CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS - 2015-16 Blue Ribbon's Preview

ranking #12
LOCATION   Berkeley, CA

CONFERENCE   Pac-12

LAST SEASON   18-15 (.545)

CONFERENCE RECORD    7-11 (t-8th)
STARTERS RETURNING/LOST   3/2
NICKNAME   Golden Bears

COLORS   Blue & Gold
HOMECOURT   Haas Pavilion (11,877)
COACH   Cuonzo Martin (Purdue ’00) 18-15 (1 year)

RECORD AT SCHOOL   142-97 (7 years)
CAREER RECORD
ASSISTANTS

Tracy Webster (Wisconsin ’95) - Wyking Jones (Loyola Marymount ’95) - Yann Hufnagel (Cornell ’06)

WINS (LAST 5 YRS.)    18-24-21-21-18
RPI (LAST 5 YRS.)   75-45-52-59-93
2014-15 FINISH   Lost in Pac-12 quarter finals.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS:

BACKCOURT A
FRONTCOURT A
BENCH/DEPTH B
INTANGIBLES B

COACH AND PROGRAM

Coach Cuonzo Martin knows what you’re asking, and he’s ready with the answer.

He even put it on Twitter.

“Why not Cal?” Martin said under a photo of him on a May 14 post.

Why not keep home Oakland big man Ivan Rabb, who was considering a number of other élite programs before Coach Cuonzo Martin was hired in April 2014? Why not shock the recruiting underworld by landing consensus top-five incoming freshman Jaylen Brown, even if Brown is from Georgia and appeared to have no natural connection to the Bears?

Why not start competing for Pac-12 championships, and maybe more?

“I think Cal can win the national championship,” said Arizona’s Sean Miller, not long after losing out on Rabb despite having recruited him for years out of Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd High School.

Martin explains it this way: He cites Cal’s academic reputation, the Pac-12’s high level of competition and the school’s location in the scenic, thriving San Francisco Bay area.

“There’s nothing missing here,” Martin’s post quoted him as saying. “You’ve got the Pac-12, elite academics, great player development, strength and conditioning, diversity, incredible weather and a powerful alumni network. I mean, you really have it all at Cal.”

During an interview in August, after the newly fortified Bears took an exhibition tour to Australia, Martin was still pumped.

“Cal Berkeley is an institution you can recruit to from all around the world,” Martin said.

What’s more, he said, the Bears have something of a magnet effect going on.

Ivan Rabb became sold on the idea of being a hometown hero and an immediate interior focal point on a team already with a well-regarded perimeter trio of Tyrone Wallace, Jordan Mathews and Jabari Bird.

Then, Brown was still floating around late in the recruiting game, sensing the best spot to (probably for only one year) showcase his considerable skills, and saw Ivan Rabb with that returning perimeter.

There was room for one more star. And with Jaylen Brown, Cal would instantly have the Pac-12’s most feared starting five. So he signed on.

“When LeBron [James] made the decision to go to the Miami Heat because of what they had, a lot of guys made the same kind of decision,” Martin said. “They say, ‘If those guys can do it, we can do it.’ It goes back to the character of Jaylen [Brown] and Ivan [Rabb]. They want to play around other great players. Jaylen [Brown] was able to make his own decision.”

The challenge for coach Martin is to make sure all that mutual attraction doesn’t dissolve into fractured chemistry when the games start. After all, there’s only one ball to go around.

In other words, how does he work in Brown’s dominant skills while keeping the perimeter guys happy enough when they, too, are trying to stay rmly on the NBA Draft radar? Wallace, in fact, nearly did leave for the NBA already, and he probably doesn’t want to return less productive.

But the puzzle may not be as di cult to piece together as it seems. Wallace is returning to prove himself further at point guard in an effort to improve his draft stock, so he doesn’t necessarily need huge scoring numbers and might nd the nishing skills of Brown and Rabb will make him look even better.

While Brown is versatile enough to play several positions, Bird and Mathews o er complementary skills on the perimeter to what Brown and Rabb can do inside—while the presence of 7-footer Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks o the bench gives the Bears even more exibility.

“As talented as Jaylen [Brown] and Ivan [Rabb] are, they’re very unselfish,” coach Martin said. “And it’s not like you’re stockpiling at their position. They have an opportunity to come in day one and be successful.”

