Cal basketball, a look ahead. Part two.
by rollonubears on Jul 9, 2009 10:37 PM PDT
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PrintIn the first part of my 2 part installment, I covered the Big 3 of Cal basketball 09-10. Here I will cover the Big 4 role players: Jamal "Art" Boykin, Harper "Token White" Kamp, Jorge " Dreamy" Gutierrez, and the one, the only, Max "Bones" Zhang (these nicknames are all awful. Come up with better ones in the comments).
via www.sfgate.com
The 2009-2010 Cal Basketball season has a chance to be very Sweet.
Jamal Boykin
When I did a Google image search and saw this on the first page, there was no way I could pass it up.
What we got: Jamal is the head of the Hustle Trio, which includes him, Harper, and Jorge. He is the emotional leader of the team, and has been since the second he was eligible to play as a Bear. He has clearly influenced Kamp's game, which is a wonderful thing. He hustles his ass off, is the loudest cheerer on the bench, and is practically a coach on the floor. My favorite memory of him is the game at Stanford when he was a sophomore. He (a Duke transfer) did the Duke defense floor slap and yelled. Mind you, he did this in the stadium of our rival. Very ballsy and very awesome. He is going to make a great coach some day. I would not be surprised at all if he becomes our grad assistant in a year or two.
What we want: Boykin has pretty much reached his potential. I expect him to bump up his scoring and rebounding to the tune of about 1-2 a game for each this year, because of the departure of Wilkes. Not much more than that statistically. All he needs to do is keep being awesome.
I am presuming Kamp and Boykin are best friends in real life. If there was a TV show about their antics in Berkeley, I would watch it. Religiously.
Harper Kamp
White Lightning!
What we got: Production despite injuries. One of our top 5 most important players last year, despite only averaging a 4 and 3. His statistical production was limited because of an assortment of injuries (he had knee surgery this offseason, and I think his calf was also bothering him during the season). His importance goes way way beyond stats. He did all the little things. He sets a mean screen. He agitates. He hustles. He plays like the token white guy who, while inferiorly talented, works just as hard or harder than every single other player on the court. He is a guy you need on a winning team.
What we want: Health. Just get healthy, Harper. I think he is going to really blossom this year, health provided. I could easily see him becoming a 12-8 guy. If not this year, certainly next. Otherwise, just keep doing what you do.
Keep being awesome, you two.
Jorge Gutierrez
via imgs.sfgate.com
What we got: Raise your hand if you do not have a massive, uncontrollable man crush on Jorge Gutierrez. Hmm, I see zero hands raised. We all love Jorge. He is the number one fan favorite. If he cries, we cry. He gives 178% every time on the court. He defends the opposition's best guard (I think James Harden left for the NBA because Jorge was haunting his dreams. Y'know, that plus the millions of dollars), he gets into the head of the other team, he dives for loose balls, he looks dreamy. He was a late signee who was not recruited by any other major programs. Monty just went in and swooped him up. Then he becomes one of the most valuable freshmen in the Pac-10 (whoever didn't have him on their Pac-10 All-Freshman team has never seen him play). Pretty good for a guy who it looked like was going to be playing small time college basketball. He really does every thing you could want on the defensive end. However...
What we want: To call Jorge's offensive game 'raw' is really being generous. His offensive game is so raw, it is still a living, breathing cow. He doesn't really bring much at all to the offensive end of the floor. Sometimes, he carries the ball upcourt to give Jerome some rest. Those trips upcourt are scary, to say the least. When handling the ball, he turns it over. A lot. Sometimes he liked to push the ball upcourt, which usually lead to reactions along the lines of this from me: "Oh, please no Jorge. Slow down. You are going to turn it over... no no NOOOOOOOOOO. DAMMIT JORGE". There are 2 things he really needs to work on. And I mean really. About 6 hours a day on these 2 things would be nice: the ability to dribble without giving the other team the ball, and corner 3s. Right now, Jorge is a negative on offense (but a major major major positive on defense). If he can hit the corner 3 reliably (making about 1-3 a game), and he learns that turnovers are bad, then we will have an amazing player on our hands. Until then, we have a Jekyll and Hyde.
