California Golden Bears Athletics
California Golden Bears - Men's Basketball
Cal Visits USC, No. 10 UCLAMen's Basketball plays Thursday and Saturday.
Feb. 9, 1998 Game No. 20 California Golden Bears (8-11, 4-6) at USC Trojans (7-14, 3-8) Game No. 21 California Golden Bears at UCLA Bruins (18-4, 8-3, vs. Stanford 2/12) A Quick Look at the Golden Bears After a game on the East Coast Saturday against Rhode Island, the Bears stay on the West Coast this week, traveling to USC and No. 10 UCLA where they will try to break a three-game losing streak. The matchup against the Bruins will mark the Bears fourth game against a ranked opponent in their last five contests (also Arizona, Stanford and Rhode Island). Including the season opener at North Carolina, Cal has already played six games against Top 25 teams this year. The Bears are yet to win against one of them despite keeping the games close. Cal trailed North Carolina by just one point at the half (26-25) and led at the break in games against Stanford (36-31), UCLA (32-25) and Rhode Island (33-26). However, the Bears have played fairly well on the road in conference action this year, already posting victories at Washington State and Oregon State. Dating back to 1993, the Bears have won at least one game on each of their Los Angeles road swings, with a 3-2 record at USC and a 4-1 mark at UCLA. Guards Geno Carlisle and Thomas Kilgore continue to pace Cal in scoring, with Carlisle ranking sixth in the Pac-10 with 17.6 ppg. He has averaged 22.0 ppg in road games, including 28-point outings at Oregon and Oregon State and a 25-point game at Stanford in January. Kilgore is averaging 12.9 ppg and is among the league leaders in both steals (3rd, 2.21 spg) and three-point shooting (7th, 42.4%). Up front, head coach Ben Braun has gone with freshman Sean Lampley and juniors Francisco Elson and Michael Gill as starters the last two games. Lampley had his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds against Arizona Jan. 31 and has averaged 11.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg his last five games. Elson, who is Cal's top shot-blocker with 20 on the season, had a career-high 12 points against Arizona State and also scored 10 points versus USC earlier this year. Despite suffering from a nagging abdominal injury that has kept him out of four games this year, Gill still ranks third on the squad with 12.3 ppg. However, the Bears were without senior forward and leading rebounder Sean Marks at Rhode Island Saturday. Marks, who is suffering from a sore right instep, hopes to be able to return for the two games this weekend. Cal Coach Ben Braun Ben Braun (Wisconsin '75), who was named the 14th head coach in Cal history on Sept. 15, 1996, is in his second year in Berkeley and 21st season as collegiate head coach. He agreed to a new eight-year contract with Cal in October that extends through the 2004-05 season. His record at Cal is 31-20, while his career mark, which includes 11 years at Eastern Michigan and eight seasons at Siena Heights College, is 364-255. The 1997 Pac-10 Coach of the Year and a finalist for '97 National Coach of the Year honors, Braun led the Bears to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season. At EMU from 1985-96, the three-time MAC Coach of the Year guided the Eagles to three NCAA Tournaments and one NIT appearance with an overall record of 185-132. A native of Chicago, Braun played one year of basketball at Wisconsin-LaCrosse before transferring to Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a teaching degree in English with a minor in African-American studies in 1975. He received his master's degree in guidance and counseling from Siena Heights. USC Scouting Report A Look at USC (7-14, 3-8 Pac-10) USC, which is coming off a pair of road losses in Oregon and is 0-7 away from home in Pac-10 action, has played well at the Los Angeles Sports Arena where the Trojans are 3-1 in league games. Adam Spanich leads USC in scoring with 13.8 ppg, while Shannon Swillis is the team's top rebounder with 6.3 rpg. Swillis' older brother, Kevin, is an offensive lineman on the Cal football team. California vs. USC History Cal owns a 111-107 series lead over USC, with the Bears winning six of the last seven games between the teams. The only Cal setback during that stretch came last year in Los Angeles, when the Trojans prevailed, 93-85. Earlier this season, Cal won, 92-82, behind 19 points from Thomas Kilgore. USC Head Coach Henry Bibby
Henry Bibby is in his third season as head coach at USC and has a 25-33 record. In 1997, he guided the Trojans to the first round of the NCAA Tournament and a tie for second place in the Pac-10. An All-American guard for UCLA in 1972, Bibby played nine seasons in the NBA.
