They were a diverse group that gradually came together during their careers at Cal.
An undersized point guard from Chicago and a blossoming wing from Compton were part of the early signing period in 2005. An underrated wing from De La Salle and an unknown shooting guard from Serbia-Montenegro were added in the late signing period. And finally, a former Los Angeles Player of the Year transferred in from Duke and the nucleus of the University of California's first Pac 10 champion in 50 years was formed.
Point guard Jerome Randle came in with questionable handles and an undeveloped shot and is wrapping up his Cal career as the probable, or at least most-deserving Pac 10 Player of the Year and likely all-time leading career scorer at Cal.
Wing Patrick Christopher came in with perhaps the most hype and will leave as the fifth-leading scorer in Cal history and first in games played, averaging 14.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Bears in league play.
Small forward Theo Robertson came in as a late addition to the previous 2005 class and was regarded by many as a reach. However, it became readily apparent that Robertson would be an integral part of the program from his first year on, culminating in a senior season where his lockdown defense, hard-nosed play and 14.2 points and 5.2 rebounds played a key role in the Bears' championship run.
Shooting guard Nikola Knezevic never realized the potential he displayed as an international player that first saw action in an Orlando AAU tournament where he flashed skills that had many curious about what he could do at the next level. However, his hard-nosed play and tenacious defense added an element sometimes lacking in his four seasons at Cal.
Power forward Jamal Boykin was the last addition to the class after his transfer from Duke in 2007 and another integral element of Cal's championship run, averaging 11.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in Pac 10 play and providing a critical spark in many of the Bears' victories this season with double digit double-double games.
All came together to be honored in their last game at Haas Pavillion today, and in a fitting conclusion to their careers at Cal, went out as Pac 10 champions as the Bears ended 50 years of frustration with a 62-46 victory over second place Arizona State in Berkeley, clinching no worse than a tie for the title, the #1 seed in the Pac 10 tournament and a season sweep of ASU.
To view video of the pregame ceremony honoring the Cal seniors, use the embedded video link below:
