Sunday, March 29, 2009

Game Notes

The Bears made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time in women’s basketball program history. They are now 4-8 overall in the NCAA Tournament.


The Bears finish the 2008-09 campaign with a 27-6 overall record, tying for the most wins in a season in school history.


UConn’s largest deficit of the season came when Cal went up by eight points with 6:38 to play in the first half.


UConn’s 24-point scoring margin against the Bears fell well under the Huskies average of 31.6 points through the entire season and 33.5 points in this year’s NCAA Tournament.


The 35-33 halftime score was Connecticut’s closest since the 34-34 tie in the Nov. 16, 2008 game versus Georgia Tech.


Walker has scored 20 or more points in six of seven NCAA Tournament games in her career. She has now scored 155 points in NCAA Tournament and has led the Bears in scoring in each of the seven NCAA Tournament games in which she has played.


Cal shot 100 percent (11-11) from the free-throw line against the Huskies. Cal shot 80.4 percent from the charity stripe in the three NCAA Tournament games.


The Bears made five or more three-pointers in each of this season’s NCAA Tournament games. Against UConn, Cal made eight three-pointers.


With 21 points against the Huskies, Ashley Walker finished her Cal career with 2,142 total points for second place on the all-time scoring list behind Colleen Galloway, who has 2,320. Hampton is in sixth place with 1,588 career points.


Ashley Walker further etched her name into program history with seven rebounds against UConn to bring her career total to 1,117, the all-time most by any Cal women’s basketball player.


Devanei Hampton had a team-high 11 rebounds to move into fourth place on the all-time list with 876, surpassing Teresa Palmisano (874).


Ashley Walker finished her Cal career with an average of 16.48 points per game.

UConn: 77, Cal: 53 - FINAL

The Bears are defeated by No. 1 seed UConn.


Game notes to follow after press conferences.

UConn: 61, Cal: 43 - 9:41 second half

Great trey by Tasha, followed by a defensive rebound by Dev. Tasha's three tied her career best for points in an NCAA Tournament game with eight.

Dev's got a team-high nine boards but Cal needs more production as she's 1-8. She's not catching a break on foul calls either.

Great rebound by Ash on a missed three by Maya Moore.

Tasha continues to shine at slowing the transition for the Bears.

UConn: 50, Cal: 40 - 15:38 second half.

Great trey by Lexi, just what the doctor ordered to bring Cal within seven. Then Maya Moore distanced UConn by 10 with a three of her own for UConn's largest lead of the game.

Halftime Update

UConn: 35, Cal: 33 - halftime

Cal's keys to success against UConn:
REBOUNDS: Rebounds will determine this game for Cal. At the half, Cal is outrebounding UConn, 22-19, but it's going to have to be a lot more than that. UConn has nine second-chance points that could have been well avoided with a couple more boards by the Bears on the defensive end.

TURNOVERS: The Bears have nine turnovers, compared to UConn's one. The Bears have lost two possessions on shot-clock violations, much to the UConn bench's elation. The Huskies have 11 points off turnovers, most of which could have been avoided by Cal.

TRANSITION: Natasha Vital has done a great job of slowing Cal's transition, but they need to me slightly more effective here. UConn loves to run an up-tempo offense and force that onto the opposition, but if the Bears can slow it down and play California basketball, they'll have more luck. I could tell twice when the UConn defense was overpowering Cal's offense, and that was when Cal had the two shot-clock violations.

Cal needs to spread the points production around a little bit more. Ashley Walker has 16 first-half points and Devanei Hampton has eight.

This is the second time all season that Ashley Walker has hit two threes. She's 2-2 from beyond the arc so far.

Cal has a better shooting percentage than UConn in the first half - 40.7 percent to 35.9 percent.

UConn has missed five free throws out of its 10. Cal is 100 percent at 6-6 from the charity stripe.

Cal: 31, UConn: 23 - 6:37

Geno calls a timeout after Ashley Walker drains a three-pointer with five seconds remaining on the shot clock!

Alexis Gray-Lawson got an amazing basket to put the Bears up by five, 28-23, with 7:25 remaining.

Cal: 15, UConn 13 - 11:53 first half

Ashley Walker hit a gorgeous pull-up trey.

Rebecca Lobo's watching the team huddle for clues.

Rebounds are going to be the key in this game for both teams. Everyone can produce points on both squads, but it's going to be who's strongest under the basket that determines the winners.

Cal: 7, UConn 5 - 15:57 first half.

Cal's in the blue unis while UConn dons the home white jerseys.

Ashley Walker just drove it down the lane for two, excellent.

Cal takes its first lead of the game off a Walker score.

Starting Line-Ups

Seconds away from tip!

California

44 - Ashley Walker
20 - Devanei Hampton
2 - Natasha Vital
10 - Lauren Greif
21 - Alexis Gray-Lawson

UConn
3 - Maya Moore
31 - Tina Charles
3 - Tiffany Hayes
20 - Renee Montgomery
32 - Kalana Greene

In-Game Blogging Notes:
Per NCAA regulation, I'm only allowed to blog five times per half, once at the half and twice per overtime period. Please hit refresh on your browser window to see if there are new updates!

More Sights and Sounds From Sovereign Bank Arena

We're now under 20 minutes until game time and fans have well begun to trickle into the Sovereign Bank Arena.

Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan, whom was denied her 700th career win when the Bears defeated the Cavaliers in the second round last week, was one of the first fans in the door.

California Vice Chancellor Nathan Brostrom was also one of the first to arrive.

Many of the families of the Cal student-athletes have made their way out to New Jersey over the past few days and were at the hotel to send the Bears on their way.