UCLA Scouting Report A Look at UCLA (18-4, 8-3, vs. Stanford Feb. 12) UCLA, ranked 10th in the USA Today/ESPN poll, has won five of its last six after splitting a pair of games in Oregon last weekend. The Bruins, though, are a perfect 11-0 at home and have won 16 straight in Pauley Pavilion since a 71-68 loss to Cal last year. As a team, UCLA is shooting 50.4 percent from the floor. J.R. Henderson ranks fourth in the Pac-10 in scoring with 19.0 ppg and four other players are averaging in double figures. California vs. UCLA History UCLA has a 113-85 all-time advantage over Cal. Including the Bruins 74-73 victory in Oakland earlier this season, the visiting team has won seven times in the last eight games. Last year, Cal defeated UCLA, 71-68, in Pauley Pavilion. UCLA Head Coach Steve Lavin
Steve Lavin is in his second season at UCLA, having compiled a 42-12 record. Last year, he led the Bruins to a Pac-10 title and the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Prior to accepting the head position, Lavin was an assistant coach at both UCLA and Purdue.
California Notes Home Court Not Friendly in Cal-UCLA Series When it comes to the Cal-UCLA rivalry over the past six seasons, the visitors have proven that they hold the advantage, as road teams have won nine times in the last 11 games. The odd twist began with Cal's 102-84 victory on Jan. 24, 1993 in Pauley Pavilion and runs through UCLA's 74-73 triumph at the New Arena in Oakland on Jan. 15 earlier this year. The only wins by home teams came in 1994, when the Bears defeated the then-No. 1 and undefeated Bruins, 85-70, in Oakland, and in 1996, when the Bruins claimed a 93-73 decision in Pauley. Over those half-dozen seasons, Cal is 4-1 in Los Angeles, while UCLA is 5-1 in the Bay Area with games being played in three different venues (Harmon Gym, the Cow Palace and the New Arena).
Cal Looks to Jump Start Offense in Los Angeles After averaging 79.3 ppg over its first eight Pac-10 games this year, Cal has seen its scoring output fall to 64.0 ppg in its last three contests, which also includes a non-conference game at Rhode Island. The Bears came out of the gates quickly once league action began mainly due to the fact the team had recently become whole transfer guards Geno Carlisle and Thomas Kilgore were not eligible to play until Dec. 22. During those first eight Pac-10 games, the Bears reached 80 points five times, including a 92-point outburst in a win over USC. But over the last three contests, Cal has not been at full strength and has only reached 70 points once. Forward Michael Gill missed three games with a recurrence of an abdominal injury and only just returned against Stanford Feb. 4. Then, leading rebounder Sean Marks was forced to sit out the Rhode Island contest with a sore right instep. Even Kilgore was limited against the Rams due to a sprained ankle (season-low 4 points). Still, Cal needs to put more points on the board if it is to stop its current three-game losing streak. Over the course of the season, the Bears are 6-2 when they total 74 or more points, but just 2-9 when they score 73 or less. No. 23 Rhode Island Runs Past Cal in Second Half, 72-63 With a defense that held Rhode Island's high scoring backcourt duo of Tyson Wheeler and Cuttino Mobley to just three points in the first half, Cal opened up a 33-26 lead at the break. But Wheeler and Mobley got on track after intermission, scoring a combined 22 points and helping the 23rd-ranked Rams (USA Today/ESPN poll) to a 72-63 victory Saturday at the Providence Civic Center. Geno Carlisle led the Bears with 14 points, while Sean Lampley had 14 points and seven rebounds and Michael Gill added 10 points and eight boards. For URI, Wheeler finished with 15 points and Mobley with 10. Three-point Shooting Takes Big Jump Since the start of the Pac-10 season, Cal has been able to count on its accuracy from three-point range to bolster the team's scoring attack. As a team, the Bears are making 36.4% of their attempts from beyond the arc (48-132) in Pac-10 play, shooting at least 35% in eight of 10 conference games. That stands in stark contract to Cal's non-conference performance. In nine non-league games, the Bears made only 21.5% of their three-point attempts, topping 35% just once. The leaders for Cal, as might be expected, are junior guards Geno Carlisle and Thomas Kilgore, who did not become eligible