Jeff82;842746696 said:
Shocky, seems like all our chips are now on Ira Lee. Do you think the first-round flameout in the tournament last year is adversely affecting our ability to close with recruits for 17-18? I've said in another thread that this is a crucial year for Martin to show that he can take a team built around one of the best players in the nation to at least the Sweet 16. Otherwise, there's a danger of his rep being what it was to some extent at Tennessee, someone who could recruit well, but couldn't get the hot rod he built across the finish line.
jeff, ira lee is a silent commit to arizona...last year's ncca tournament loss is not a significant factor in the collegiate decisions of anybody in the 2017 & 2018 classes...coach martin's reputation as someone who players & parents can trust to tell the truth & mentor their sons with academic ambition is not at stake nor is cal's reputation as the #1 ranked public university in the world...and almost all recruits at the level that we're recruiting now got nba ambitions & this staff has proven with 4 nba draft choices in the last 3 years (and that # will increase again this year with ivan & hopefully jabari too) that they can develop/prepare guys for the nba
so what's the most important thing that fans can do to support the cal basketball program on its continued upward trajectory?
buy tix(s) & attend games/create energy at haas pavilion (last year's perfect 18-0 home record was an important 1st step)...elite recruits wanna play in sold out arenas, arizona had 14k+ fans for their red & blue scrimmage last week...too many cal fans don't actually support the team by attending games, they instead make excuses re: traffic, start times, etc....i get that, those are definitely challenges but they must be overcome if you really want the bears to get the next level on a consistent basis with recruiting
last year's momentus 25%+ growth in gameday attendance was a very important 1st step but we need to relentlessly grow/build on that foundation this upcoming season
coach martin & his staff (and that's everybody including marcus, mitch, academic advisors/tutors, etc. not just the assistant coaches) along with cal's monster class are the best recruiting team in the history of cal basketball...true fans need to do their part too & buy season tix(s) to experience the magic of cal basketball on gamedays at haas pavilion...i've got travel/flight plans from north scottsdale for every single cal basketball game this season, i'm not gonna live forever, my life is too short to watch my beloved california golden bears compete on tv...that's probably not realistic for everybody but there are season tix(s) packages customized for literally everyone
we're recruiting in the big leagues now competing with the kentuckys, kansas, arizonas, michigan states etc. for top 50 players...the college bluebloods (which usually got mediocre at best academics are in non cosmopolitan **** hole locations without nba competition) draw 15k-25k crazy azz fans every game, that's exciting to impressionable 17 & 18 year olds who have been told dreams of stardom by full of **** (almost always white) head coaches telling them exactly what they think they wanna hear...the tragedy is that only a handful of guys are ever gonna be minted in the nba & those without a backup strategy in today's fiercely competitive global economy that favors the well educated are gonna be ****** when basketball is done with them
so the million dollar question re: the future of the cal basketball program is simply: do you got your season tix(s), are you all in or not?...nobody ever said this was gonna be easy, there's a simplicity & beauty to the struggle (back in the day when i was a caddie at san francisco golf club other caddies would smile & laugh when i told them i was gonna play the world's top 100 courses someday)
let's do this
the magic of cal basketbal (needs you)#