Bears lose Emerald Coast Classic consolation game to Clemson, 67-59; fall to 0-7 on the season

By Morris Phillips

The parallels between the head coaching careers of Brad Brownell and Mark Fox are remarkable. The dissimilarities, well, they all come in Fox’s three plus seasons at Cal.

Both coaches have long track records as Division I head coaches, Brownell now in his 21st season, and Fox in his 18th. Brownell has made NCAA Tournament appearances at all three of his stops: UNC-Wilmington, Wright State and now Clemson. Brownell hasn’t had a lot of success winning NCAA Tournament games, winning two in 2018 and getting the Tigers to the Sweet 16. Brownell’s other five tournament appearances all resulted in Round of 64 losses.

Fox’s head coaching career began with immediate success at Nevada where he won the WAC regular season championship in each of his first, four years and punctuated that with noise-making NCAA Tournament upsets over Mike Montgomery’s Stanford team and Mark Few’s Gonzaga team. That success led Fox to Georgia where he posted winning records in six of his nine seasons in the SEC. The richest, athletic conference in the U.S. proved to be a tougher nut to crack for Fox as he posted just four winning, regular season conference records and never won the SEC regular season title or reached the SEC Tournament championship game.

Neither coach has been blessed with top line talent, in fact, the list of NBA players to play for either coach is uneventful headlined by Fox’s Nick Fazekas, Kirk Snyder, Luke Babbitt and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, along with Brownell’s Trevor Booker.

Oh, the final parallel? Parker Fox, Mark’s son just concluded a four-year run as a walk-on under Brownell at Clemson, where he participated in 22 games.

Given all that background, the playing field was hardly even on Saturday afternoon at the Emerald Coast Classic consolation game meeting between Fox’s Bears and Brownell’s Tigers.

Clemson never trailed in bottling up the Bears for a 67-59 win. The Tigers shot 53 percent from the field and rebounded from a narrow 74-71 loss to Iowa on Friday.

Cal’s efforts were poisoned by a miserable 3 for 20 shooting effort from distance that negated their stellar 18 of 20 effort from the free throw line. The Bears trailed 31-28 at the half and closed to within one after Joel Brown’s first made basket of the second half. But that triggered Clemson to 15-0 run that culminated with Brevin Galloway’s 3-pointer with 14:15 remaining.

The closest the Bears came after that was a 63-57 deficit with 28 seconds remaining, but the Tigers closed it out with a 4 for 4 performance from the line in the final seconds.

Sound familiar? Well, that’s because it is.

The Bears fell to 0-7 on the season with the loss, easily the most disappointing start to a season in the history of California basketball. Mark Fox has now coached 100 games at Cal and won just 35 of them, easily the least successful stretch of his 18 years as a Division I head coach.

The Bears host USC on Wednesday at Haas Pavilion in their Pac-12 conference opener, before they visit conference favorite Arizona on Sunday.

A Point A Minute Won’t Keep You In It: Plodding Bears lose in Florida to TCU, 59-48

By Morris Phillips

If you’re 0-5, throw caution to the North Florida coast breeze and let it rip! What do you have to lose?

Well, if you’re the Cal Bears, it’s complicated.

Coach Mark Fox is without two experienced guards from a roster that lacks athleticism and quickness. Ballhandling and turnovers have been a major part of their winless start, as has defensive rebounding with smaller, quicker opponents extending possessions on the offensive glass.

Given all that, let it rip–given a Haas Pavilion type translation–really means dial it back. So take Fox at his word, when he says, “we created the style of game we wanted to create” after the Bears got up just 39 shot attempts and scored 48 points in a double-digit loss to TCU on Friday.

Know this: Fox has a real dilemma. His Bears are a work in progress, emphasis on “in progress” and the losses are mounting.

The quest for victory number one brought the Bears to Niceville, FL for Thanksgiving as part of the Emerald Coast Classic, a meeting of Power 5 teams looking to spread their wings. Being matched against the Horned Frogs, picked to finish fourth in the Big-12, undeniably the nation’s best conference this season, wasn’t ideal.

