Tag: Cal basketball

Stephon Marbury’s son commits to Cal as preferred walk-on

Stephon Marbury Jr., son of former NBA star Starbury, committed to play college ball at Cal as a preferred walk-on.

The children of the stars of the early 2000s continue to make us feel old.

On Wednesday, Stephon Marbury II announced on Instagram that he had committed to the University of Cal as a preferred walk-on. The son of Starbury said in the post:

“My basketball journey and the Marbury Legacy continues. I’m blessed and grateful to announce that I will be a PWO at the University of Cal Berkeley!”

The DME Academy guard is listed on the team webpage at 6-foot-3. According to the site, his nickname is Star, a shortened version of the elder Marbury.

See Marbury’s post:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Stephon Marbury II (@st3phonn)

Marbury is not ranked on recruiting outlets such as 247Sports or Rivals, but his Hudl highlights show a player who uses quickness to get around defenders, finishes well off the glass at the rim and has active hands-on defense.

He’ll hope to get a chance to make an impact on a Cal team that is entering the ACC this season. The Golden Bears are coming off a 13-19 under Mark Madsen, who, despite the sub-.500 record, led a massive turnaround team in his first year as head coach of a team that went 3-29 the season before.

Stephon Sr., who spent 13 years in the NBA and nine more playing in China, shared the post to his story with the caption “My little man is about to step into a new realm. God is great!”

Marbury’s mother, Tasha Marbury, posted to Instagram with a caption that included:

“My baby son!! I’m not sure how you grew up so fast. You had a ball in your hands before you could even crawl. I watched you do sit ups and pushups at age 2. You started running the stairs around 6/7. I thought you was being pushed too hard. What did I know?

I’m proud of you for staying humble, faithful and grateful. We’ve had a few rough years, but you never gave up, you pushed through.”

Marbury commented on her post with a message that included:

“Mannn these past 8 years have been challenging but we did it! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be turning into the man I am today.”

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Former MSU basketball C Mady Sissoko commits to Cal

Mady Sissoko has his new home

After four years with the Michigan State program, Mady Sissoko will be transferring, using his fifth year of eligibility somewhere other than East Lansing.

Tom Izzo mentioned that Sissoko was leaving on good terms, similar to Foster Loyer, and the MSU head man was helping Sissoko find the best destination for him. Now, that destination has been found.

Sissoko has made the decision to commit to Cal, joining a massive transfer haul in Berkley that is highlighted by Rytis Petraitis and Andrej Stojakovic.

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In his four years at MSU, Sissoko made 59 starts, while playing in 124 games, averaging 2.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

Poor rebounding by Trojans spoils Isaiah Collier’s return in gut-wrenching OT loss to Cal

Cal got too many extra possessions. That’s the story from Berkeley.

Porous rebounding by the USC Trojans and clutch shooting from the Cal Golden Bears ruined Isaiah Collier’s comeback effort in an 83-77 overtime loss in Berkeley. The Trojans are 0-3 in games decided by six points or fewer and 0-2 in overtime games this season.

Collier was back for the first time in six games after injuring his hand against Washington State on January 10. In his absence, the Trojans missed his ability to drive the ball, challenge defenses inside and get to the free throw line.

Scoreless at the half, Isaiah Collier scored 17 points in the second half to erase a 16-point USC deficit and take the game to overtime.

In front of an announced sold-out crowd at Haas Pavilion, Collier put the offense on his back down the stretch, drawing fouls almost every time he drove the lane. After missing his first two free throw attempts in the first half, he was 12-14 from the line after halftime.  Unfortunately, the rest of the team shot just 3 of 8 from the charity stripe on the night.

After the Oregon State game in which the Trojans were plus-20 on the glass, the Trojans thought they had solved the rebounding woes that plagued them during their six-game losing streak in January, but they were wrong. Cal outrebounded the Trojans 54-27.  USC’s defense held the Bears to just 25 points in the second half, but poor rebounding — Cal had a 19-5 offensive rebounding advantage — gave the Bears extra possessions. Fardaws Aimaq dominated inside with 20 rebounds and USC as a team had only 27.

