It may seem too early to take a gander over to the hardwood, what with the Golden Bear football squad only 2 weeks into their regular season, but as the dog days of August are now securely in the rear view mirror, the tip-off of the college basketball season will be upon the Cal campus sooner the later. Entering his 3rd year as the Golden Bears basketball coach, Mike Montgomery will face his most daunting coaching challenge thus far in his short stay in Berkeley. After taking the team to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first 2 seasons, Montgomery will try to make a gourmet meal out of mostly leftovers, with all four of 2009-10′s top scorers no longer on the roster. The team does boast the luxury of top billed incoming talent, via the high school recruiting ranks. Guards Allen Crabbe and Gary Franklin, both rising freshmen, will have to make an immediate impression and play key roles for the Bears to rival the success of seasons past. Continue Reading »
Shane Vereen Named as a preseason Maxwell Award contender, given annually to the top collegiate player in the nation, Vereen enters the year with a big target on his back. This should be a change of pace for Vereen, who was used more as a change of pace back himself cemented behind the more heralded Jahvid Best on the Bears depth chart. Vereen obviously made enough of an impression after Best went down with injury to warrant nationwide acclaim as he enters his junior season. The year 2009 saw Vereen rush for 12 touchdown, falling just short of 1,000 yards (952), on 183 carries. With a full workload, the sky is the limit for the Bears uncontested starter, as he should receive well over 200 carries throughout the 2010 season.Marvin Jones Jones opens play as a candidate for one of the nation’s top honors, named to the preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list. As a sophomore, Jones tallied 43 receptions for 651 yards and 6 touchdowns, coming on strong late in the season after a relatively modest start. Entering the 6th game of the season with only 1 score in 5 contests, Jones proceeded to haul in 5 TD catches over the course of the final 7 regular season games, topping 100 yards for the first time in his career in the regular season finale against Washington. Continue Reading »