But TCU was without Damion Baugh, suspended through the remainder of November due to his decision to sign with an agent after last season in thinking that he was in the mix for the 2022 NBA draft. Not only that, Mike Miles Jr., the Frogs’ other high-scoring guard missed the previous two games with ankle and knee issues, which coincided with TCU’s one-point loss to Northwestern State.

No Baugh, no Miles? Cal might have hope.

Not the case.

Miles returned on Friday, scoring 23 points to led TCU to a 59-48 win. More concerning than Miles, who needed 22 shots to reach his point total, was Cal’s 19 turnovers and 14 offensive rebounds allowed, which Fox pointed to as the biggest factor in the loss.

Those two areas created a huge deficit for the Bears in possessions and shots taken. It also allowed TCU to cruise despite a horrible shooting night (19 for 39 from two, 3 for 17 from three, and 12 of 23 from the foul stripe).

The Bears kept pace early, trailing 17-16 after Joel Brown’s layup. But over the final 8:16 of the first half, Cal scored just five more points, placing an uphill climb in their way.

The Bears got consecutive 3-pointers from Kuany Kuany and Grant Newell to slice TCU’s biggest lead to eight at 46-38. But after a TCU timeout, Miles scored consecutive baskets to extend the lead to 12, and the Frogs weren’t threatened after that.

Newell, Monty Bowser and ND Okafor–Cal’s top three reserves–found the TCU defense especially limiting, likely due in part to the trio’s inexperience. They combined to miss eight of 11 shots in 51 minutes of floor time.

With Miles coming off the bench, TCU’s reserves outscored Cal’s 35-11.

“We got to get some more guys that can finish plays,” Fox admitted.

The Bears now face Clemson under daunting circumstances. After finishing their game near midnight, they’ll be back on the floor with the Tigers at 4:00 pm EST.

“We’re not absorbing the preparation quite like we want to right now anyway, so maybe a quick turnaround won’t impact us as much as it would if we were playing a little smarter,” Fox said.

Kings skate past Sharks 5-2; Fourth loss in last five games for SJ

San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer can’t stop the puck as it sails glove side for one of five Los Angeles Kings goals at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Nov 25, 2022 on California Golden Seals throwback sweater night (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks (7-13-3) hosted the Los Angeles Kings (12-19-2) Friday night at the SAP Arena in San Jose. The Kings, coached by Todd McLellan, skated past his former team and won the game 5-2.

The Kings scored the first goal of the night with 8:55 played. The Kings Jaret Anderson-Dolan beat goaltender Sharks James Reimer for the tally. Anderson-Dolan’s snapshot got by Reimer on the short side of the net. Blake Lizotte and Drew Doughty assisted. The Sharks evened the score when Kevin LaBanc put the puck over Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick.

It was LaBanc’s fourth goal of the year. Tomo Meier and Tomas Hertl assisted. With 3:53 left in the period, Radim Simex was sent to the penalty box for tripping. The Sharks almost killed the penalty, but Phillip Danault scored the Kings’ second goal of the game. Assists went to Viktor Arvidsson and Sean Durzi. The Kings lead 2-1 after the first period.

The Kings dominated play for most of the second period. With 4:39 played, Arvidsson’s wrist shot got through Reimer’s pads and trickled into the goal for the tally. Kevin Fiala and Sean Durzi recorded assists. The Kings lead 3-1. Things were not going well for the Sharks until late in the period.

The Sharks’ power play, with 4:41 left, was killed by the Kings. It appeared the Kings would go to the locker room leading by two. However, as the fans know, things can change in the blink of an eye. Sharks’ forward Alexander Barabanov intercepted a Kings’ pass in front of the net. Barabanov’s wrist shot beat Quick for the Sharks’ second goal. LA leads 3-2 after two periods of play.

The Kings scored twice in the third period to win the game. With 2:51 played, Rasmus Kupari’s shot broke through Reimer’s pads for the score. Reimer appeared to block the shot, but the puck somehow squirted through Reimer’s legs. The Sharks could not get anything going in the third period.

