calbears.com: Justice Sueing (10) and Don Coleman (1) were big contributors for the Cal Bears in Tuesday night’s contest at Key Arena in Seattle as the Bears picked up their third straight victory over the Seattle Redhawks
On the Cal Bears Podcast with Morris and Michael:
The Cal Bears Darius McNeill has quickly become the Bears go to guy he led the club with 20 points on Tuesday night at Key Arena in Seattle against their host the Seattle Redhawks in the Bears convincing 81-59 victory to go now 6-6. McNeill has scored a three pointer in at least each game that he played thus far this season. Cal guard Don Coleman came into Key Arena as a 49% three point shooter hitting one out three tries.
McNeill went 2-4 for three point shots and Justice Sueing hit two out three from three point land. Coleman is the point guard that head coach Wyking Jones is primarily putting his trust in to do some of the heavy lifting at ball handling, Coleman was the late recruit from Houston that really wasn’t on their radar. Coleman is becoming a focal point for the Bears especially when you think about Coleman being a leading scorer.
California guard Darius McNeill (1) dribbles past Cal State Fullerton guard Kyle Allman (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
On the Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris:
1 Cal comes on to win in overtime over Cal Fullerton in their last game 95-89 for their second straight win
2 Cal head coach Wyking Jones said when they entered overtime the Bears were a little deflated but after Cal Fullerton scored a leadoff layup to start the overtime Cal got fired up
3 On offense for Cal point gurard Darius McNeill scored 30 points and went 11-17 for shooting
4 The Bears are now 5-6 going into Seattle on Tuesday night and since wining a thriller against San Diego State on the road by a point then beating Cal Fullerton at home it looks like the Bears have a renewed fire in their bellies
5 After playing in Seattle on Tuesday night they head back to Cal on Thursday night to host Portland State
Morris does the Cal Basketball Podcasts each Monday and on Tuesday with Michael Duca on Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
California guard Deschon Winston (25) grabs a rebound while surrounded by Cal State Fullerton players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
By Morris Phillips
BERKELEY, CA–Confounding pursuit, this Division I basketball. Coach Wyking Jones believes his Cal team got better Saturday afternoon, while admitting he may have gotten worse.
“I think I need to find a really good cardiologist. These guys aged me today.”
The Bears returned to the hardwood after a week off for final exams only to find the Fullerton Titans proctoring their own test at Haas Pavilion. Adding to the drama, the Titans fell flat early, allowing Cal a 12-0 lead, which the Bears stretched to 15 points briefly before halftime.
Then things got interesting.
Of the four Big West teams to visit Berkeley this season, Fullerton figured to provide the biggest test with their attacking guards, Khalil Ahmad and Kyle Allman combining to average 32 points a game. But while Ahmad and Allman got theirs, combining for seven of the Titans’ eight threes before halftime, the Bears maintained a comfortable 46-37 lead at the break.
But once Jamal Smith, whose father is the associate head coach at Fullerton and his sister, Kianna is a freshman on Cal’s women’s basketball team, joined Ahmad and Allman as a three-headed monster, the Cal lead was reduced to one with 10:52 remaining as Smith contributed nine points to the early, second half run.
Jones, who beat the odds to earn the Cal head coaching job at age 45, and to do so as a rare, first-time head coach at a Power 5 Conference school, it was at this juncture where his faux health issues arose. With a roster populated by seven freshman, and a pair of transfers, the mood swings of his club can be severe. This was clearly one of them with the Bears missing shots, as the Titans heated up, even with Cal defending at a fairly high level. Only this time, unlike their meltdown against Wichita State, or their near meltdown at San Diego State last weekend, the Bears persevered, as the Titans forced overtime, then collapsed in the extra minutes, allowing Cal to escape with a 95-89 win.
“We entered overtime a little deflated by the way it went into overtime — (Fullerton) getting a layup — but they didn’t give up and we continued to fight,” Jones said. “We really saw some resiliency, and saw some growth. After an overtime win, it helps the guys believe a little more that we can find a way to win, even when things aren’t going well.”
Darius McNeill, given the reigns at point guard by Jones, led the Bears with 30 points on 11 of 17 shooting. Don Coleman, the Bears’ leading scorer, missed 18 of 23 shots from the field, but made things work anyway by converting 13 of 16 from the foul line and making three from deep. Marcus Lee supported his teammates with 19 points, 12 rebounds while providing some resistance to the Titans’ fearless drives to the hoop.
Cal hasn’t entered Pac-12 conference play with a losing record since 2004. At 5-6, they’ll need wins at Seattle on Tuesday, and at home against Portland State on Thursday to extend that streak.
