12-07-2024, 01:10 PM
Stanford at Cal in first ACC action for both - 1 of 8 ACC games today. Cal favored by 1-1/2. Cal has beaten CSU Bakersfield 86-73, Cal Poly 91-73, USC 71-66, Air Force 78-69, Sac St 83-77, & Mercyhurst 81-55. They've lost to Vanderbilt 85-69 & Missouri 98-93.
Cal coached of course by Mark Madsen and led in scoring (18.8 ppg) by Andrej Stojakovic (6'7"/205 Soph G) making all Stanford fans cringe.
Cal has depth - 10 players with significant minutes, although BJ Omot (6'8"/195 Jr transfer from North Dakota) has missed the last 4 games after averaging 10.8ppg in the first four games. Starting 5 for their most recent game was #2 Stojakovic, #1 Joshua Ola Joseph (6'7"/215 Jr F - transfer from Minnesota), #12 Mady Sissoko (6'9"/240 Gr C - transfer from Michigan State), #22 Christian Tucker (6'3"/180 Sr - transfer from UT San Antonio), and #31 Rytis Petraitis (6'7"/210 Jr F - transfer from Air Force).
Jovan Blacksher Jr (#10, 5'11"/165 Gr G - transfer from Grand Canyon) started the first 4 games, missed the next 3 with an injury and returned last game, coming off the bench. He is 2nd in scoring (15.6 ppg) and leads in assists with 4.0/game. He is in his 6th season - WAC Freshman of the Year in the Covid year, All-WAC as a junior, granted a medical hardship waiver after a knee injury his senior year.
Jeremiah Wilkinson (#0, 6'1"/185 Fr G) has provided a spark off the bench scoring 11.8ppg. In the past 4 games he is averaging 20.8ppg on shooting splits of .608/.545/.714. He was ACC co-rookie of the week after scoring 25 against Mercyhurst.
Rounding out Cal's 10-man rotation are: #3 DeJuan (DJ) Campbell (6"2"/205 Jr G - transfer from Western Carolina) and #34 Lee Dort (6'10"/245 Jr F - transfer from Vanderbilt) leading rebounder with 7.4rpg.
Also on the Cal roster as walk-ons - Stephon Marbury II, and Hugh Vandeweghe (nephew of Kiki).
This is a winnable game, but obviously won't be easy on Cal's home court. Stanford will need to get contributions from more than just the "Big 3" against Cal's depth. They will have to play strong interior defense as Cal gets a lot of their offense in the paint. Okpara had a strong game on Tuesday and needs to build on that. Cammann needs to step up, and Agarwal needs to continue to improve his rebounding and defense - and hopefully start to find his shot again. Evan Stinson showed some promise in his first action coming off an injury. I'll be interested to see what role he might play today.
On a side note, I took advantage of the sparse crowd at the last game to go sit right behind the Stanford bench. It's amusing to me to see 8 coaches on the bench for a game with 5 players. But I came away impressed. Lots of communication between coaches and between coaches & players. Not just rah rah stuff, but x's & o's, technique, and accountability. Lots of coaching at both ends, especially on defense making sure players are aware of the situation, their role, even calling out what to expect from the opponent. A good mix of kick in the butt and pat on the back. There seems to be a plan at both ends and the coaches are relentless about reminding the players. I can tell you that Smith is not happy when somebody jacks up a 3 early in the shot clock or when there is a defensive breakdown in technique or effort - not based only on results but on whether each player is doing their job. I've been happy with Smith and his staff so far, and this added to my belief that he's got things headed in a good direction.
Cal coached of course by Mark Madsen and led in scoring (18.8 ppg) by Andrej Stojakovic (6'7"/205 Soph G) making all Stanford fans cringe.
Cal has depth - 10 players with significant minutes, although BJ Omot (6'8"/195 Jr transfer from North Dakota) has missed the last 4 games after averaging 10.8ppg in the first four games. Starting 5 for their most recent game was #2 Stojakovic, #1 Joshua Ola Joseph (6'7"/215 Jr F - transfer from Minnesota), #12 Mady Sissoko (6'9"/240 Gr C - transfer from Michigan State), #22 Christian Tucker (6'3"/180 Sr - transfer from UT San Antonio), and #31 Rytis Petraitis (6'7"/210 Jr F - transfer from Air Force).
Jovan Blacksher Jr (#10, 5'11"/165 Gr G - transfer from Grand Canyon) started the first 4 games, missed the next 3 with an injury and returned last game, coming off the bench. He is 2nd in scoring (15.6 ppg) and leads in assists with 4.0/game. He is in his 6th season - WAC Freshman of the Year in the Covid year, All-WAC as a junior, granted a medical hardship waiver after a knee injury his senior year.
Jeremiah Wilkinson (#0, 6'1"/185 Fr G) has provided a spark off the bench scoring 11.8ppg. In the past 4 games he is averaging 20.8ppg on shooting splits of .608/.545/.714. He was ACC co-rookie of the week after scoring 25 against Mercyhurst.
Rounding out Cal's 10-man rotation are: #3 DeJuan (DJ) Campbell (6"2"/205 Jr G - transfer from Western Carolina) and #34 Lee Dort (6'10"/245 Jr F - transfer from Vanderbilt) leading rebounder with 7.4rpg.
Also on the Cal roster as walk-ons - Stephon Marbury II, and Hugh Vandeweghe (nephew of Kiki).
This is a winnable game, but obviously won't be easy on Cal's home court. Stanford will need to get contributions from more than just the "Big 3" against Cal's depth. They will have to play strong interior defense as Cal gets a lot of their offense in the paint. Okpara had a strong game on Tuesday and needs to build on that. Cammann needs to step up, and Agarwal needs to continue to improve his rebounding and defense - and hopefully start to find his shot again. Evan Stinson showed some promise in his first action coming off an injury. I'll be interested to see what role he might play today.
On a side note, I took advantage of the sparse crowd at the last game to go sit right behind the Stanford bench. It's amusing to me to see 8 coaches on the bench for a game with 5 players. But I came away impressed. Lots of communication between coaches and between coaches & players. Not just rah rah stuff, but x's & o's, technique, and accountability. Lots of coaching at both ends, especially on defense making sure players are aware of the situation, their role, even calling out what to expect from the opponent. A good mix of kick in the butt and pat on the back. There seems to be a plan at both ends and the coaches are relentless about reminding the players. I can tell you that Smith is not happy when somebody jacks up a 3 early in the shot clock or when there is a defensive breakdown in technique or effort - not based only on results but on whether each player is doing their job. I've been happy with Smith and his staff so far, and this added to my belief that he's got things headed in a good direction.