Golden Nuggets: Wyking Jones Hopes To Inspire Team With “Tough Love”

Basketball

• Wyking Jones let his players know that he loves his players no matter how they perform, and hopes that will lead to better results against also-winless-in-conference Washington State tonight. (You know, as opposed to better X’s and O’s, who needs that?)

Tormented by a five-game losing skid that’s been imbued with lifeless defensive efforts, Cal men’s basketball coach Wyking Jones was stewing at home Sunday.

His wife stopped him.

“‘You can’t confuse the results that you got from the game with how you feel about your players,’” Jones said, recounting the words of his wife, Estrella. “‘... You still love those guys, regardless if they play well or not, right? … Well, you need to let them know that.’”

When the team returned to practice Monday, Jones told his players: “Regardless of how good or bad we play, I love them, and I wouldn’t want to go to war or battle with anybody besides them and my staff.”

It’s a message he hopes will resonate as the Bears prepare for their best chance to get off the schneid.

• Bears need to fix the defense in order to have a chance at WSU.

Football

• Trace Travers’ 2018 review and 2019 preview now includes the defensive line and outside linebacker core.

Misc.

• Congrats to new SSAD and CDO (whatever those are) Brian Mann! I think his role is a fundraising one.
• Cal Rugby enters training camp. They begin play in SoCal this Saturday and the home opener is the following Saturday.

• Check out this inspiring story on Men’s Swimmer Nick Norman who battled an illness his sophomore season and came back to have a stellar career here. (He will graduate after this season)

Beat the Cougars!