Both teams just left the floor after a half-hour shootaround. Even though Storrs, Conn., is clearly much closer to Trenton, N.J., than Berkeley, the cheers from the Cal fans in attendance equaled that of the UConn contingent.

Rebecca Lobo, who won a national championship with UConn and now commentates for ESPN, is sitting to my right, just a couple feet away. She'll be today's sideline reporter with Debbie Antonelli and Pam Ward on the call. ESPN keeps mentioned how Rebecca Lobo Twitters from the games, which she will be doing today and you can read it here. With her strong UConn allegiance, it will be interesting to see the degree to which it influences her coverage.

For those of you who aren't famliar with Twitter, it's another social networking Website that allows people 140 characters to write something like a status update of their current activities, random thoughts or an opinion. People can follow you on Twitter and read your updates. It's much like a Facebook status update.

For example, mine would read: blogging live from the Sweet 16 in Trenton, N.J., as the Golden Bears get set to take on UConn.

Rebecca Lobo's most recent "twit" was: Getting ready for the Uconn/Cal game. I'll be talking Tina Charles at the top of the show. Last year... timid. This year... unstoppable.

With Cal's head coach Joanne Boyle hailing from nearby Pittsburgh, she'll have a lot of friends and family in the audience today. Her mom greeted the other Cal families in the stands.

Lauren Greif's family has made the trek out, and you can tell by their shirts. The front reads "Oh good Greif" and the back says "L.G. For Three..."

Per NCAA regulation, no one can bring a bottle out on the floor, everyone must put their water into a cup, which this and other signs constantly remind everyone:

The NCAA is so organized, they've even got a place for the bus drivers of the team and spirit busses:

Listen to the Game!

As with all of the Cal women's basketball games, you can hear today's Sweet 16 game live from anywhere in the world thanks to Cal's student radio station, KALX 90.7-FM. If you're in the Bay Area, tune your radio dial to 90.7-FM. If you're not in the Bay, go to kalx.berkeley.edu.

I just listened to their pre-game intro, and it could have been professionally done. They'll go on the air at roughly 8:57 PST.

They carry an Oski doll to every broadcast for good luck:

Today's News Clippings

Lots of stories for you to read before tip thanks to my cohort's mad research skills.

San Francisco Chronicle: Clash against No. 1 Huskies? Just routine

Bay Area News Group: UConn tall order for Cal women

Connecticut Post: Cal's Boyle on amazing journey and For UConn women, no complacency

Hartford Courant: Cal A Long Way From Home and UConn Keeps Focus On Perfecting Its Game

Associated Press: California-Connecticut Preview

ESPN: East meets West in diverse Trenton (Graham Hays mistakenly calls Ashely Walker the "reigning Pac-10 Player of the Year)

Greetings from Sovereign Bank Arena!

We've safely arrived at Sovereign Bank Arena for the Sweet 16 game vs. No. 1-seeded UConn at noon EST (that's 9 a.m. for the Californians). The team was up early with a walk-through before heading to a filling breakfast at 8:30 a.m. The team and staff had their choice of pancakes, hash browns, pancakes, ham, bagels, and made-to-order eggs.

Once again, the loyal Cal Straw Hat Band and Cal Dance Team were in front of the hotel to send the team on its way with the traditional Cal fight songs. It was a great way to head to the Sweet 16, though I'm sure the other guests in the hotel were not as amused.

It was a quick bus ride from our hotel in Princeton to the arena in Trenton. It's a gray and drizzly day here in New Jersey, which makes everyone glad basketball is an indoor sport.

We've got a little more than an hour until game time. More updates soon.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Press Conference Quotes

As I mentioned earlier, we had two sets of "pressers" as they're known in the biz aka press conferences - one with Joanne Boyle and another with the players. We've posted the quotes on CalBears.com for your reading pleasure.

Since they're quite extensive, here's a link to them at CalBears.com

Photo Update

I grabbed a couple of shots during the open practice. We should hopefully have some professional shots later on today.

The team at practice at Sovereign Bank:
Some of the fans on both sides of the court. I thought it was a pretty good turnout! I'm thinking that this arena will be really intimate for the fans that come tomorrow.
The bracket with only 16 teams remaining:


Cal's part of the bracket...the Trenton, N.J. Regional!

Geno's Press Conference

While the Bears were practicing, I sat in on UConn head coach Geno Auriemma's press conference and thought I'd share the Cal references. His thoughts on Cal were pretty much what you would expect - he highlighted Devanei Hampton and Ashley Walker but he was sure to key in on how he was not looking past the other players on the field.

The most quotable part of the interview was when Geno was described how Cal plays and how it reminded him of Joanne Boyle's playing days, when he was coaching at Virginia.

"The team reminds me of her as a player, but more talented that her."

When asked how UConn would have to react to playing a game at 9 a.m. local time like the Bears will do tomorrow, Geno responded with "Game time is when the ball goes up. If you're concerned about game time, then you've already lost."

Geno's key thoughts on Dev and Ash were that they are not one-dimentional. He said they were "active, agressive and difficult to [guard] one-on-one in the lame." He also commented that AGL is the "type of guard you want when you've got two bigs."

More Updates From the Sovereign Bank Arena

Alexis Gray-Lawson, Devanei Hampton, Ashley Walker and Joanne Boyle each participated in the press conferences as well as one-on-one interviews with an ESPN producer for the game tomorrow. The set-up was slightly different with the players doing the ESPN interviews while Boyle was at the press conference, and then they switched.

