DBD 2.27.09 Cal Football or Basketball?

Cal beats USC:

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Christopher scored eight of his career-high 29 points in overtime, Jerome Randle added 15 points and eight assists, and California held on to beat Southern California 81-78 on Thursday night.

The Golden Bears blew a 10-point lead in the final seven minutes of regulation but outscored the Trojans 16-13 in overtime to win and split the season series with USC.

Christopher and freshman Jorge Gutierrez sank two free throws apiece to put Cal ahead 79-75 in overtime with 16.4 seconds left before Daniel Hackett made a 3-pointer to pull the Trojans within 79-78.

Christopher was then fouled while trying to dribble out the clock and made both free throws. Hackett missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end it.

Hackett matched his career-high of 26 points and added four assists for USC (16-11, 7-8).

Wmens bball takes on USC:

Friday, Feb. 27, 7:00 p.m.: No. 4 Cal at USC, Los Angeles (Radio: KALX 90.7-FM, TV: none)

Sunday, Mar. 1, 12:00 p.m.: No. 4 Cal at UCLA, Los Angeles (Radio: KALX 90.7-FM, TV: FSN)

BERKELEY -

The California Golden Bears (22-3, 13-1 Pac-10) look to stay in a tie for the Pac-10 Conference lead as they head to Southern California, taking on the USC Trojans (14-11, 8-6 Pac-10) Friday, Feb. 27 at the Galen Center and the UCLA Bruins (16-9, 7-7 Pac-10) Sunday, Mar. 1 at Pauley Pavilion. Sunday’s game has been picked up as a televised game by Fox Sports Net.

The Bears are coming off a week where they outscored their opponents by 62 points (144-82), outrebounded the Oregon schools by 29 (80-51) while shooting 52.5 percent from the field, including making 10 of 21 three-point attempts.

After becoming the all-time leading rebounder at Cal last week, all eyes will once again be watching senior forward Ashley Walker this week as she works towards becoming just the second player in Cal history and the 11th in Pac-10 history to score 2,000 career points. Walker enters the week at 1,977, leaving her 23 points shy of the benchmark. Senior center Devanei Hampton is also nearing a milestone. Hampton looks to become the eighth player in Cal history and the 40th in Pac-10 history to score 1,500 career points. Hampton enters the week with 1,483, 17 points shy of the mark.

womens swimming in 2nd at Pac10s:

Federal Way, Wash. – The California women’s swimming team continued to set personal bests and completed day two of the 2009 Pac-10 Swimming and Diving Championships with another strong effort at the King County Aquatics Center on Thursday night. The Golden Bears sit in second place with 448.5 points behind overall leader Arizona (510.5 points).

“It was real good to see the team perform real well in the preliminaries and carry that momentum to the finals tonight,” said head coach Teri McKeever. “We are going to get some rest tonight and take one session at a time tomorrow.”

Lauren Boyle claimed a second place showing in the 500-yard free championship final with a lifetime-best time of 4:39.06 – second-fastest time in Cal history, and two seconds faster then her previous personal best (4:41.10). Boyle finished fourth in last year’s conference championship. Blake Hayter placed sixth in the 500 final (4:43.45) after placing 10th last year, and Shelley Harper came in seventh with a time of 4:43.61 – a new personal-best time.

A newcomer to the program in January, freshman Mary Beck had a good showing in the championship final in the 200 IM with a time of 2:00.73 – good for tenth place. Heather White clocked a personal-best time of 2:00.46 in the “B” Final, while Courtney Eronemo, also swimming in the consolation final, swam a lifetime-best time of 2:00.10 in the morning preliminaries and a 2:00.55 in the final.

Register for the High School Football Coaches Clinic:

BERKELEY – The 2009 Cal Football High School Coaches Clinic will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Berkeley, April 3-4, head football coach Jeff Tedford announced Thursday. The clinic is now open for registration and serves as a great opportunity for coaches to network with each other as well as to listen and learn from the Golden Bear coaching staff and featured guests.

The first day of the clinic will feature Tedford, along with Defensive Coordinator Bob Gregory, Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig and a keynote speaker. A clinic social will promptly follow in the evening. The rest of the Cal assistant coaching staff along with four featured guest speakers highlight the second day of the clinic. There will also be an opportunity to receive an invite to attend a Cal football team practice at Memorial Stadium.

Womens soccer adds a job in America!

BERKELEY – Libby Bassett, former Saint Mary’s College assistant coach and four-year letterwinner at the University of San Diego, has accepted an assistant coach position with the California women’s soccer team, Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour announced recently.

“The players and staff are very pleased to welcome Libby to Cal,” Cal head coach Neil McGuire said. “She has a very impressive resume from an academic, athletic and coaching background. We feel she will be a good role model for the players. She has already shown vigor for the game in her enthusiasm at practice and is fitting in well.”

At Saint Mary’s, Bassett served as the primary goalkeeper coach, and planned and conducted all goalkeeping trainings. In her year with the Gaels, she garnered experience assisting in planning and implementing of training sessions, recruiting top athletes, breaking down and analyzing game film in addition to other soccer operations.

