University of California Athletics

Thomas Kilgore scored 19 points when the Bears faced the Trojans on Jan. 16.

Men's hoops squad faces USC Feb. 11, UCLA Feb. 13.

February 8, 1999

USC Trojans (11-9, 3-8) at California Golden Bears (12-8, 3-7)

Thursday, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m., Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
TV: Fox Sports Bay Area

UCLA Bruins (17-5, 8-3, at Stanford 2/11) at California

Saturday, Feb. 13, 1:30 p.m., Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
TV: ABC Regional (locally on KGO TV 7)

A Quick Look at the Golden Bears
California looks to break a three-game losing streak when the Bears host USC and No. 9 UCLA this week. Cal has won its last six home games against USC, including a 92-82 victory over the Trojans last year. However, the Bears have not been as fortunate versus UCLA, as the Bruins are 6-1 in their last seven trips to Cal's home court.

After going 9-1 in its pre-Pac-10 schedule, Cal finds itself needing a strong finish to the year to secure a postseason berth. The Bears surged through their first 10 games with a defense that was holding opponents to 37.0 percent shooting from the floor and to 64.5 ppg. But in Pac-10 play, those numbers have risen to 47.3 percent and 71.3 ppg. Cal has also gone 2-3 in Oakland during league games after being a perfect 7-0 during its non-conference slate.

To break out of the slump, head coach Ben Braun has altered his starting lineup several times over the past couple of weeks. Most recently, he inserted freshman Shahar Gordon into the lineup at center against Stanford. In his first start of the year, Gordon finished with four points, four rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in 27 minutes before fouling out late in the contest.

Since the start of Pac-10 play, the most consistent offensive player for Cal has been senior guard Thomas Kilgore. During the last 10 games, he has reached double figures every time and has averaged a team-leading 15.5 ppg on better than 52 percent shooting. Kilgore also paces the Bears with 35 steals on the year (1.94 spg). Last season, he averaged 2.14 spg to join Jason Kidd (1993, '94) and Gene Ransom (1978) as the only Cal players to average at least two steals for a full season.

Overall, senior guard Geno Carlisle still leads the team with 16.4 ppg, with a high of 29 points against North Carolina. He also paces the squad with 82 assists for an average of 4.1 per game.

Up front, the Bears boast one of the nation's top rebounders in Lampley. Now averaging 11.5 ppg and 8.9 rpg, Lampley has posted six double-doubles, including a 21-point, 18-board performance vs. Houston. Third in the Pac-10 in rebounding average, he has led Cal on the boards in 15 of the 19 games he has played.

Probable Starters & Key Reserves

POS NO  NAME            HT    YR  PPG   RPG      NOTES
F   21  Sean Lampley    6-7   So  11.5  8.9      6 double-doubles this year; 18 rebounds vs. Houston 12/3
F   23  Carl Boyd       6-5   Jr   7.0  4.2      Career-high 17 points at USC; 14 points, 6 boards at Arizona State
C   40  Shahar Gordon   6-10  Fr   1.2  1.7      4 points, 4 rebounds in first career start vs. Stanford
G   15  Thomas Kilgore  6-2   Sr  13.9  3.2      Scored double figures last 12 games; shooting 52.5% FG in Pac-10
G   25  Geno Carlisle   6-3   Sr  16.4  4.1 ast  20 points, 10 assists off bench at USC; 29 points vs. North Carolina
G    5  Dennis Gates    6-3   Fr   3.0  0.9      Returned for Arizona after missing WSU & ASU games w/knee injury
G   10  Raymond King    5-10  Jr   2.1  1.2 ast  9 points, 4 assists, 2 steals at Arizona
F   33  Mike Gill       6-6   Sr   9.9  4.6      Hit game-winning layup with 3.5 seconds left vs. Oregon State
C   41  Francisco Elson 7-0   Sr   6.3  4.8      First career double-double (13-11) vs. Washington; 52.5% FG
C   45  Solomon Hughes  6-11  Fr   3.6  2.3      Career-high 10 points at BYU & EKU; starts at USC & Arizona

Cal on the Radio
All California games will be broadcast on KABL Radio (960 AM) in San Francisco and KATD Radio (990 AM) in Concord with Roxy Bernstein calling the action. Each broadcast begins 20 minutes prior to tip-off with the Cal Basketball Pregame Show. After the game, head coach Ben Braun will recap the action on the Cal Basketball Postgame Show. In addition to the radio, broadcasts can be heard on the Internet at www.broadcast.com.

