Cal vs. Cal Poly
California men's basketball continues its season-opening homestand this Sunday when the Golden Bears play host to the Cal Poly Mustangs at 1 p.m. in Haas Pavilion. The action airs live on the Pac-12 Networks, with
Mike Montgomery and Guy Haberman on the call.
The Bears are looking for their first win of the
Wyking Jones era after falling to UC Riverside, 74-66, in the season opener on Friday evening. Despite the loss, several Bears tallied career-high totals, and five newcomers made their California debuts.
Don Coleman tallied his second game of 20 or more points with a personal-best 31 points.
Kingsley Okoroh, who notched a triple-double in the exhibition game Monday, set career-high rebound (18) and block (7) totals, matching the school single-game record for blocked shots.
Marcus Lee added another 10 rebounds for the Bears in his California debut.
Justice Sueing led California's newcomers with 14 points, second only to Coleman's total, plus five rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. Classmate
Deschon Winston earned his first collegiate start, tallying five points. Rookies
Darius McNeill,
Austin McCullough and
Grant Anticevich also saw time in the season opener.Â
TICKETS & PROMOTIONS: Tickets for the game can be purchased in advance via CalBears.com or by calling (800) 462-3277. The first 150 students to enter Haas Pavilion will receive a Cal beanie courtesy of Sequoia Equities.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION: Tune in to Pac-12 Networks to follow Sunday's action, with color commentary and analysis from Guy Haberman and
Mike Montgomery. The California Golden Bears Sports Network will offer play by play and analysis, as well as post-game interviews, from Todd McKim and
Jay John live on KGO 810 AM. Live stats, full broadcast details and more can be accessed via the Cal men's basketball schedule page on CalBears.com, and fans can follow the Bears on social media via @CalMBball on Twitter and Instagram, and at Facebook.com/CalMBball.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Last Meeting: Cal won, 81-55, on Dec. 17, 2016
Series Record: Cal leads, 4-1
Cal Poly's 2017-18 Record: 0-1
Cal Poly's Last Game: Stanford defeated the Mustangs, 78-62.
• Donovan Fields led the Mustangs with 21 points against Stanford, and Victor Joseph was the only other player in double figures with 17 points.
• Cal Poly tallied 8 steals against the Cardinal.
• The Mustangs return three starters and eight letterwinners from last year's squad.
LAST TIME OUT
Cal fell to UC Riverside, 74-66, in the season opener.
•
Kingsley Okoroh tied the Cal record with 7 blocks against UC Riverside. Michael Stewart also reached 7 three times during his career.
• Okoroh also set his career high with 18 rebounds.
•
Don Coleman set a career high with 31 points, his second straight game with at least 20.
•
Deschon Winston,
Darius McNeill, Justin Sueing,
Austin McCullough and
Grant Anticevich all made their debuts as Golden Bears.
CH-CH-CHANGES
After a busy offseason, the Golden Bears boast among one of the youngest squads in the country, ranking among the Top 10 fewest returning starts from 2016-17 (7th, 45), fewest returning letterwinners (1st, 2), fewest minutes played by returnees in 2016-17 (3rd, 1,167) and most scholarship freshmen (5th, 6).
CAL IN THE PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL
The Golden Bears were projected to finish 11th in the Pac-12 in 2017-18, according to a preseason vote by media who regularly cover the conference.Â
Arizona is the favorite to win the conference, followed by USC and UCLA in the top 3. Washington State is predicted to finish behind the Bears at 12th.
Cal's worst finish in the last decade came in 2007-08, when the Bears went 17-16 overall and 6-12 in the Pac-10 to earn 9th place.
