Not that they are all good players, but that they can get admitted to Cal.

Kezie Okpala 6-8 F from Esperanza HS in the OC is a perfect example. High 4.0+ GPA (you can search on internet to confirm as I am not going to link from a competing recruiting service). MVP of his league and also selected by LA Times and Orange County Register as All-Stars and Player of the Year respectively. These are awards and accolades handed out by local (and neutral) sports writers who attend the games in person and watch him play, not from some AAU coach who favors his own players. Just like the other high academics/high stats recruits I highlighted in other threads. And guess what, he is not going to Ivy League. He is heading to Stanford. Think he is athletic enough and has the size to play for us? Think he has problem qualifying for our admission? Of course not. We recruited him by the way. I would have highlighted him if he hadn't committed. Just one of many examples that the recruits I highlighted are good enough to play for us.

6956bear;842830734 said:

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We agree. As for whom the Bears may be targeting as D1 transfers I have no idea. They may strike out. But we agree no more reaching for players simply because you have an open scholarship. Not everybody you recruit will be a star level player. That is ok. There is a belief by some that some guys that average high numbers in HS and have a high GPA project as good college players. Wish this were true. But if true the Ivy league would be a very good league. A good shooting stroke is a great thing to have, but some athleticism and size are needed as well. And if a 2G prospect you need to be able to handle and defend some as well. You occasionally strike gold with an unheralded player.

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BearBackerinLA;842830756 said:

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Not that they are all good players, but that they can get admitted to Cal.

Kezie Okpala 6-8 F from Esperanza HS in the OC is a perfect example. High 4.0+ GPA (you can search on internet to confirm as I am not going to link from a competing recruiting service). MVP of his league and also selected by LA Times and Orange County Register as All-Stars and Player of the Year respectively. These are awards and accolades handed out by local (and neutral) sports writers who attend the games in person and watch him play, not from some AAU coach who favors his own players. Just like the other high academics/high stats recruits I highlighted in other threads. And guess what, he is not going to Ivy League. He is heading to Stanford. Think he is athletic enough and has the size to play for us? Think he has problem qualifying for our admission? Of course not. We recruited him by the way. I would have highlighted him if he hadn't committed. Just one of many examples that the recruits I highlighted are good enough to play for us.

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I'm not sure I agree with you BBinLA. Okpala is a Top 50 prospect nationally. Some of the other guys you've posted are likely not high-major prospects. Some of them aren't even Ivy League level players.

Cal is going with a 3.0 GPA barrier and that's fine. But, IMO, that shouldn't be interpreted as meaning Cal should exclusively be after "high academic" prospects, which is 3.75+. If those kids are high major prospects, Furd is likely already on them. Same for Harvard, which has boosted its level of recruiting significantly over the past few years. Cal is very unlikely to win a recruiting battle over Stanford for these prospects. It didn't happen Under Monty or Cuonzo, and that's probably going to continue under Wyking. Cal should be living in the 3.0-3.5 GPA range for most of their prospects.

Riley Battin is one I think can play for us and who I have highlighted. High academics, high stats, and high accolades. Recruited by Stanford and Utah (high majors). His HS teammate Wes Slajchert can be as good as Spencer Freedman, according to the awards and accolades he received. Both are among the ones I highlighted and both are still available.

tsubamoto2001;842830757 said:

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I'm not sure I agree with you BBinLA. Okpala is a Top 50 prospect nationally. Some of the other guys you've posted are likely not high-major prospects. Some of them aren't even Ivy League level players.

Cal is going with a 3.0 GPA barrier and that's fine. But, IMO, that shouldn't be interpreted as meaning Cal should exclusively be after "high academic" prospects, which is 3.75+. If those kids are high major prospects, Furd is likely already on them. Same for Harvard, which has boosted its level of recruiting significantly over the past few years. Cal is very unlikely to win a recruiting battle over Stanford for these prospects. It didn't happen Under Monty or Cuonzo, and that's probably going to continue under Wyking. Cal should be living in the 3.0-3.5 GPA range for most of their prospects.