Cal Radio on Telephone
All Cal basketball radio broadcasts during the 1998-99 season are available nationwide via telephone through TRZ Telephone Broadcast Services. Fans may access the Cal games from anywhere in the country by dialing 800-846-4700, extension 5918. The cost is 50 cents for the first minute, with decreasing rates for each addition minute.

The Oakland Arena
While Haas Pavilion is under construction on campus, Cal will play all of its home games at the Oakland Arena. Recently renovated and expanded to 19,200 seats, the facility also serves as host to the NBA's Golden State Warriors. Cal played its first game in Oakland in 1974 and has an all-time mark of 35-21 there. The building, which was originally built in 1966, served as host of the men's NCAA West Regionals in 1990 and '95 and the women's regionals in 1998.

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 third year in Berkeley and 22nd season as collegiate head coach. He agreed to a new eight-year contract with Cal in October 1997 that extends through the 2004-05 season. His record at Cal stands at 47-32, while his career mark, which includes 11 years at Eastern Michigan and eight seasons at Siena Heights College, is 380-267. 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 in 1997. 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 (11-9, 3-8)
USC is a half-game behind Cal in the Pac-10 standings. The Trojans are coming off a home split, beating Oregon State, 86-61, but losing to Oregon, 60-55. The victory over OSU broke a six-game losing streak for USC. Center Brian Scalabrine is the only player to start all 20 games and he is averaging a team-high 14.7 ppg. Cal-USC Series History

Cal, which defeated USC, 89-75, in Los Angeles Jan. 16, owns a 113-107 series lead. The Bears have won the last three meetings and eight of the past nine games between the schools. Last year at Oakland, Cal took a 92-82 decision behind 19 points from Thomas Kilgore and 18 by Mike Gill.

USC Head Coach Henry Bibby
Henry Bibby is in his fourth season at USC and has a 38-49 record. After taking over as interim coach midway through 1995-96, Bibby guided USC to a berth in the 1997 NCAA Tournament. A former All-American at UCLA, Bibby played nine years in the NBA.

Probable Starters

Pos No   Name               Ht    Wt    Yr   Ppg    Rpg
F   13   Adam Spanich       6-7   212   Sr    9.2   2.4
F   50   Sam Clancy         6-7   240   Fr    5.6   5.5
C   24   Brian Scalabrine   6-9   240   So   14.7   6.8
G   20   Elias Ayuso        6-2   195   Sr   11.8   1.9
G    5   Brandon Granville  5-10  180   Fr    7.3   2.2

A Look at UCLA (17-5, 8-3, at Stanford 2/11)
UCLA enters this week's play tied for second in the Pac-10 standings with Arizona, and the Bruins are coming off an 85-67 win over Oregon State Sunday. UCLA leads the Pac-10 in steals with 10.77 per game with both Baron Davis (1st, 2.67 spg) and Earl Watson (T6th, 1.86 spg) ranking among the conference's Top 10.

Cal-UCLA Series History
UCLA holds a 115-85 all-time series lead over Cal, including a 72-61 victory over the Bears Jan. 14 in Los Angeles. The Bruins have won their last their last four games in the Bay Area. Cal's last victory over UCLA at home was an 85-70 outcome on Jan. 31, 1994 when the Bears, led by Jason Kidd and Lamond Murray, knocked off the then-No. 1 and undefeated Bruins before a sellout crowd at the Oakland Arena.

UCLA Head Coach Steve Lavin
Steve Lavin is in his third season at UCLA and has compiled a 65-22 record. He took the Bruins to the Elite Eight in 1997 and to the Sweet 16 in last year's NCAA Tournament. Lavin was a UCLA assistant for five seasons before taking over the head job.