to play until the season's sixth game after transferring last January. Carlisle has gone 27-for-68 (39.7%) on his threes in the Pac-10, while Kilgore is 11-for-26 (42.3%) in conference action. Bears Search for Right Starting Lineup With a team that lost seven players from its '97 NCAA Sweet 16 squad and added six newcomers to its '97-98 team, head coach Ben Braun knew it would take a little while to find the right mix of players this season. Compounding that were preseason injuries to Sean Marks (shin), Kenyon Jones (knee) and Raymond King (back), a nagging abdominal strain to Michael Gill and the fact that transfers Geno Carlisle and Thomas Kilgore did not become eligible to play until late December. As a result, Braun has had to vary his starting lineup more that he probably would like this year, using 12 different starting sets in 19 games. Ten players, including walk-on Robbie Jones, have earned at least four starts with only one group Carlisle, Kilgore, Gill, Kenyon Jones, Marks starting more than two games together, and it has been a unit just four times. Cal on Short End of Rebounding Battle in Pac-10 Games Despite having three players who stand 6-10 or taller, Cal has been outrebounded in nine of its 10 Pac-10 games this year. The only time the Bears had a rebounding advantage came Jan. 24 at Washington State. In that game, Cal found itself trailing, 23-17, in the rebounding column at halftime, but the Bears turned around their performance on the glass, outboarding the Cougars by a 27-12 count in the second half for an overall margin of 44-35. Overall, Sean Marks paces the Bears with an average of 7.8 rpg, including a career-high 13 boards against Virginia Commonwealth. However, it has been freshman forward Sean Lampley who has come on strong lately, averaging 8.0 rpg his last five games, with a career-high 10 boards against both Arizona State and Arizona. Freshman Lampley Comes of Age for Bears Sean Lampley, the only scholarship freshman on the team, has not been playing like a rookie lately. And as a result, the 6-7 forward from Chicago has earned himself a spot in the Bears starting lineup the last three games. Lampley's playing time began to increase when Michael Gill was injured in the Jan. 22 Washington game. In Cal's Jan. 24 contest at Washington State, Lampley came off the bench for 11 points and eight rebounds and was instrumental in limiting WSU forward Carlos Daniel to just 1-for-6 shooting in the second half as Cal pulled away for a victory. Then against Arizona State Jan. 29, Lampley had nine points and a career-high 10 boards. Based on those performances, head coach Ben Braun gave Lampley a start against Arizona, and he responded with a career-best 17 points and 10 rebounds. Over the last five games, Lampley has averaged 11.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg, well above is overall season numbers of 7.3 ppg and 4.2 rpg. Gill Returns to Lineup After Missing Three Games Junior forward Michael Gill, who missed three games with a recurrence of an abdominal injury (osteitis pubis), returned to the starting lineup against Stanford Feb. 4. In 29 minutes, he had seven points, four rebounds and three steals. He then added 10 points and tied a season high with eight rebounds at Rhode Island. The 6-6 junior forward did not start at Houston and sat out the BYU contest due to the injury, but he had been playing well since then. However, Gill re-aggravated the injury with 7:28 left in the second half at Washington Jan. 22 when he took a charge on UW's Donald Watts. While he has been in the lineup, Gill has been one of Cal's most versatile and consistent players. Due to a shortage of players in November, Gill started the first two games at point guard before moving to his more natural forward position. He has scored at least 14 points eight times with a career-best 18 points coming against St. Mary's. In the Washington contest, Gill had 17 points (6-9 FG, 1-1 3P, 4-4 FT) before he went to the sidelines. For the season, he is averaging 12.3 ppg and 3.9 rpg. Carlise Finds Road Gyms More to His Liking Junior guard Geno Carlisle has reached double figures in all but one of the 14 games he has played since becoming eligible back on Dec. 22 against BYU. And after Saturday's contest at Rhode Island, he is averaging a team-high 17.6 ppg, a rate that rises to 19.3 ppg in Pac-10 games. However, the 6-3 