They went on a power play with 5:38 left. The Kings’ penalty killers did their job. The Sharks pulled Reimer with more than three minutes left to play. The six-on-five Sharks attack failed when Anze Kopitar put the puck into an empty net to give the Kings a 5-2 advantage.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Sharks are 7-13-3. San Jose has won only one game at home so far this year. Reimer, at home, is 0-8-3. The Sharks remain in seventh place in the Pacific Conference. The Kings improved to 12-9-2 to remain in third place in the Pacific Conference. They trail the Seattle Kraken by one point for second place.

The Kings had a goal waved off early in the first period. Adrian Kempe put the puck past Reimer 42 seconds into the game. Shark’s coach Dan Quinn challenged the call. After a review, the call was overturned as the Kings were offside.

The Sharks host the Vancouver Canucks at the SAP Arena on Sun Nov 27th. With a faceoff at 5 pm.

17,950 fans watched the Sharks lose for the 13th time this year.

Warriors Handle Utah 129-117

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) drives past Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, right, during the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Nov 25, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors Handle Utah 129-117

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Golden State Warriors (10-10) defeated the Utah Jazz (12-9) 129-117 at Chase Center. The Warriors are coming off a 124-107 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. The Jazz last game was a loss at the hands of the Detroit Piston 125-116.

The Warriors had a great start winning the first quarter 37-23 really taking it to the Jazz. Golden State had a 59-51 lead at the half. It had been a slow start for Klay Thompson and the team would need him in the second half.

The Warriors built on that halftime lead winning the third quarter 38-35 and leading after three 97-86. Thompson had to get involved in this game and he sure did in the third quarter. He got going with 2:39 left and it was lights out for Thompson sinking shot after shot from downtown.

We saw a furious pace explode from both teams in the fourth quarter. The Warriors continued to hold a ten plus lead throughout the quarter. The Jazz were unable to cut the deficit. Both Stephen Curry and Thompson were shooting at 50% from downtown extending the Warriors lead 100-116 with 6:44 left in the game. Golden State had defended the three well in this game holding the Jazz to 27%.

With under five minutes left the Warriors had their biggest lead of the game 121-102. The Jazz made a bit of a run, a 9-0 run but it was to no avail. Every time the Jazz got going, the Warriors would answer and most of the time it was via a shot from downtown.

The Warriors have now won two games in a row, not surprising since they were at Chase. Golden State has looked like world champions in their last two games. Every starter in tonight’s game finished with double digits. Curry had 33 points, Andrew Wiggins with 20 and Thompson with 20. Jordan Poole was again terrific with 19 points off the bench.

The Warriors will next go on the road taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:30 PM.

Celtics Blow-Out Kings 122-104

The Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) takes a drive around the Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter, left during Fri Nov 25, 2022 game at TD Garden on Fri Nov 25, 2022 (AP News photo)

Celtics Blow-Out Kings 122-104

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Sacramento Kings (10-8) traveled to Boston to take on the Celtics (15-4) at TD Garden. The Kings are coming off a loss to Atlanta 115-106 from Wednesday night. The red-hot Celtics came into this game after beating the Mavericks 125-112 last Wednesday. The Celtics are the third best three point shooting team in the NBA and were a tough assignment for Sacramento beating the Kings 122-104 Friday night.

Game recap: The first quarter was all Boston winning it 34-23. The Kings had ten turnovers which turned into 11 Celtic points and De’Aaron Fox did not score until the final 1:31 of the quarter.

They would need Fox if they had any hopes of beating the Celtics. The Kings also needed to limit the turnovers because you are not going to beat many teams committing ten turnovers let alone a team with the talent of Boston.

The Kings really settled down in the second quarter. With two minutes left in the half they trailed by a single point. After a terrible start to this game the Kings trailed by a couple 64-62 at halftime in a huge turnaround. Fox came to life with 14 points, 11 of them in the second quarter and Domantas Sabonis had 12 points.

The Kings had great work off the bench from Malik Monk hitting nine points and Davion Mitchell with 10. In the second quarter the Kings only had two turnovers.

