Golden Nuggets: Sonny Dykes Faces The Same Questions At Pac-12 Media Day

Baseball

California head baseball coach David Esquer has announced the appointment of Thomas Eager as the Bears' assistant coach on Monday. Eager spent the previous three years at Cal Poly (2013-15) as an assistant under head coach Larry Lee in San Luis Obispo.

Swimming and Diving

Two of the iconic figures in the history of Cal Aquatics - Teri McKeever and Matt Biondi - were named to USA Swimming's list of the 30 most influential people in swimming over the past 30 years Tuesday.

Rugby

Meet Brynn Lewis, Cal Rugby's Athletic Trainer

BERKELEY - If you just started following California rugby recently, you've seen a lot. Since 2013, the Golden Bears have racked up an overall record of 56-6 (.903) in 15s and won three straight national collegiate championships in Olympic 7s, the version of the sport going into the next Summer Games.

But Cal rugby goes back much further, to its 1882 origin, a history that has accrued staff with remarkable longevity. Jack Clark, in his 33rd year, is only the sixth head coach in the team's 134-year history.

When the Bears won their first 7s title at the 2013 Collegiate Rugby Championship and the team performed the unparalleled honor of raising one of its own onto the players' shoulders to celebrate, it was the athletic trainer, David Stenger, who was raised high to recognize his dedicated skill and service as he headed into retirement after 40 years of service.

But who would be taking Stenger's place the following season as the lead presence in the training room, on the sideline and pitch, at every training session and on every road trip as the Rugby Bears go through the rigors of one of the most demanding sports on the planet in representation of their University and commitment as student-athletes to the No. 1 public institution in the world?

What kind of person would it take to fill the shoes of such a legend?

Those shoes have been filled and that mantle passed to Brynn Lewis MS, ATC, a former varsity collegiate softball player who came to Cal from Seattle by way of Brooklyn, N.Y., where she earned her Bachelor and Masters degrees while competing for Long Island University. Since the start of the 2013-14 year, Lewis has managed the athletic training needs of almost 70 male student-athletes with rugby, coordinating their care with the world-class staff that spans from Witter Rugby Field down to the Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance, its training quarters, and by extension into the operating rooms and throughout the daily lives of members of the team.

Men's Basketball

Breaking down college basketball's top 25 recruits for 2015: Nos. 5-1

5. Ivan Rabb, Cal

The first recruit Cuonzo Martin called after Cal hired him in April 2014 was Rabb. Several high-major programs were pursuing the five-star big man, but the Golden Bears quickly made him a priority. Cal was included on the list of five Rabb released last October, and after eliminating Kansas and Kentucky, he announced his commitment to the Golden Bears over Arizona in April. "I just saw the vision of where coach Martin wanted to go with this thing, and I definitely wanted to be a part of it," Rabb said.

3. Jaylen Brown, Cal

Among the top prospects in this class, perhaps none inspired as much debate among recruiting analysts as Brown. He identified Kentucky as the "best basketball program in the country" in late March, released a list of eight schools through a video in April, then cut the list later that month amid speculation over whether adidas would influence his decision. Brown was also linked to a potential package deal at Cal with center Caleb Swanigan and Rabb. Ultimately, Swanigan chose Purdue (after first committing to Michigan State), but Brown followed Rabb to Cal as part of one of the top recruiting classes in the country.

Men's Soccer

United States U-23 men's national team coach Andi Herzog announced his 28-man roster on Tuesday for a College Identification training camp in Carson, California, as the team prepares for October's Olympic qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Two California Golden Bears were selected to the roster, as sophomore forward Paul Salcedo and incoming freshman goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann will join 26 other hopefuls at the camp, that will be conducted at the U.S. National Training Center in Carson from August 5-8.

Football

RotoArcade: Late-round lottery tickets for your fantasy football draft

Marvin Jones, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Perhaps best known for his four-touchdown game against the Jets in Week 8 of 2013, Jones is a balletic receiver with big mitts. Unfortunately, he missed all of 2014 due to foot and ankle injuries. In his stead, the catch-averse Mohamed Sanu lined up opposite A.J. Green. Targeted by Andy Dalton a whopping 98 times, Sanu was only able to haul in 56 balls, leading the league in drops with a grand total of 14.

ESPN: Questions for Pac-12 media days: North

California Golden Bears, Sonny Dykes

What will be asked: Is Jared Goff the best quarterback you've coached and is he NFL ready?

What should be asked: What are your biggest reasons for optimism over your defense improving, and who breaks through this season as an all-conference candidate?

Pac-12 Media Days Begin Wednesday At ESPN

BRISTOL, Conn. - Cal's Sonny Dykes along with each of the Pac-12's other head football coaches will begin the 2015 Pac-12 Football Media Days with a series of interviews Wednesday at ESPN in what is commonly known as the national media outlet's "Car Wash". Dykes will meet with a number of ESPN media members throughout the day and is scheduled to be interviewed live on SportsCenter at approximately 3:20 p.m. ET/12:20 p.m. PT.

OregonLive/TheOregonian takes a look at the questions for each team in the Pac-12. For California...

California: Do the Golden Bears make the leap?

Following a disastrous debut season for Sonny Dykes in 2013, Cal made great strides to finish 5-7 last season. Can the Golden Bears jump into a decent bowl game in 2015? They certainly have the quarterback to take the next step, as junior Jared Goff already holds 19 school records is a bona fide first-round NFL prospect. But a defense that was downright dreadful last season must improve — at least slightly — if Cal wants to be a true player in the North.