2008-09 Season Outlook

uss Critchfi eld was a three- time team MVP from 1966- R 68 who earned first-team All-America status his senior year. After averaging 19.4 ppg for his career as a player, he returned to Berkeley as an assistant coach from 1977-85.

RRussuss CCritchfieldritchfield 11966-68966-68

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A NEW ERA DAWNS FOR FOR CCALAL BBASKETBALLASKETBALL

Patrick Christopher

WITH THE GOLDEN BEARS Montgomery inherits a Cal team that is anxious to return to the upperu echelon of the Pac-10 after placing eighth or ninth three of TH CELEBRATING THEIR 100 SEASON theth last four years. The Bears did post a 17-16 overall record in IN 2008-09, MIKE MONTGOMERY 2007-08,2 reaching the second round of the National Invitational Tournament,To but they were also 6-12 in conference play to fi nish BEGINS HIS COACHING TENURE ninthn in the league. “These guys are hungry, they want to win,” said Montgomery, who IN BERKELEY wasw introduced as Cal’s 15th head coach on April 5, 2009. “We’re s one era in California history comes to a close, goingg to have to play as one. That’s no revelation. Everybody would another one opens this fall. saysa that. But it is going to be particularly important for us to all buy A During the 2008-09 campaign, the Golden Bears will be intoin what we need to do to win. Players will sometimes have to celebrating the team’s 100th season of action on the hardwood. makem individual sacrifi ces for the good of the group.” At the same time, head coach Mike Montgomery has been handed Primarily, Montgomery wants to Cal to make its stand on the the reins of the program in Berkeley, hoping to restore the Bears to defensived end. After allowing 75.1 ppg last year, the Bears clearly national prominence once again. haveh their work cut out. But Montgomery has shown a knack for Over the course of its fi rst century of play, Cal has had its fair share gettingg his teams to think defense – four of his fi nal seven Stanford of highlights – an NCAA championship in 1959, three Final Four squadssq led the Pac-10 in fewest points allowed. appearances and an NIT title in 1999. The Bears have advanced to “It’s going to be all hands on deck,” Montgomery said. “One of the play 48 postseason games, the great majority of which have come thingsth we are going to stress is the defensive end and try to make in the last 25 years. thatth something we can hang our hat on. Everybody’s going to have Among the storied names to pass through either toto have a role to help us be successful. Whether it be a defensive or its predecessor, Harmon Gym, are Hall of Fame coach Pete rolero to go in and shut somebody down or as a rebounder from the Newell; Olympic champions Darrall Imhoff, Jason Kidd and Sha- guardg position, there are going to be plenty of opportunities for reef Abdur-Rahim; perennial NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson; and everybodye to chip in.” four Pac-10 Players of the Year, with the most recent being Sean The area with the most concern for the Bears may be up front, Lampley in 2001. wherew Cal’s depth will be tested. Ryan Anderson (9.9 rpg) and De- Now, Montgomery – one of the most successful collegiate coaches VonV Hardin (7.4 rpg) were both drafted by the NBA in April, leaving in the game – looks to add to his legacy as director of the Golden 6-56 wing Patrick Christopher (3.6 rpg) as the team’s top returning Bear program. In a combined 26 seasons leading Montana and rebounder.re Stanford, he has produced a 547-244 record, tying for 12th-most Of the Bears’ three centers on the roster, only 7-0 junior Jordan victories among active Division I coaches. WilkesW saw action last year, with 6-10 Taylor Harrison and 7-3 Max