The Celtics went on a 16-0 run to end the third quarter leading by the score of 94-84. At 10:12 the Kings tied up the game and actually took the lead for a time but it was short-lived as Boston went on the crazy run.

Boston took this game over leaving the Kings in the dust as they distanced themselves from Sacramento. With 4:30 left in the game the score was 115-90 in a blow-out. The Celtics had gone on a 37-6 run and it was all but finished for the Kings. The Kings went on a slight run but it was far too little too late. The final was 122-104.

The Kings have now lost two in a row, They will next take on the Phoenix Suns Monday night at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

UCLA, Thompson-Robinson Run Cal Ragged: Bears lose to the Bruins, 35-28 in the season finale

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA– Turnovers, and a porous run defense spelled doom in Cal’s season finale against UCLA.

And in there, engaged to the end, trying to navigate the hosts through a portal to overcome a late deficit was Joe Starkey, on his final call as the voice of Golden Bears football.

All for naught, and on this rare Friday afternoon of football, not a bonanza.

The Bears embraced their opportunity to soften a rough season with consecutive wins at its conclusion but couldn’t seal the deal. Cal led 21-10 before halftime and regained a 28-27 lead with 11:16 remaining. But UCLA’s 352 yards rushing on a relentless 64 attempts simply wore Cal down.

“It was a heartbreaking loss. We had plenty of opportunities,” coach Justin Wilcox said.

After both aforementioned leads, UCLA simply looked to senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson along with their run game to get back into the game and got quick results.

With just 58 seconds to work with before halftime, Thompson-Robinson led the Bruins on a five-play touchdown drive to get within 21-17. The fifth-year senior handled the final 19 yards on an aborted pass play that ended with him motoring to the end zone.

Trailing by one in the fourth quarter, the Bruins needed ten plays to take the lead for good, with half of the plays either a Thompson-Robinson run or completed pass. The ensuing two-point conversion–a Thompson-Robinson pass to Jake Bobo–gave the Bruins a 35-28 lead with 7:53 remaining.

“We were a little frustrated, a little teed off. We’re a lot better football team than that,” Thompson-Robinson said of the two deficits the visitors faced. “But again, the resiliency and ability to fix those things. We’ve got a bunch of smart football players out on that field.”

The Bears saw success throwing on the Bruins along the boundaries to their productive receivers, Jeremiah Hunter and J. Michael Sturdivant. Hunter had a big afternoon with eight catches, 153 yards, and two scores. Conversely, Cal couldn’t sustain its success passing with a subpar 3 of 10 on third down conversions.

“We knew it was a game of third downs, then taking some shots,” Wilcox said in commending his interim play calling team that directed the offense to a 361-yard output.

The Bruins dwarfed that with their 541-yard total and a significant edge in time of possession. If nothing else, that differential paved the way for a very, tired final seven minutes for the Bears in which they failed to threaten UCLA’s lead. When Cal regained possession with two minutes left, they ran just four plays and saw freshman Jaydn Ott fumble after gaining enough yardage for a first down.

The Bruins recovered and ran out the clock, forcing the Bears to exhaust their remaining two timeouts.

Cal finished 4-8 with just two Pac-12 victories in nine opportunities. That means changes are inevitable beyond those made during the season as Wilcox tried everything to pump up his lackluster offense without success.

“You’ve got to look at the positives,” senior safety Daniel Scott said. “We played a lot of close games. It’s just the small details that cost us some games.”

Jack Plummer’s decision to return or not will likely be the first of numerous ones that will hopefully result in the program getting back on track. If Plummer does return, he’ll be challenged by sophomore quarterback Kai Millner.

Starkey concluded a stellar, 48-year run as the radio voice of Cal football that began in 1975. For years, Starkey assumed the arduous task of broadcasting Cal and 49ers football each weekend, which finally took its toll. Still, the versatile broadcaster kept both teams going, as he was at the mike for all five 49ers’ Super Bowl victories.