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BearBackerinLA;842830758 said:

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Riley Battin is one I think can play for us and who I have highlighted. High academics, high stats, and high accolades. Recruited by Stanford and Utah. Wes Slachjert can be as good as Spencer Freedman, according to the awards and accolades he received.

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This is where scouting comes into play. You can't really say player X is as good as player Y just based on stats and accolades. Some players are good High School players, but that doesn't always translate to success at a higher level. Same goes for projecting from college to the pros. I'm not saying that's case with Battin and the other kid. But hypothetically, accolades aren't everything when projecting for the next level.

if Spencer Freedman is good enough to play for us, then Wes Slajchert should be given a look as he is similar type of high basketball IQ floor-general type of player and may even be better shooter per stats.

BearBackerinLA;842830758 said:

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Riley Battin is one I think can play for us and who I have highlighted. High academics, high stats, and high accolades. Recruited by Stanford and Utah (high majors). His HS teammate Wes Slajchert can be as good as Spencer Freedman, according to the awards and accolades he received. Both are among the ones I highlighted and both are still available.

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And he is 6-5 PG, not exactly lacking in size.

BearBackerinLA;842830760 said:

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if Spencer Freedman is good enough to play for us, then Wes Slajchert should be given a look as he is similar type of high basketball IQ floor-general type of player and may even be better shooter per stats.

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one reason they got the awards and accolades is because they have the stats to back it up. Career leading scorer in the county for Battin and career assist leader for Slajchert. scouting takes into account stats, right?

tsubamoto2001;842830759 said:

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This is where scouting comes into play. You can't really say player X is as good as player Y just based on stats and accolades. Some players are good High School players, but that doesn't always translate to success at a higher level. Same goes for projecting from college to the pros. I'm not saying that's case with Battin and the other kid. But hypothetically, accolades aren't everything when projecting for the next level.

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And Pasternack offered Battin as one of his first offers barely days into his new job. Think he would have offered Battin if he was our coach?

And Baker did not become a 4-star until late in his HS career (sometime during senior year)? Both recruits I mentioned have yet to play in their senior year.

Riley Battin is already a 4-star heading into his senior year. So he's got the grades, the size (6-9 240), the awards/accolades (League MVP, CIF All-Star, All-Star and POY from local papers), the stats (soon to be career scoring leader in Ventura County), and now the scouting (4-stars). Good enough for us?

http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/riley-battin

BearBackerinLA;842830769 said:

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Riley Battin is already a 4-star heading into his senior year. So he's got the grades, the size (6-9 240), the awards/accolades (League MVP, CIF All-Star, All-Star and POY from local papers), the stats (soon to be career scoring leader in Ventura County), and now the scouting (4-stars). Good enough for us?

http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/riley-battin

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Perhaps Wyking has a certain vision for what he wants out of his bigs. Perhaps he doesn't feel Battin fits his style of play. Perhaps he's after other targets. Who knows really.

one more comment ...

he plays against high level competition in AAU ball, representing Earl Watson Elite against the likes of Shareef O'Neal and Bol Bol (Cal Supreme AAU).

Here is the full game highlights. I am sure Cal would love to have several of the players on the floor (Freedman, Miles Norris, Cassius Stanley, Shareef, etc.) in addition to Battin. BTW, Slajchert is also in the game playing for EWE against Freedman.

BearBackerinLA;842830769 said:

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Riley Battin is already a 4-star heading into his senior year. So he's got the grades, the size (6-9 240), the awards/accolades (League MVP, CIF All-Star, All-Star and POY from local papers), the stats (soon to be career scoring leader in Ventura County), and now the scouting (4-stars). Good enough for us?

http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/riley-battin

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Battin scored 12 and Cal target Miles Norris finished with 8 pts.