Max Zhang
What we got: Not bloody much.
What we want: We want many many things from Max. We want 20 minutes a game, for one. We want an inside presence. We want to not weigh the same as a guy who is 7'3 (and that is nothing against us, but I am pretty sure Max's official weight is 140). Max, like most guys who are 7'3, has all the potential in the world. Spazzy informed us that Max is currently having a massive block party, and all of China is invited. He is rock-blocking everybody. It is good to see that he is actually producing, no matter what the level. Here are my 2 main suggestions for Max this year. One is something Monty should do, and one is something Max should do.
1) (Originally posted this as a comment in the previous post)
As soon as he gets back, Monty needs to kidnap him, knock him unconscious, leave him in the weight room (with a week’s worth of water, power bars, granola bars, etc.), lock the doors so Max can’t get out, with a note that says "I will come for you in a week. If you don’t have 25 more pounds of muscle by the time I see you next, I am making you guard Jerome in practice." (If you don't understand how that is a punishment, it is basically a non-violent way of destroying every single ankle ligament he has to the point where he can barely walk).
This is the second hit when you look up Max Zhang on Google images.
2) Get mean Max! Seriously. Just get angry. I can torrent you some DMX or something. I want to see you before games next year wearing a doo-rag, and quietly muttering to yourself "Where the hood, where the hood, where the hood at". Actually, you should take that one step further and act like DMX next year. Start barking at opponents. Growl at them. Make them scared of you. YOU ARE 7 FUCKING 3. MAKE THEM TERRIFIED OF YOU. I challenge somebody to find something more terrifying then a 7'3 Chinese man barking at you. Plus, look around the Pac-10. Look at the state of big men in particular. Now name me who the top returning big man is. Roeland Schaftenaar. No, I am not kidding. Seriously. I am not messing around. The best returning big man in the Pac-10 averaged a 10 and 4 last year. Want to know the rest of the top 5? Michael Dunigan (8 and 5), Josh Owens (7 and 4), Nikola Dragovic (9 and 4), and Matthew Bryan-Amaning (6 and 4). None of the top 3 returning leaders in rebounding averaged over 7 a game last year, and all of them are 6'8 or shorter. I personally am not going to take it as easy on you this year. You need to produce. LOOK HOW WEAK THAT IS. ONLY ONE RETURNING BIG MAN AVERAGED DOUBLE DIGITS, AND HE AVERAGED 10. The rest of the Pac-10 is literally asking you to dominate. The ball is in your court. You've got to produce.
That wraps up my look ahead. I am very excited about this coming season. Nobody in the Pac-10 scares me. It really looks like we will be the class of the Pac. Truly an exciting time to be a Cal sports fan. All hail Monty!
Keep your heads up, guys. The best is yet to come.
The opinions expressed in a FanPost are, in every way, reflective of the opinions of every California Golden Blogs Marshawnthusiast. Moreover, they are reflective of every employee of SBNation, including Tyler "Blez" Bleszinski.
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Max should listen to It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot. That is a dark, angry album.
CGB: Wasting Your Potential, Your Time, & Your Life Since 2006.
This could totally work. We already call him Max – it’s not too far a stretch from ‘Max’ to ‘X’. We start playing the song every time he comes in the game to get him going. This could be huge.
Either that or we hire DMX to write a Max version of the song. His career is dead and buried deep – he just might do it!
CGB: Wasting Your Potential, Your Time, & Your Life Since 2006.
I think you're underselling what Boykin can do
Remember he was California player of the year and a Duke recruit. They don’t just hand those Duke basketball schollies to chumps (well, Eric Meek, Greg Paulus, Lance Thomas, Chris Burgess, Joey Beard, Eric Boateng, okay nevermind).