“Very emotional. I’ve been there for a very long time,” Starkey, 81, said after leaving the microphone for the last time. “We’ve gone to some wonderful places. I’ve done college games, for God’s sake, for Cal in Tokyo and Australia. What a way to spend a life.”

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Shaw says a victory against BYU would be a great send off for seniors

Cal Bears quarterback Jack Plummer (13) makes a run for it from Stanford Cardinal fullback Jacob Lowe (23) at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 19, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Cardinal podcast with Daniel:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal going into Saturday night’s game against the BYU Cougars very likely will be a handful. The Cardinal 1-8 in conference games in the Pac 12 this season. They won’t be able to improve on that record anymore as they lost their last conference game in the Big Game last Saturday at Cal.

#2 The Cardinal are 3-8 and are last in the Pac 12. The Cardinal just looking at their overall record and that last loss at Cal had to be one of the most deflating experiences they’ve had all season.

#3 Daniel in the Big Game it had to be one of Stanford head coach David Shaw’s biggest disappointments leading 17-6 after three quarters to lost 27-20 after two fumbles and Cal capitalizing on those mistakes for scores?

#4 Coach Shaw did say that while it was disappointing not coming up with a victory against the Bears he hopes the team will refocus it’s efforts on this last game at BYU and get a win so he could send his seniors off with a victory.

#5 Daniel for Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee a rough season his line from the Cal game 29-45, 271 yards, he threw a touchdown and one interception. He needed more completions and he just wasn’t able to hit all the receivers he wanted to.

Daniel did the Stanford football podcasts throughout the 2022 season and will return next Friday with Women’s and Men’s basketball podcasts right here at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings seven game win streak snapped but not drive and determination

Atlanta Hawks forward AJ Griffin (14) attempts to pass during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Atlanta on Wed Nov 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

On Sacramento Kings podcasts with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Wednesday night the Sacramento Kings (10-7) took on the Atlanta Hawks (11-7) at State Farm Arena. The Kings are coming off a win over Memphis Tuesday 113-109 while the Hawks lost to the Cavaliers on Monday 114-102.

#2 The Kings trailed at the half 72-57. Sacramento lost the first quarter 35-26 and the second quarter 37-31. The Kings were struggling defensively and were challenged in trying to contain the Hawks Trae Young.

#3 Although the Kings dominated in the paint it was those turnovers that really hurt them in this game. De’Aaron Fox had a slow start but finished with 18. Malik Monk had a monster game with 27 points off the bench. 

#4 Young had 35 points for Atlanta getting open consistently throughout the entire game. The Hawks didn’t have a great fourth quarter but the Kings just didn’t take advantage of their let-down.

#5  Friday night the Kings will travel to Boston to take on the Celtics at TD Garden. They will get a chance to rest tomorrow after taking on this challenging road trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Join Jeremiah for Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Tops Florida State 70-60

Brandon Angel of the Stanford Cardinal had a career day with 22 points and scored 18 points in the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Orlando during the ESPN Events Invitational on Fri Nov 25, 2022 (photo from Stanford Cardinal)

Stanford Tops Florida State 70-60

By Barbara Mason

Friday afternoon the Stanford Cardinal (3-3) dereated the Florida State Seminoles (1-6) at the ESPN EVENTS Invitational in Orlando 70-60. This was a quick turnaround for both teams.

The Cardinal lost a close one with multiple opportunities to close this game out but too many mistakes and turnovers decided the game in favor of Ole Miss 72-68 on Thursday. Florida State has been struggling all season being blown out from the start of the game against the Siena Saints 80-63 also on Thursday.

The Cardinal defeated the Seminoles by ten points. The Seminoles were looking to beat a Pac-12 team after a horrendous start this season but the couldn’t capitalize on the Cardinal.

Florida State had a nice start in this game leading 8-0 after four minutes of play. Stanford made up the deficit and for the remainder of the first half it was a see-saw game with lead changes throughout. In the final minute of the first half the Seminoles took the largest lead since the opening minutes of the game 27-21.