Probable Starters

Pos  No   Name          Ht    Wt    Yr   Ppg    Rpg
F    23   Matt Barnes   6-7   215   Fr    3.9   2.9
F    13   Travis Reed   6-7   220   So    6.5   3.4
C    50   Dan Gadzuric  6-11  240   Fr    9.0   5.8
G     5   Baron Davis   6-3   190   So   14.1   3.1
G    25   Earl Watson   6-2   170   So   13.5   3.7

By Class
Senior (4) - Geno Carlisle, Francisco Elson, Mike Gill, Thomas Kilgore
Junior (3) - Carl Boyd, Robbie Jones, Raymond King
Sophomore (1) - Sean Lampley
Freshman (3) - Dennis Gates, Shahar Gordon, Solomon Hughes

By Height
7-0 - Francisco Elson
6-11 - Solomon Hughes
6-10 - Shahar Gordon
6-7 - Sean Lampley
6-6 - Mike Gill
6-5 - Carl Boyd
6-3 - Geno Carlisle, Dennis Gates, Robbie Jones
6-2 - Thomas Kilgore

5-10 - Raymond King

Games*
                  Career  Starts
Francisco Elson   46      31
Sean Lampley      46      23
Raymond King      45      13
Geno Carlisle     42      37
Thomas Kilgore    39      29
Mike Gill         39      31
Robbie Jones      31      10
Carl Boyd         20      17
Dennis Gates      18       2
Solomon Hughes    17       2
Shahar Gordon     16       1

Points*
                  Career   Avg.
Geno Carlisle     722      17.2
Thomas Kilgore    521      13.4
Sean Lampley      444       9.7
Mike Gill         395      10.1
Francisco Elson   255       5.5
Raymond King      212       4.7
Carl Boyd         140       7.0
Robbie Jones       62       2.1
Solomon Hughes     61       3.6
Dennis Gates       54       3.0
Shahar Gordon      20       1.2

Rebounds*
                   Career   Avg.
Sean Lampley       311      6.7
Francisco Elson    218      4.7
Mike Gill          155      4.0
Geno Carlisle      111      2.6
Thomas Kilgore     105      2.7
Raymond King        90      2.0
Carl Boyd           84      4.2
Robbie Jones        51      1.7
Solomon Hughes      39      2.3
Shahar Gordon       27      1.7
Dennis Gates        17      0.9

Assists*
                    Career  Avg.
Geno Carlisle       132     3.1
Raymond King        111     2.5
Thomas Kilgore       96     2.5
Sean Lampley         74     1.6
Mike Gill            36     0.9
Carl Boyd            24     1.1
Francisco Elson      23     0.5
Robbie Jones         15     0.5
Shahar Gordon        13     0.9
Dennis Gates         10     0.6
Solomon Hughes        1     0.1

*Cal statistics only

No. 4 Stanford Edges Cal, 57-55
Cal raced out to an early nine-point lead over Stanford in the first half and was up by a 38-37 margin at the break. But after intermission, defense took over as both teams made just four field goals each in the second half. Stanford's final basket was the key, as Kris Weems hit a three-pointer with 1:49 left to lift the Cardinal to a 57-55 lead. The Bears had two shots in their final possession, but three-pointers by Mike Gill and Thomas Kilgore both missed the mark. Kilgore and Gill tied for team honors with 15 points each.

After Quick Start, Cal Finds Tough Road in Pac-10
Cal jumped out to a 9-1 record the first six weeks of the season - the fastest start for the Bears since the 1980-81 team also began 9-1. But since Pac-10 play began in January, Cal has not performed at as high a level, going just 3-7 in league action. During their non-conference games, the Bears limited opponents to just 37.0 percent shooting from the floor and to only 64.5 ppg. Offensively, Cal scored more than 75 points five times, including two games when the Bears totaled 94 points. However, over the first 10 games of the Pac-10 season, opponent field goal shooting has climbed to 47.3 percent and scoring has gone up to 71.3 ppg. In addition, Cal has topped 75 points only once - in an 89-75 victory at USC.

Pac-10 Attendance Record in Jeopardy
The Pac-10 single-game attendance record could fall this week, as almost 14,000 tickets have been sold in advance of Saturday's Cal-UCLA game. The current record for attendance for a regular-season Pac-10 game is 15,517 set Feb. 27, 1992 when UCLA played USC at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Last Wednesday's Cal-Stanford game nearly broke the mark as paid attendance was announced at 15,269. Still, that crowd ranks as the second-largest home crowd in Cal history, topped only by the 19,657 who came out to see the Cal-North Carolina, Stanford-Temple doubleheader at the Pete Newell Challenge Dec. 29. For the season, Cal ranks second in the Pac-10 in home attendance with an average of 10,349 per game.