If those two can be successful, if Cal can be successful, it will be a remarkable turnaround not only for the Bears but also for Martin. It was only two seasons ago that Martin was nearly pressured to leave Tennessee, with, some estimates claim, 20,000 Vols fans signing a petition to have him removed, before he wound up taking Tennessee to the Sweet 16—and then signing on with Cal after the season.

He had the last laugh then. And he could have an even better one after this season.

STARTERS NOT RETURNING

C-DAVID KRAVISH (6-11, 11.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 1.2 apg, 29.5 mpg, .478 FG, .286 3PT, .726 FT). Considering his production over four years, Kravish may have left Berkeley as one of the most unsung players in school history.

A skinny post player from Missouri with (maybe) 200 pounds on his frame when he arrived under Mike Montgomery in 2011, Kravish made the Pac-12’s all-freshman team, and played a strong supporting role alongside big men Richard Solomon and Harper Kamp earlier in his career. He then transitioned into the starting center role last season, putting him both out of position and in front of defenses that focused on him.

Kravish left the Bears as Cal’s all-time leader in blocks (226) and games played (135), while his 52-percent eld goal shooting was the 11th best in school history. He was also an excellent student who earned a degree in integrated biology and has an interest in becoming a doctor when his playing days are over.

F-DWIGHT TARWATER (6-6, 3.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 18.8 mpg, .382 FG, .304 3PT, .833 FT). Because Ivy League rules prohibit grad students from playing, Tarwater was homeless after graduating Cornell in three years and having one more year of eligibility left. He found an ideal t in Cal, which needed help up front and made a rare exception to invite a grad transfer.

Even though Tarwater was hardly a high yer, his gritty work ethic was welcomed so much he became a starter by Jan. 11, starting 13 of Cal’s nal 15 games. While his stats don’t show his true value, a Feb. 7 video post on Cal basketball’s Instagram account shows how the Bears felt about him: e video shows him being repeatedly mobbed in the locker room after hitting a game-winning 3-pointer against UCLA.

OTHERS NOT RETURNING

F-CHRISTIAN BEHRENS (6-8, 4.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 17.1 mpg, .491 FG, .566 FT). When Behrens participated in Cal’s senior day ceremonies last season despite having a year of eligibility remaining, it was clear he had future plans.

Sure enough, on April 2, Cal announced that Behrens would not return, ending a career that was limited by injury. He missed most of his rst two seasons with knee injuries. While he started 17 games early last season, he missed three games after a minor knee surgery in February, and returned to start Cal’s last two home games of the season.

“It was his call, really,” Martin said. “I think Christian just wanted to start living life and he got his degree. He wanted to go see the world.”

Behrens graduated with a degree in American Studies.

PROJECTED STARTERS:

PG - TYRONE WALLACE 
(6-5, 205 lbs., SR, #3, 17.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.3 spg, 34.9 mpg, .425 FG, .318 3PT, .606 FT, Bakers eld HS/Bakers eld, Calif.). 
The Bears’ postseason victories last spring weren’t all about recruiting: ere was also a big one on April 23, when Wallace announced he was staying at Cal for his senior year rather than enter the NBA Draft.

Projected as a potential second-round pick, Wallace instead decided to return to Cal to play a second season at point guard, where he aimed to further increase his draft stock. He also cited a promise to his late grandfather that he would become the rst in his family to graduate from college.

“I think I can get better at being more vocal. at’s one thing coach has always talked to me about, being a coach on the oor, being a leader,” Wallace said at a news conference announcing the decision. “My strengths are getting to the basket. I feel like I can create for others. I’ll get a chance to show that a lot more next season.”

Even as a senior, Wallace still has room to jump up the draft boards if he can improve his shooting. He has the size and scoring skills of today’s NBA point guards, but was a mediocre shooter from 3-point range and the free-throw line.

The presence of Rabb and Brown inside, along with an intact perimeter, means Wallace’s passes probably won’t be squandered often. He tied for ninth among the Pac-12 assist leaders last season in conference games (3.7) and had the league’s 14th best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3-1).

At the same time, the fact Wallace returned may have helped attract Brown, which in turn should make Cal a legitimate contender for the conference title.

“I think the great thing about Tyrone is these guys want to play with Tyrone,” Martin said. “He understands what’s most important about basketball games, winning and getting his degree. He’s shown his ability to lead at the point guard.”

SG - JORDAN MATHEWS 
(6-3, 203 lbs., JR, #24, 13.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 31.1 mpg, .445 FG, 443 3PT, .786 FT, Santa Monica HS/San Francisco, Calif.). 
Mathews was Cal’s second-leading scorer last season and by far its top 3-point shooter. He was even the Pac-12’s second-most accurate 3-point shooter in conference games (.474).

Yet Mathews almost could become something of a role player this season. at’s what happens when Brown and Rabb come in, while Wallace and Jabari Bird can both also be proli c producers.

But that could ultimately be a good thing. Mathews will have a chance to prove himself further as a slick-shooting role guy—the kind of player he might need to be to make the NBA someday—and it could force him to become more versatile and e cient.

Martin saw evidence over the summer that Mathews was broadening himself already.

“He’s always been able to shoot, but he’s really improved his ability to attack the rim,” Martin said. “Jordan will be what he wants to be because he goes to work.”

SF - JABARI BIRD
(6-6, 198 lbs., JR, #23, 10.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 28.2 mpg, .438 FG, .369 3PT, .765 FT, Salesian HS/Vallejo, Calif.).
With all the buzz over Wallace’s decision to return, and the recruitments of Rabb and Brown, it may be easy to forget that Bird was actually a ve-star recruit himself in 2013, the highest-rated player Mike Montgomery brought in during his six years in Berkeley.

Injuries during both of Bird’s rst two seasons haven’t helped elevate his pro le, though. He missed four games with a sprained ankle as a freshman, starting his career strongly but oating into inconsistency later that season, then missed 10 games with a foot stress fracture in 2014-15.

But he nally began to hit his stride late in the year, averaging 13.4 points over his nal eight games, including a 9-for-10 shooting e ort that led to 22 points against Oregon.

So just imagine what Bird might be able to do with a season of good health and maybe more than the 28.2 minutes he averaged last season.

“For him, the sky’s the limit,” Martin said. “He has all the tools. He has the ability to be a good two-way player if he can condition his body.”

PF - JAYLEN BROWN 
(6-7, 225 lbs., FR, #0, 28.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg, Wheeler HS/Marietta, Ga.). 
If Cal fans were surprised and excited that Brown decided to become a Bear, just imagine how it all went over back in Georgia.

Not good. At least in some folks’ eyes.

“Some were very supportive and happy, and others were very ... I wouldn’t say non-supportive, but they weren’t the happiest with my decision,” Brown said in a Bay Area News Group story. “It wasn’t as typical as how a highly recruited athlete usually goes to a much bigger basketball university. I had to make the decision for me, and I felt like this was clearly my best choice.”

Brown said he “fell in love” with the Cal campus during an unofficial visit in the spring, saying weather, academics and location all played a role in his decision.

Martin may have been ecstatic with Brown’s choice, but he’s not exuding surprise. Not after getting to know what kind of person Brown is.

“Jaylen Brown was able to make his own decision,” Martin said.

Brown brings the Bears not only o ensive explosiveness in a powerful, athletic body, but exceptional versatility.

Martin says he can play all ve positions, but he’ll probably play both forward spots, possibly starting at power forward and shifting to small forward when the Bears plug in big men Kameron Rooks or Kingsley Okoroh.

“I don’t think it matters what position he plays,” Martin said. “Jaylen comes in with a strong body but with the weightlifting and exibility piece, there’s always that next phase.”

While bringing in a player with Brown’s credentials could pose a chemistry risk, the Bears showed a balanced o ensive attack during their exhibition trip to Australia. So instead of dividing the team, maybe Brown can help glue it together.

“He’s one of those guys who has a really great personality,” Mathews told the Bay Area News Group, “so everybody’s really drawn to him.”

C - IVAN RABB 
(6-11, 220 lbs., FR, #1, 24.5 ppg, 16.3 rpg, 4.5 bpg, Bishop O’Dowd HS/Oakland, Calif.). 
Already having inherited a solid roster when he took over the Bears in 2014, Martin found his new backyard still needed some immediate work.