The Bears took to the floor at the Sovereign Bank Arena for an open practice and we'll soon head to Princeton for a closed, extended practice.

Quick Pre-Press Update

The administrative staffs of the four schools here - Cal, Texas A&M, UConn and Arizona State - have knocked off two meetings before it's 8 a.m. on the West Coast. Cal has got a slew of media tasks up next before heading to practice. The players and Joanne Boyle will be split up into press conferences and then ESPN interviews so we should have some quotes for you later. The Bears will then next hit the floor for a quick practice at the Sovereign Bank Arena.

The Sovereign Bank Arena looks like it will be a great venue for women's basketball tomorrow and Tuesday. The highest seats in the place are not too far removed from the court and the lower decks should bring the fans very close to the court and benches.

In the meantime, here are two pictures from Sovereign Bank Arena.

The press conference dais:

The Cal locker room:

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Hello, New Jersey!

We've arrived safely and soundly in the "Garden State." We flew charter from Oakland to Trenton, N.J., with the band and spirit groups. The plane flight was pretty early this morning so everyone's turning in early to try and get acclimated to the three-hour time difference. The team ate at the hotel and watched film before curfew. Tomorrow morning, we're off to a full practice and more preparing.

Thanks to everyone who's voting in the poll to the right! It's nice to get some viewer's input on the blog. You can leave comment on posts you like as well!

Here's a shot of the team acting goofy before boarding the charter. (Photo by Mollie McClure)

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

How to Get the Game

The Bears will take on the UConn Huskies (35-0, 16-0 Big East), the No. 1 seed in the Trenton Region and the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament on Sunday, March 29. The Cal/UConn game will be the national game on ESPN. It airs live at 9 a.m. Pacific Time (noon in New Jersey).

The game will also be carried on KALX 90.7-FM in the Bay Area and on kalx.berkeley.edu for free anywhere in the world!

Scouting the Huskies/Sun Devils/Aggies

Here's a look at Cal's third-round opponent, No. 1-seeded UConn, and its possible Elite Eight teams of Arizona State and Texas A&M.

A Look at UConn
UConn advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinals for the 16th consecutive season and the 17th time overall in the program’s history. The Huskies defeated Vermont, 104-65, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and Florida, 87-59, in the second round.

UConn earned an automatic bid in 2009 after capturing Big East Tournament and Regular Season Titles. The Huskies captured the tournament title with wins over South Florida, Villanova and Louisville following a 16-0 BIG EAST mark during the regular season. Connecticut currently stands at 35-0 overall and has been ranked No. 1 nationally in both the Associated Press and ESPN Coaches polls every week this season.

The automatic berth marks the Huskies’ second consecutive and the 15th in the program’s history. Connecticut has advanced to the Final Four nine times in the program’s history, including six of the last nine seasons overall.

UConn’s 35-0 start marks its best start to a season since finishing a perfect 39-0 in 2002. This season marks the 12th time overall and the third straight season that UConn has entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed. The Huskies boast an overall mark of 47-7 in NCAA Tournament games when playing as a No. 1 seed and have captured four National Championships in those seasons. The Huskies were also a No. 1 seed last season when they advanced to the 2008 NCAA Final Four before falling, 82-73, to Stanford, a team with whom the Bears split the 2007-08 series, 1-1.

Sophomore guard Maya Moore, who is a national player of the year candidate, leads the Huskies, averaging 19.0 points per game and 9.1 boards per game. Also averaging in double digits are Tina Charles (16.7 ppg) and Renee Montgomery (16.1 ppg). The undefeated Huskies are winning each game by an average scoring margin of 31.6 points.

The two teams share three common opponents in 2008-09 in Rutgers, Oklahoma and Washington. Each squad has defeated Rutgers – Cal once and UConn twice – while the Huskies hold the advantage against Oklahoma. The Bears beat Washington three times this season while the Connecticut Huskies beat the UW Huskies once.

Cal-UConn Series History
The Bears are 1-1 in the all-time series with the Huskies. The last game was Dec. 28, 1994, when UConn beat Cal, 99-52. In their first meeting, the Bears dropped the Huskies, 76-60, on Nov. 24, 1991. This will be the first postseason meeting between the two teams.

UConn Postseason History
The Huskies, who have claimed three of the last seven NCAA titles (a total of five in the program’s history), their last coming in 2004, are making their 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Huskies have advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 15 seasons (1994-present). They are currently 67-15 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and they have won 32 of its last 35 NCAA Tournament games overall.

Head Coach File
Geno Auriemma is in his 24th season at the helm of the Husky program, which he has led to five national championships, nine Final Fours and 32 Big East titles. He was named Big East Coach of the Year for the eighth time in 2008-09 and was recognized as the 2008 WBCA, Associated Press, USBWA and Naismith National Coach of the Year in 2008.

Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. ppg rpg apg
3 Tiffany Hayes G Fr. 5-10 7.9 4.2 2.5
20 Renee Montgomery G Sr. 5-7 16.1 2.0 5.2
23 Maya Moore F So. 6-0 19.0 9.1 3.4
31 Tina Charles C Jr. 6-4 16.7 8.5 1.0
32 Kalana Greene G Jr. 5-10 8.6 4.5 1.9

For more information: http://www.blogger.com/www.UConnHuskies.com

A Look at Arizona State
Arizona State will be playing to advance to the regional final for the second time in three years under coach Charli Turner Thorne, after reaching its first Elite Eight in 2007. The Sun Devils (25-8, 15-3 Pac-10) improved to 6-1 in NCAA Tournament first round games under head coach Arizona State is making its 10th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and its seventh in the last nine seasons. ASU's overall record in the NCAA Tournament is now 11-9, including an 9-6 record under Turner Thorne.

The Sun Devils were ousted in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Tournament by tournament runner-up USC. ASU received an at-large bid an a six seed into the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Devils defeated No. 11 seed Georgia, 58-47, in first round action. They went on to upset third-seeded Florida State, 63-58 in the second round thanks to Danielle Orsillo's 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining gave the Sun Devils a 57-54 lead.

Head coach Turner Thorne is in her 13th year at the helm in Tempe, Ariz. She became the all-time most winningest coach at ASU, and her seven NCAA appearances are four more than what ASU had in the 15 years prior to Turner Thorne's arrival in Tempe.

Cal-Arizona State Series History
The Bears and the Sun Devils are tied in the all-time meetings, 27-27. This season, the teams split the two meetings with ASU getting a 63-41 upset on March 5, 2009, in the last game. The Bears beat the Sun Devils, 54-53, on Jan. 4 in Tempe, Ariz. This would be the first meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Tournament.

For more information: http://www.blogger.com/www.TheSunDevils.com

A Look at Texas A&M
The No. 2-seeded Aggies are making their second-straight appearance in the Sweet 16 and their sixth all-time trip to the NCAA Tournament. Texas A&M earned a 73-42 win over No. 10-seed Minnesota in the second round and an 80-45 victory against No. 15-seeded Evansville in the opening round. With the win over Minnesota, the Aggies claimed their 27th overall victory of the season, which now stands alone as the second-most wins in school history behind its 29-8 run to the NCAA Elite Eight a year ago. They are now 8-5 in the NCAA Tournament.

For the second consecutive year, the ninth-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team tied a program-best by earning a No. 2 seed. The Aggies boasted the fifth-toughest schedule in the nation this season. A&M earned an at-large bid after falling to Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament championship game.

Head coach Gary Blair has now led seven all-time squads to the Sweet 16 in his 24-year coaching career at Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas and A&M combined. He also picked up his 20th all-time NCAA Tournament game victory versus Minnesota.

Cal-Texas A&M Series History
Cal holds the all-time advantage, 1-0, against the Aggies. The teams have not met since Jan. 4, 1982, when the Bears defeated Texas A&M, 85-55

For more information: http://www.blogger.com/www.AggieAthletics.com

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Mooch on ESPN.com!

I was checking out the headlines at ESPN.com and there is a great picture of Mooch aka Rachelle Federico. Making history!

Post-Game Q&A With Shantrell Sneed, Lauren Greif and Natasha Vital

During the open locker room period following the victory over Virginia, I had a chance to talk with senior Shantrell Sneed, juniors Lauren Greif and Natasha Vital about their thoughts on the game and setting Cal records.

CalBears.com: The first Sweet 16 appearance in California program history…what’s on your mind right now?
Lauren Greif:
This is just exciting for the team. We had such high goals this year, and we get to keep going after them.
Natasha Vital: We’re excited. Especially to get over that hump of losing in the second round. We finally got there to the Sweet 16.
Shantrell Sneed: We’re still dancing for the first time in Cal history. We are just continuing to write our own history. We’re playing some of our best basketball at the perfect time.

CalBears.com: L.G, you had nine assists, which was a new career high. Were you aware of how many you were dishing out during the game?
LG:
I was just trying to move the ball. We’ve been doing a lot better with ball movement. If someone had told me that I have nine, I would have passed to someone for a double-double.

CalBears.com: What was the key in stopping Virginia?
LG:
Their transition. The first five plays of the game we didn’t do a good job of it. But then we really hunkered down.
NV: We had to stop their scorers. I think we did a pretty good job on No. 1 and No. 33. Monica Wright is a great player and she was really hard to guard.
SS: We were able to contain their big three players. They made their little run, but we came back and played great defense.

CalBears.com: What was the key for the Bears?
NV:
Running our plays. Putting the ball in transition. Early in the game, we got a lot of give-me baskets. We moved the ball really well. We’ve been working on that in practice. We were also looking for the open man.
SS: Just staying poised and composed, and sharing the basketball. We found the open person. Despite them making a run, we never lost our poise or composure.
To see the Q&A on CalBears.com, click here.

How To Get Tickets to the Sweet 16

Fans wishing to purchase tickets for Cal's Sweet Sixteen game in Trenton, N.J., will have a limited time to order tickets through the school. After March 24, they must contact the arena for tickets.

On Tuesday, Mar. 24 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Cal fans can call (800) GO BEARS to order their Cal Women's Basketball Sweet Sixteen tickets.

Cal will stop selling tickets through (800) GO BEARS on Tuesday, March 24 at 4:30 p.m. They will not be available for purchase online.

After Tuesday, Mar. 24 fans can contact Sovereign Bank Arena for tickets at (800) 298-4200 or by visiting www.comcastTIX.com.

There is no limit for these tickets and all sales are final.

Tickets will not be mailed. They must be picked up at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J., will call window by the account holder only, picture ID required.

If Cal wins and advances to the Elite Eight, your credit card will automatically be charged for Elite Eight tickets.

Staff Feature: It's the Shoes

The California women’s basketball team has been stirring a lot of buzz recently, but it’s not just about their game and the best season in program history. It’s about their shoes.

During the regular-season Pac-10 trip to Oregon in February, a Nike representative approached the Golden Bears about designing their own shoes. The Nike rep selected just four schools in the entire nation to have the opportunity to have one-of-a-kind kicks for the NCAA Tournament, an honor that the Bears do not take lightly.

“She thought we were one of the four that were going to last the longest into the NCAA Tournament,” freshman Casey Morris said. “It meant a lot because of all the respect that went along with it. It also gave us confidence.”

This year’s large bid to the NCAA Tournament is the seventh overall and fourth straight trip for the first time in school history. Monday evening’s 99-73 win over No. 5 seed Virginia was the first second-round victory ever for Cal women’s hoops. For the seniors, getting to design their own shoes was further proof that their four years of building the program had not gone unnoticed.

“I think it means that we came into our own,” redshirt junior Alexis Gray-Lawson, who has been at Cal for four years, noted. “People are definitely starting to recognize what Cal basketball is all about.”

To design the shoes, the Cal team of 11 student-athletes were split into two groups and each set used a Nike program to select the features for the sneakers. Although, the coaches selected the final winner, the two groups created shoes that were remarkably similar.

The tongues of the shoes are individualized for each player with Cal and the number on the one and a moniker on the other foot. Some went with their last names while Lexi chose AGL instead.

“We wanted to make it look like our own style,” senior Shantrell Sneed said. “We also wanted to make a statement about Cal basketball.”

The shoes and the Bears made a statement about Cal basketball at the Galen Center last weekend, earning a trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever at Cal. Now the team will pack its bags, and shoes, for Trenton, N.J. with hopes of a Final Four trip in their minds.



Here's the rest of my Q&A with several of the players about the shoes:
CalBears.com: What does it mean to you to be one of only four schools in the entire country with personally designed shoes?
Alexis Gray-Lawson:
I think that it means that we came into our own. It means a lot because of all of the work that you put in over the years. People are definitely starting to recognize what Cal basketball is all about. It’s a high honor to be able to make our own shoes. We worked together as a team and coaching staff. The shoes are cool! Some of us will play professionally after college, and I feel like these shoes set us up for the future.
Shantrell Sneed: Personally, I feel like it’s a testament to the hard work that we’ve put in, day in and day out, since our last tournament game and in the off-season. It’s nice to receive that kind of national recognition.
Casey Morris: When we first found out that we were going to get to design the shoes, the woman who selected the teams picked the four teams that she thought were going to last the longest into the NCAA Tournament. It meant a lot because of all the respect that went along with it. It also gave us confidence.

CalBears.com: How did the design process work?
AGL:
We were in two separate groups and we kind of had a race to see who could come up with the best shoe. It was me, Devanei, Casey, Tasha and Ashley and Kevin and everybody else in the other group. We wanted to come up with something that showed our personalities. We wanted to go bright. We wanted to make sure that nobody could touch them.
CM: We wanted to make sure that the shoe wouldn’t be something that you would find in a store, but that it would be an original. We wanted it to the stand out.
SS: We wanted to make it look like our own style, and to make a statement about Cal basketball. We were split into two groups, and they two sat down at a computer and went online to a Nike Web site to see what parts we like. At the end, the coaches decided on which shoe they wanted to go with. Casey, Nei Ash Lei and Tasha.

CalBears.com: What’s your favorite part about the shoes?
SS:
We like the fact that we have black in our shoes. We also really liked that we got to put our names and numbers on our shoes.
CM: I like how the bright yellow stands out.
AGL: My favorite part of the shoe is on the side with the stripes. I also really like that we have Cal and our number on the tongue. I got AGL on the other shoe tongue.

Monday, March 23, 2009

SWEET 16!

The Bears are going to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history!

Here are some of the links on CalBears.com for you:

Recap

Notes

Prelim Game Notes

Cal vs. Virginia Game Notes

With the win over No. 5-seed Virginia, No. 4-seed California earned its first trip to the Sweet 16 in program history.

California made its seventh overall and fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Cal posted its fourth NCAA Tournament win in school history and third since 1993 to improve to 4-6 all-time in NCAAs.

Cal head coach Joanne Boyle won her third NCAA Tournament game and her first second-round game (3-4 overall: 3-3 Cal; 0-1 Richmond).

The Bears tied the program record for most victories in a season with 27, which was set last year when the Bears posted a 27-7 mark. They are 27-6 in 2008-09.

Cal improved to 6-1 at the Galen Center overall and 4-1 this season. The Bears’ only loss at the arena was the 69-67 Pac-10 semifinal game against USC on March 14, 2009. The Virginia game was the fifth time this season that Cal has played on that court.

The Bears are now 1-2 against Virginia and 7-9 in program history against ACC schools. Cal’s last victory over an ACC school came Dec. 21, 1993, when they defeated Duke, 72-66. Joanne Boyle was a first-year assistant coach for Duke at that time.

Fifth-seeded Virginia marked the highest seeded team that the Bears had defeated in program history.

Virginia earned an at-large berth after finished tied for fifth in the ACC (8-6) and advancing to the quarterfinals of the league tournament. Virginia defeated 12th-seeded Marist, 68-61, on Saturday evening in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The second-round match-up marked the third meeting between the two teams. The two squads played each other last Nov. 28, 1998 in Charlottesville, Va., where the Cavaliers defeated the Bears, 70-55.

All of the squad’s 11 student-athletes saw playing time today.

Walker has been the Bears' leading scorer five times in six NCAA Tournament games.

With her 22 points, Devanei Hampton moved into sixth place in career points with 1,573. She surpassed Karen Smith, who scored 1,559 points.

Hampton had 11 rebounds to take over fifth place on the all-time list with 865 boards. She passed Cynthia Cooke, who had 855 career rebounds.

Ashley Walker had 10 points in the first 12 minutes of play.

With 53 first-half points, it was 2nd time in the 2008-09 season that Cal had scored 50 or more points in a half and the sixth time this season that the Bears had scored 40 plus points in a half.

Cal only had one turnover in the first half, which was the lowest of this season.

With four straight free throws in the first half, the Bears had made 14 straight free throws, with 10 coming in the Fresno State game.

Lauren Greif’s nine assists were a career high. Her previous career best was six, which she set Feb. 21, 2009 against Oregon State.

Ashley Walker’s 32 points against the Cavaliers were a personal best in an NCAA Tournament game. Her previous best was 21 against Fresno State this year and also against St. John’s in 2006.

Alexis Gray-Lawson’s 22 points against Virginia set a new career high in an NCAA Tournament game. Her former high was 17 points, which she set against St. John’s in 2006.

Cal’s final total of 99 points is a new program high in the NCAA Tournament. The previous record was 84 points, which the Bears scored against Long Beach State on March 14, 1990.

The Bears’ final total of 99 points was also a season best. The previous high was 85, which was achieved twice but last versus Saint Mary’s on Dec. 29, 2008.

Cal: 85, UVa: 66 - 4:42 Second Half

The Bears are breaking down records, one basket at a time!

As of right now:

Lauren Greif’s nine assists were a career high. Her previous career best was six, which set set Feb. 21, 2009 against Oregon State.


Ashley Walker’s 30 points against the Cavaliers were a personal best in an NCAA Tournament game. Her previous best was 21 against Fresno State this year and also against St. John’s in 2006.


Alexis Gray-Lawson’s 20 points against Virginia set a new career high in an NCAA Tournament game. Her former high was 17 points, which she set against St. John’s in 2006.


Cal’s current total of 86 points is a new program high in the NCAA Tournament. The previous record was 84 points, which the Bears scored against Long Beach State on March 14, 1990.


More first-half analysis:

The 'Hoos had a strong defensive presence in the paint at the beginning of the period. Despite the heaving guarding down low, the Bears still scored 32 points in the paint.

Cal outrebounded UVa, 19-17, with Hampton pacing all players with seven boards.

The three Cal steals and 19 rebounds seem like far too little for the amount of power they exhibited in the first 20 minutes. I suppose Virginia's seven turnovers help explain why it seems that Cal was so dominant in the first half.

Coming into the game, Virginia was attempting an average of 66 shots per game. If you figure that they're attempting roughly 33 per half, then they were within that average exactly with 33 attempts in the first half. However, for the amount of time that Cal was possessing the ball or playing stellar 'D,' that 33 seems very high.

FG
UVa: 16-33, 48.5 %
Cal: 23-42, 54.8 %

3-Pointers
Uva: 1-7, 14.3 %
Cal: 3-13, 23.1 %

First-Half Notes

Devanei Hampton moved into sixth place in career points. She surpassed Karen Smith, who scored 1,559 points.


Hampton had seven rebounds in the first half to take over fifth place on the all-time list. She passed Cynthia Cooke, who had 855 career rebounds.


Ashley Walker had 10 points in the first 12 minutes of play.


With 53 first-half points, it was 2nd time in the 2008-09 season that Cal had scored 50 or more points in a half and the sixth time this season that the Bears had scored 40 plus points in a half.


The Bears have now made 14 straight free throws with four coming today and 10 in the Fresno State game.

Cal: 41, UVa: 24 - 3:43, 1st Half

The Bears have earned their greatest lead of the game at 17! Ashley Walker had a great layup thanks to what I would call a "group assist." Lexi, L.G. and Tasha seemlessly passed the ball around before getting it to Ashley below the basket. L.G. sunk a gorgeous trey on the next posession to distance the Bears.

Virginia coach Debbie Ryan immediately called a team timeout following Greif's score, but the Cavs failed to score after the break.

Mooch aka Rachelle Federico is keeping things lively with a dance to the Straw Hat Band.

Lexi had a key block that sent the ball out of bounds but the UVa attempt following the inbounds was a brick.

Ash won a jump ball.

Cal: 30, UVa: 20 - 6:55, Ist Half

Team huddle

The Cal Straw Hat Band
The Cal bench is quite vocal tonight..."D 'em up, defense, d 'em up!" and "Defense, Bears, defense!"

The Bears have led by 10 twice in the past two minutes, going up once off a layup from Ashley Walker and again with one from Devanei Hampton with the assist from Lauren Greif.

Cal: 21, UVa: 16 - 10:49

The starting line-up on ESPN and the jumbo screen above the floor:
Ashley Walker won the tip.

Devanei Hampton scored the first points of the game.

In-game blogging note:
Per NCAA regulations, I'm only allowed to blog five times per half, once at halftime and two per overtime period. Please hit refresh on your browser window to see if there are new updates.

Starting Lineups

California
Natasha Vital
Lauren Greif
Devanei Hampton
Alexis Gray-Lawson
Ashley Walker

Virginia
Lyndra Littles
Ariana Moorer
Monica Wright
Aisha Mohammed
Jayna Hartig

Tip-off coming soon!

How To Catch the Cal-UVa Game

There are several options for the fans at home to catch all the action of the second-round match-up between your No. 4-seed California Golden Bears and the fifth-seeded Virginia Cavaliers.

You can listen to a live broadcast anywhere in the world, thanks to KALX. You can hear it in the Bay Area on your FM radio dial at 90.7 FM or anywhere in the world on kalx.berkeley.edu.

The game can also be seen nationally on ESPN Classic.

For those fans in the Bay Area who do not receive ESPN Classic, Comcast has agreed to put the game on Channel 104 (must have a cable box).

In addition, the game will be shown online at ESPN360.com for fans who have a high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider.

An Insider’s Look at Virginia

The official nickname of Virginia is Cavellier but they are also known as the Wahoos or just ‘Hoos. According to the UVa media guide, “legend has it that the Washington & Lee fans dubbed the Virginia players “Wahoos” during the fiercely contested rivalry that existed between the two teams in the 1890s. Over time, “Wahoo”s has come to refer to University students or events relating to them, and has been shortened to the more popular “Hoos” of recent years.

According to Cal team videographer James, a graduate of Virginia, a wahoo is a fish that can drink twice its body weight in water and the fans were termed “Wahoos” because they were quite inebriated during a Virginia sporting event.

Here are some more random facts about Virginia that James shared with me:
There’s an honor code at Virginia which extends to the town and county. If anyone is caught lying, cheating or stealing, they are expelled from school (following a hearing that is). It stems from a murder of a professor in the late 1800s that no one would fess up to)

Thomas Jefferson designed the heart of campus, which is affectionately known as the “lawn.”

There are no freshmen, sophomores, junior or seniors but first through fourth years. Credit to Jefferson on this one again for he thought that one never stopped learning.

UVa is home to the JAG school.

The original colors of the school were maroon and silver.

The logo was designed by the son of a former football coach.

Hello From the Galen Center!

Greetings from the Galen Center on the campus of USC! We've got a little more than 30 minutes on the clock. The Bears just finished their shootaround practice and are streching...more to come!

Player Journal Entry: Shantrell Sneed

To read all of Trell's blog entry's from this season, click here to see her blog on CalBears.com

Anytime you win, it’s exactly what you’re looking for. We knew that they were going to present us with some problems because of their size. We did have some mismatches of posts on guards. We knew that we were capable of beating them and we came out with the W.


I think there are a lot of combination of feelings and thoughts right now. I am a senior so having been in this position before, I know what it felt like to lose in the second round last year. I’m paying more attention to detail this year. I’m
more focused. I know how important practice and shootaround before the game are. I’m putting a lot of attention to detail in everything from shootaround to scouting reports to hone in on the details. At this point in the season, everyone wants it. Attention to detail is hopefully going to give us the advantage over everyone else.

For the game against Fresno State, our coaches put a lot of emphasis on the fact that if we could take away their three-point shot, we could win the game. The three is where roughly 30 points of their game come from and they were leading the nation in three-pointers made. We knew that it was going to be a big key because that’s how they like to score. You always want to take something away from your opponent, and make them beat you with the next best thing. We definitely did a great job at taking away the three-point shot. I feel like that’s the type of defense that Cal plays.

Against Virginia, we need to shut down its big three players and take away the transition, because that’s the way that they like to score. The transition definitely gets them going. If we can shut down their big three and just make other people score, then we can hopefully be successful.

Go Bears!
~Trell

The Freshmen NCAA Experience: Q&A With Angelei Aguirre and Casey Morris


During the open locker room period on Sunday, I had a chance to catch up with Cal's two freshmen - Angelei Aguirre and Casey Morris to chat with them about the NCAA Tournament experience as a first year.

CalBears.com: What were your thoughts on Selection Monday?
Angelei Aguirre: I was just really excited. When you're a little kid, you alwa
ys watch the Big Dance on T.V. But to actually be there was so much fun.
Casey Morris: I was excited. I didn't know it would be like the way it was - with so many fans and friends coming out to the Club Room at Haas Pavilion to support us. It was exciting to be sitting there with my team, waiting for the big announcement. The adrenaline was going and everything.

CalBears.com: The team has played at the Galen Center several times already this year, so the arena wasn't so new. But did you have any expectations coming into the Tournament?
AA: I really don't know. I loved watching it on T.V. so I just pictured that it would be exciting to play in the Tournament. It's the basketball that everyone wants to play.
CM: I've always wanted to play in the NCAA Tournament. It's been a dream of mine for a long time. I was excited to get here. Every team is so talented. You have to come out with 100 percent.

CalBears.com: You both got playing time in Saturday's game against Fresno State, were you thinking about anything in particular when you were checking in at the table?
AA: It didn't really register with me until after the game was over. I was happy to get into the game. After it was over, I was excited that I had gotten to play in the NCAA Tournament.
CM: I was thinking more about the game. The NCAA Tournament is what I was thinking about when we first got to the gym and Selection Sunday. When game time came, I knew it was like every other game. It's basketball. So I had to keep my composure.

CalBears.com: What was key for the Bears on defeating Fresno State last Saturday?
AA: Our defense, definitely. We just shut them down for the most part.
CM: I thought our defense did well. The starters especially picked it up on defense, and they came out hard.

CalBears.com: What's going to be the key for the Bears to defeat Virginia on Monday night?
AA: It'll be defense again. If we can stop them from doing what they like to do, then we can convert on the other end.
CM: Stopping their penetration. They like to run transition, so we need to make sure we stop the
ball early. We've also got to make their go-to players feel uncomfortable and stop them.


Sunday, March 22, 2009

Post-Game Q&A With Charmin Smith

I chatted briefly with Cal assistant coach Charmin Smith last right about Cal’s first-round victory over Fresno State.

CalBears.com: Coming into the game, Fresno State has hit 10 or more three-pointers in 31 games, dating back to last season. But tonight, the Bears were very successful in keeping Fresno State treys to a minimum, was that the plan of attack?

Charmin Smith: That was definitely the game plan. They lead the nation in three-pointers made. We held them to four threes, which is well below their average. I thought that was a big key to the game – taking away their three-point shot.