Kilgore Picks Up Pace
Thomas Kilgore's season took a big change for the better when he entered Cal's game against Southwestern Louisiana Dec. 22. Prior to that game, he was shooting just 32.7 percent from the field and averaging only 9.7 ppg. But starting with that contest against the Ragin' Cajuns, Kilgore has averaged 16.0 ppg on 54.2 percent shooting. Twice during that stretch he has tied his career high with 21 points - first against North Carolina, then at Stanford. Kilgore also set a personal best with eight rebounds against the Cardinal. In addition, he led the Bears with 16 points against SW Louisiana, 17 points versus Oregon and 19 points against Washington and tied for team honors with 15 points versus both Washington State and Stanford at home. He is one of only two players in the Pac-10 to have reached double figures in every league game.

Kilgore's first 6 games (pre-Dec. 22)   Kilgore's last 12 games
FG%    32.7 (16-49)                     FG%    54.2 (65-120)
3FG%   35.3 (6-17)                      3FG%   52.9 (9-17)
FT%    80.0 (20-25)                     FT%    79.1 (53-67)
PPG     9.7 (58 points)                 PPG    16.0 (192 points)

Bears Equal '97-98 Road Win Total
With its 89-75 victory over USC at the Los Angeles Sports Arena Jan. 16, Cal picked up its third road win of the year, matching the Bears total for all of last season. So far this year, Cal has won at Hawaii (71-60) and BYU (71-70) as well, and has a 3-5 road mark. Three of the losses have been against Top 15 teams - Stanford, UCLA and Arizona - with the other setbacks at DePaul (75-72) and Arizona State (69-66). In 1997-98, the Bears were just 3-10 away from home, winning only at Oregon State, Washington State and USC.

Pac-10 Standings

                   Pac-10  Overall
Stanford           9-1     19-4
Arizona            8-3     16-4
UCLA               8-3     17-5
Washington         7-4     14-7
Arizona State      5-6     13-10
Oregon State       5-6     11-9
California         3-7     12-8
USC                3-8     11-9
Oregon             3-8     11-9
Washington State   3-8      9-13

Lampley Controls Boards for Bears
Sophomore forward Sean Lampley may be only 6-7, but he stands tall as one of the best rebounders in the Pac-10. Lampley is averaging a team-high 8.9 rpg, which ranks third in the league. The only two players ahead of him are seniors centers, 7-0 Todd MacCulloch of Washington and 6-10 A.J. Bramlett of Arizona. For the season, Lampley has led Cal on the glass 15 times in the 19 games he has played (he missed the season-opener with a hand injury). He best game came Dec. 3 when he had personal-best 18 rebounds (to go with a career-high-tying 21 points) against Houston. Other big rebounding efforts have come against DePaul (14), Eastern Kentucky (15) and USC (11). Lampley has six double-doubles on the year and nearly had a seventh when he finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in the Bears win over North Carolina.

King Earns More Time with Improved Play
Junior point guard Raymond King has seen his playing time increase dramatically in recent games, and he has taken full advantage of his opportunity. Seldom used early in the year, King began his resurgence when he had five points (2-2 FG, 1-1 3P) and two assists in 13 minutes against Washington Jan. 21. In the next game against Washington State, King finished with four points, three assists and two steals in 19 minutes. At Arizona Jan. 30, he had his best game of the season with nine points (3-5 FG, 1-2 3P, 2-2 FT), four assists (no turnovers) and two steals in 22 minutes. King also came off the bench for three points and two assists in 19 minutes vs. Stanford last week. Although he has started only one game this season (Washington), King is shooting an even 50 percent from the floor (6-12) and 83.3 percent from the line (5-6) with 12 assists, only six turnovers and eight steals in Pac-10 action.

Second Half Surges the Norm for Cal
When looking at the statistics, it's easy to see why Cal could be called a second half team. The Bears have scored more points in the second half 15 times in 20 games and have had a higher point total in the first half just three (vs. Washington State, at Arizona State, vs. Stanford). The Bears are averaging 34.5 points over the first 20 minutes, but raise that rate to 38.3 points after intermission. Cal's highest first half outputs came against Eastern Washington and versus Southwestern Louisiana when the Bears scored 46 points. However, they topped that with 48 points in the second half in both contests. The biggest differential came at UCLA when the Bears scored 19 points in the first half and 42 in the second. Cal also was +19 at USC two days later.