BearBackerinLA;842830772 said:

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one more comment ...

he plays against high level competition in AAU ball, representing Earl Watson Elite against the likes of Shareef O'Neal and Bol Bol (Cal Supreme AAU).

Here is the full game highlights. I am sure Cal would love to have several of the players on the floor (Freedman, Miles Norris, Cassius Stanley, Shareef, etc.) in addition to Battin. BTW, Slajchert is also in the game playing for EWE against Freedman.

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bbla, love your passion, perhaps you will watch riley battin in person this summer or during his high school to augment your support for him...reality is that battin is perceived by almost all pac 12 coaches at this time as a mid major prospect & you've never actually seen him play in person, hopefully that will change in the future


the vast majority of the guys featured in the monster are guys that i've personally seen play in person during their high school/aau careers that are also being recruited by the coaching staff, there is no substitute for live game evaluations & knowledge of academic backgrounds (gpas, etc.)...when i tell you that jordan brown, kj hymes & elijah hardy can flat out play as part of cal's started the bottom class (2018) it's based upon 1st hand scouting

the university of california, berkeley=#1 ranked public (#3 overall) university in the world:axe

another video of the same game ...

BearBackerinLA;842830777 said:

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Battin scored 12 and Cal target Miles Norris finished with 8 pts.

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yes but the other higher rated ones either do not have Cal high on their list or do not have the grades. Oh and tell Utah they are a mid major. They offered. And 4 stars = mid major?

Shocky1;842830778 said:

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bbla, love your passion, perhaps you will watch riley battin in person this summer or during his high school to augment your support for him...reality is that battin is perceived by almost all pac 12 coaches at this time as a mid major prospect & you've never actually seen him play in person, hopefully that will change in the future


the vast majority of the guys featured in the monster are guys that i've personally seen play in person during their high school/aau careers that are also being recruited by the coaching staff, there is no substitute for live game evaluations & knowledge of academic backgrounds (gpas, etc.)...when i tell you that jordan brown, kj hymes & elijah hardy can flat out play as part of cal's started the bottom class (2018) it's based upon 1st hand scouting

the university of california, berkeley=#1 ranked public (#3 overall) university in the world:axe

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yet another cal's monster class exclusive announcement:

former villanova standout & texas tech head coach & current cbs college basketball analyst chris walker is gonna join the cal basketball staff, welcome to berkeley chris


walker is regarded as an outstanding communicator (kinda like shocky), his connection/intersection with coach wyking is when he worked as an assistant coach at loyola marymount 1992-1996 where jones was a player 1991-1995 & then an assistant coach the following year

yeah chris walker is gonna be an impact recruiter & a strong developer of talent with his ability to effectively communicate, he's a real crowd pleaser

[video=youtube;dZHjKYirmb0][/video]

wyking, tim, theo & chris=the black beetles

Shocky1;842829588 said:

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the 4th black beetle is gonna be publicly announced early next week, the 1st day of work for both him & theo (los angeles lakers final game is april 12th) will be april 13th




a real crowd pleaser (release the cash)#:bravo

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Shocky1;842830781 said:

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former villanova standout & texas tech head coach & current cbs college basketball analyst chris walker is gonna join the cal basketball staff, welcome to berkeley chris

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From [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Walker_(basketball,_born_1969)"][COLOR="#0000FF"]his Wikipedia page[/COLOR][/URL] (not the born-in-1964 Chris Walker)

Biographical details
Born December 25, 1969 (age 47)
Playing career
1988–1992 Villanova
Position(s) Point guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1992-1996 Loyola Marymount (asst.)
1996–1999 Vanderbilt (assoc. HC)
1999–2000 Pepperdine (assoc. HC)
2000–2001 Villanova (asst.)
2001–2005 UMass (asst.)
2007–2009 New Mexico (asst.)
2009–2011 Villanova (asst.)
2011–2012 Texas Tech (assoc. HC)
2012–2013 Texas Tech (interim HC)
Head coaching record
Overall 11-20 (.355)

He's certainly well traveled, hope he loves Berkeley. Nice to have a PG on the staff!