transfer from Northwestern has found the rims a bit colder at the New Arena in Oakland than he does in visiting gyms. In his eight home games, Carlisle is shooting just 36-for-103 (35.0%) from the floor and 13-for-52 (25.0%) from three-point range while averaging 14.3 ppg. But in six road contests, Carlisle is averaging 22.0 ppg on 51.2 percent field goal shooting (44-86) and 45.2 percent three-point shooting (19-42). He had 28 points in games at Oregon and Oregon State, making 10 of his 14 attempts against the Beavers. Carlisle then scored 25 points at then-No. 7 Stanford Jan. 10, with 22 of them coming in the second half. At Washington, he scored 20 points, including the game-tying three-pointer with 9 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Carlisle had his best home game of the season against Stanford Feb. 4 when he scored a team-high 25 points and grabbed six rebounds. Carlisle At Home Carlisle On The Road FG-FGA (%) 36-103 (35.0%) 44-86 (51.2%) 3P-3PA (%) 13-52 (25.0%) 19-42 (45.2%) Points (Avg.) 114 (14.3 ppg) 132 (22.0 ppg) AST (Avg.) 19 (2.4 apg) 16 (2.7 apg) STL (Avg.) 8 (1.0 spg) 8 (1.3 spg) Kilgore Makes His Own Impact in Cal Lineup Geno Carlisle may be getting much of the media attention for his 19.3-point average in Pac-10 play, but junior guard Thomas Kilgore has also made a significant impact on the Bears. Since becoming eligible Dec. 22 after playing two years at Central Michigan, Kilgore has averaged 12.9 ppg to rank second on the team. He had a game-high 18 points and five steals against Virginia Commonwealth to earn all-tournament honors in the Golden Bear Classic. In the Bears victory at Oregon State, Kilgore scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. During a 19-0 run that broke the game open in the first half, Kilgore scored nine consecutive points on a three-pointer and three layups. He then totaled 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting at Stanford and added 19 more, along with seven assists, versus USC. But his best game may have come at Washington State when he scored 21 points and dished out eight assists. In addition, Kilgore leads the Bears with 31 steals on the year, an average of 2.21 spg. Captain Kiwi Takes Control of Boards Team captain Sean Marks, Cal's 6-11 forward, has emerged as one of the top rebounders in the Pac-10 with an average of 7.8 rpg. Despite a sore right instep that limited him to 17 minutes against Stanford Feb. 4 and held him out of the Rhode Island game completely, Marks has a team-best four double-doubles on the year. The senior from New Zealand, who goes by the nickname "Kiwi," has also led Cal on the glass 11 times. His most recent double-double of the season came against UCLA Jan. 15 when he finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. Marks grabbed a career-best 13 boards against Virginia Commonwealth in the final of Golden Bears Classic, earning all-tournament honors for his efforts. His other double-doubles came against St. Mary's (12-12), Houston (15-10) and BYU (14-11). Marks' only previous career double-double was a 15-point, 11-rebound performance in the 1996-97 season-opener against Iowa. Robbie Jones Walks Into Starring Role Junior guard Robbie Jones joined the Cal team this year as a walk-on, and he has made the most of his opportunity with the Bears. Jones has played in 15 games so far, earning four starts on the season BYU, Washington, Washington State and Arizona State. Against the Cougars Jan. 24, he had five of Cal's first seven points and finished the game with five points, four rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes. A defensive specialist, the 6-3 Jones was assigned to guard WSU's 6-7 forward Chris Crosby, and he helped hold Crosby to just 3-for-13 shooting from the floor. In his first start versus BYU, Jones brought the crowd to its feet with a breakaway slam dunk early in the contest. Jones also came off the bench against USC Jan. 17 for a career-best six points, two rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes. Cal has a total of eight walk-ons on the team and four of them Justin Labagh, Cassidy Raher, J.T. Stephens and James Davis were members of the squad last year. Haas Pavilion Construction Underway With on-campus Harmon Gym being renovated and expanded into Haas Pavilion, Cal will play all of its home games in the interim at the New Arena in Oakland. The