On the Cal Men’s basketball podcast with Morris & Michael:
The Cal Bears in their last contest at San Deigo State University last Saturday led for most of that game in which Cal won it 62-61 and the game with Central Arkansas that was played on Wednesday, December 6th at Cal in which Central Arkansas won by a convincing margin 96-69. Central Arkansas did catch UCLA coming back from China with the shoplifting incident and took them to overtime in Pauley Pavilion and lost 106-101.
You have to consider them capable even when their not playing Cal, but on Cal’s part, they went to San Diego and won, led most of the game and put up with boisterous Viejas Arena. The Bears own offense efficiency so far this year is really surprising the one thing that wasn’t surprising that happened on Saturday in San Diego and the Bears were able to put up that 13 point lead with 13 minutes to go in the game. Things got really tough for them and they went 12 full minutes and scored five points and only rescued themselves by scoring the last five points of the game.
Cal host Cal State Fullerton Saturday at 1:00PM at Haas Pavilion.
Morris does the Cal Bears basketball podcast each Monday and then Tuesday nights with Michael Duca at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Lianne Frick/File the Daily Californian: Cal Bears forward Marcus Lee goes up for the score in this file photo. The Bears host Cal Fullerton this Saturday at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley
On the Cal Bears Podcast with Morris:
1 The Cal Bears put a shock on their hosts the San Diego State University Aztecs 62-61 at Vejas Arena which is a tough venue to win
2 Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher said despite the loss to the Aztecs are looking forward to their next opponent the Gonzaga Zags on Dec 21st
3 Cal ended a four game losing streak at four games to SDSU that started in 2010
4 Cal head coach Wyking Jones said the team followed Jones game plan and instructions that help get them back into the game and eventually the win
5 SDSU shocked their fans and the media on had missing 22-28 three point attempts
6 Next game is this Saturday at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley as the Golden Bears try for their straight win against the Cal State Fullerton with the home court advantage
San Diego State’s Trey Kell advances the ball with California’s Don Coleman in pursuit (photos courtesy of Ernie Anderson/SDSU)
By Morris Phillips
Yeah, the youthful Cal Bears are a struggling basketball team, but that doesn’t mean you can overlook them, or take short cuts in your preparation when playing them.
On Saturday afternoon, the San Diego State Aztecs found that to be the case–in Viejas Arena, one of the college basketball’s most advantageous homecourt environments. After the Aztecs overcame Cal’s second half, double digit-leads with a furious rally, they allowed the Bears to recover and score the last five points of the game, and escape with a 63-62 win.
Afterwards, the disappointment of the SDSU contingent was a profound as Cal’s elation.
“We obviously have work to do, every team in the country does, but I like my team and I like how hard they’re working,” SDSU coach Brian Dutcher explained. “They’re supposed to be disappointed over this game. I’m disappointed, but we have to move on and we have 12 days to get ready for a very good Gonzaga team on the 21st.”
Cal’s win ended a four-game losing streak to San Diego State that stretched back to December 2010 when sophomore Kawhi Leonard had an eye-popping game against the Bears at Haas Pavilion. A year ago, the Aztecs embarrassed the Bears in Sacramento, winning handily at Golden 1 Arena with Ivan Rabb and his two seven-foot teammates unable to stop SDSU’s relentless inside attack. With Cal coming off a 27-point loss to Central Arkansas, things weren’t expected to change in the Aztecs loud, home venue.
But they did, from the start, as coach Wyking Jones hatched a 2-3 zone scheme and a bigger lineup that gave San Diego State fits.
“The guys absolutely followed the game plan, Jones explained. “We wanted to slow things up a little bit. We just said to our guys if we play that 2-3 zone we’re going to make them shoot us out of it. Keep it tight. Try to limit penetration.”
The result? SDSU looked ill-prepared to attack Cal’s zone and missed 22 of a whopping 28 3-point attempts as they failed to get the ball into the paint. Cal took the lead early, led by five at the half, and increased that lead to 53-40 with 13:10 remaining.
To that point, the Bears had bucked many of their trends that labeled their early season a mixed bag with the sweetest treats pilfered. Using both big men together? After scraping lineups with Kingsley Okoroh and Marcus Lee that were too slow in transition and not effective enough offensively, the pair saw considerable time against SDSU, mainly to keep tabs on Aztecs Malik Pope and Kameron Rooks. Defensive intensity? The Bears outrebounded SDSU and benefitted from 19 points off 14 turnovers committed by the Aztecs. Besides Pope (20 points), Jeremy Hemsley and Matt Mitchell (13 points each) Cal held the other seven Aztecs to see action in check. Freshman scoring? Starters Justice Sueing and Darius McNeill combined for 22 points. Sueing scored Cal’s first seven points of the second half as the Bears created a cushion.
But this is Cal, filled with youth and the accompanying mood swings in their play. Over the next 12 minutes, the Bears would add just five points and see SDSU surge. A brief tussle under the basket between Pope and Coleman that resulted in matching technical fouls would energize the Viejas crowd, and the Bears’ double-digit lead would evaporate.
