calbears.com photo: Cal Bears Ivan Rabb goes for the high percentage shot against Cal Poly on Saturday night at Haas Pavilion for home consecutive win number 27

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY–Jabari Bird’s big night on the hardwood was destined to happen.  That it took 3 1/2 seasons and well over 100 basketball games to transpire helps describe what a winding, sometimes arduous, path the young man from Richmond has traveled.

Recruited by Mike Montgomery, Bird immediately became the iconic coach’s biggest signing in his six seasons in Berkeley, but the impact on the floor was not immediate.

It didn’t help that Bird shared his first name with Jabari Parker, Duke’s headline recruit that season, a one-and-done guy who also had Bay Area ties (Parker’s father Sonny was an important player for the Warriors in the 70’s and early 80’s) as expectations exceeded results early in Bird’s Cal career.

Jabari’s father, Carl, was Cal’s leading scorer for his two seasons in Berkeley in the mid-70’s.  Those teams weren’t great, but the 6’8″ Bird was, giving Cal a scoring presence in the paint.  Jabari developed into a far different player than his father,  slightly shorter, skinny, and far more athletic in his days at Salesian High School in Richmond.  Not surprisingly, Jabari had numerous suitors, and he initially balked at following his father’s footsteps to Cal.

But Bird relented, saw value in being close to home, and signed with Cal in part so his mom, Tonya, and dad could attend his games.

Initially,  Bird was a superstar in the making, averaging better than 13 points his first four games as a collegian as the Bears won all four. But then the struggles started, the missed jump shots, the turnovers and the lack of versatility offensively, as Bird had troubles creating offense off the dribble, something that plagued him in high school.

Soon, Bird’s playing time decreased, and his presence in the gym after games working on his failing shot became commonplace.  In speaking to Bird, he said he was determined to fix his shooting, and his repetitions from the spots on the floor where he was frequently missing shots spoke to his determination.

“He’ll be a lot better a month from now.  He is talented,” Montgomery said at the time, knowing better than anyone that great high school players don’t instantly get it as collegians.  “Once he figures out what he needs to do to be successful, he’ll make progress by leaps and bounds.  He’ll figure it out.”

Bird’s freshman year ended quietly, as the Bears slumped late, and Bird was in some ways eclipsed by fellow freshman Jordan Mathews.   Bird’s sophomore season saw him experience a lengthy bout with injuries and missed games.  In some ways, the team and new coach, Cuonzo Martin had to move on, with the persistent,  repetitive questions about Bird’s availability.

As a junior, Bird was initially upstaged by heralded recruits Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown.  But Bird’s game was kicking in, and Martin noticed, enamored with his off-guard’s defensive prowess and three-point shooting.  Soon, the freshman were playing slightly less than Bird, who sometimes came off the bench.

Finally,  Bird was the player he needed to be, but his ascension was blunted by nagging injuries.  He ended his junior year at less than full strength and began this season with health issues as well.  Last month, Bird missed six consecutive games with back spasms. Again, Martin had few answers for the press, frequently saying ‘I’m not a doctor…”

But with the season in full swing, Bird has returned.   In his fourth game back on Saturday against Cal Poly, Bird scored 25 points a career-best. Clearly,  all the patience that Montgomery said would be required, had come to fruition.  Bird described the process and the results succinctly.

“I put in a lot of work on my game, so why not show them out on the court,” Bird said after Cal’s 81-55 win.  “I feel like it’s a waste of time to put in all that work throughout the season and when the lights come on you don’t show out.  So I’ve just been trusting my game and shooting more, and look to keep it moving forward.”

“All I know is that when he hits that first 3, he hits open 3’s but if he gets contested, a pull-up whatever it is, I feel like he has it going,” Rabb said of his teammate.  “Once he does that and he gets to the basket the next time,  then you know he has it going.  So what I try to do is play off of him.  I’m sure everyone else does the same thing,  but when he’s going like that we have to continue to feed him, and we did tonight.”

GAME NOTES: The Bears broke open a close game with a 21-3 run at the conclusion of the first half.