“I’m extremely excited to be at Cal and have the opportunity to work with Neil McGuire and Brian Zwaschka,” Bassett said. “The team already has a lot of talent. With the great recruiting classes coming in over the next few years I know that we can continue to develop this program into one of the best in the Pac-10 and the country.”

Mens swimming doing great:

FEDERAL WAY, WASH. – During the second day of the 2009 Pac-10 Diving Championships in Federal Way, Wash., Cal had two divers, sophomores Thomas Henninger and Taylor Dehn, advance to the finals of the three-meter competition on Thursday, Feb. 26.

Henninger, who on Wednesday had finished seventh on the one-meter board, placed fifth on the three-meter board with a score of 325.75, while Dehn was sixth on the three-meter with a mark of 314.65. Dehn had placed 10th Wednesday in the one-meter competition.

The Bears had four divers in the three-meter preliminary round. Freshman Joe Quattrocchi narrowly missed the finals with a score of 286.85 and placed ninth, while freshman Bobby Sullivan notched a score of 230.90 to finish 13th.

I love our basketball team, but nothing beats the feeling of gameday for football, especially during a big (Tennesee, Mich State, USC) game.

This is dangerous territory.

Tedheads just crushing.

Obviously getting ready to clamp down on her boy.

She said this week she hasn’t changed her approach even though her famous son, Marshawn, a running back at Oakland Tech, Cal and now the Buffalo Bills, twice has gotten into deep trouble with the law in the last nine months.

“Somebody said his mom must have loosened the leash,” she said in an interview. “If I have to grab the leash back, I’ll do it. Whether you’re 22 or 52, I’ll do it.”

She said Marshawn Lynch, 22, has had trouble adjusting to his new life, the one with the $10 million in guaranteed money from a six-year, $18.9 million contract he signed after being the 12th pick of the 2007 NFL draft.

Jeff Farudo’s recap of the game

Cal 81, USC 78, OT

HEADLINER: Junior guard Patrick Christopher, coming off a 3-for-15 shooting performance in Cal’s loss at Oregon State last Saturday, made his first six shots from the field, then scored eight points in overtime, finishing with a career-high 29 points.

MOMENT THAT MATTERED: There were so many of them. But kudos to freshman Jorge Gutierrez, who continues to show himself as a clutch player after making two FTs with 16.4 seconds left in overtime, pushing Cal’s lead to 79-75. Had he missed just one of them, Daniel Hackett’s ensuing 3-pointer would have tied the score for USC. Instead, the Bears retained a one-point, and Christopher iced the win by hitting two FTs with 5 seconds left.

MAGIC NUMBER: 16 _ The number of consecutive free throws the Bears made to finish the game, including 8-for-8 in the overtime period. Cal wound up 24-for-27 from the line, compared to 16-for-28 by the Trojans.

By the end of the year, Ted Miller thinks Jordan will become a star player

California
DE Cameron Jordan: He stepped into the starting lineup when Rulon Davis got hurt, and he didn’t play like a sophomore. He finished with 11 tackles for a loss, four sacks and an interception. He and the underrated Tyson Aluala might be the best DE tandem in the Pac-10.

I have no faith in Randle late in the game when the team is down or tied. He has a knack for dribbling too much and losing the ball or launching 57 ft three pointers.

Yesterday, Cal’s last few plays in regulation were horrible. Randle dribbling too much, falling down, and throwing a pass to Christopher from his knees at the end of the shot clock so that PC could shoot a desperation shot. And the last play was even worse. In a tie game how do you not give the ball to PC or Theo to drive to the basket and draw a foul – all you needed was one point?

He’s so frustrating to watch in those late game situations. What do you all think?

Jason Kidd is playing.

Anyone remember who won?

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national-top-public

Link

Here’s the data from Marlow:

The average male Facebook user with 120 friends:
* Leaves comments on 7 friends’ photos, status updates, or wall
* Messages or chats with 4 friends

The average female Facebook user with 120 friends:
* Leaves comments on 10 friends’ photos, status updates, or wall
* Messages or chats with 6 friends

The average male Facebook user with 500 friends:
* Leaves comments on 17 friends’ photos, status updates, or wall
* Messages or chats with 10 friends

The average female Facebook user with 500 friends:
* Leaves comments on 26 friends’ photos, status updates, or wall
* Messages or chats with 16 friends

In other words, Facebook users comment on stuff from only about 5-10% of their Facebook friends. And as has been shown by many other studies, women communicate with more people in all cases than men.

Lache Seastrunk, the nation’s top RB for the 2010 recruiting class, is visiting Cal this weekend. He’s from Temple, TX. Think D-Jax as a RB… they both have insane athleticism + speed.

James (Blacksburg,VA): Name a few sleeper teams in the 3-7 seed range that can make a final four run.

SportsNation Joe Lunardi: (3:28 PM ET ) Can’t really answer that without knowing the 3-7 seeds, along with their NCAA matchups. Having said that, I like LSU, Utah, and Cal among the more intriguing possibilities.

LINK

    * DE Cameron Jordan: He stepped into the starting lineup when Rulon Davis got hurt, and he didn’t play like a sophomore. He finished with 11 tackles for a loss, four sacks and an interception. He and the underrated Tyson Aluala might be the best DE tandem in the Pac-10.

