COACH AND PROGRAM

At California, Ben Braun has quietly done one of the masterful coaching jobs in all of college basketball. But his efforts have gone somewhat unnoticed because Braun is operating in the shadow of fellow Pac-10 coaches Lute Olson at Arizona and Mike Montgomery at nearby Stanford.

 

While what Olson and Montgomery have accomplished is impressive, Braun's work doesn't pale in comparison. Seven-plus years ago when the then-42-year-old Braun left Eastern Michigan to take over for Todd Bozeman at Cal, he was inheriting a team that was under NCAA investigation and was reeling from the defection of three talented underclassmen. Shareef Abdur-Rahim departed after his freshman season to go to the NBA, then sophomore forward Tremaine Fowlkes left for Fresno State and sophomore guard Jelani Gardner transferred to Pepperdine.

 

But Braun didn't complain. Instead, he put his head down and went to the work. And that hard work has paid off big time as Braun (140 wins in seven seasons) has taken Cal to five straight postseason berths-something that had never happened in the 95-year history of the program. More impressive is the fact that Braun has taken the Bears to three straight NCAA Tournaments and advanced to the second round in the last two.

 

Cal was picked to finish fifth in the Pac-10 last season and with good reason, or so it seemed. When last season started, Cal was reeling from Shantay Legans' transfer to Fresno State. That had followed an off-season in which Jamal Sampson had turned pro after just one season, and Cal's highest-rated high school recruit, Kennedy Winston, had requested a release from his letter-of-intent to transfer to Alabama.

 

So what happens? The Bears started Pac-10 play with an 11-2 league mark before some late-season struggles. But Cal finished 22-9, beating NC. State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual Final Four team Oklahoma in the second round. Joe Shipp, Brian Wethers and Amit Tamir were so dominant for that team, averaging 50.4 points per game, that they became known as the three-headed monster. Well, the three-headed monster hasn't been slain, but two of its heads have been lopped off.

 

Shipp and Wethers have graduated, leaving 6-11 senior forward Tamir to run the show. One head is still pretty darn good, Braun says, especially when it's Tamir. Several Pac-10 coaches say Tamir is the toughest player to defend in the conference.

 

"He's probably our best three-point shooter," Braun said. "That's really saying something when the guy is 6-11. He's really hard to defend because he can hurt you inside and outside."

 

Tamir won't have to do it all himself either, thanks to the arrival of arguably the finest recruiting class in the Pac-10. The four newcomers are so highly though of that Cal is considered the sleeper team out of the Pac-10, a team that will definitely be light years better from January on once the young guns find their spots.

 

In fact, some people in the know are dubbing the Bears' freshmen the "Fab Four": 6-7 Leon Powe, 6-5 Marquis Kately, 6-7 Dominic McGuire and 6-2 Ayinde Ubaka. The foursome is considered one of the toughest, if not one of the most talented classes that Braun has ever recruited.

 

Powe, Kately and Ubaka are each Bay Area products. Three of the four freshmen could start next to 6-11 Tamir and sophomore guard Richard Midgley. Powe is considered a rebounding beast and is completely healed from an ACL injury. He could be Cal's version of Ike Diogu. Kately is a superb athlete with quick feet and incredible leaping ability. McGuire is ultra-athletic like Kately, but he's two inches taller. Abaka is a combo guard whose quickness will allow the Bears to press more often in a wide-open Pac-10. "These freshmen will push everyone in our program," Braun said.

 

The scary part? Braun isn't a one-year wonder on the recruiting trail. With gritty wing Eric Vierneisel, the ultra-athletic Devon Hardin and 6-10 big man Sam Rayburn all giving Braun commitments to attend Cal in the fall of 2004, the Bears should have back-to-back top 25 classes.

 

How far will this year's group of highly touted freshmen push the Bears? To a fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth. Rest assured no one will relish a first-round match-up with Cal.

 

STARTERS NOT RETURNING

F-JOE SHIPP (6-5, 20.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 35.4 minutes, .518 FG, .352 3PT, .759 FT). Braun has to be upset that this steady Shipp has sailed. How steady? Shipp ended his brilliant career with 37 consecutive double-figure scoring games. Last season, Shipp led the Pac-10 in scoring, becoming the fifth Cal player to pull off that feat, joining Lamond Murray (1994), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996), Ed Gray (1997) and Sean Lampley (2001).

 

Shipp was a tough match-up, because his 220-pound frame allowed him to overpower most college wings. Already adept at using his body to score or draw fouls, Shipp added a reliable three-point shot to his arsenal last season, making him even more dangerous.

 

An All-Pac-10 selection as well as an honorable mention All-America pick by the Associated Press, Shipp finished third on California's all-time scoring list, trailing only NBA players Sean Lampley (1,776) and Lamond Murray (1,688). Shipp had a knack for taking and making clutch shots and was a key reason Cal went to the Big Dance each of the last three seasons and posted a 45-18 record over the last two seasons-the most wins at Cal in a two-year span since 1959-60.