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Zhang both redshirting. “We don’t have a lot of depth at the big position or a back-to-the basket, dominant low-post player,” Montgomery said. “We’re hoping that Wilkes, who is a fourth-year player, can come into his own and have a good year. We’re going to have to stay healthy.” Although the post is a big question mark entering the year, Cal does feature experienced players throughout the rest of the lineup. Christopher (15.2 ppg) and Jerome Randle (11.8 ppg) return after pairing as the Bears’ starting backcourt last season. Christopher raised his scoring average 10.0 ppg from his freshman year in 2006-07 – the largest increase of any player in the Pac-10 – and he enters his junior campaign as the fourth-leading returning scorer in the league. Randle also has shown the ability to score, having earned MVP honors at the 2007 Golden Bear Classic after tossing in a career-best 26 points vs. North Dakota State. Junior Nikola Knezevic provides depth at both guard spots, while the Bears welcome a pair of newcomers in guards D.J. Seeley and Jorge Gutierrez. In addition, non-scholarship players Nican Rob- inson and Eddie Miller are back after seeing action in a combined 27 games last season. At the forward spot, Montgomery has singled out 6-6 junior Theo Roberson as one of the keys to Cal’s fortunes this year. Despite Jerome Randle missing all of last season following April 2007 hip surgery, Robertson has emerged as a leader both on and off the fl oor. “Everything about Theo you like,” Montgomery said. “He’s no- nononsense, doesn’t make excuses and comes to work every day. WWe’ve talked about him becoming a shutdown defender. He kind ooff smiles and says, ‘I can do that.’ I think he’s going to be a big, bbig factor for us.” Junior Jamal Boykin started 11 games at forward last year after ttransferringr from Duke, where he spent the fi rst year and a half of hhis college career. He tossed in 7.8 ppg for the Bears, including a cacareer-best 18 at UCLA. Sophomore Harper Kamp earned honorable mention Pac-10 All- FFreshman notice as a reserve for the Bears in 2007-08 and could sesee more signifi cant action this year. He contributed 4.4 ppg and pprovides a solid, fundamentally-sound presence down low. Redshirt-freshman Omondi Amoke rounds out the roster. An aathletict 6-7 forward, he is back at full strength after missing all of hhis rookie season due to calf surgery. “We are going to try the things that I know win – fundamentals, gogood shot selection and good defense,” Montgomery said. “We are nonot as big and physical as I would like. We’ll have to be creative. BBasically, it’s going to be trying to play the game in a way that allows us the best opportunity to win.” 1958-59:1958 59: A SPECIAL TIME IN BERKELEY BACKCOURT Fifty years ago this season, the University of California was With a combined 75 starts from last season alone, the junior trio at the height of power on both the football fi eld and the bas- ooff Patrick Christopher, Jerome Randle and Nikola Knezevic gives ketball court. theth Bears an experienced group to direct the team. In the fall of 1958, quarterback Joe Kapp – also a former bas- Christopher earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 notice after ketball player for the Bears – quarterbacked Cal to a Pacifi c Coast raranking second on the team and 10th in the conference in scoring Conference championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl. withw 15.2 ppg last year. A consistent producer who reached double Less than three months after the game in Pasadena, the fi ggures in the scoring column 25 times in ’07-08, he paced Cal in Bears’ basketball team capped its 1958-59 campaign with an pointspo nine times on the season, including a career-high 26 vs. NCAA championship. Led by all-conference guards Al Buch JaJackson State. and Denny Fitzpatrick and All-American Darrall Imhoff, Adept either driving to the basket or pulling up from long range, Cal defeated ’s Cincinnati squad, 64-58, in CChristopher poured in 24 points in the Bears’92-82 win over USC the national semifi nals, then edged ’s West Virginia iinn their Pac-10 opener, showing off his versatility with an additional team, 71-70, for the crown. sevense rebounds and seven assists vs. the Trojans. Cal will honor the 50th anniversary of the 1959 champion- Randle is another scoring threat who has the best range of any- ship with a special ceremony during the Feb. 14, 2009, game oone on the Cal roster. Not only is he the Bears’ leading returning vs. Stanford, which will include recognition of all Golden Bear tthree-pointh shooter (52 three-pointers, 39.7%), but he is also Cal’s basketball alumni who have contributed to Cal’s history. aall-timel best shooter, having made 84.6 percent of his careerca attempts from the line entering the year.