Best DE combo, best CB combo, Best RB, best OL depth….

Genius.

Wayne, my question is now that we’ve seen Aaron Rodgers play an entire season, do you think he has the potential to be anywhere near as good as Favre?

— Angela (Milwaukee, WI)
No. No one will ever be Brett Favre, there is only one. That’s not to say Aaron Rodgers will not be a great quarterback. I do love Aaron Rodgers, and I love what he’s doing in Green Bay, but there will never be another legend like Brett.

Do you guys remember that Seinfeld episode aout the Mendelbaums?

That was great.

Wow. Chun-Li. 0% tomatos.

Raise your hand if you noticed I wasn’t here.

Ducks beat Fresno St. in their baseball home opener!

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/scorecard/nflnews.asp?articleID=254222

JJ Arrington signed a four-year deal with the Broncos

Cals All-Century team announced:

BERKELEY – Thirteen members of the California Athletic Hall of Fame, plus the school’s all-time leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks, highlight the 30-player Golden Bears All-Century team announced by the Athletic Department Friday.

Players who earned All-America honors (1st team, 2nd team or 3rd team) or Conference Player of the Year recognition – a total of 19 – received an automatic berth on the team, while fan voting determined the final 11 spots. More than 2,200 ballots were cast during the six-week voting period that ended earlier this week.

The All-Century team is part of a year-long celebration of the 100th season of Cal basketball. In addition to video highlights of great moments in Cal history presented at each home game, the Bears hosted an alumni weekend Feb. 13-14 that included an alumni game in Haas Pavilion and a special recognition of the 1959 NCAA championship squad when Cal hosted Stanford. All-American center Darrall Imhoff, who led the Bears to the title, had his number 40 jersey retired at halftime of the Pac-10 contest.

LINK

I attended Cal during an era in which Gilby was our football coach, students were still DIRECTLY on the sidelines at Harmon Gym and we had 3 top 10 NBA draft picks attend school. And basketball is my favorite sport.

So I’m in for Cal basketball. That doesn’t mean that when we go to the Rose Bowl I won’t drop anything I’m doing and pay whatever price needs to be paid to be there, but Cal basketball has a slightly higher place in my heart. #1 and #1a.

As for atmosphere, Thursday nights at Harmon and Saturday afternoons when it was hot and sweaty and the entire gym was jumping up and down, and every game took on a quality like the 2006 Oregon Football game – well, as much as I like football – nothing compared to Harmon when it was full of 5,100 screaming fans.

Haas just isn’t the same as the old sweatbox.

Just finished listening to the women’s game on KALX. They pulled out a 66-64 nail-biter over USC. Ashley Walker was ice-cold, and Cal had something like 25 turnovers. But it’s a win. Cal is now 23-3, 14-1 in the conference, and still tied for first with Stanfurd for first place. I think women’s basketball may be becoming my favorite Cal sport!

LINK

</I was able to have my first conversation with new offenisve coordinator Andy Ludwig a little earlier today. Here is some of what he had to say:

(On taking the Cal job): "I have some family history in the Bay Area (he is from Danville originally). And I’ve know Coach Tedford for several years now. We’ve talked at different times about job opportunities. When this one came up, I felt like it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up."

(On leaving Kansas State after only being there two months): "It was very difficult to leave the way I did. This is where I wanetd to be, but It was a tough circumstance. I knew I would have to work through that."

(On the change of philosophy from Utah to Cal): "At Cal, they have a style of play that I haven’t been involved with the last couple of years. But I think Coach Tedford and I have a common philosophy. It’s more about the players than the plays. You put together an offense that highlights the guys’ skills and abilities."

(On bringing the winning culture from Utah to Cal): "Cal had a lot of success over the same time frame I was at Utah. Last year was just another year of experience. Some things might come up where I reflect back on how the situation was handled at Utah, but also at Oregon and Fresno State."

(On how much he’s been able to evaluate Cal’s personnel so far): "Quite a bit. A big part of learning the system is studying the plays on tape. But it’s more about the players than the plays."

(On his opinion about Cal’s personnel): "I have an appreciation of the athleticism on the offensive line. Obviously, at the tailback position, we are very skilled. We have good speed on the perimeter. There are other spots where we still need development."

(On Kevin Riley): "I think Kevin has shown a lot of promise. Like I said, there are some positions on the field where there needs to be some development. The quarterback position is one of those. Kevin has a great opportunity ahead of him in spring practice, as does Brock (Mansion) and Beau (Sweeney)."

(Is it possible to fairly evalute Brock Mansion yet?): "I really can’t. I really haven’t had a chance to see him throw except for a couple of practice video tapes and when he came into games in a clean-up role. He did soem good things. He’s a young guy with a bright future. There is some development ahead."

(Describe the past two months for you): "It’s something I’ve never been through and never want to again. The Sugar Bowl and the undefeated season seems like two seasons ago now. Right now, I’m just anxious to keep grinding with the offense and keep working with this system. I’m getting acclimated to Cal and Cal football. I’m looking forward to getting on the field two weeks from tomorrow."
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