 

Despite all of his collegiate accomplishments, Shipp was taken in the NBA draft, even though he was invited to the Chicago pre-draft camp and went through individual workouts for seven teams (Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, Kings, Knicks, Pacers and Hawks).

 

G-BRIAN WETHERS (6-5, 15.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 32.1 minutes,.488 FG, .397 3PT, .653 FT). Wethers has some big-time scoring games as a senior, including a career-high-tying 27 points against Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament's second round. Voted MVP of the Golden Bear Classic in December, Wethers paced Cal with 94 assists in addition to grabbing 4.4 rebounds per contest. In addition, Wethers earned Pac-10 Player-of-the-Week honors after leading the Bears to a road sweep of Oregon State and Oregon in February. He ranks 15th on Cal's all-time scoring list with 1,239 points.

 

Like Shipp, Wethers auditioned for NBA teams too, but he tore his Achilles tendon while working out for the Golden State Warriors on June 12. He spent the summer and early fall getting healthy and will pursue a professional playing career in Europe.

 

OTHERS NOT RETURNING

G-DONTE SMITH (6-2, 1.7 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 7.4 minutes, .435 FG, .375 3PT, 1.000 FT). Smith didn't have the type of season most seniors dream about. In fact, Smith's senior season got off to a late start after he underwent quadriceps surgery in September 2002. He didn't play until Jan. 23 against USC. His seven points against Arizona State on Senior Day was his highest total in more than two seasons. His career high was 19 points against Oregon State in 2000. A combo guard, Smith appeared in 15 games last season, including one start.

 

PROJECTED STARTERS

PG-AYINDE UBAKA (6-3, 190 lbs., FR, #1, 23.0 ppg, 8.0 apg, 8.0 rpg, Oakland HS/Oakland, Calif.). Most recruiting experts tabbed Ubaka as the top high school senior point guard on the West Coast last winter. He's quite a get for Cal as the Oakland, Calif. native elected to stay home rather than accept offers from Billy Donovan at Florida or from other Pac-10 schools such as Arizona, Oregon and USC.

 

FoxSports.com rated Ubaka the 26th-best prospect in the country, while he was ranked No. 39 by ESPN.com. Ubaka, a fourth-team Parade All-American from Oakland High, earned first team all-state honors from Cal-Hi Sports and a No. 47 national ranking from RivalsHoops.com. His presence allows last year's starting point guard Richard Midgley to move to his more natural two-guard spot.

 

"Ayinde is a very competitive and explosive player with the ball," Braun said. "He is very tough to contain in the open court and loves to distribute the basketball."

 

SG-RICHARD MIDGLEY (6-1, 200 lbs., SO, #15, 9.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 26.3 mpg, .471 FG, .449 3PT, .719 FT, Modesto Christian HS/Modesto, Calif. and Burgess Hill, England). Growing up in England, Midgley caught lots of grief from his friends because he chose the basketball over soccer. Nobody's laughing anymore. After spending last season at the point, Midgley will likely move to shooting guard this season so Ubaka can run the point.

 

You might recall that Midgley was thrust into the starting point guard to fill the void left by Shantay Legans, a three-year starter who transferred in late-August 2002 to Fresno State.

 

The move back to the two-guard this winter suits Midgley well. His best attributes are his smarts and his textbook outside shot, while he admittedly struggled last season against full-court presses as the team's primary ball-handler. This year, Ubaka will handle the rock-allowing Midgley to be more of a spot-up shooter, a role in which he should excel. Who will forget Midgley's overtime game-winning shot to send N.C. State packing in the first round of last year's Big Dance?

 

"Richard Midgley brings stability and toughness to our team," Braun said. "He was probably the strongest player on the team as a freshman last season and that doesn't happen very often. And he's mentally tough. He hit some big shots for us last season."

 

SF-MARQUISE KATELY (6-5, 215 lbs., FR, #25, 21.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, Maine Central Institute/San Francisco, Calif.). Kately, the 2002 Bay Area Prep Basketball Player of the Year at Riordan High School, will likely start at small forward.

 

Last season, Kately earned All-New England Prep School honors. And more importantly, he was able to get himself academically eligible to play this season. "We are thrilled that Marquise is a Golden Bear," Braun said. "He has worked very hard and made personal sacrifices to attend Cal. I'm so happy for him personally that his dedication and persistence have paid off."

 

The addition of the ultra-athletic Kately-who was rated the nation's 31st best high school player by Rivals.com and 48th best by ESPN.com-capped off one of the greatest recruiting classes in California basketball history. Led by stellar Oakland products Leon Powe and Ayinde Ubaka, Cal's incoming group earned a consensus Top 10 national ranking-giving the Bears their highest rated class in nearly a decade.