Cal Turning Up the Turnovers
With 395 turnovers forced in its 20 games, Cal is coaxing opponents into an average of 19.75 turnovers per game, almost 1.5 more per game than in any other season since statistics started being kept during the 1978-79 season. The school record for average turnovers forced came during Jason Kidd's freshman year in 1992-93 when the Bears forced 18.40 turnovers per game. Cal has had a positive turnover margin in all but three games (15-14 at DePaul, 21-20 at UCLA, 12-12 at Arizona State) and has posted a double-digit margin four times: +17 vs. North Carolina, +12 vs. Eastern Kentucky, +11 vs. Eastern Washington and +11 vs. Oregon State. Below is a look at the Top 5 seasons in terms of turnovers forced per game.

Turnovers

Year      Games  Forced  Avg.
1998-99   20     395     19.75
1992-93   30     552     18.40   
1997-98   27     495     18.33   
1979-80   27     489     18.11   
1996-97   32     579     18.09   

Pac-10 Statistics (as of 2/8/98)

Cal Individual Leaders

Scoring -
5. Geno Carlisle         16.4 ppg

Rebounding -
3. Sean Lampley           8.9 rpg

Steals -
5. Thomas Kilgore         1.94 spg

Blocks -
7. Francisco Elson        1.11 bpg
10. Solomon Hughes        0.88 bpg

Field Goal Percentage -
9. Sean Lampley          50.0%

Assists -
8. Geno Carlisle          4.10 apg

Free Throw Percentage
7. Thomas Kilgore        79.3%

Scoring Offense     8th   72.9 ppg
Scoring Defense     3rd   67.9 ppg
Scoring Margin      4th   +5.0
Field Goal Pct.    10th   42.7%
3-Pt. FG Pct.       9th   31.2%
Free Throw Pct.     8th   64.7%
Rebound Margin      9th   -4.3
FG Pct. Defense     4th   41.9%
3-Pt. FG Pct. Def.  3rd   30.1%
Blocked Shots       2nd   3.90 bpg
Assists             8th   12.90 apg
Steals              3rd   8.80 spg
Turnover Margin     1st   +5.70

Record when leading at half          7-4

Record when trailing at half         5-3

Record when tied at half             0-1

Biggest deficit overcome to win      12
        Coppin State (41-29)

FT shooting last 2 minutes & OT     39-63 (61.9%)
Carlisle 13-20, Elson 1-2, Forehan-
Kelly 1-2, Gill 5-10, Gordon 2-2, 
Kilgore 9-12, Kim 1-2, King 2-4,
Lampley 5-9

Carlisle's Scoring Is Down, But Assists Are Up
Since the start of Pac-10 play, Geno Carlisle has been in a prolonged shooting slump, making just 29.5 percent of his attempts from the field and averaging only 13.2 ppg. But the senior guard has made his mark by getting more of his teammates involved in the offense. Through 10 conference games, Carlisle has 46 assists (4.6 apg) and a better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (46-20). He dished out a career-high 10 assists (2 turnovers at USC) and had six assists at UCLA and again at Arizona State. For the year, Carlisle has had at least five assists in a game eight times.

Boyd Becoming Big Factor for Bears
Junior Carl Boyd, who has started at both guard and forward for the Bears, has become a player Cal coach Ben Braun hopes the rest of the team emulates. After Cal's game at Arizona State in late January, Braun said: "Nobody works harder than Carl Boyd, and that's contagious. If everyone played has hard as Carl, we'd be in very good shape." Boyd had 14 points (3-5 FG, 2-3 3P, 6-6 FT), six rebounds and two assists against the Sun Devils. His best game of the year came at USC when Boyd finished with a career-high 17 points and six boards. At UCLA, he grabbed a personal-best eight rebounds.

Freshman Guard Donte Smith Gains Eligibility
Donte Smith, a 6-2 point guard who was the 1998 Washington, D.C., Player of the Year, has been granted his eligibility by the NCAA. Smith will be enrolled at Cal for the spring semester. However, head coach Ben Braun said Smith will likely redshirt this season, meaning he will have four full years to play beginning next season. Smith was an honors student at Anacostia HS where he averaged 28.3 ppg and 6.2 apg and was rated the No. 52 recruit in the country by Bob Gibbons' All-Star Sports as a senior. He fell just short of qualifying on his standardized tests, and Cal made an appeal on his behalf.

