[Wookids]

Originally Posted by 6956bear

This season has gone about as I expected.

Soloman and Cobbs have the ability to be good players next season. It simply must happen. If it does the Bears could be good. Smith, Bak, Murray and even Powers should be a decent bench. But Cobbs and Soloman are the guys the Bears will need to become difference making players. I am hopeful the Bears can add depth with recruiting this Spring, but really the answer for next year falls on Soloman and Cobbs.

Monty is an excellent coach and really knows what players need to work on to make an impact. The team could be pretty good next year. How good IMO will be how good Soloman and Cobbs become. If the answer is positive the team will be a NCAA team and a strong upper division team with an outside shot at challenging for the championship again.

Have to say I largely agree about Solomon & Cobbs, in the sense that they have the most potential (Solomon pure his upside potential / Cobbs per various reports) to up the talent level we put on the court next year. But there will be other pluses with having added depth and experience, plus hopefully another dependable 3 point shooter in Rossi to go with Crabbe (plus thus far Powers showing he can help there & his height helps him to shoot over most perimeter players).

MSF will be a big loss (both literally & figuratively). MSF & Kamp have really good chemistry between them, and together provide a strong physical presence plus efficient offense in the paint. Replacing all that MSF provides us won't directly happen, but someone like Solomon brings a different set of skills for Monty to use.

Anyway, this year hasn't been bad at all as a rebuilding year, and looking forward to seeing how much better we can be next year.

Have been more surprised this year than most years, but I've never been very surprised. Long before the season started (before MSF's weight loss was reported), I did say Jorge would be a mediocre pg at best but would be excellent 2nd playmaker as a 2 guard, but that we wouldn't have enough offense with Jorge & Smith together on the court. Jorge & Smith have worked together because of Kamp & MSF being so efficient and strong in the paint, coupled with Crabbe being at the high end of expectations (believe ave. 17 - 18 in league play prior to Washington game) and Jorge being able to provide more offense than I expected (he was our 5th option last year behind Randle, PC, Theo & Boykin and definitely not someone our opponents worried about defending).

Overall, although I figured he'd be a double digit scorer, Kamp has been better than I expected. Crabbe has been at the top end of my expectations since Franklin left. And while I also thought Jorge would be a double digit scorer, his scoring has probably been my biggest surprise (still don't see Jorge as a shooter, but he figures out ways to score). Didn't know anything about Powers, but so far so good. Smith has pretty much been exactly what I expected. Upon hearing MSF's loss of weight, my expectations for him changed accordingly, and I'd say he's been exactly as I expected (always liked his skills, but last yr his weight was very limiting). Bak Bak, Solomon & Murray have been basically what I expected. Rossi being out has been a big negative, but hands down, Franklin was my biggest negative surprise (major team addition by subtraction with him leaving).

[Schroeder71]

Go bears!

Originally Posted by 6956bear

this season has gone about as i expected. Next season the bears could very well be an ncaa type team but will need a couple of things to happen for that to be realistic. First off cobbs must be able to run the team. Brandon smith is a nice player, but lacks the playmaking ability a good team needs from its pg. He a steward type player. He will be steady and play hard but good teams get plays from their pg. Cobbs must be able to do that.

Richard soloman looks like he will be the starter next season taking over msf. He will need to make big improvements. He is a good athlete and has some length, but will need to become a consistent 10 to12 pt 7 rebound type guy. Crabbe, kamp and jorge will make up a strong trio but those other 2 spots need solid play.

Soloman and cobbs have the ability to be good players next season. It simply must happen. If it does the bears could be good. Smith, bak, murray and even powers should be a decent bench. But cobbs and soloman are the guys the bears will need to become difference making players. I am hopeful the bears can add depth with recruiting this spring, but really the answer for next year falls on soloman and cobbs.

Monty is an excellent coach and really knows what players need to work on to make an impact. The team could be pretty good next year. How good imo will be how good soloman and cobbs become. If the answer is positive the team will be a ncaa team and a strong upper division team with an outside shot at challenging for the championship again.

[south bender]

Originally Posted by LessMilesMoreTedford

I don't understand why people think we need huge size next season. Williams and MBA are both leaving. Cal has shown they can handle Nelson, Vucevic, and Casto pretty well. The X-factor is Powell at the Farm, and if Smith at UCLA can get it together.

But Cal should compete with every team.

Ah, there is more out there than the Pac 10. To be an elite program, Cal must have the wherewithal to compete against skilled bigs. Moreover, it is hard to predict how good and prevalent the bigs on other teams, in and out of the Pac 10, will be next year. This is a serious problem for Cal next year.

[bluesaxe]

Originally Posted by 58ballboy

We have to get a JC Center (or European) to fill the void or else next year will be only marginally better than this. Big centers just kill us.

There aren't that many good big centers in college basketball these days. I don't think we have a "void" to fill, and I'm pretty sure there isn't a JC center out there who can fill a void anyway.

We will be taller next year - in fact we may have a lot of length if we manage to get Anderson in addition to Kravish. They're all going to be tall and wiry, but also skilled, and I think Monty will figure out a way to use them to advantage.

Solomon is my pick for the guy who makes the classic leap from freshman to sophomore year, but I'm hoping that at least half the improvement is on the defensive end.

[RichyBear]

We should have much more dept next year, especially in the backcourt. We lose MSF, but gain Cobbs, Rossi, Kravish, and maybe Anderson or another big.
My starting line up for next year:
c-Soloman
f- Kamp
g-Jorge
g-Crabbe
pg-Smith
with the following in the rotation
f-c Bak
g- Cobbs
g- Rossi
and if we go deeper
g- Murray/Powers
f-c Kravish/Anderson???

[LessMilesMoreTedford]

Originally Posted by south bender

Ah, there is more out there than the Pac 10. To be an elite program, Cal must have the wherewithal to compete against skilled bigs. Moreover, it is hard to predict how good and prevalent the bigs on other teams, in and out of the Pac 10, will be next year. This is a serious problem for Cal next year.

I thought the question was whether Cal can compete for a conference crown. That we most certainly can.

[89Bear]

Bears don't need a Dwight Howard, but they at least would benefit from having the threat of a low post scorer. MSF can post up and has some moves around the bucket. Next year that MAY be lacking, even though there is height on the roster. Solomon, at this point, faces the bucket and can score on put backs. Not so much creating shots with his back to the basket. Kamp has the most accomplished low post game. The others mostly face up from outside, including the high school players being mentioned. It won't spell doom, but it's a worry.

[Civil Bear]

Originally Posted by 89Bear

Bears don't need a Dwight Howard, but they at least would benefit from having the threat of a low post scorer.

In conference Kamp is the third highest scoring post among players eligible to return next year -- and that is if Williams should stick around for some crazy reason. I would say he is at least a threat.

[FrankCohen]

Originally Posted by RichyBear

We should have much more dept next year, especially in the backcourt. We lose MSF, but gain Cobbs, Rossi, Kravish, and maybe Anderson or another big.
My starting line up for next year:
c-Soloman
f- Kamp
g-Jorge
g-Crabbe
pg-Smith
with the following in the rotation
f-c Bak
g- Cobbs
g- Rossi
and if we go deeper
g- Murray/Powers
f-c Kravish/Anderson???

Think Cobbs will start next year. Also, don't rule out the possibility of a JuCo SG.