“I told them in the first timeout, when they spurted on us, that we have to have a level of toughness and grit about us,” Dutcher said. “The crowd will respond if you just play hard. You don’t have to make all the perfect plays, just go out and show them you’re playing hard and competing at a higher level. So we picked up our ball pressure, we got in the ball harder, we doubled some ball screens and it was a case of our defense getting us going offensively a little bit.”
With less than a minute remaining, and Cal trailing 62-58, Coleman scored on a layup and converted a three-point play. Then with just seven seconds remaining, Juhwan Harris-Dyson would make a pair of free throws. Throw in defensive stops after each, and the Bears escaped with an improbable, and unlikely win.
“It just gives our guys a tremendous boost of confidence,” Jones said. “They should feel like they can compete with pretty much anybody.”
California’s Juhwan Harris-Dyson, second from right, fights to keep the ball from Central Arkansas’ Thatch Unruh, right, and Ethan Lee (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
By Morris Phillips
BERKELEY, CA–One sleuth of bears doesn’t normally differentiate itself from another sleuth to this degree.
Call it a strange night at Haas Pavilion as the Bears from California were totally outclassed by the lesser known Bears from Central Arkansas, 96-69. While UCA presented red-hot shooting and roster-wide “exuberance,” the Bears countered with turnovers and defensive indifference.
After achieving an energized start and an early lead of 12-5, the Bears flatlined. UCA scored 24 of the game’s next 30 points to establish a double-digit lead. They increased that lead to 20 at the half, then as as much as 35 in the second half before settling for a 27-point win.
“We have to go back and figure it out,” California coach Wyking Jones said after a spent more than a half an hour addressing his team in their locker room after the game. “We’re young but we can’t keep using that as an excuse. We’re better than we showed tonight.”
“I thought our effort was pretty good at San Francisco, but we went above and beyond tonight,” Central Arkansas coach Russ Pennell said referencing his team’s two-point loss at USF on Monday. “I thought the effort overall was good. And as skilled as we are, when we play hard, we’re going to make a lot of shots.”
Central Arkansas, finally enjoying their full Division I status after years at the NAIA level, where they welcomed Scottie Pippen as a 6’1″ walk-on in 1983 and saw him depart as a 6’8″ All-American, should have signaled some warning signs in Berkeley. Picked to finish 11th in the 13-member Southland Conference, ahead of only Incarnate Word and McNeese, UCA already registered one eye-popping result with a November 15 loss at UCLA in overtime in which they scored 101 points.
But Central Arkansas also lost to Baylor by 41, Tulsa by 20, and USF on Monday by two points. However, Cal has a 27-point loss to Chaminade and with seven freshman can hardly afford to overlook any opponent. But on Wednesday, the Cal Bears (3-6) appeared to do just that.
“Obviously, it’s an effort thing,” Jones admitted. “We’re much better than we showed.”
But how much better? Cal’s offense imploded again without ball and player movement leading to a whopping 22 turnovers. Marcus Lee, coming off a big effort against St. Mary’s, had just five rebounds, but six turnovers and succumbed to foul trouble. Lee played just 21 minutes.
Don Coleman misssed 10 of his 14 shots and had four turnovers. Five freshman saw action for Cal and combined to shoot 9 for 24.
Meanwhile UCA’s Jordan Howard led all scorers with 26 points and five made threes. That piggybacked his burden on the UC educational system after he put up 35 on UCLA. Two other Central Arkansas sharpshooters, Mathieu Kamba and 5’11” freshman DeAndre Jones also came up with multiple three-pointers in the rout.
On Saturday, Cal travels to San Diego State where they will see former teammate, Kameron Rooks, the graduate transfer averaging four points a game for the 7-2 Aztecs. SDSU has losses to undefeated Arizona State and Washington State, but also a whopping 31-point win over previously mentioned McNeese.
Cal Athletic file photo: Cal Bears Don Coleman take the jumper has scored 30 points in three games thus far this season as he gets another chance at 30 tonight when the Bears host Arkansas Central
By Michael Duca and Morris Phillips
BERKELEY–The Cal Bears are such a young group it’s like they can stop in the middle of a game and take out a blanket and take a nap. They struggled with a very experienced St Mary’s team on Saturday night at Haas Pavilion in a tough loss. The Golden Bears have seven scholarship freshman you have a player that transferred to the basketball program.
Don Coleman has been in the program but has been thrust into the role of elite scorer Cal’s super young beyond all of that. This Cal coaching staff is designing a style of play and they have made several changes here in terms of not playing two big guys now their scrapping the full court press and the trapping and defense that’s intent of forcing turnovers.