OKOROH ON KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR AWARD WATCH LIST
Kingsley Okoroh is on the shortlist of the best collegiate centers in the nation. The Cal big man was named one of 20 players on the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award.Â
Okoroh enters his senior season following Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention laurels last year. He logged 74 blocks to become Cal's single-season blocked shots leader. The Derby, England native started 24 contests in 2016-17 -- appearing in all 34 games -- en route to averaging a career-best in points (4.6) and rebounds (5.5). During his junior season, Okoroh also averaged 2.2 blocks per a game and recorded four or more blocks in six outings, while also setting single-game career-highs with five blocks against Wyoming and 13 rebounds against No. 4 UCLA.Â
The list will be narrowed down to 10 candidates by mid-February, with five finalists announced in March and the winner crowned in April.
HAMILTON NAMED TO NABC HONORS COURT
Senior guard
Nick Hamilton was recognized for his exemplary work in the classroom this summer, earning NABC Honors Court laurels. The Honors Court recognizes student-athletes who excelled in academics during the 2016-17 season, carrying a 3.2 GPA or higher.
Hamilton boasts a 3.74 cumulative GPA as a double major in legal studies and media studies. The Inglewood, Calif. product saw action in 12 games during the Bears' 2016-17 campaign after recovering from a knee injury during the 2015-16 season.
OKOROH'S OFFSEASON
In preparation for
Wyking Jones' style of press,
Kingsley Okoroh spent his summer becoming a leaner, more mobile and more conditioned athlete. From June 19 to Aug. 28, Okoroh dropped 14 lbs. og weight, improving his lean body mass from 245.8 to 252 -- a gain of 7 lbs. of muscle. His fat measured at 8.4, down from 18.7 in June, including a nearly four percent drop in body fat from 9 percent to 5.1 percent.
Okoroh worked with men's basketball strength and conditioning coach
Jordan Jackson, with a primary area of focus in his mobility -- including the ability to stay into basketball stances and positions for longer periods of times, and opening up his hips to move better. Ankle strength for the 7-footer was also a focus. Okoroh's conditioning to lean out included utilizing the underwater treadmill at Cal's Simpson High Performance Center to put less pressure on his joints, and participating in low-impact cardio such as intervals on the elliptical. Okoroh, Jackson and team nutritionist
Elizabeth McNear also met several times throughout the summer to tighten up Okoroh's diet and nutrition plan.
BEARS HOST "FAMILY DAY OLYMPICS"
With a family atmosphere as an integral part of the foundation for head coach
Wyking Jones' team culture, the Bears held a Family Day Olympics to kick off their preseason. Student-athletes, support staff and their families came together at Thousand Oaks Park in Berkeley for a picnic followed by a competitive slate of games, including a three-legged race, motivational quote unscramble, obstacle course, limbo and more.
WORKOUT WAYS
In order to prepare for a new style of offense this year, the Golden Bears were hard at work this offseason adapting to Strength & Conditioning Coach
Jordan Jackson's workouts. Along with Olympic style weightlifting and conditioning, the Bears also participated in unique sessions such as hot yoga, conditioning on the campus beach volleyball courts and running the California Memorial Stadium steps.
NEW-LOOK BEARS
California's new look extends beyond the nine newcomers on the squad, as the Golden Bears launched a 10-year partnership with global footwear and apparel leader Under Armour on June 1, 2017. The launch included a rebranding of several key athletics marks. The Cal script logo – one of the most iconic and recognizable marks in collegiate athletics – remains a staple, while two classic California symbols in the walking Bear and the block Ccombine to replace the old growling Bear logo. The Bears will also benefit from exclusive use of the custom Sather Stripe design, which pays homage to campus designs, including the Campanile.
NEWELLY-SURFACED
As part of Cal's transition to Under Armour, the Golden Bears received updated facilities paid for with a bonus from the apparel giant. Along with new signage and decor throughout Haas Pavilion, Pete Newell Court now  displays the traditional Cal script logo at center court on the first-grade maple. The old maple wood surface was used for 17 seasons, reaching the end of its functional lifespan. The Sather Stripe makes an appearance on both baselines, as does the new font, again spelling out California and Golden Bears.Â
NEXT UP
California wraps up a three-game homestand by hosting Wofford as part of the campus games of the Maui Invitational. The Terriers visit Berkeley on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. live on the Pac-12 Network.