I don't recall seeing a list of such professionally and personally high-quality, experienced, broad-based and well-qualified assistants comprising a college staff. Is it just lack of knowledge on my part?

The mobile.twitter links never seem to wok for me.

BearBackerinLA;842830739 said:

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This has been known for days ...

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mikecohen;842830790 said:

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I don't recall seeing a list of such professionally and personally high-quality, experienced, broad-based and well-qualified assistants comprising a college staff. Is it just lack of knowledge on my part?

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Yes. Look at any Duke staff in the last 25 years. Or almost any Mike Montgomery staff including when he had Jay John at Cal.

Sluggo

the gameplay is for both chris walker & theo robertson to start work in berkeley this thursday april 13th

sluggo_Cal;842830794 said:

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Yes. Look at any Duke staff in the last 25 years. Or almost any Mike Montgomery staff including when he had Jay John at Cal.

Sluggo

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Still, that's a pretty exclusive club

BearBackerinLA;842830764 said:

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And Pasternack offered Battin as one of his first offers barely days into his new job. Think he would have offered Battin if he was our coach?

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no, i don't think he would've offered battin if he was our coach

when pasternak called me to thank me for my support of him on the monster he told me the 2018 class would've prioritized jordan brown & that he would've tried to bring brandon williams & miles norris to berkeley...he did not mention battin at any point

the problem with your twitter approach to scouting is that you really don't have any idea of who coaches are actually offering in real life and if they are just offers (an intent to recruit), conditional offers (contingent upon academic standards and/or other players not committing based upon the rankings on the big board) or actionable offers (offers that can be accepted at any time, jordan brown & chase jeter got actionable offers from coach wyking)

the monster is about what's going on in the real world, not trying to put together recruiting lists based upon stats & incomplete information

When can we officially celebrate Coach Walker's arrival?

Nice.

Shocky1;842830795 said:

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the gameplay is for both chris walker & theo robertson to start work in berkeley this thursday april 13th

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joe yaks;842830815 said:

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When can we officially celebrate Coach Walker's arrival?

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joe, coach walker will be meeting all california golden bears fans tonite on the bay bridge by the treasure island exit at 4:00 am & will be answering all questions at that time...just so you know he's kinda high energy




nickatina#

>"...coach walker will be meeting all california golden bears fans tonite on the bay bridge by the treasure island exit at 4:00 am & will be answering all questions at that time..."<

Even if it rains?
Could we change it to the Buena Vista over Irish coffee?

Shocky1;842830808 said:

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no, i don't think he would've offered battin if he was our coach

when pasternak called me to thank me for my support of him on the monster he told me the 2018 class would've prioritized jordan brown & that he would've tried to bring brandon williams & miles norris to berkeley...he did not mention battin at any point

the problem with your twitter approach to scouting is that you really don't have any idea of who coaches are actually offering in real life and if they are just offers (an intent to recruit), conditional offers (contingent upon academic standards and/or other players not committing based upon the rankings on the big board) or actionable offers (offers that can be accepted at any time, jordan brown & chase jeter got actionable offers from coach wyking)

the monster is about what's going on in the real world, not trying to put together recruiting lists based upon stats & incomplete information

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Do you think the staff will add to the 2017 recruiting class?

I hope that Jones is on the phone with Markel Jones, who is a grad transfer wing from Memphis as I type.

Are sure his name is jones? Can find nothing on a Marquell Jones.

oskidunker;842830887 said:

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Are sure his name is jones? Can find nothing on a Marquell Jones.

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Crawford. I guess I got Wyking on the brain.

Could it be Markel Crawford? [URL="http://gotigersgo.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4299&path=mbball"][COLOR="#0000FF"]Memphis bio[/COLOR][/URL]

Thats what I was thinking.Jones is our coach..

Then there is John Paul Jones.. My roommate used to say, "Jones is too slow". But thats another sport