Cal was led by Jaylon Tyson’s double-double. He scored 27 points, shot 4 of 5 beyond the arc, and added 11 rebounds. Tyson, Jalen Cone, and Jale Celestine shot 59% — 11 of 18 — from the 3-point line.  The Bears hit four contested treys with the shot clock winding down in the second half and overtime to neutralize the Trojans’ smothering defense in the paint — the last triple from Cone in OT was the dagger.

D.J. Rodman has scored 31 points over the last two games.  His 17 points off the bench were crucial as Boogie Ellis continues to struggle after returning from a hamstring injury. Rodman was 3 of 4 on 3-point attempts during the game, but he saw his last triple go halfway down and bounce out with the Trojans trailing by four late in overtime to seal the game for the Bears.

On Saturday, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, USC will face the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion in an attempt to earn a split of the Bay Area road trip.

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Mark Madsen hire proves one Pac-12 school wants to improve

Stanford failed to capitalize on the chance to hire famous alumni Mark Madsen as their next head coach, watching as rival Cal brought him in instead.

When the 2022-23 college basketball regular season ended, it seemed all but certain that multiple Pac-12 programs would move on from their current head coaches, yet only one – the California Golden Bears – actually did.

Stanford stuck with Jerod Haase despite years of mediocrity in Paolo Alto, while Oregon State is riding out the ill-fated extension for Wayne Tinkle and Washington isn’t ready to give up on Mike Hopkins despite another bad year in Seattle, and multiple hasty exits for players into the transfer portal.

Stanford’s decision remains the most questionable, especially since they had a very obvious candidate available for replacement in Mark Madsen – a beloved former player who also happened to coach Utah Valley to a 34-15 record in the last three seasons of conference play in the WAC.

Madsen instead inked a deal to replace Mark Fox at Cal, forcing Stanford fans to watch as one of the league’s most coveted mid-major coaches – and a fan favorite – starts his new career building up the program’s biggest rival.

Haase receive full confidence from Stanford’s AD after a season where the Cardinal went 14-19, bringing his overall record at Stanford to 112-109.

The team has done well recruiting, including landing Andrej Stojakovic for the 2023 class, but it hasn’t helped them climb out of the cellar in the Pac-12.

Programs like Oregon are impacted by the rest of the league failing to improve their basketball success, as it lowers the quality of competition and hurts resumes.

With UCLA and USC out the door after next season, it will be even more imperative for the bottom of the Pac-12 to improve on the hardwood – and failing to make obvious moves to improve the coaching staff is not going to keep this conference afloat even if they do add a solid basketball program like San Diego State.

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Cal hires former Stanford basketball star Mark Madsen as new head coach

Experts thought #Stanford would fire Jerod Haase and hire Madsen, a star on Stanford’s 1998 #FinalFour team. Instead, the Trees punted. #Cal pounced.

What an amazing plot twist this was, and is, and will continue to be.

Imagine a situation in which School A had a chance to hire a former star, bringing him back to a program with the opportunity to revive its fortunes. A school which has struggled for the past 15 years in men’s basketball had a chance to hire a rising coach who played on the same school’s last Final Four team. This coach is popular within School A, beloved within School A. The coach was doing a good job at a smaller program. He was on the market. He was available.

School A was drifting into irrelevance under its current head coach, who has done nothing of note in seven years on the job.

School A chose to retain the coach who had done nothing in seven years instead of hiring the rising coach who had starred on the court for the program and led it to the Final Four 25 years earlier.

Then that school’s archrival, School B, which was willing and able to fire its underperforming head coach, hired the very same coach School A could have hired all along.

It’s ridiculous. It makes absolutely zero sense. It’s a situation in which School B can now humiliate School A by succeeding. Every School B achievement will reflect negatively on School A — not because the two schools are rivals, but because School A had a chance to hire a popular and successful alumnus as its coach, but passed on the opportunity and allowed School B to swoop in and seize the moment.