When watching him play – I think he brings three key attributes:
1. He’s our only post offense threat. All of our big 3 are wing players – Boykin can catch in the post and play with his back to the basket or turn and face-up and take bigger players off the dribble.
2. He’s an EXCELLENT passer. I think He and Kamp are part of the reason we got such great shots in our offense – crisp smart ball movement from the mid post or high post.
3. I think he’s our highest BBIQ player – you watch him and you just know he knows how to play. When he’s on the floor we’re more organized and get quicker into our sets.
I think there’s certainly more he can add to his game. A regular 15 footer would open everything up even more.
I actually forgot to mention 1 and 2, so it isn’t that I disagree. I implied number 3 by saying he is a coach on the floor.
His 15 footer seems pretty regular to me. He does have 3pt range, so maybe if he surprised teams from time to time with that range they would respect it, making him harder to guard.
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
by rollonubears on Jul 9, 2009 11:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Boykin was actually very solid last season. I was surprised that he played so little.
by Avinash Kunnath on Jul 10, 2009 6:25 AM PDT up reply actions
He was 4th on the team in minutes. Its not like he wasn’t played at all.
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
by rollonubears on Jul 10, 2009 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions
Now name me who the top returning big man is. Roeland Schaftenaar. No, I am not kidding. Seriously. I am not messing around. The best returning big man in the Pac-10 averaged a 10 and 4 last year. Want to know the rest of the top 5? Michael Dunigan (8 and 5), Josh Owens (7 and 4), Nikola Dragovic (9 and 4), and Matthew Bryan-Amaning (6 and 4). None of the top 3 returning leaders in rebounding averaged over 7 a game last year, and all of them are 6’8 or shorter.
This is really interesting, and thanks for pulling those numbers out. I had been hesitant to say that Cal was really a Pac-10 favorite because I figured the same size issues would be exploited. But if the Pac-10 big men situation turns out to be that dire, then maybe nobody can actually exploit Cal’s Achilles heal. Also, Schaftenaar may have the size of a big man, but he doesn’t play much like one.
Damn you rollon, now I’m even more excited.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
I knew the Pac lost Brockman and Taj and Hill, but even I was amazed as I was looking through the stats. Really? That’s it? I couldn’t and still can’t believe the Pac is that weak.
Cal is definitely the favorites. Some people are putting Washington ahead. This makes no sense. We beat them twice last year. We lost no one. They lost 2 of their 3 best players. Explain to me how they are the better team? Oh, you are just a hack who hates Cal. Ok, now it makes sense. Good thing you don’t work for a widely circulated paper. Oh… you do. Dammit Wilner, you win again!
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
by rollonubears on Jul 10, 2009 12:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Some people are putting Washington ahead. This makes no sense. We beat them twice last year.
Don’t put too much stock in head-to-head (esp. since one of our wins was an absurd 3-OT game that Washington gave away on the free throw line.)
By the head-to-head logic, Oregon St. would be the Pac-10 favorite since they beat Cal twice and aren’t losing anybody either.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
Fair enough. But I don’t think you can logically put Washington ahead of Cal. Then again, Wilner is batshit insane, so it kind of makes sense.
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
by rollonubears on Jul 10, 2009 1:09 AM PDT up reply actions
Of course you can logically put Washington ahead of Cal
They have a lottery-pick prospect coming in, Pondexter is finally playing up to his potential, and they were better last season.
I’d put the odds of each team winning a conference title at
Cal 35%
UW 30%
UCLA 25%
OSU 10%
which doesn’t exactly put the Bears in the position of a dominant favorite.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
More Stats, just for fun
Top 3 returning rebounders in the Pac-10: Landry Fields (6.7), Joevan Catron (6.6), Jamal Boykin (6.4).
Yes, that’s right, the top returning rebounder is a 6’ 7" guard.
Top 3 returning shot blockers in the Pac-10: DeAngelo Casto (1.2), Matthew Bryan-Amaning (1.1), Michael Dunigan (1.0).