 

PF-LEON POWE (6-8, 230 lbs., FR, #44, 27.4 ppg, 14.2 rpg, 3.1 bpg, Oakland Tech/Oakland, Calif.). Powe enters Cal as the most decorated player since either Jason Kidd or Shareef Abdur-Rahim were in college. The question is: How long will Powe stay in school? There is already some speculation that Powe, if he has the type of year that most experts believe that he will, is a one-and-done player, a la Carmelo Anthony at Syracuse last season.

 

Powe, a McDonald's and Parade All-American, was one of the top 10 recruits in the country a year ago. Powe earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors for the state of California and Bay Area Player of the Year awards from the San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Tribune.

 

How good is Powe? He carried the young and largely inexperienced Oakland Tech Bulldogs-sporting eight new players-to the state Division I championship game for the second straight season. Powe was the only Californian selected to the McDonald's All-America team, and in front of a capacity Gund Arena crowd in Cleveland and a national TV audience, he grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with 15 points in just 21 minutes during the West's 122-107 loss to the East. Powe had 13 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals in the Roundball Classic.

 

"Powe is a strong, hard-nosed, fearless player," Braun said. "He is somebody who will be giving us the aggressiveness we need on the inside.

 

"... He's the type of guy who will do whatever it takes to help the team win. We saw him play a number of times in high school and he never got too full of himself. He's always a humble person. He a special player."

 

C-AMIT TAMIR (6-11, 260 lbs., SR, #24, 14.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 34.1 mpg, .410 FG, .394 3PT, .800 FT, Ort HS/Jerusalem, Israel). NBA scouts will flock to Cal this season to check out Powe and the versatile-as-a-pair-of-khakis Tamir and his well-rounded game.

 

Not only did Tamir lead the Bears in rebounding last season on their way to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but he also shot 41.0 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from beyond the arc. His average from three-point range was third best on the team and his 61 three-pointers led the Bears and was sixth best in the conference. Tamir had five double-doubles on his way to all-conference honors.

 

The dominant season came a year after he averaged 9.9 points and 3.5 rebounds after sitting out the first eight games so he could play for the Israeli national team.

 

"If Amit can have the same type of jump that he had from his first to second years at Cal, he's going to be a terrific player for us this season," Braun said. "He brings back experience, scoring and knowledge. He's committing himself this season to getting stronger to become a force that can get to the foul line and score inside consistently. "He really shows some character. He's a special guy."

 

KEY RESERVES

SF/SG-DOMINIC McGUIRE (6-7, 205 lbs., FR, #3, 19.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, Lincoln HS/San Diego, Calif). The gifted McGuire is expected to battle Kately for the starting small forward spot. McGuire was considered one of the best high school wing players in the state of California last year.

 

McGuire, who played guard in high school, had one of the most phenomenal triple-doubles you'll ever here about. Actually, it's more of a triple-18. As in 18 points, 18 rebounds and 18 blocks against Upland (Calif.) High last season.

 

"That's not a typo," Braun said. "Not bad for a guard."

 

PF-CONOR FAMULENER (6-6, 230 lbs., SR, #40, 3.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 20.8 mpg, .513 FG, .314 3PT, .719 FT, De La Salle HS/Walnut Creek, Calif.). A solid role player, Famulener has been through the Pac-10 wars and will be a valuable off-the-bench piece to the puzzle at Cal. If the slew of freshmen forwards have some jitters, Braun has the luxury of inserting Famulener into the fray. Famulener is the type of player every team needs to be successful. He's a blue-collar worker who is willing and able to do the dirty work-setting ball screens, banging the boards, taking charges.

 

PG-A.J. DIGGS (5-9, 175 lbs., SR, #2, 3.2 ppg, 2.0 apg, 2.1 rpg, 20.2 mpg, .329 FG, .125 3PT, .583 FT, Long Beach Poly HS/Long Beach, Calif.). Diggs struggled with his shooting and injuries (i.e. sprained ankle in the Pac-10 Tournament) last year, but he's an amazing story. He originally joined the team as a walk-on and was granted a scholarship after playing so well in 2001-02 (he was ninth in the Pac-10 in steals). Braun would like to see Diggs (3.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.0 apg) emerge as a leader along with Tamir.

 

"A.J. Diggs is one of the toughest on-ball defenders I've ever been around," Braun said. "He's been here, so he's going to help the team."

 

C-GABRIEL HUGHES (6-11, 225 lbs., SR, #33, 3.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.3 apg. 13.7 mpg, .514 FG, .486 FT, Bishop Montgomery HS/Carson, Calif.). After nearly transferring to Fresno State before last season (just as point Shentay Legans did), Hughes elected to stay in Berkeley and started all but one game for the Bears. However, with the arrival of the highly touted power forward Powe and the return of Tamir, Hughes' days as a starter are over.

