BERKELEY - If challenged to take just a snapshot that illustrates how much pride the Cal women's basketball team takes in being a part of its community, consider the ear-to-ear grin junior Courtney Range flashed when asked how she felt about Cal's second annual School Haas Rock event.
"I love it. I love kids, so I tried to spend as much time as I could out there before I came in here," Range said. "The atmosphere is great. They're screaming, they're just happy to be here. This is by far one of the best days (of the season)."
Cal squared off with UC Riverside on Friday in a rare weekday matinee, and the fact that the Bears emerged with a 64-58 victory only added to an already a successful day inside Haas Pavilion. For the second year in a row, thousands of kids provided the soundtrack for a Division I basketball game as the Bears invited local schools to turn the day into a field trip that not only showcased Cal as a premier basketball school but also a campus that some may one day call home.
The event started before the Bears took the floor, with Cal Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students Joseph Greenwell and former Cal player Justine Hartman both addressing a loud and energetic crowd of youngsters. Once the game started, Cal players were treated to what will likely end of being one of their loudest cheering sections this season. Educational trivia questions and a halftime science experiment at mid-court drove home what the day was really about.
"They're leaving their imprint on me on a day like this more than me leaving an imprint," Greenwell said. "Seeing their faces, these are our future students. Their excitement about being here and excitement about what it means to be at Cal reminds me how important our work is and what we do to continue to be that bridge to our K through 12 partners and bring in our future stars. Some of these students may be playing on this very court someday, and if today was a day that sparked that interest, then that's incredible."
That the building was full of children is a great source of pride to Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. As a leader of young women who has always preached that wearing a Cal jersey means much more than a result on the court, Gottlieb praised her staff as well as the Cal marketing, social media and fan experience teams for the outreach and effort they put toward the event.
And, Gottlieb made sure her players knew what the day meant on a larger scale, although she likely didn't need to say much to an already conscientious group of Bears.
"It's one of my favorite days of the year. I really think that we're the community's team. We're the University of California," Gottlieb said. "Our young women understand that they're role models in the community. I told the players this may be the only time they see a basketball game. This may be the only time they see a college campus or the only time they see you and they're going to strive to be you. Or, maybe they strive to be someone who sings the national anthem or works behind the table or be the referee. It encourages kids to dream bigger. To have that platform as college athletes and coaches, I think that's the best part of the job. I think this is a really special day and I'm really proud that we got so many kids here to experience it."
That the day turned out as well as it did, both on the court and off, provided reason enough to celebrate for Cal's players and coaches. And, while they'll quickly turn their attention to Sunday's game against Cal Poly, the Bears made sure to soak in one perhaps the most enjoyable Friday mornings they'll have all season.
"Kids out here, especially locally, they don't get this chance. For me, coming from this area, it made me not take things for granted," freshman Asha Thomas said. "It was fun hearing all these kids. It was loud, very loud, but I appreciated it."