This is what has just happened in Pac-12 basketball. Stanford is School A. Cal-Berkeley is School B.

We told you that Cal was closing in on Mark Madsen — the Utah Valley coach and Stanford alumnus who led Stanford to the 1998 Final Four — as its next head coach.

On Wednesday, Cal made it official. The Golden Bears announced that Madsen has agreed to become the team’s new head coach.

We have been wondering for more than a year if Stanford would finally fire Jerod Haase. It seemed almost certain that the Trees and athletic director Bernard Muir would finally terminate their underperforming head coach, who has certainly been given a long amount of time to make things work in Palo Alto.

Yet, for reasons which remain inexplicable, Stanford stood pat and retained Haase for another season, even though Madsen was right there, waiting to come back to his alma mater and revive the program after a star turn at Utah Valley, which reached the NIT semifinals and very nearly made the NCAA Tournament this past season.

It’s bad enough if one school watches its bitter rival succeed. Now, though, every Cal achievement in men’s basketball will directly reflect negatively on Stanford and its athletic department, particularly Bernard Muir. Cal has a chance to humiliate Stanford, with Madsen — a Stanford alum — being the engine of that effort.

Bay Area basketball revolves around the Golden State Warriors and Stanford women’s basketball, but men’s college hoops just became a lot more interesting in Berkeley and Palo Alto.

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Report: Two programs expressing intrest in Texas interim HC Rodney Terry

Penn State and Cal are reportedly pursuing Terry for their head coach openings. 

Texas interim head coach Rodney Terry has provided much need stability since taking over the role in December. Continue reading “Report: Two programs expressing intrest in Texas interim HC Rodney Terry”

California fires former UGA basketball coach

The California Golden Bears have fired former Georgia Bulldogs basketball coach Mark Fox

The California Golden Bears announced the firing of former Georgia basketball coach Mark Fox on Thursday. Cal struggled mightily during the 2022-2023 college basketball season. The Golden Bears went 3-29, worst in the Pac-12.

Fox entered a difficult situation at California when the Golden Bears hired him in 2019. Cal has not made an NCAA tournament since the 2015-2016 season. The Golden Bears have not had a winning season since 2012-2013.

Fox spent four seasons at California. His best season came in his first year when he helped the Golden Bears go 14-18 overall and 7-11 in Pac-12 play.

Former Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox will be deciding his next steps soon. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Fox coached at Georgia from 2009-2018. He helped Georgia make a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.

Under Fox, Georgia won at least nine SEC games six times. The Bulldogs have not had a nine-win SEC season since Fox left the program.

The atmosphere in college athletics has rapidly changed since Fox left Georgia in 2019. Now, the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals are critical elements to college sports.

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Arizona vs Cal College Basketball Prediction, Game Preview

Arizona vs Cal prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Saturday.

Arizona vs Cal prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Saturday, March 5

Arizona vs Cal How To Watch

Date: Saturday, March 5
Game Time: 5:00 ET
Venue: McKale Center, Tucson, AZ
How To Watch: Pac-12 Network
Record: Arizona (27-3), Cal (12-18)
– Sign up and live stream college basketball on ESPN+
– Today’s Best Bet to Lock in Now

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USC vs Cal Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview

USC vs Cal prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Saturday.

USC vs Cal prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Saturday, January 29

USC vs Cal How To Watch

Date: Saturday, January 29
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Galen Center, Los Angeles, CA
How To Watch: Pac-12 Network
Record: USC (17-3), Cal (9-11)
– Sign up and live stream college basketball on ESPN+
– Today’s Best Bet to Lock in Now

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

USC vs Cal Game Preview

Why Cal Will Win

USC should be more at Cal’s speed.

The Bears are struggling a wee bit lately because they can’t hit from three, they’re not taking the ball away enough to help the cause with easy points, and they can’t rebound well enough.

However, they were able to keep up for a half in the 77-63 loss to the Trojans back in early January by doing a good job on the free throw line and with just eight turnovers.