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As a playmaker, Randle paced the Bears in assists with 3.74 per outing, dishing out a high of nine in the early victory over USC. He also picked off a team-best 26 steals. “He’s certainly one of our better shooters,” Montgomery said of Randle. “We need Jerome to be sure of the success of our team, making sure that everybody’s getting the ball in the proper posi- tion.” Knezevic started at guard most of the fi rst half last season before contributing as a reserve at the end of the year. He had a 68-to-40 -to-turnover ratio, including six assists both at Kansas State and at home vs. Long Beach State. Knezevic fi nished the campaign second on the team to Randle with 19 steals. Cal’s two true freshman additions provide additional support in the backcourt. D.J. Seeley, a 6-4 shooting guard out of Modesto High School, averaged 21.9 ppg as a senior and was tabbed the No. 2 shooting guard in California by ESPN.com. He also earned fi rst-team Best in the West honors from the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Classmate Jorge Gutierrez, a 6-3 product of Findlay College Prep in Nevada, helped his team to a runner-up fi nish in the national prep school tournament, contributing 13.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 2.6 apg. Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, he won a state title at Denver’s Lincoln HS in 2006 before transferring to Findlay. Jamal Boykin Walk-ons Nican Robinson, Eddie Miller and Nigel Carter round out the backcourt list. Robinson, who attended nearby Oakland Tech FRONTCOURT HS, saw action in 19 games as a sophomore last year, averaging Cal took its greatest losses from last season in the frontcourt 5.4 minutes per game. The highlight of his season came vs. Oregon with the departure of starters Ryan Anderson, DeVon Hardin and Feb. 9 when he drained three fi rst-half three-pointers. Miller played in Eric Vierneisel. Together, they provided 34.5 ppg and 19.1 rpg for eight games and scored his only bucket vs. San Diego State, while the Bears. Carter is a freshman walk-on who was fi rst-team all-city at Dorsey For 2008-09, Cal does sport quality numbers with seven forwards HS in Los Angeles, averaging 18.2 ppg as a senior. and centers. However, four of them redshirted last season with a variety of injuries, giving them less on-court experience than Mont- gomery would prefer. Two of the returning big men who did see action are junior forward Jamal Boykin and junior center Jordan Wilkes. The 6-8 Boykin, known for his enthusiasm and energy, started 11 of Cal’s fi nal 15 games. Not only can he play well near the basket, but he can also step outside, shooting 7-for-15 from three-point distance. Wilkes, a fourth-year junior who had a medical hardship season in 2006-07, shot 54.5 percent from the fi eld last year and looks to have a bigger role this season after contributing 1.7 ppg. Junior Theo Robertson is back in full swing from a year layoff. One of the hardest-working members of the squad, he can play either on the wing or near the basket. A career 38.8 percent shooter from three-point distance, he tossed in 8.8 ppg while starting all 33 games two seasons ago. Sophomore Harper Kamp underwent preseason arthroscopic surgery on his knee, but expects to be back for the full 2008-09 year. Owner of a good understanding of the game, Kamp may play some center this year despite his 6-8, 255-pound frame. “Harper’s a tough kid who knows how to play the game,” Mont- gomery said. “He’s a very willing player with a big heart and won’t back down from anybody. We’re hoping that he gets back to close to 100 percent and stays healthy. It’s going to be critical for us because of our big-man depth.” Omondi Amoke, Taylor Harrison and Max Zhang all look to make an impact this season after sitting out last year. A redshirt-freshman, Amoke was a three-time Ventura County Player of the Year at Oxnard HS, where he averaged 20.3 ppg and13.4 rpg as a senior. Harrison had a second surgery on his knee during the offseason and his health status was unclear heading into the start of practice in October. At 6-10, 250, he gives the Bears strength in the post. Zhang, the tallest player in Cal history at 7-3, used last season to gain experience and strength, and hopes to become a contributor Jordan Wilkes this year.

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