Cal, Stanford, USC, and UCLA all held their junior days in the past two weeks. Though most recruits visited multiple schools, many of them cannot stop praising Cal.
"I went to USC and UCLA two weeks ago but the visit to Cal was by far the best one for me," said Encino (Calif.) Crespi offensive lineman Jordan Simmons. "I freaking loved it there, it was an incredible time. I loved the coaching staff, meeting all the other players there and seeing what Cal is doing with their remodel on their facilities.
"The talent all around us was insane and Cal is in everyone's head right now. I got a great vibe from being there and really like the new offensive line coach, Jim Michalczik. He was with the Raiders last year and is a great coach and a great guy. We had about a 45-minute conversation and I'm definitely feeling the Bears right now."
...One player many thought could pull the trigger for the Bears was Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco athlete Bryce Treggs. The Cal legacy (his father, Brian, played receiver in the early '90s) held off committing, but the Bears are definitely in a good spot right now.
"It was a great visit, the talent there was sick," Treggs said. "Cal had all the top guys in the state and it was fun to be there and get to know everyone. I'm real close with Zach Kline [Danville, Calif./San Ramon Valley] and he has been talking to me about Cal for a while now. Honestly though, he doesn't need to do that because I like Cal a lot on my own and already know a lot about the school since my dad played there and it was my childhood favorite.
"I liked the new facilities they're working on now and also liked talking with the new receiver coach, Erik Kiesau. I actually first met him when he came to my school about a month ago but we got to spend a lot more time together and of course I really like coach [Jeff] Tedford too. Shaq Thompson committed and that's huge and I think Cal is going to have an incredible recruiting class in 2012."
After the jump several Bears earn basketball honors and the times and brackets are set for the men and women's Pac-10 basketball tournaments.
Basketball
- Allen Crabbe was named the Pac-10's freshman player of the year and Jorge Gutierrez was named to the all-conference first team. Harper Kamp earned a spot on the second team and Crabbe earned an honorable mention.
- Denesha Stallworth earned a spot on the All-Pac-10 team. Eliza Pierre was named to the defensive team while Lindsay Sherbert made the freshman team. Talia Caldwell and Layshia Clarendon were honorable mentions.
- The Pac-10 released the brackets for both the men and women's tournaments. The women's team tips off against seventh-seed Washington on Wednesday at 7:15pm while the men's team plays fourth-seeded USC at noon on Thursday. The men's game will be on Fox Sports Net and Comcast Sports Net Bay Area.
- CBE Classic Tournament tickets go on sale Wednesday at 8am. The two-day event on November 21st and 22nd features Cal, Missouri, Notre Dame, and Georgia.
Football
- At the Tiny Bates Banquet, Jeff Tedford said Isi Sofele was the number-one back heading into spring practice. JO asks if the shifty junior be able to carry the load this season.
- Former Cal offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar has announced his retirement.