Bears played their final game in Harmon, which opened in 1933, on March 6, 1997 and defeated Arizona State, 84-66, to close the building with an 18-game win streak in the 6,578-seat facility. Needed design changes have pushed the projected finish date to early 1999, meaning Cal will probably not play its first game there until the start of the '99-00 season. The building will have approximately 12,100 seats and feature expanded locker, weight training and athletic training rooms, as well as additional office space for coaches and administrators. The $40 million project is named for Walter and Evelyn Haas Jr., who donated a lead gift of $10 million. Bear Notes Despite playing in an off-campus arena, Cal is third in the Pac-10 in home attendance, averaging 9,710 fans per game, including a season-high 13,698 fans for the Arizona contest ... four Bears were named to the Golden Bear Classic all-tournament team: Francisco Elson (MVP), Sean Marks, Kenyon Jones, Thomas Kilgore ... Cal has a +3.60 turnover ratio in Pac-10 games with the Bears committing a season-low 10 turnovers against UCLA and Stanford ... Michael Gill made five consecutive three-points in games against UCLA (2-2), USC (2-2) and Washington (1-1) ... Geno Carlisle scored his 1,000th career point at Washington State Jan. 24; he now has 1,082 points, with 836 of them coming when he played at Northwestern. Updated Cal Basketball Profiles Geno Carlisle 6-3, Junior, Guard Carlisle scored 28 points against both Oregon and Oregon State Jan. 3-5 to take over the team lead in scoring ... shot 8-13 FG, 5-10 3P, 7-8 FT against the Ducks, then was 10-14 FG, 5-8 3P, 3-6 FT versus the Beavers ... scored 25 points in both games against Stanford ... added 20 points at Washington, including a three-pointer with 9 seconds left to send the game into overtime ... after transferring to Cal from Northwestern in January 1997, made his Cal debut Dec. 22 against BYU and scored a team-high 16 points ... had to wait until the end of fall final exams to become eligible to play ... reached double figures 13 times in 14 games ... was an All-Big Ten performer for Northwestern after averaging 19.7 ppg as a soph in '95-96 ... from the same hometown as Cal teammate Thomas Kilgore (Grand Rapids, MI), but attended a different high school. Francisco Elson 7-0, Junior, Center Elson started each of Cal's first 4 games then returned to the starting lineup vs. Stanford Feb. 4 ... is the first 7-footer at Cal since John Wardell in 1965 and '66 ... played two seasons at Kilgore College in Texas before transferring to Cal ... named MVP of the Golden Bear Classic after grabbing 17 rebounds against Virginia Commonwealth Dec. 29 ... had 10 points vs. USC and had 10 more at Washington State ... scored a career-best 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-4 FT) vs. ASU ... had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in 36 minutes at North Carolina ... leads the team lead with 20 blocks ... had a team-high 7 rebounds in the Feb. 4 Stanford game. Michael Gill 6-6, Junior, Forward Called Cal's Most Valuable Player by head coach Ben Braun, Gill has been a key contributor in his first season with the Bears ... however, missed 3 games in January with a recurrence of an abdominal injury, but returned vs. Stanford Feb. 4 ... reached double figures in scoring in all but 4 games, with a high of 18 points vs. St. Mary's and USC ... started at point guard in Cal's first two games before moving back to his more natural forward position ... sat out the BYU game Dec. 22 to rest the abdominal injury (osteitis pubis) ... had 13 points in the opener at North Carolina ... did not start at Houston because of his injury, but came off the bench for 14 points and 5 rebounds against the Cougars ... also had 14 points and 8 boards vs. Portland State and 14 points in 16 minutes vs. VCU ... added 14 points vs. UCLA and 17 more at Washington ... had 5 steals against St. Mary's ... played his freshman season at Pittsburgh before transferring to Compton College in southern California last year where he averaged 21.3 ppg and 9.3 rpg. Sean Jackson 6-5, Sophomore, Guard After receiving limited playing time as a freshman (22 games, 6.9 minutes per game), Jackson opened the year as one of Cal's starting guards ... tied a career high with 11 points in the opener at North Carolina (4-7 FG, 2-5 3P, 1-3 FT) ... has 