, that is so bad that it effects the program? That is really pretty simple. No indictment of any player's choices, but answers that need to come forward about the program's direction. This whole line of query is so ridiculous and is probably continued by those not in "the know" because Cal has always (and I am admittedly old) been a house of tolerance. So what is not being tolerated here. It needs to be flushed out and resolved is what I am saying. Forget the bullish*t code. Get to the bottom of it and correct it.

ps. And let me add, that until it is identified and corrected it must be put on the top. This is Lindsey Gottlieb's problem, now let us see the correction. It is wrong.

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I am amazed at the indictments being rattled off here with zero facts to back them up. Which players have we lost and why? Breanna Heater didn't transfer, she went back home to be a hair dresser. Lindsay Sherbet couldn't play defense due to physical limitations. If she had stayed, would we have gone to the Final Four? Probably not, if she was playing major minutes versus Afure. Hind - a mixed race Belgium of Morrocan descent, who spoke four different languages. I think she left for home sickness and lack of playing time. Unfortunately, we didn't have any other Belgiums of Morrocan descent that she could hang with, if that is why she was homesick. Not coincidently, she also wasn't playing good D and had lost her shot. Do we have some LGBT people in the program? Yes. Do we have some non-LGBT people in the program? Yes. Are these all really good people who support and care about each other. Apparently so. Do we discriminate in any way? Absolutely not.

Instead of asking Lindsay to correct the "problem", it's time for those claiming we have a problem to back it up with specifics. Spreading rumors about the team based on this supposed "inside knowledge", that is then completely unsubstantiated with any facts, is worse than the supposed "problem" some are claiming that we have.

Does anyone have specific proof that these problems have to do with race or sexuality? The team seemed really together last season but of course every thing was going their way. I don't want to believe something radical if there is no foundation to it as the truth. Maybe we should stop discussing altogether?

It would be an explanation, however, for why Gottlieb & Co seem to be having difficulty filling the roster up with 11-13 scholarship players. One would think with all the local talent of the class of 2014 plus coming off of a Final Four finsih that recruits would be receptive to Cal overtures...In other words-that it would have been easy to land four quality players to the roster. I would think that an offer to Bri Moore should go out immediately if she has yet to receive one...I would imagine that Brittany Shine will get Hind's minutes. I would give Shine an opportunity to spark the team because Mercedes Jefflo is struggling bigtime. GO BEARS!