Bear Witness: The Most Exciting College Team This Season
Slam|February 2016

With a loaded roster featuring young and NBA-ready players, Cal should be the most exciting college team in the country this season.

Brandon J. Peters
Bear Witness: The Most Exciting College Team This Season

The energy surrounding the Cal Men’s basketball program these days is unlike any Bears fans have seen in a minute. There is an unmistakable air of confidence and focus that permeates through the coaches and the team. And why not? After a respectable 18-15 campaign last season—the first with coach Cuonzo Martin—he and his staff pulled off the best recruiting hall in the program's history, landing top-10 players Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb, as well as SoCal forward Roman Davis (who it was just announced will sit out this season as a redshirt). Add them to a trio of top-notch returning talent in four-year senior Tyrone Wallace, former McDonald’s All American Jabari Bird and the much-improved 2-guard Jordan Matthews, and the Cal faithful have a reason to be excited. 

Very excited.

The addition of Oakland native Rabb (or Ive, as his team mates call him) and Brown as the catalysts of a top-5 recruiting class immediately catapulted Cal onto the radar of even the most pedestrian college hoops fan, as well as into the top 15 of most pre-season polls and lists—official and unofficial.

Both Jaylen and Ivan were recruited by Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA—traditional powerhouse schools—but they chose Cal for different but equally important reasons.

“A lot of people from the inner city don’t get the opportunity [to come to Cal], so for me it was just another opportunity to prove [people] wrong that I could make it here, just like I made it at [Bishop] O’Dowd, [when] they said I wasn’t intelligent enough,” Rabb says.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 2016-Ausgabe von Slam.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 2016-Ausgabe von Slam.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS SLAMAlle anzeigen
The SUMMER THAT WASN'T
Slam

The SUMMER THAT WASN'T

Playground entry fences chain locked. Rims removed. Leagues canceled. Summer basketball just stopped in 2020. And as its effects extended beyond the blacktop, we were reminded why it's so important.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
June - July 2021
METAMORPHOSIS
Slam

METAMORPHOSIS

The sport of basketball speaks to so many people in so many ways. Dan Peterson, the founder of Project Backboard, has teamed up with artists to use the beauty of the sport to turn local courts into works of art that are accessible to all.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
June - July 2021
WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, THERE'S Fire
Slam

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, THERE'S Fire

For former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton, the last three years have had their ups and downs. Now that he and the Phoenix Suns are back on the way up, DA wants everyone to know that's where they're planning to stay.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
June - July 2021
Now What?
Slam

Now What?

As North Carolina rapper J. Cole transitioned from up-and-comer to full-blown vet, he came to a realization: staying sharp and fighting off complacency ain't easy. Inspired by his love for basketball and his desire to remain on top of the game, the 36-year-old has been treating music like a competitive sport while he readies his next project: The Off-Season.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
June - July 2021
ONE STEP AT A Time
Slam

ONE STEP AT A Time

NBA and G League vet Jeremy Lin and Loyola Marymount's Anthony Yu speak candidly about the ups and downs of being Asian American in the basketball world.

time-read
9 Minuten  |
June - July 2021
THE GARDEN Blooms
Slam

THE GARDEN Blooms

The Knicks are back. Deadass, they're back. A return to the tough, gritty, resilient style that made the teams of the past so dominant has allowed Saba Julius Randle and RJ Barrett and the Knicks an opportunity to compete for homecourt advantage in the 2021 playoffs. Facts.

time-read
10 Minuten  |
June - July 2021
CITIZEN OF THE World
Slam

CITIZEN OF THE World

Congolese native Yannick Nzosa played for professional teams in Italy and Spain before he turned 17. Now that his name is moving up the 2022 pre-draft boards, the former soccer player has one thing front and center in his mind—succeeding for his family back home.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
June - July 2021
STRONG Island
Slam

STRONG Island

Mental fortitude and physical toughness are what's helped Long Island's Arella Guirantes make it all the way to the W.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
June - July 2021
KICK IN THE Door
Slam

KICK IN THE Door

The WNBA, now in its 25th season, is the longest-running women's sports league ever. SLAM sat down with four of the most influential players of all time Diana Taurasi, Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Sue Bird to discuss their part in making the League the force it is today.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
June - July 2021
Can't YOU SEE
Slam

Can't YOU SEE

It ain't hard to tell that supernatural vision has established Nuggets star Nikola Jokic as a clear candidate for the 2021 MVP Award.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
June - July 2021