The second half was close until the ten-minute mark. Stanford turned this game around and threatened to blow Florida State out of the building. With 6:18 left in the game the Cardinal led 60-47. Stanford was dominating the glass but still had those turnovers which were leveled with numerous offensive rebounds.

The Cardinal had a 16-2 run going with six minutes left in the game. Stanford struggled from downtown going 3 of 24 but had success in the paint and they kept Florida playing from behind in the final 12 minutes of play. FSU had 15 turnovers and looked nothing like a team that wanted this win. The Cardinal will play a third game on Saturday at the Invitational.

This was a great win for Stanford and it was the play on the glass that won this game. They were awful from downtown going 3 of 26 but it was the offensive rebounds and shots in the paint that kept them in the game ultimately winning.

Brandon Angels had a huge game finishing with 22 points. Harrison Ingram and Michael Jones each had ten points. Ingram and James Keefe both had eight rebounds.

The Seminoles Caleb Mills had the high with 16 points followed by Cam’ron Fletcher who finished with 12 points. So the quandary continues for Florida State. Right now the team is a mess; still looking for answers.

Stanford will now go into their third game of this invitational taking on the winner of the Nebraska Memphis matchup this evening. The Cardinal’s third game will be on Sun Nov 27th at 8:00 AM.

Barracuda beat rival Silver Knights on the road 5-2

Credit to San Jose Barracuda Twitter. Patrick McGrath skates away after finishing a fight with a Henderson player.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

On the road in Henderson the San Jose Barracuda (9-7-0-1) came out on top with a solid third period performance winning 5-2 over the Henderson Silver Knights (5-14-0-0) .

It was a battle between starter Laurent Brossoit for Henderson and Eetu Makiniemi for San Jose.

The PK unit for San Jose would have to be ready quickly in this game as just 1:36 into the first Billy Constantinou took a penalty for hooking.

Thankfully for the Barracuda the penalty unit came through with a solid kill and kept the score even.

At the 8:06 mark though with both teams at even strength Henderson found the back of the net with Jonas Rondbjerg getting his fifth goal of the season. It was a perfect rebound goal that he was able to tuck in with assists going to Bryon Froese and Pavel Dorofeyev.

Less than a minute later though Montana Onyebuchi responded with a slap shot from the right point that beat Brossoit to tie things up at one. Both Andrew Agozzino and Patrick Sieloff got the assists on Onyebuchi’s first goal of the season.

Besides the scoring there was also two fights between the rivals in the first period with McGrath and Onyebuchi both dropping the gloves.

That would end up being all the scoring for the first period with the shots finishing in favor of San Jose at 10-9.

At the 10:14 mark of the second period Tristen Robins on the power play ripped one in past a screened Brossoit to get his seventh goal of the season. The assists went to both Ryan Merkley and Andrew Agozzino.

Not to long after the power play goal by the black-and-blue Henderson responded with oner of their own as Byron Froese scored his third goal of the season. Daniil Miromanov and Sakari Manninen got the assists on the play that tied the game at two.

At the end of the second period the shots now favored Henderson 22-18.

The beginning of the third was a pretty methodical start with both teams trying not to give up that all important third goal.

At the 15:43 mark Thomas Bordeleau decided to play hero and tucked in a rebound out front to give the Barracuda a huge lead late in the third period. William Eklund and Onyebuchi got assists on the play with Montana’s assists giving him a Gordie Howe hat trick.

The Barracuda however were not done with just a one goal lead as Merkley sprang Agozzino on a breakaway with a beautiful pass. Agozzino tucked that pass home five hole and gave San Jose now a two goal lead with assists from Merkley and Scott Reedy.

The Silver Knights after those two goals were forced to pull their goalie but Jeffrey Viel scored on the empty cage to solidify the game at 5-2. Both Jasper Weatherby and C.J. Suess got the assists on the goal.

The shots at the end of the game still favored Henderson at 35-27. While the Barracuda’s power play went 1/3 and the Silver Knight’s power play went 1/5.

The Barracuda’s next game will be on the road against the Bakersfield Condors tomorrow at 7 p.m.