Because there stood Rabb, just a few miles away in Oakland, looking like he was headed to Arizona or elsewhere, with almost zero interest in the Bears. While Cal had pulled in local talents such as Jason Kidd, Lamond Murray and Leon Powe in the past, Bird was the rare local star to sign with the Bears during the Mike Montgomery years.

Martin was determined to change all that.

“The one thing that I said to myself was `You’ve got a guy of that magnitude in your backyard, you have to do everything in your power to get him,’” Martin said. “Like a lot of top guys, he has to say ‘no’ to a lot of coaches. I had to make it hard for him to say no to me.”

So Martin immediately started selling Rabb on the idea of becoming a focal point for the Bears, and of starring in front of friends and family near home.

“These guys don’t like to leave the Bay Area because it’s beautiful,” Martin said.

Martin worked, and worked it so well that by the time Rabb showed up for the McDonalds All-America Game on April 1, he appeared to be leaning toward the Bears.

“I just know they’re hungry,” Rabb told the Arizona Daily Star a day before the burger game. “They want to get to the tournament and get as many big players as they can. [Martin] knows if he gets me, he’ll continue to attract good players, so maybe I want to give him that chance.”

He did just that, committing to Cal and also helping attract Brown. It even looked like another pal, ve-star big man Caleb Swanigan, might choose the Bears, too, but he went to Purdue after initially committing to Michigan State.

Rabb will probably play both power forward and center, his athleticism and soft touch part of an elite skill set the Bears will take advantage of on both ends of the floor.

KEY RESERVES

G - SAM SINGER
(6-4, 205 lbs., JR, #2, 4.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 24.0 mpg, .435 FG, .277 3PT, .486 FT, Ransom Everglades HS/Miami, Fla.).
A solid backup point guard who averaged starter’s minutes last season, Singer hasn’t been known or needed for shooting, or really scoring of any type. But one of his 13 3-pointers last season came in particularly handy, late in a Feb. 1 game at Washington.

With the Huskies pulling a surprise zone defense in the nal seconds, aiming to throw o Cal’s Wallace-Kravish pick-and-roll while daring Singer to shoot. After Kravish kicked the ball back to the perimeter, Singer rose up for a 3 that went in. Cal beat the Huskies 90-88, sweeping the Washington trip and setting up what eventually became a ve-game winning streak that was the highlight of Cal’s conference season.

“I was in a little bit of a slump, pretty much this whole year,” Singer said after the Washington game. “But I kept working ... it feels great to have it all pay o . I’m kind of at a loss for words.”

C - KAMERON ROOKS 
(7-0, 260 lbs., SO, #44, 1.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg, .429 FG, .529 FT in 2013-14, Mission Hills HS/San Marcos, Calif.). 
The son of 12-year NBA big man Sean Rooks, Kameron was set to leap from a small role as a freshman into a potential starting or key role last season. en he tore his left ACL during the summer of 2014, forcing a redshirt season.

His loss ensured Kravish would have to play somewhat out of position at center last season. But this season, Rooks allows Cal to play a bigger lineup that will enable coach Cuonzo Martin to shift Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown to the two forward spots, adding to the Bears’ versatility.

C - KINGSLEY OKOROH
(7-1, 256 lbs., SO, #22, 2.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 13.1 mpg, .462 FG, .522 FT, Westwind Prep/Derby, England). Without Rooks around last season, Okoroh was the Bears’ biggest space eater underneath, while allowing Kravish more freedom at times.

While Kravish is gone, having both Okoroh and Rooks behind Rabb and Brown gives the Bears not only more depth and talent, but also more versatility. Both 7-footers played well in Australia, too.

“I think Kingsley is much better defensively and blocking shots, while Kameron is falling into shape,” Martin said. “Kameron’s more of an o ensive threat, while Kingsley is more of a big body. I’ve always been a guy who likes big bodies. Anytime you have a big physical presence on you, that can take a toll [on opponents].”

OTHER NEWCOMERS

F - ROMAN DAVIS (6-7, 190 lbs., FR, #25, 9.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.6 bpg, Windward HS/Los Angeles, Calif.). As good as Cal’s recruiting e orts were in 2015, things got a little weird at the end.

Davon Dillard, a four-star forward, declined to sign his letter of intent in the spring and, by July, it was clear why—he decided instead to play for Oklahoma State. Meanwhile, Cal commit Tyson Jolly opted to go the prep school route, though he may yet show up in a Bears uniform during the 2016-17 season.