Bears Have Two 1,000-point Scorers
Although most of their points have come at other schools, seniors Geno Carlisle and Thomas Kilgore have both amassed more than 1,000 points in their collegiate careers. Carlisle passed the 1,500-point barrier with a nine-point outing against Washington Jan. 21. He enters Thursday's game against USC with 1,558 points, with 722 coming at Cal and 836 during his freshman and sophomore seasons at Northwestern. Kilgore, Cal's leading scorer in Pac-10 play with 15.5 ppg, now has 1,097 points. He topped 1,000 points at UCLA Jan. 14. Kilgore scored 576 points in two years at Central Michigan and has 521 points at Cal.

Cal Earns First AP Ranking in 2 Years
When Cal earned enough votes to hold down the 25th spot in the Jan. 4 Associated Press poll, it marked the Bears first AP ranking since they were 25th in the Feb. 17, 1997 ratings. Cal was 18th in the final USA Today/ESPN poll that came out after the 1997 NCAA Tournament in which the Bears reached the Sweet 16. After Cal's loss at No. 4 Stanford last Saturday, the Bears are 26th in this week's AP poll.

Haas Pavilion to Open for '99-00 Season
Cal will open the 1999-2000 season in a new on-campus arena - the Walter A. Haas Jr. Pavilion. The facility, which is being built on the site of the former Harmon Gym, will have a capacity of 12,300 - up from 6,578 in Harmon - and is named in honor of Walter and Evelyn Haas, who donated a lead gift of $10 million. Construction on the $57 million project got underway in the summer of 1997. The Bears played in Harmon Gym for 64 seasons (1933-97) and compiled a 588-300 record there. The final game at the facility came on March 6, 1997 when Cal defeated Arizona State, 84-66.

Golden Bear Notes
Including its overtime loss to Oregon Jan. 2, Cal owns an all-time record of 20-34 in single OT games Geno Carlisle has been listed among Mid-Season Top 30 candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, which is given to the national player of the year at the Golden Bear Classic, Cal's Sean Lampley was named MVP, while Carl Boyd, Geno Carlisle and Mike Gill joined him on the all-tournament team Geno Carlisle, who averaged 22.0 ppg in wins over Houston and Rhode Island, was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for Dec. 7 the 19,657 fans who watched Cal beat North Carolina in the Pete Newell Challenge established a California state record for highest attendance at a college basketball game Cal will play in the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, next November.

Updated Player Profiles

Carl Boyd
Boyd has started 17 games for the Bears, 12 at forward and five at guard only Cal player to start every Pac-10 game had a good all-around debut at Hawaii with 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assist had 16 points and four assists vs. EKU, then came back with 13 points and 7 rebounds against SW Louisiana grabbed a career-best 8 boards at UCLA named to the all-tournament team at the Golden Bear Classic totaled a career-high 17 points (8-12 FG, 1-2 FT) with 6 rebounds at USC had 14 points at Arizona State.

Geno Carlisle
Carlisle has led Cal in scoring 10 times, including a high of 29 against North Carolina 12/29 averaging 16.4 ppg this year also had 27 points at BYU, 26 points at Hawaii and vs. Rhode Island and 25 points at DePaul played mostly at point guard early in the year although he scored just 8 points vs. SW Louisiana, he had 7 assists in the game paces Cal with 82 assists (4.1 per game) selected as a mid-season candidate for the John Wooden Award voted to the Golden Bear Classic all-tournament team named Pac-10 Player of the Week Dec. 7 after leading Cal to wins over Houston and Rhode Island leads Cal with 26 three-pointers came off the bench at USC for 20 points and a career-best 10 assists transferred to Cal after playing two years at Northwestern.

Francisco Elson
Elson had one of the best games of his career with 10 points (all in 2nd half) and eight rebounds at Hawaii also tied a career high with 3 blocks in that game had an even better outing vs. Houston with 13 points and 9 rebounds matched his career high with 13 points against SW Louisiana also had 13 points and 11 rebounds - this first career double-double - vs. Washington has 21 blocks, including 3 vs. both Houston and Oregon State shooting a team-best 52.5% from the floor, up from 43.1% last year played a key role defensively in Cal's win over North Carolina with five rebounds, two blocks and a career-high three steals finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds vs. Oregon tied for team honors with 7 rebounds against Oregon State missed the USC game after suffering a concussion in the second half at UCLA.