 

However, his return gives Braun the luxury of three senior reserves off the bench in Hughes, Diggs and Famulener. Hughes can be an intimidating shot blocker. He led the Bears with 32 blocks last season.

 

His best game couldn't have come at better time. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Hughes scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a win over North Carolina State.

 

"He really came on strong at the end of the year," Braun said.

 

OTHER RETURNEES

F-ERIK BOND (6-7, 205 lbs., SO, #30, 1.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.4 apg, 8.7 mpg, .333 FG, .306 3PT, .200 FT, Seattle Prep/Seattle, Wash.). A former Washington State Player of the Year, Bond sat out the 2001-02 season after ankle surgery. After his red-shirt season, Bond struggled with his shooting. He spent the off-season working hard on his jumper, his body and his all-around game. Despite the group of well-decorated freshman wings at Cal, Bond could be more of a factor this winter.

 

"I think he is going to step up this year and really be a factor for us," Braun said. "He's a good knock-down shooter who is agile off the dribble. He is a solid, good shooter."

 

F/C-DAVID PARIS (6-9, 260 lbs., SO, #55, 1.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 7.0 mpg, .465 FG, .227 FT, Modesto Christian HS/Modesto, Calif.). He didn't make much of an impact on the Bears last season, but Paris comes from great athletic stock. His father, Bubba Paris, was an offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers, while his uncle, Leonard Gray, played in the NBA for the Seattle SuperSonics. He provides Braun with yet another willing banger and screen-setter off the bench. Paris' wide body and five fouls will come in handy against the elite teams on Cal's schedule as well as in the NCAA Tournament-when frontcourt depth is key.

 

OTHER NEWCOMERS

None

 

QUESTIONS

Too many freshmen in rotation? Cal lost two proven scorers in Joe Shipp and Brian Wethers, but welcomes probably then best recruiting class in the Pac-10. As many as three of the freshmen-all from winning high school programs-will start for the Bears this season. The freshmen are extremely gifted, but they're young and inexperienced.

 

Backcourt depth? Freshman point man Ayinde Ubaka was one of the coveted high school seniors in the land last year. He'll team with sophomore sniper Richard Midgley to form a strong starting backcourt. But what about the team's depth there, besides smallish senior A.J. Diggs?

 

Chemistry? Ben Braun is one of the best X and O men in the country, but he has a team made up largely of seniors-including NBA prospect Amit Tamir-and lots of gifted freshmen. Will Braun be able to get seniors such as Diggs, Gabriel Hughes and Conor Famulener to accept secondary roles after that threesome has been key parts of three straight NCAA Tournament teams? It'll be quite a test.

 

ANSWERS

Amit Tamir! The 6-11 Tamir is one of the most versatile performers in the college ranks. The 260-pounder can score inside or outside (61 made threes in 2002-03). He's on the Wooden Award watch list and is one of the best big men in the country, a guy who will be drafted by some NBA team next spring.

 

Leon Powe! Powe is the most hyped frontcourter to choose Cal since Shareef Abdur-Rahim. If he's as good as advertised, Powe will be an impact player. Many, including the editors of Blue Ribbon, believe he could have the same type of impact that Ike Diogu had last winter as a freshman at Arizona State.

 

Ben Braun! His name isn't on the lips of most college hoops fanatics when asked to name the best coaches in the college ranks. But Braun should be. He won at Eastern Michigan and has now built a consistent winner at Cal. And the winning will continue as Braun has put together two straight top-shelf recruiting classes-and has the makings of a third straight one already.

 

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

California will be an NCAA Tournament team again this season despite the loss of Shipp and Wethers.

 

Tamir should slide smoothly into the leadership role. He proved he was perfect for the job when he stayed in Berkeley over the summer to get in better shape and to take 20 credits so he could get ahead in school. He also presents match-up problems that most teams couldn't handle last season. Midgley could have a breakout season after making the Pac-10's All-Freshman team last year.

 

However, how well the Bears do this season will depend on their freshmen-Powe, Ubaka, Kately and McGuire. Coaches around the conference think if the freshman class lives up to its billing (the class earned a consensus top 10 national ranking), then the Bears could make a run for the Pac-10 title this season.

 

If Ubaka catches on quickly at point guard, he and Midgley could be one of the most dangerous backcourts in the conference. Similarly, Powe, Kately and McGuire could dynamic complements to Tamir, if they meet their potential.

 

The freshmen have definitely gotten Braun excited for the season to begin. "Not only am I excited for the games," Braun said. "I'm just excited for practices so I can see all these guys together."

thanks man

Beserk-ley Bears always get creamed by the UCLA Bruins!

Not this year.

Cal will have the Pac 10 Freshman of the year and player of the year.