USC isn’t the type of team that’s going to boat race anyone with its outside shooting, it can’t hit free throws, and it does nothing to take the ball away. But …

– NFL Mock Draft: First 1st round mock

Why USC Will Win

Cal is on a six-game losing streak because it can’t score.

Even when it does have a little luck putting up points, it’s only because the games are already over.

USC will destroy the Bears on the boards – it out-rebounded them 38-24 the first time around – and there won’t be any real problems scoring on the inside.

The loss to Stanford a few days ago should only make things worse for Cal. The Trojans weren’t bad, but they never got into a rhythm. That won’t be a problem. There won’t be enough happening from the outside to matter, and Cal won’t get the rebound in way too many one-and-done possessions.

– AP college basketball top 25

What’s Going To Happen

Really, Cal just can’t score.

It struggles to get to 60 points, it has a hard time manufacturing easy shots, and it doesn’t have the three-point shooters to get over the top of the big Trojans on the inside.

Unlike the first meeting, USC should have this well under control after about ten minutes.

USC vs Cal Prediction, Lines

USC 76, Cal 63
Line: USC -12, o/u: 129
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3

Must See Rating: 2.5

5: The Winter Olympics
1: The soon-to-be uncomfortable Olympic broadcast

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2022 NFL Draft Underclassmen. Early Entrants
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OTs | OG/Cs
Edge | DEs/DTs | LBs | CBs | Safeties | P/Ks
Top 30 2021 NFL Draft Early Entrants
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UCLA vs Cal Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview

UCLA vs Cal prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Thursday.

UCLA vs Cal prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Thursday, January 27

UCLA vs Cal How To Watch

Date: Thursday, January 27
Game Time: 9:00 ET
Venue: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
How To Watch: Pac-12 Network
Record: UCLA (14-2), Cal (9-10)
– Sign up and live stream college basketball on ESPN+
– Today’s Best Bet to Lock in Now

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

UCLA vs Cal Game Preview

Why Cal Will Win

It’s been a rough run on a five-game losing streak, but the defense hasn’t been all that bad.

There isn’t the offensive firepower to keep up if UCLA gets rolling early, but the Bears aren’t going to give away a whole lot of easy points with turnovers and mistakes, and it’s aggressive enough to keep this from getting out of hand if this becomes about threes.

UCLA might be winning, but it hasn’t been consistent from the field. When it’s not connecting from the outside it struggles a bit, and again, Cal is good at defending the three.

However …

– NFL Mock Draft: First 1st round mock

Why UCLA Will Win

Cal doesn’t score.

It doesn’t take a whole lot of threes, it doesn’t have the ability to play with any tempo against the better teams, and for all the good things the team does defensively, it doesn’t generate enough easy points.

UCLA is the most careful team with the ball in the Pac-12.

Yeah, it needs the three to make things easy, but it doesn’t have to take a whole lot of chances here. Just don’t give Cal transition points, take the time and be deliberate for the right shot, and wait for that one spurt.

A 9-0 run should be enough to put this away.

– AP college basketball top 25

What’s Going To Happen

After a brilliant performance to pull away from Arizona in a big, defining win, can UCLA keep the momentum going and maintain the same fire for a struggling Cal?

Probably not, but it shouldn’t matter.

Again, Cal really is decent overall on defense – it only lost 60-52 in the first meeting a few weeks ago – but it got bombed by Arizona and it’s going to have a problem in the second half once the Bruin playmakers kick it all in.

All of the UCLA stars will get their chances.

UCLA vs Cal Prediction, Lines

UCLA 67, Cal 55
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING

Must See Rating: 2.5

5: Snow bomb cyclone
1: Whatever dopey nickname the Washington Football Team goes with other than Snow bomb cyclone

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2022 NFL Draft Underclassmen. Early Entrants
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OTs | OG/Cs
Edge | DEs/DTs | LBs | CBs | Safeties | P/Ks
Top 30 2021 NFL Draft Early Entrants
2022 NFL Draft Early Entrants By College