Dennis Gates
Gates is a defensive specialist who is third on the team with 20 steals had a high of 5 steals vs. Eastern Washington also had 3 steals three other times scored 12 points (4-6 3P) vs. Houston had 6 points (2-4 3P) at Stanford committed only 8 turnovers in 18 games had 9 points vs. SW Louisiana gained his first start at USC, but played only 5 minutes after hurting his back after taking a charge from USC center Brian Scalabrine also started vs. Washington sat out the WSU and ASU games with a sore right knee.

Mike Gill
Gill recorded the first double-double of his career with 14 points and a career-best 10 rebounds at Hawaii has scored in double figures 13 times second on team with 30 steals, including 3 against Stanford twice had a team-high 9 boards at BYU had 10 points and 7 boards vs. Eastern Kentucky voted to the Golden Bear Classic all-tournament team scored 11 points, including the game-winning basket with 3.5 seconds left, vs. Oregon State named team MVP last season came off the bench for the first time at UCLA and had 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-2 FT) scored 17 points in a start at USC tied for team honors with 15 points vs. Stanford.

Shahar Gordon
Gordon scored 4 points against both Hawaii and Eastern Washington first start of year vs. Stanford and had 4 points and 4 rebounds (27 minutes) has 13 assists on the year, with a high of three against Houston 12 of 27 rebounds have been on offensive end has seen action in 14 games (did not play against Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA or Washington) made the most of his four minutes vs. Washington State with two points, a rebound, an assist, a block and a steal.

Solomon Hughes
Hughes received clearance from the National Letter of Intent Appeals Committee Dec. 3 (before Houston game) to be able to play during the 1998-99 season missed the first three games while waiting on the results of the appeal set career highs with 10 points and 6 rebounds in 25 minutes at BYU also had 10 points vs. Eastern Kentucky shooting just 9-for-36 from the free throw line (25.0%) started at USC and finished with 5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks in 17 minutes also had a start at Arizona (2 points, 4 rebounds).

Thomas Kilgore
Kilgore averages 1.94 steals per game with 35 steals in 18 games this season has had four steals in a game 5 times: vs. Hawaii, Houston, Coppin State, SW Louisiana and Washington scored 16 points against USL tied a career high with 21 points versus North Carolina, then had 21 points and a career-best 8 rebounds at Stanford sat out the BYU and Eastern Kentucky games after missing the team bus to the airport prior to BYU shooting 79.3% (73-92) from the free throw line had 14 points vs. Rhode Island and a team-high 17 points vs. Oregon reached double figures in 12 straight games since Dec. 22 had a team-high 19 points vs. Washington.

Raymond King
Has played much more extensively lately, including 19 minutes vs. Stanford Feb. 3 when he had 3 points and 2 assists early in the year against Coppin State, played 14 minutes and scored 3 points had 3 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 10 minutes against SW Louisiana started and played 13 minutes vs. Washington, finishing with 5 points and 2 assists had 4 points, 3 assists and 2 steals in 19 minutes vs. Washington State had 9 points, 4 assists and 2 steals at Arizona led Cal with 89 assists last season.

Sean Lampley
Lampley missed the Hawaii opener with a partially torn ligament in his right hand has posted double-doubles 6 times: 16-10 vs. Eastern Washington; 20-14 at DePaul; 21-18 vs. Houston; 12-11 vs. Coppin State; 15-10 vs. Eastern Kentucky; 15-11 at USC the 18 rebounds against Houston were a career high, while the 21 points tied a career best nearly had another double-double with 14 points and nine boards vs. North Carolina had 14 of his 16 points and 7 of his 8 rebounds in the second half at BYU named MVP of the Golden Bear Classic after his double-double against EKU and dishing out a career-high 8 assists vs. SW Louisiana made his first three-pointer of the year against USL had 14 points and 8 rebounds - all in the second half - vs. Oregon scored 15 points with 11 boards off bench at USC had 15 points (12 in the first half) and 8 rebounds vs. Washington State shooting 50.0% from the floor.