GOLDEN BEAR FACTS/ROSTER

Transcription

1 GOLDEN BEAR FACTS/ROSTER BEAR FACTS Location: Berkeley, CA Founded: 1868 Enrollment: 31,000 Colors: Blue (282) & Gold (116) Nickname: Golden Bears Chancellor: Dr. Robert M. Berdahl Athletic Director: Steve Gladstone Arena: Haas Pavilion (12,000) Conference: Pacific-10 NCAA Tournament Appearances: , 57, 58, 59, 60, 90, 93, 94, 96, 97, 2001, 02 NCAA Final Four Appearances: (4th), 1959 (champions), 1960 (2nd) Record: 22-8 Home: 17-1 Away: 4-6 Neutral: Pac-10 Record/Finish: 12-6/T2nd 2002 Pac-10 Tournament Finish: 1-1/T3rd Media Relations Director: Herb Benenson Office Phone: Cell Phone: benenson@uclink4.berkeley.edu TABLE OF CONTENTS A Look at the Golden Bears Scouting Report... 4 Golden Bear Notes NCAA Tournament Bracket... 9 Cal vs. NCAA Tournament Field Cal in Postseason Play Head Coach Ben Braun Assistant Coaches Player Profiles Pacific-10 Standings & Honors Cumulative Stats Results Miscellaneous Statistics Box Scores PHOTO CREDITS Front cover photos by Russ Wright (top left) and Tom Hauck. Back cover by Patrick J. Merrill. CAL BASKETBALL ON THE INTERNET GOLDEN BEAR ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Exp. Hometown/Last School 2 A.J. Diggs* G So 1V Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Poly HS 3 Donte Smith G Jr^ 2V Washington, DC/Anacostia HS 12 Shantay Legans G Jr 2V Goleta, CA/Dos Pueblos HS 14 Solomon Hughes F/C Sr 3V Carson, CA/Bishop Montgomery HS 22 Ronnie West* G So 1V Phoenix, AZ/Brophy College Prep HS 23 Tashaan Forehan-Kelly* G Fr HS Irvine, CA/Woodbridge HS 24 Amit Tamir F/C Fr HS Jerusalem, Israel/Ort HS 25 Brian Wethers G/F Jr 2V Murrieta, CA/Murrieta Valley HS 30 Erik Bond F/G Fr HS Seattle, WA/Seattle Prep 31 Jamal Sampson F/C Fr HS Inglewood, CA/Mater Dei HS 33 Gabriel Hughes F/C So 1V Carson, CA/Bishop Montgomery HS 34 Joe Shipp F Jr 2V Los Angeles, CA/Fairfax HS 40 Conor Famulener* F So 1V Walnut Creek, CA/De La Salle HS 42 Ryan Forehan-Kelly G/F Sr 3V Irvine, CA/Santa Margarita HS 51 Dennis Gates G Sr 3V Chicago, IL/Whitney Young HS ^ denotes player has used redshirt season * denotes walk-on Head Coach: Ben Braun (Wisconsin 75) Record at Cal: (6th year) Career Record: (25th year) Assistant Coaches: Louis Reynaud (San Francisco State 82), 5th year Jon Wheeler (California 87), 2nd year Joe Pasternack (Indiana 99), 1st year Athletic Trainer: Eric Wiederhold Director of Basketball Operations: Pat Cesnik Video Coordinator: Cassidy Raher Administrative Assistant: Chantell Carr Therol PRONUNCIATION GUIDE No. Name Pronunciation 3 Donte Smith... DON-tay 12 Shantay Legans... SHON-tay 23 Tashaan Forehan-Kelly... tuh-shahn FOR-han KELLY 24 Amit Tamir... ah-meet tah-meer 40 Conor Famulener... CONN-er fa-mew-len-er 42 Ryan Forehan-Kelly... FOR-han KELLY Louis Reynaud... RAY-no Eric Wiederhold... WEE-der-hold CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE 1

2 A LOOK AT THE GOLDEN BEARS CALIFORNIA (22-8) TO MEET IVY LEAGUE CHAMP PENN IN NCAA FIRST ROUND SIXTH-SEEDED BEARS EARN TRIP TO PITTSBURGH FOR MATCH-UP WITH 11TH-SEEDED QUAKERS Game No. 31 California earned its 12th bid to the NCAA Tournament this March and will face Ivy League champion Penn in a first-round game Friday in Pittsburgh. The Bears are seeded sixth in the South Region, while Penn is the 11th seed. The winner of Friday s contest will play the winner of the game between No. 3 Pittsburgh (27-5) and 14thseeded Central Connecticut Junior Shantay Legans leads the Bears from his point guard position. State (27-4) Sunday. The regional semifinals and final will be held at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., March 21 & 23, with the Final Four in Atlanta s Georgia Dome March 30 and April 1. Last year, Cal was the eighth seed in the South Region, but lost to No. 9 Fresno State, 82-70, in the first round at Memphis, Tenn. In Penn, Cal is playing an Ivy League team for the third time this season. The Bears opened the year by beating Princeton, 70-58, in the first round of the BCA Classic Nov. 15 in Berkeley. Cal also topped Harvard, 69-54, in the first round of the Golden Bear Classic Dec. 28. The Bears are 1-2 all-time vs. Penn. In their most recent match-up, the Quakers, behind 14 points and eight assists from Michael Jordan, knocked off Cal, 74-71, on Dec. 29, 1999, snapping the Bears 23-game homecourt winning streak. Three of Cal s starters from that game two years ago are starters on the current squad junior forward Joe Shipp, senior center Solomon Hughes and junior point guard Shantay Legans. This season s Bear squad, though, does not revolve around one or two star players, but instead emphasizes a balanced offensive attack and strong defense. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Cal leads the Pac-10 in both scoring defense (66.4 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (41.8%). In addition, the Bears average 8.00 steals per game California Golden Bears (22-8, 12-6 Pac-10) vs. Penn Quakers (25-6, 11-3 Ivy League) Friday, March 15, Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA TV: CBS Radio: KABL (960 AM) CAL RESULTS 11-5 L.A. Stars (Exh.) EA Sports (Exh.) Princeton# W Eastern Washington# W Santa Clara W New Mexico W at South Florida L Saint Louis W Fresno State W Mount St. Mary s W Harvard^ W Penn State^ W at Stanford (X/12) L Stanford (X/12) W at Oregon L at Oregon State W Washington W Washington State W at USC (X/23) W OT 1-26 at UCLA (X/13) L Arizona (X/19) L Arizona State W Oregon State W Oregon (X/13) W OT 2-14 at Washington State W at Washington L UCLA (X/25) W USC (X/20) W at Arizona St. (21/X) W at Arizona (21/14) L vs. UCLA (25/X)* W vs. Arizona (25/14)* L #BCA Classic, Berkeley, CA ^Golden Bear Classic, Berkeley, CA *Pac-10 Tournament, Los Angeles, CA Home games at Haas Pavilion (12,000) Numbers in parentheses refer to Cal/opp. AP ranking and 4.03 blocks, and boast a turnover margin. Individually, Shipp paces the squad in scoring with 14.8 ppg. He is coming off two of his better outings of the season, scoring 18 points vs. UCLA and 25 against Arizona in the Pac-10 Tournament. Shipp, who passed the 1,000-point barrier for his career vs. the Wildcats, was the league s Player of the Week in December after soaring for a personal-high 31 points against Fresno State, sinking a school-record nine threepointers in the process. At the post, the Bears start a pair of 6-11 players in Hughes and freshman Jamal Sampson. Hughes is shooting a Pac-10-best 58.7 percent from the field and is aiming to become the first Cal player ever to lead the conference two years in a row. The MVP of the Golden Bear Classic after scoring a career-best 19 points vs. Penn State in the championship game, Hughes also ranks second all-time at Cal with 117 blocked shots. Sampson, a member of the Pac-10 All- Freshman squad, paces the Bears in both rebounding (6.5 rpg) and blocks (1.63 bpg). His season total of 49 blocks ties for the thirdhighest total in school history. Sampson, a cousin of former Virginia and NBA star Ralph Sampson, was the MVP of the BCA Classic in November and had one game (vs. Washington Jan. 17) when he finished with 15 points, 17 rebounds, five blocks and three assists. In the backcourt, Legans is completing his third season as a starter at point guard. Two weeks ago at Arizona State, he matched a school accuracy record by draining all four of his threepoint attempts on his way to 20 points. Legans also had 22 points in a double-overtime win over Oregon and hit the game-winning bucket to lift the Bears to a OT victory at USC. Junior Brian Wethers gives Cal a versatile player at the other guard position. Not only is he third on the team in scoring at 10.1 ppg, but he has paced the Bears on the glass seven times, including a high of eight rebounds in wins over Stanford and Arizona State. Cal s top four reserves all average at least 16.7 minutes per game. Amit Tamir, a 6-10 forward from Israel who was voted to the Pac- 10 All-Freshman unit, ranks second to Shipp in scoring with 10.6 ppg. His best performance clearly came in the victory over Oregon when he tallied a Cal freshman-record 39 points to earn both Pac-10 Player of the Week and ESPN.com CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE

3 A LOOK AT THE GOLDEN BEARS PROBABLE STARTERS & KEY RESERVES Pos No Name Ht Wt Yr PPG RPG Notes F 31 Jamal Sampson Fr Pac-10 All-Freshman team; 15 points, 17 boards vs. UW F 34 Joe Shipp Jr points vs. Arizona in Pac-10 Tournament; HM All-Pac-10 C 14 Solomon Hughes Sr Leads Pac-10 in FG shooting (58.7%) for second straight year G 12 Shantay Legans Jr apg 20 points at Arizona State; shooting 88.2% from FT line G 25 Brian Wethers Jr points, 6 boards, 6 assists vs. UCLA 2/21 G 2 A.J. Diggs So apg Team-high 44 steals, including 6 in 11 minutes vs. Harvard G 3 Donte Smith Jr points, 2 rebounds vs. Washington State 1/19 G 22 Ronnie West So Younger brother of former Cal & NBA star Kevin Johnson G 23 Tashaan Forehan-Kelly Fr Apeared in in 7 games as a freshman walk-on F 24 Amit Tamir Fr ESPN.com & Pac-10 Player of the Week after 39 points vs. Oregon F 30 Erik Bond Fr Medical redshirt after undergoing ankle surgery in November F/C 33 Gabriel Hughes So Shooting 70.4% from floor (19-27); 10 points at Washington St. 2/14 F 40 Conor Famulener So Walk-on has appeared in 20 games; 4 points, 5 boards at WSU G 42 Ryan Forehan-Kelly Sr Tied career high with 20 points vs. UCLA in Pac-10 Tournament G 51 Dennis Gates Sr apg Career-high 17 points vs. USC; 37 steals on season Head Coach: Ben Braun (6th season) Assistant Coaches: Jon Wheeler, Louis Reynaud, Joe Pasternack National Player of the Week honors. Seniors Ryan Forehan-Kelly and Dennis Gates both provide veteran leadership in the backcourt. Forehan-Kelly, a career 41.7 percent three-point shooter, tied his career high with 20 points against UCLA in the Pac-10 Tournament last week, while Gates came through with a personal-best 17 points in his final home game vs. USC Feb. 23. Sophomore walk-on A.J. Diggs backs up Legans at the point. Cal s leader in steals with 44, he has six starts this season, including the USC game when he had 12 points and four assists subbing for the injured Legans. CAL S NCAA HEADQUARTERS During its NCAA Tournament games in Pittsburgh, the Cal travel party will stay at the Omni William Penn, 530 William Penn Place, Pittsburgh,PA (Phone: ; Fax: ). Media Relations Director Herb Benenson and Executive Associate AD, Communications Bob Rose will accompany the team. BLUE AND GOLD Official colors of the University of California were established at Berkeley in The colors were chosen by the University s founders, who were mostly Yale men who had come West. They selected gold as a color representing the Golden State of California. The blue was selected from Yale blue. Cal teams have donned the blue and gold since the beginning of intercollegiate competition in GOLDEN BEARS In 1895, the University of California track & field team was the dominant power on the West Coast and decided to challenge several of the top teams in the Midwest and East on an eight-meet tour that is now credited by many historians as putting Cal athletics onto the national scene. As a symbol of the University, Regent Arthur Rodgers, class of 1872, commissioned a blue silk banner emblazoned with a golden grizzly bear, the symbol of the state of California. The banner was carried by the team on its successful tour, which saw them win five of the eight competitions. Cal athletics fans were so ecstatic over the team s performance that Prof. Charles Mills Gayley was inspired to write the song The Golden Bear. Cal s athletic teams have been known as the Golden Bears ever since. CAL RADIO NETWORK Cal basketball games are broadcast on KABL Radio (960 AM) in San Francisco and KESP Radio (790 AM) in Modesto with Roxy Bernstein calling the action. Each broadcast begins 20 minutes prior to tip-off with the Cal Basketball Pregame Show. After the game, a member of the coaching staff recaps the action. The broadcast is followed by Bear Talk, a one-hour callin show with hosts Marty Lurie, Dan Lachman and Matt Foley. All Cal releases, results, statistics, box scores and coach and player information, as well as historical data, are available on the Internet at Game recaps, including coach and player quotes, and statistics are updated after each contest. HAAS PAVILION Cal completed its third season in the 12,000-seat Walter A. Haas Jr. Pavilion this year. The $57.5 million facility is a renovated and expanded version of Harmon Gym, which served as the Bears home from In addition to the basketball court, the building features coaching and administrative offices, locker rooms, a spacious weight room and athletic training facilities. Cal averaged 10,094 fans per game in , the third consecutive year the Bears have been over 10,000. Junior Joe Shipp earned honorable mention All- Pac-10 honors this season CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE 3

4 SCOUTING REPORT No. 11-seeded Penn makes its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance and its third in the last four seasons Friday when the Quakers take on sixth-seeded Cal in the first round. Penn s trip to the tournament is its sixth under head coach Fran Dunphy, dating back to his 1993 loss as the No. 14 seed to No. 3- seeded UMass, 54-50, in the East Region. Dunphy is 1-5 in the tournament with Penn. The Red and Blue have made a total of 18 NCAA Tournament appearances since 1953 with an overall record of Penn s best dance came in 1979 when the Quakers advanced out of the East Region to face eventual-national champion Michigan State in the Final Four, losing to the Spartans, , in Salt Lake City. This season, Penn defeated Yale, 77-58, March 9 to secure the Ivy League s automatic bid after finishing the regular season in a three-way tie for the conference title with Yale and Princeton. It was Penn s 21st Ivy League championship. Three Quakers were named to the All-Ivy League first team. Junior forward Ugonna Onyekwe was named Ivy League Player of the Year after leading Penn in scoring with 17.5 points per game and rebounding with 6.0 per game. Onyekwe is shooting 55.1 percent from the field this season and has 64 assists, 41 blocks and 37 steals, all while recording four double-doubles and scoring 20+ points in 10 of his last 11 games. In Penn s last eight league games before the title playoff, Onyekwe averaged Junior forward Koko Archibong averaged 14.1 points per game in the regular season. A QUICK LOOK AT PENN 18.5 points while shooting 69 percent from the floor. Junior forward Koko Archibong and junior guard Andrew Toole joined Onyekwe on the conference squad. Archibong averaged 14.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg and had the second-best free throw percentage for Penn at 81.6 percent. He has recorded seven 20-point games this season, while tallying 31 blocked shots and 30 steals. Toole, playing in his first season with the Quakers after transferring from Elon College, averaged 14.0 ppg and paced the team with 97 assists (3.13 apg). Penn s best free throw shooter, Toole hit 87.0 percent from the line and nailed 42.6 percent of his three-pointers (58-of-136). PENN IN THE POSTSEASON Penn s most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament came when the Quakers were seeded No. 13 in the 2000 edition, but lost to fourthseeded Illinois, CAL VS. PENN SERIES HISTORY The Golden Bears are 1-2 versus Penn, the only team in the Ivy League to hold a winning record over Cal. The Quakers beat the Bears, 74-71, on Dec. 29, 1999 in Berkeley. Sean Lampley led the Bears that night with 18 points, and Shantay Legans finished with 11. Penn had five players in double digits, paced by Matt Langel s 19 points. Ugonna Onyekwe had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. Fran Dunphy CAL, BRAUN VS. IVY LEAGUE Cal is 16-4 overall versus Ivy League opponents dating back to the season. Breaking the Ivy League down by team, here is how Cal has measured up to the Ancient Eight: Brown (0-0), Columbia (4-0), Cornell (1-1), Dartmouth (4-0), Harvard (2-0), Pennsylvania (1-2), Princeton (2-1), Yale (2-0). Ben Braun is 5-1 all-time against Ivy League schools, including a 2-0 mark this season. During his first season with the Bears, Braun guided Cal to a victory over Princeton in the first round of the NCAA East Regional in Winston-Salem, N.C., eventually taking the Bears to the Sweet 16. Earlier