Golden Nuggets: Marcus Lee Still Happy to Be a Bear

Basketball

• After the tough basketball season, you might be wondering how Marcus Lee feels about his decision to transfer from Kentucky to Cal. According to his interview with SF Gate, he has no second guesses about it. Make sure to be there Saturday to honor him before the UW game!

But when the senior forward gets honored before his last two home games this week, Lee said he won’t spend an instant second-guessing his decision to transfer from Kentucky to his home region for his final season.

“It’s always felt like the right decision,” Lee said Wednesday, a day before the Bears’ chance to break a tie for last place in the Pac-12 with Washington State (10-16, 2-12). “Never since I’ve been here has it felt like a bad decision.

“Here is right where I need to be.”

• Michelle Smith looks at the best seniors in the Pac-12 (women’s) and Mikayla Cowling made the list.
• After beating a Top 15 team in Stanford, Cal WBB needs to stay hot by beating two of the Pac-12’s worst and avoid a major letdown.

Misc.

• I missed this article on Baseball’s Andrew Vaughn from the official Cal website. It is a feature on him as he prepares for his sophomore season amidst high expectations.

Fast-forward to 2017. Vaughn started all 54 games of his freshman season, hit 12 home runs, drove in 50 runs and had a .349 batting average. His breakout season carried over into the summer, as Vaughn was selected to play for the USA Baseball Collegiate Team.

”It was a great experience,” Vaughn said. “Getting to play with guys of such a high caliber and against different countries was awesome.”

After a summer of learning, Vaughn brought his athletic momentum back to Cal for his sophomore year. However, as a native of nearby Santa Rosa, Calif., his offseason was rocked by a catastrophe that hit close to home – the North Bay wildfires.

”I got a call at 5 o’clock in the morning.” Vaughn said. “My family evacuated and my grandparents were with them. As I was on the phone, my dad drove by my grandparents’ neighborhood and it was completely burnt down. My grandparents lost their house and several kids I grew up with lost their homes.”

Neu points to Vaughn’s resiliency in the aftermath of the fires. In a balancing act, Vaughn was a student, an athlete, a volunteer, and a support system for his family. Witnessing the “unbelievable” teamwork of strangers who came together to help rebuild communities throughout the North Bay struck a chord with him, both personally and athletically.

• I was so excited to watch Black Panther on Tuesday I forgot to do GN... on a related note... I do believe this deserves its own article, but for now, did you know one of the female soldiers in Black Panther is a former Cal track star? Find out more on Janeshia Adams-Ginyard in the provided link from the Daily Cal.
• Valerie Hull will graduate from Cal in sociology, but the swimmer has already found a new job in something else. (Recruiting!)
• Fifteen, that’s right, 15!!! members of the field hockey team were named to the America East Honor Roll. In addition, Maddie Cleat, Natalie Dalton, Fionna Jensen, Janaye Sakkas, Victoria Struys and Alie Zimmer made the Commissioner’s Honor Roll meaning they achieved a GPA of more than 3.5 last fall. Sara Deck, Valen Garraffo, Gabi Jimenez, Yvie Lock, Melina Moore, Morgan Peterson, Zoe Randolph, Anna Smuda and Sterre van Ede made the “regular” honor roll for having a GPA between 3 and 3.5
• Find out how the Cal Student Athletes learned about financial literacy.

Beat the Cougars!