But just after Dillard bailed, in came Davis to help ll the hole in the Bears’ still-stunning recruiting class. Davis has potential to play both forward spots for Cal, though he’s a bit thin to slug it out at power forward right away.

“His athleticism and toughness will allow him to do a lot of things in our program,” Martin said in a statement. “Defensively, I think he has the capability to guard all ve positions.”

G - STEPHEN DOMINGO (6-7, 217 lbs., JR, #31, 0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg, .214 FG, .111 FT in 2013-14, Georgetown/St. Ignacius HS/San Francisco, Calif.). While it’s hardly unusual anymore for an elite high school player to reclassify in order to get to college faster, for Domingo the move may have stunted his development.

Domingo was expected to be San Francisco’s best high school player as a senior in 2012-13, but instead chose to enroll early at Georgetown and battle for playing time that season. He wasn’t ready for the college game, and his minutes actually shrunk as a sophomore to just 4.5 over 19 games in 2013-14. Despite having the rep of a shooter in high school, he made just 3 of 27 3-pointers over his two years as a Hoya.

So he came home to the Bay Area, and will give it another shot under Martin. Ultimately, he might become more of a defender than a shooter, having proven himself on the other side of the ball in practice as a redshirt last season. Martin thought Domingo was also the team’s best defender in Australia.

“He can make shots at 6-7, and guard four positions,” Martin said. “He’ll certainly play without question.”

OTHER RESERVES

G - BRANDON CHAUCA 
(5-9, 160 lbs., SO, #10, 2.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.7 apg, 9.5 mpg, .404 FG, .387 3PT, .500 FT, 22 Feet Academy/Alexandria, Va.). 
Chauca was the first recruit under coach Martin to sign because of Cal’s environment and academics that Martin likes to cite.

Not only is Chauca a good student, but as a 5-9 guard with a Filipino mother and a Peruvian father, Chauca found he’d fit right in at Berkeley.

“I looked it up, and it’s more than 50 percent Asian,” Chauca told Scout.com. “at tells me that they’re going to come out to the games. I feel like I can bring a di erent type of environment to the game ... I’m only the 10th Filipino to play Division I, and only the second Filipino to play high-major Division I. My Hispanic side, I’m the first Peruvian to ever play NCAA basketball, in any division. It’s kind of like making history.”

On the court, Chauca doesn’t t in — in a good way. He brings size, quickness and shooting off the bench, with a drastically different look than Singer has.

“Brandon can score, he’s really improved and he really defended the ball well,” coach Martin said. “He’s always been a scoring point guard, but he has the ability to make plays.”

F - ROGER MOUTE A BIDIAS 
(6-6, 206 lbs., JR, #12, 1.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 9.7 mpg, .356 FG, .214 3PT, .458 FT, Notre Dame [Mass.] Prep/Yaounde, Cameroon). 
With a passion for soccer that’s all too common in his native country, Moute a Bidias didn’t bother playing basketball until 2009.

“As I grew taller, I said ‘Let me try this,’" Moute a Bidias said in a Calbears.com video. “I got into it and started liking it.”

The brother of NBA veteran Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Roger Moute a Bidias still has a rawness to his game, but his athleticism and high motor make him compelling to watch no matter what is going on. He will be pushed to match last season’s minutes considering the Bears’ talent.

Coach Martin said Moute a Bidias can help himself by continuing to improve his ability to attack with the basketball. His skills — and newfound passion — should help that cause greatly.

The timing was right for Cal to take a summer exhibition tour of Australia, allowing coach Martin to test his new team dynamics and immediately remind everyone that only ve guys can play at a time.

So far, so good. The Bears went 3-1, losing only in overtime to a high-level Aussie pro team, and Martin said his guys “played well together and shared the basketball.”

If that trend keeps up, the Bears could be scary. Because Cal has potential NBA talent at every position, decent depth, athletic defenders and big bodies o the bench. Martin just has to mend it all together and keep everyone happy.

He’s con dent he will.

“Everybody wants to get the ball. Nobody really accepts being a role player,” coach Martin said. “It’s our job as coaches to make sure our team understands what’s going to make us successful.”

Bruce Pascoe