For the record, Taj Gibson was the only real shot-blocker last year, averaging almost 3 a game. Jordan Hill was second with 1.8, and Aron Baynes was third with a paltry 1.3. Max Zhang, if he were given significant minutes, could lead the conference in shot-blocking; in limited minutes last year, he blocked 13 shots in 15 games.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
I actually think Landry Fields is going to have a huge statistical breakout year
Partly because he’s by FAR the best player on Stanford and thus will get a ton of offensive opportunities, and partly because he is (as the rebounding numbers indicate) a damn good athlete.
Won’t save the team, though I think it’ll get him some serious looks in the draft.
/tangent
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Incoming Class
I know who we have, but who are we getting? Any new talent ready to contribute? Who will step up off the bench (Omondi?)?
I think you have to pick U-Dub ahead of The Bears on talent alone, not to mention another year of playing together. If Isiah doesn’t foul D.J. Seely on the put-back, Washington wins that first one.
I'd like to smell the Roses before I die.
Omondi and Seeley both have big time talent. We didn’t get much from this year, but this year I want signs that they will be step up when this class of soon to be seniors leaves.
Also, I expect Bak Bak to average a 30-20-10 this year. Don’t fail me, Bak!
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
by rollonubears on Jul 11, 2009 9:14 AM PDT up reply actions
Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah
Sorry. I had to get that off my chest.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
You're right; my bad. No matter how I type that name it always looks wrong....
I'd like to smell the Roses before I die.
Sanders-Frison
is going to be the most ready to contribute (or should be at least) based on being a JUCO transfer. But I’m not sure we get out of him that we’re not getting from Boykin or Kamp.
I am a little bit disappointed Wilkes left, because he was finally becoming an actual asset on the court and not just a tall body. He had a string during Pac-10 play which were each individually among the top 3 or 5 games of his career. It sucks that as he starts showing some promise, he finishes his career.
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
by rollonubears on Jul 11, 2009 9:36 AM PDT up reply actions
A third copy of Boykin/Kamp is immeasurably better than just having 2 of them...
Depth counts, especially in the frontcourt. Plus, Kamp is injury-prone.
Think about it— 2 positions, 3 players is 27 minutes a game for each of them… that’s basically starter’s minutes…
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
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Golden Bears Football Schedule
| Fresno St. | Sat 09/03 | W 36 - 21 |
@
Colorado
|
Sat 09/10 | W 36 - 33 |
| Presbyterian | Sat 09/17 | W 63 - 12 |
|
@
Washington
|
Sat 09/24 | L 23 - 31 |
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@
Oregon
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Thu 10/06 | L 15 - 43 |
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USC
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Thu 10/13 | L 9 - 30 |
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Utah
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Sat 10/22 | W 34 - 10 |
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@
UCLA
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Sat 10/29 | L 14 - 31 |
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Washington St.
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Sat 11/05 | W 30 - 7 |
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Oregon St.
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Sat 11/12 | W 23 - 6 |
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@
Stanford
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Sat 11/19 | L 28 - 31 |
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@
Arizona St.
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Fri 11/25 | W 47 - 38 |
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@
Texas
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Wed 12/28 | L 10 - 21 |
Pacific-12 Conference Standings
(updated 1.2.2012 at 11:12 PM PST)
| North | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
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Oregon Ducks
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8 | 1 | 12 | 2 |
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Stanford Cardinal
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8 | 1 | 11 | 2 |
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Washington Huskies
|
5 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
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California Golden Bears
|
4 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
|
Oregon St. Beavers
|
3 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
|
Washington St. Cougars
|
2 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| South | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
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USC Trojans
|
7 | 2 | 10 | 2 |
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UCLA Bruins
|
5 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
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Utah Utes
|
4 | 5 | 8 | 5 |
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Arizona St. Sun Devils
|
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
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Arizona Wildcats
|
2 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
|
Colorado Buffaloes
|
2 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
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