Cal head coach Wyking Jones is trying to put together a team that puts on it’s best one on one defenders on the floor. So there’s always changes at Cal that would suggest that what we saw on Saturday night against St Mary’s was Cal in development stage. That may not have been St Mary’s best performance but their an awfully good basketball team as well.
Michael and Morris have much more on this edition of the Cal Bears Men’s basketball podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com every Monday and Wednesday
AP File photo: St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett reacts to a referee’s call during the second half an NCAA college basketball game against Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. Freshly ousted with an early exit in the West Coast Conference tournament, Saint Mary’s made the quiet flight home and returned to campus. Coach Randy Bennett sent home the seniors and called a team meeting for the underclassmen that began about 10 p.m. He did the talking, for about an hour: The Gaels hadn’t been close to good enough and this would be a painful lesson. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
On the Cal Bears Basketball Podcast with Morris:
You could have not scripted a more lopsided game than the 74-63 loss to the St Mary’s Gaels at Haas Pavilion as the Cal Bears dropped their fourth out five games it was a match up due to St Mary’s experience. Cal has seven new players and are one of the youngest teams in Division one. Then you have St Mary’s who just resigned their coach Randy Bennett to a ten year deal Bennett had already coached for 12 years at St Marys.
St Mary’s has experienced and veteran players that have the potential to topple a team like Gonzaga in the national championship game last year. So in terms of experience and in terms of continuity you couldn’t find a more lopsided match up. Maybe we should be applauding Cal for only losing by 11 points. There were some disturbing things that we will talk about on this podcast. The Bears host Central Arkansas on Wednesday night at Haas Pavilion.
California’s Nick Hamilton, right, falls to the floor after being fouled by Saint Mary’s Calvin Hermanson during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot
By Morris Phillips
BERKELEY, CA–Calvin Hermanson, the unabashed scoring threat for the St. Mary’s Gaels certainly doesn’t look the part. From his one-size too big uniform, rec specs, headband and quirky, twitchy mannerisms, Hermanson has neighborhood pickup league written all over him.
On Saturday night, under the bright lights, the inexperienced Cal Bears didn’t know what to do with Hermanson.
In a battle of upper class nerds and fresh-faced freshman, St. Mary’s took Cal to school, winning 74-63 at Haas Pavilion in the first installment of a three-year agreement between the neighboring East Bay schools.
As a series providing entertainment value, this one needs growth as witnessed by the less than sellout crowd and Cal’s disjointed play.
“We looked young out there today,” coach Wyking Jones said of his Bears. “They have to figure it out.”
Hermanson scored 19 of his team-best 22 points before halftime as the Gaels shot 60 percent from the floor and raced to a 44-30 lead. Even with WCC Player of the Year candidate Jock Landale saddled with two fouls and sitting, the Gaels broke a 22-all tie and surged in the half’s final nine minutes.
Only once during the second half did the St. Mary’s lead dip below double digits even as the Gaels’ shooting cooled to 34 percent. But at critical junctures, they got buckets while doing a defensive number on Cal’s backcourt, starting with leading scorer Don Coleman and freshman Darius McNeill coming off his career best in scoring.
“Coleman is a tough cover, and he didn’t have his best night tonight. I think Tanner had something to do with that,” St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett said. “Jordan (Ford) played well — he’s been playing well — and I think he’s just growing as a player into his role, which is a pretty big role for us. We need him to score, and he did a really good job on McNeill, who’s a good player, and had 22 last game. I think Jordan did a super job defending him. I think that was the difference.”
Ford came in averaging seven points a game and finished with 17 points, six rebounds. Like Hermanson, the sophomore guard was a handful for Cal as he transformed from scholarship athlete to Splash Brothers impersonator for several, second half possessions.
Marcus Lee led Cal with 23 points on 10 of 14 shooting, and his size and quickness bothered Landale in the post at both ends, but Lee’s offense didn’t get Cal back in the game, it merely kept them within striking range. Ditto for Nick Hamilton, who was 7 for 7 shooting in 31 minutes off the bench in his best performance as a collegian.
The rest of the Bears that saw action shot 9 for 32 from the floor, and Coleman was hounded into missing 13 of his 16 shot attempts. Jones felt his guys grew too anxious when things didn’t go well early on. Rushed shots, a trio of walking calls and other turnovers ensued which never allowed the Bears to get their crowd involved.
“They clogged the lanes, which made it hard for our guys to have driving lanes,” Jones said. They kept it tight– we could have benefitted from more drive and kick tonight — but it’s always that if this team digs itself into a hole, everybody tries so hard to make that 10-point play, and there’s no such thing as a 10-point play.”
The two schools met for only the second time in the last 12 years, with Cal winning the previous matchup behind Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown in 2015. The Bears will visit Moraga in 2018, and then host the Gaels in 2019.
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