Bears on the Prowl

6,447 Views | 23 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by mbBear
SFCALBear72
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Tweeted this morning by Cal WBB: "Coming soon to a gym near you".
Staff getting ready to head out on recruiting trips. And look at the destinations listed:

Atlanta
Dallas
Las Vegas
Minneapolis
Orlando
Belarus - FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2018, July 21-29; 16 teams competing in Minsk
Rocklin CA
Orange County
Pomona CA
Ames IA
annarborbear
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Last year, our coaches traveled probaby over 10,000 recruiting miles in order to sign one recruit from nearby Sacramento. Here's hoping for a better return on the recruiting travel investment this year,
stu
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annarborbear said:

Last year, our coaches traveled probaby over 10,000 recruiting miles in order to sign one recruit from nearby Sacramento. Here's hoping for a better return on the recruiting travel investment this year,
We'll have more open spots in 2019, especially inside.
mbBear
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annarborbear said:

Last year, our coaches traveled probaby over 10,000 recruiting miles in order to sign one recruit from nearby Sacramento. Here's hoping for a better return on the recruiting travel investment this year,
I don't think you can dismiss the relationship building and brand awareness of them being in certain spots at certain times.
SFCALBear72
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mbBear said:

annarborbear said:

Last year, our coaches traveled probaby over 10,000 recruiting miles in order to sign one recruit from nearby Sacramento. Here's hoping for a better return on the recruiting travel investment this year,
II don't think you can dismiss the relationship building and brand awareness of them being in certain spots at certain times.
+1
puget sound cal fan
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Agree.
wbbilluminati
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Belarus is important bc Charisma Osborne is playing on the U17 USA team there.

Another interesting tidbit: I read an article about 5'11" Alexis Tucker and it mentioned her mom went to Cal and that Alexis has a 4.4 GPA.
SFCALBear72
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wbbilluminati said:

Belarus is important bc Charisma Osborne is playing on the U17 USA team there.

Another interesting tidbit: I read an article about 5'11" Alexis Tucker and it mentioned her mom went to Cal and that Alexis has a 4.4 GPA.
Charmin Smith is in Belarus. She posted a pic on twitter with Adia Barnes (Arizona) and Chris Dailey (UCONN).
wbbilluminati
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Welp, looks like Cal is out of the running for Charisma Osborne.
CalFanatic
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We might be a Sweet 16 team+ this year but after...who the hell is going to play for us? Why are other Pac-12 teams landing recruits while we haven't landed one since Fields? I am trying to keep the faith but this is disheartening.

IT SHOULD NOT BE HARD TO GET PEOPLE HERE.
SFCALBear72
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It's not time to push the panic button. Let's see what these recruiting trips yield before we start thinking the "sky is falling". That's my plan. I have confidence that this staff will bring in a great 2019 class. They know what's at stake. Go Bears!!
ClayK
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Almost every school in the Pac-12 has a lot to offer, so I don't think Cal has any intrinsic advantage at all -- and in fact, given the facilities and less-than-glamorous Telegraph, it may be operating at a disadvantage.

We've gone round and round on the education aspect, but it would appear that it's not as big a factor as maybe it should be (at least to elite players with dreams of a professional basketball career). And it's not like UCLA or Washington or USC are academic wastelands.

For the sake of argument, remove academics from the list of potential attractions. Without that, what does Cal have to offer that puts it ahead of the Pac-12 pack? I'm not saying at the same level as, with pluses and minuses, but why would Cal be considered a better place to play women's basketball than other Pac-12 schools if the better education (if indeed that's the case for all majors) isn't factored in?
gobears74
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I was looking at 2019 Hoop Girls Super 60 list, the Furds have 3 committed, and waiting for Jones?
UCLA, OSU, and Utah have one each. Do not know how accurate this is?
ClayK
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Dan Olson is the best guy out there ... of course he's going to miss now and again, but that's a good list.

And his commitments are going to be 99% correct, because he works for an organization that will fact-check him.
CalFanatic
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For 2019 we have #116 ranked SG Lauren Fields... but who else is on the radar?

I know we've offered Angel Jackson (#24) and Sydnee Roby (#57) for posts.

I believe we are recruiting Cailyn Crocker and maybe Alexis Tucker?

We signed one recruit last year. One. So we will need a big class.
CalFanatic
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For reference-This is the depth chart as it stands for 2019-2020

Fr
G Lauren Fields


SO
W Mckenzie Forbes

Jr
G Kianna Smith
G Archer Olson
F Alaysia Styles
G Mi'Cole Cayton (RS)

Sr
C CJ West
W Jaelyn Brown
G Sara Anastasieska
ClayK
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Interesting list ... just one center. And along that line, my guess is that Angel Jackson is a bit of a long shot. She could choose Cal, but she's probably more likely to go elsewhere.

The key appears to be major steps forward for Smith and Styles this season ...
OBear073akaSMFan
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ClayK said:

Interesting list ... just one center. And along that line, my guess is that Angel Jackson is a bit of a long shot. She could choose Cal, but she's probably more likely to go elsewhere.

