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| Thursday, November 1 Team preview: California Golden Bears ESPN.com |
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Outlook Cal lost all-everything forward Sean Lampley and his 19.5 scoring average, and now must hope standout recruit Jamal Sampson can play big early. That, along with a greater emphasis on the team concept without Lampley, could make Cal very good. "It's important to have a lot of familiar faces back," said Bears coach Ben Braun, whose team returns four starters. "That's reassuring, because some of the things we were doing from last year to this year is simply review and refining, which is good. "Now if you were to say, 'Who's going to take that last shot?' Today, I couldn't tell you. And I don't think our team could. But we have a lot of players who could develop into that guy. We took a big step getting back into the NCAA Tournament last year. Now, our players think we can compete for the Pac-10 championship." One leader is point guard Shantay Legans, a 5-foot-10 junior who averaged 9.5 points and 4.8 assists last season. But one option Legans won't have is Julien Sensley, the highly-regarded recruit. An athletic forward, Sensley lost an academic appeal with the NCAA. It's a tough loss, because many thought Sensley could have immediately stepped into Lampley's role. Sampson -- all 6-11, 225 pounds of him -- has been slowed in practice early with an injured ankle. "He is coming along slowly," said Braun. "It's amazing what he could get done even at 50 percent, 60 percent. As he gets healthier, he's going to be a real force for us." The Bears caught a break, however, when the NCAA Board of Directors accepted a maximum eight-game penalty for foreign players who played with professionals, but weren't paid themselves, overseas this summer. Cal freshman center Amit Tamir (6-10, 250), who was facing a season-long suspension, will now be eligible and a potential starter when the Bears open Pac-10 play. What we like: The backcourt chemistry. Legans made a huge jump from his freshman to sophomore season and could make an even bigger one this year. Brian Wethers is a junior guard who can offer matchup problems at 6-5, 210 pounds. But the energy and passion of senior Dennis Gates has helped the Bears develop camaraderie throughout the roster. What we don't like: Frontcourt depth. Sampson is extremely talented, but often finds himself consulting trainers as much as coaches. Solomon Hughes is an improved senior center and his sophomore brother Gabriel is active at 6-10, 215. But sophomore Saulius Kuzminskas (6-11, 220), who would have competed inside, chose not to return this season. And then there is the uncertain Sensley situation. The bottom line: If the NCAA ruling holds up and Sensley can't play this year, Cal can still scratch and claw its way to a top five conference finish. But someone needs to take and make that last shot and skill must develop up front. The non-conference schedule isn't overly difficult, good for a team that still must find itself in some areas. The Bears should be living the madness again come March.
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