CalBears.com: How did the team limit them from beyond the arc?

CS: We told our players not to sink defensively, to get stuck in the paint and now out in the perimeter. Then we used a lot of switching defense with switching one through four. At sometimes, we even had Devanei Hampton switching on the guards. It really took away the open looks. It gave up some penetration but we were willing to sacrifice that in order to take away the three.



CalBears.com: Enough about defensive, let’s talk about offensive. What worked best for the Bears tonight?

CS: Ashley Walker. She’s hard to stop. When we were stagnant at some points on offense, our guards stepped up and made a big three, which opened things up for Ashley

Walker. We know that Devanei Hampton will be a great force in games to come. It’s tough when you have a lot of smaller people running around there. She gets penalized for being so aggressive and physical, but that won’t always be the case.



CalBears.com: You were doing a victory dance when we first got to the locker room, what are you thinking right now?

CS: You always want to get that first win under your belt in the Tournament. We know that we’re a team that is supposed to move beyond the first round. We wanted to go ahead and do that and meet those expectations. We feel good now, but we’re not satisfied. We want keep going.


Thanks to Mollie McClure for the awesome action shots.
PS: I apologize for the wacky formatting, blogger's not allowing me to fix it.

Press Conference Quotes

California Coach Joanne Boyle

"I'm just excited to be here. Continuing to play it is what this time is all about -- survive and advance and I thought we did a good job of that last night and I'm just excited to play Virginia."

On breaking down Virginia's team

"Virginia is a great team. There are things they do very well. They are a great transition team. They have a great three in (Lyndra) Littles, (Aisha) Mohammed and (Monica) Wright. They get a lot of touches. They thrive and really push the ball in transition and get easy baskets and do a lot from rebounding."

"We need to take away transition, stay on the boards and don't let them on the free throw line."

On approaching the next game

"We've done a lot of game-planning of course. We're trying to keep our kids in their comfort zone and tweaking things here and there. It's more about the comfort now. And we're doing a lot of film."

"You just can't turn the ball over against a team like this because you won't have a chance to play transition defense because it will be a layup."

California forward/center Ashley Walker

On coming back for second round

"It's just another game. We are staying in our comfort zone. It's great playing in the Galen Center again. We're just exciting to play another game."

On trying to make Sweet Sixteen

"I definitely think last year motivates us. It's definitely one of our goals. It's my last time. We (the rest of the seniors) all have that feeling. We can't waste a possession. Every night we're trying to do that. We're excited to play and when they put the ball out there it's tournament time. No ones going to give it to you. You have to fight for it."

California guard Lauren Greif



On improved play over the last week

"We watched a lot of film on our ball movement how it has gotten kind of stagnant in the last couple of weeks. So we just really focused on moving the ball and watched more film."

"The faster the ball moves the harder it is for defenses to find us."

California guard Alexis Gray-Lawson

On advancing in the tournament

"Just to know that this could have been our last practice or this could be our last game, it makes you want to play that much harder so that you can get one more practice or get one more game."

"I think it makes us hungry. (There is) definitely more desire in our hearts to go out there and not just win for ourselves, but to win for our seniors and our community."

Virginia Notes Q&A Style

Q: How Did They Get Here?
A: The Cavs earned an at-large berth after finished tied for fifth in the ACC (8-6) and advancing to the quarterfinals of the league tournament.

Q: What does Virginia forward Lyndra Littles think of Cal?
A: “I think California is a good team. I think they are a little more athletics. I think they are a more up-tempo team. I think they match up well against us.” (Quote from Saturday night press conference)

Q: What did UVa do in last year’s NCAA Tournament?
A: It advanced to the second round, but lost at ODU, 88-85 in overtime.

Q: Is there any history between Virginia and California?
A: Yes, the ’Hoos hold an 2-0 all-time advantage over the Bears. The teams last met In 1998.

Q: What’s the coaching and staff connection between the Cavs and Bears>?
A: Cal first-year assistant coach Jennifer Hoover spent a years as the director of operations for Virginia before being promoted to assistant coach, a position which she held for three seasons (2004-07). Cal team video coordinator James Rogol attended and worked at UVA for six years combined.

Q: Have both teams taken any trips abroad recently?
A: Yes! Both teams have traveled to the continent of Africa in the past two years. The Golden Bears went to Senegal and Tunisia in 2008, which you can read about here in the blog archive on CalBears.com. The ’Hoos took a 10-day trip to Senegal and the Canary Islands in May of 2007.
http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/cal-wbaskbl-africa-blogs.html

Q: What’s Virginia’s history in the Tournament?
A: Virginia, making its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance, improved to 33-22 all-time in the tournament.

Q: Can you give me some notes about UVa in the first round this year?
A: Absolutely!
Virginia is looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000.

Senior center Aisha Mohammed had her 14th double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Her 14 boards were her 15th double-digit rebound effort of the season and the eighth with at least 14 rebounds.

Virginia trailed at the half for the 15th time this year and came back to win for the ninth time in those 15 games.

News Clippings: Fresno State Game

My media relations cohort Melissa has graciously gathered some of today’s articles about Cal’s win over Fresno State last night.


San Francisco Chronicle: Cal 70, Fresno State 47 – Bears win by shutting down Bulldogs' treys


Bay Area News Group: Cal women start tourney with a romp


Fresno Bee: Cal knocks Fresno State out of NCAA tourney


Associated Press: California's Walker powers Bears past Fresno State


Los Angeles Times: California routs Fresno State at Galen Center