The key appears to be major steps forward for Smith and Styles this season ...
I know people probably don't like me to bring this up but how much do you think the lifestyle of the coaches have to do with players not coming here? I do think the athletes are influence by parents or even peer pressure not to come to Cal. Since you are involved with many recruits do you think this is an issue?
ClayK
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Not at all. "Lifestyle" issues become apparent on the club circuit, for coaches and players.

The connection between lesbians and women's basketball -- and women's sports in general -- is very, very strong. No recruit of any importance in any sport is unaware of lesbian coaches, players or teammates.
wbbilluminati
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ClayK said:

Almost every school in the Pac-12 has a lot to offer, so I don't think Cal has any intrinsic advantage at all -- and in fact, given the facilities and less-than-glamorous Telegraph, it may be operating at a disadvantage.

We've gone round and round on the education aspect, but it would appear that it's not as big a factor as maybe it should be (at least to elite players with dreams of a professional basketball career). And it's not like UCLA or Washington or USC are academic wastelands.

For the sake of argument, remove academics from the list of potential attractions. Without that, what does Cal have to offer that puts it ahead of the Pac-12 pack? I'm not saying at the same level as, with pluses and minuses, but why would Cal be considered a better place to play women's basketball than other Pac-12 schools if the better education (if indeed that's the case for all majors) isn't factored in?

This is a pretty good post that brushes on a lot of thoughts I share about Cal's current recruiting prowess.

We had that moment with the 2009-2011 classes where it looked like we might be able to put some distance between Cal and USC/UCLA, but 15-16 years ago a recruit choosing Arizona or UW over Cal was not considered an upset.

Nikki Caldwell had (and still has) a puzzling recruiting approach so we were able to compete with UCLA for kids that might have been there's to lose otherwise, and the coaching turnover there and at USC gave Cal more momentum for a time. But Cori Close is very situated at UCLA now and understands the recruiting market for UCLA very well, best demonstrated by her successful efforts in recruiting certain pockets out of the region. Gottlieb's recruiting I would describe as being more creative and basically I would say she has been successful with recruiting some kids and not successful with some kids (hard to be heavily one way or the other regarding her recruiting track record).
GATC
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CalFanatic said:

For reference-This is the depth chart as it stands for 2019-2020

Fr
G Lauren Fields


SO
W Mckenzie Forbes

Jr
G Kianna Smith
G Archer Olson
F Alaysia Styles
G Mi'Cole Cayton (RS)

Sr
C CJ West
W Jaelyn Brown
G Sara Anastasieska


That's 1 starter from last year's team and probably 2 starters from this year's team.
wvitbear
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Clay, what is the most expensive area to reside in the USA. It is the Bay Area. Houses cost more here than in any other region in the USA. While the rest of the USA is burning up, we are struggling with 70 degree weather. The most pressing thing here is housing. If you have that solved then it is Nirvannah.

If you get a scholarship here, you have free housing for four years. There is more to California real estate than Telegraph avenue. Great places to eat. Lots of movie theaters. Music and theatre by the Berkeley Rep.

I always tell my children, if you move some place else,then move where I would want to visit.

Why do you live here Clay? Why don't you move to one of the other Pac 12 cities. LA and its smog. How about Pullman Washington. Or Tucson and Tempe Arizona. It is 112 degrees there now. Like the rain. Then you will love Seattle, Corvallis, and Eugene in the winter time. Salt Lake City and Boulder are cold.

So you have a great school, with a very desirable place to live.
ClayK
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Very true, wvit ... but my wife and I just went to the Legion of Honor to see the Truth & Beauty exhibit. (It's fabulous ... if you like art at all, go ...)

Left at 10. Took 30 minutes to go through the toll plaza, 90 minutes to get there. Ate, went to the museum, stopped at Market Hall and Pegasus Books. Trip home took 90 minutes, horrid traffic the whole way.

Got through the tunnel. Couldn't see Mt. Diablo because of the smoke ... three hours of hard driving, four hours of fun.

Now, I'm not moving. Family came here in 1952, and I'm rooted. But my daughters both can't find a place to live (33 and 29) and may be forced out. One daughter and her boyfriend make in excess of $100,000 and struggle every month.

If I were them, though, I'd seriously be considering heading north. I know three couples just younger than me who have moved or are moving to the Midwest now that the kids are out of high school. If I had any brains, I probably would too -- I wouldn't have to worry about finances nearly as much.

But yes, a scholarship athlete might be attracted by free housing here, but few scholarship athletes worth recruiting do much aside from study, work out and practice. (I just talked to one about how she liked Eugene and she said she really didn't know because she's always busy. I asked about the rain, and she said she didn't notice because she was always inside.)

All that said, there are attractions in the Bay Area, no question, but there are attractions all over the Pac-12 except maybe in Pullman and Tucson (depending on how you feel about the desert and constant sunshine).



annarborbear
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From a basketball standpoint, two things that have likely hurt us the most have been the 10th and 7th place finishes, which took away our previous brand position and allowed others to catch up, and the strange career trajectory of Kristine. I don't blame the coaches for the latter. She obviously has been a difficult player to coach and rely upon. However, maybe she will finally put it all together in her senior year.
mbBear
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So a win-win at Cal. A coach who is not gay, in a college environment that supports diversity.
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