7 three-pointers on the year ... also has 13 steals ... played at least 33 minutes in each of the first three games this year ... played 29 minutes at Houston, sitting out much of the second half after suffering a broken nose ... had 7 points and 3 steals against Portland State and six points on a pair of three-pointers vs. BYU ... has played in only 3 of the last 10 games, but was in for 13 minutes vs. ASU. Kenyon Jones 6-10, Junior, Center Jones started Cal's first two games vs. North Carolina and St. Mary's before coming off the bench at USF and Houston ... returned to the starting lineup against Portland State and finished the night with 12 points and 8 boards ... also grabbed eight rebounds vs. Arizona ... named to the Golden Bear Classic all-tournament team after scoring a season-high 14 points (6-7 FG, 2-3 FT) in the first round against New Hampshire ... tied for third on the team with 11 blocks, including 3 vs. St. Mary's ... had 9 points and a team-high 6 boards at UNC .. had 8 points vs. Stanford Feb. 4. Robbie Jones 6-3, Junior, Guard A walk-on, Jones has played in 15 games, including starts against BYU, Washington, WSU and Arizona State ... scored 2 points on a breakaway dunk and also contributed 3 rebounds in 12 minutes against BYU ... had six points, two rebounds and two assists vs. USC and 5 points and 4 boards at WSU ... was a member of the Cal hoop team in '95-96, but redshirted ... averaged 15.1 ppg at Canada JC last year. Thomas Kilgore 6-2, Junior, Guard Kilgore made his Cal debut along with Geno Carlisle against BYU Dec. 22 after transferring last January ... came off the bench to score 7 points in 26 minutes against the Cougars ... started both games of the Golden Bear Classic and earned all-tournament honors after scoring 18 points against VCU ... had 5 steals in that game and 5 more vs. UCLA ... had 19 points (7-9 FG, 1-2 3P, 4-6 FT) at Stanford ... also added 19 points vs. USC and 21 points and a career-high 8 assists at Washington State ... ranks third in the Pac-10 in steals ... played 2 years at C. Michigan ... was a member of the 1995 MAC All-Freshman team when he averaged 18.9 ppg and was the top freshman scorer in the NCAA. Raymond King 5-10, Sophomore, Guard King, a transfer from San Diego State, has started six games at point guard for the Bears ... missed the first 4 weeks of preseason training camp with a disk injury in his back ... returned to play 27 minutes at North Carolina and 31 minutes vs. St. Mary's ... started and played all 40 minutes at USF ... leads Cal with 60 assists ... had a career-high 5 steals at Houston ... scored a career-high 21 points (7-13 FG, 7-10 FT) with 6 rebounds against Portland State ... shot 6-6 FT in final minute at WSU ... tied for team honors with 7 boards vs. New Hampshire ... goes by the nickname "Circus." Sean Lampley 6-7, Freshman, Forward Lampley, the only scholarship freshman on the team, earned a spot in the starting lineup vs. Arizona Jan. 31 after a pair of strong games against Washington State (11 pts/8 rebs) and Arizona State (9 pts/10 rebs) ... had a career-high 17 points and 10 boards against Arizona ... scored a team-high 15 points at USF (7-8 FG, 1-1 3P) ... gained his first start of the year at Houston, scoring 9 points and grabbing 5 rebounds ... also had 15 points and added 5 assists vs. USC ... has 26 assists on the year ... tied for third on the team with 11 blocks. Sean Marks 6-11, Senior, Forward
Marks is the only senior on the Cal team and serves as team captain this year ... sat out the Rhode Island game with a sore right instep but may return vs. USC ... had the first of his four double-doubles this season vs. St. Mary's with 12 points and 12 rebounds ... also had 15 points and 10 boards at Houston Dec. 9 ... leads the Bears with an average of 7.8 rpg ... had 12 points (all in the second half) and a team-high 9 rebounds vs. Portland State ... had others double-doubles vs. BYU (14-11) vs. UCLA (11-12) ... grabbed a career-high 13 boards vs. VCU on his way to earning all-tournament honors in the Golden Bear Classic ... has led Cal in rebounding 11 times ... is a mobile player who has made 10 three-pointers in his career (22 attempts) ... season scoring high was 16 points at Washington.
Head Coach: Ben Braun (Wisconsin '75) 31-20 at Cal (2nd year) & 354-255 overall (21st year)
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