this year, Cal topped both Princeton, 70-58, and Harvard, HEAD COACH FRAN DUNPHY Fran Dunphy (La Salle 70) is in his 13th season at Penn with an overall record of (.643). A veteran of the Ivy League, Dunphy has won seven conference titles in his 13 seasons at Penn. On Feb. 2, 2001, Dunphy recorded his 200th collegiate coaching victory with a win over Yale at The Palestra. During his tenure, Dunphy has coached five Ivy League Players of the Year and three Ivy League Rookies of the Year. CAL, PENN COMMON OPPONENTS The Bears and the Quakers shared two common opponents during the season Ivy League squads Harvard and Princeton. Cal hosted Princeton Nov. 15 for its season opener in the BCA Classic, defeating the Tigers, Joe Shipp led the Bears with 15 points, while Ryan Forehan-Kelly and Dennis Gates added 11 each, and Jamal Sampson finished with 10 points. A month later, Cal again hosted an Ivy League opponent, defeating Harvard, 69-54, Dec. 28 in the first round of the Golden Bear Classic. Solomon Hughes paced the Bears with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Shipp tossed in 12 points and Sampson had a big night on the boards, pulling in 15 rebounds. Penn played in home-and-away contests with Harvard and Princeton, finishing the regular season 3-1 in those league match-ups. The Quakers came up short at Harvard, in overtime Jan. 12. Ugonna Onyekwe led Penn with 22 points. On Feb. 12, Penn traveled to Princeton, winning that contest, Onyekwe, Koko Archibong and Andrew Toole each finished with 17 points. Three days later, the Quakers hosted Harvard, this time defeating the Crimson, 78-51, behind Onyekwe s 19 points and 10 rebounds. In its final regular season game before the league title playoff, Penn topped Princeton in front of the home crowd, Toole paced the Quakers with 19 points. PROBABLE STARTERS Pos. No. Name Ht Wt Yr PPG RPG F 1 Ugonna Onyekwe Jr F 2 Koko Archibong Jr G 4 Jeff Schiffner So G 20 Andrew Toole Jr G 31 Tim Begley Fr CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE

5 GOLDEN BEAR NOTES CAL EARNS FIFTH POSTSEASON BERTH IN SIX YEARS UNDER BRAUN With the Bears making their fifth postseason appearance in six years under head coach Ben Braun, Cal is enjoying one of the best stretches in its long basketball history. Since 1990, the Bears have gone onto postseason play nine times, compared to just eight occasions in the 81 seasons from Overall, Cal has an impressive postseason record (16-11 NCAA, 10-4 NIT). The Bears won the NCAA championship in 1959 and were NCAA runners up in 1960 under Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell. With Braun as coach, Cal reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1997, won the National Invitation Tournament title in 1999, reached the NIT quarterfinals in 2000 and earned another NCAA berth last year. In fact, Braun, the 1997 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, is the first Cal coach ever to lead the Bears to five postseason appearances. Newell took the Bears to four NCAAs from , while Lou Campanelli guided Cal to three NITs and one NCAA between Nov. 16, the Eagles scored the fewest points by a Golden Bear opponent since Cal beat San Francisco State, 52-23, on Dec. 13, 1946 a span of 1,556 games. CAL S TOP DEFENSIVE SEASONS SINCE * Season PPG Allowed Pac-10 Rank st st th th *season 35-second shot clock was introduced BRAUN NEARING CAL POSTSEASON VICTORY MARK Head coach Ben Braun may only be in his sixth season at Cal, but he is already closing in on the school s postseason victory record. He enters the 2002 NCAA Tournament with a 9-3 mark with the Bears, going 2-1 in the 1997 NCAA Tournament, 5-0 in the 1999 NIT (champion), 2-1 in the 2000 NIT and 0-1 at last year s NCAA tourney. Pete Newell holds the record with 10 postseason wins, including the 1959 NCAA title. POSTSEASON COACHING RECORDS AT CAL Pete Newell NCAA Ben Braun NCAA, 2 NIT Lou Campanelli NCAA, 3 NIT Todd Bozeman NCAA Nibs Price NCAA BEARS STRONG HOME TEAM THIS SEASON Cal put together one of its best home records in school history this season, finishing with a 17-1 mark. The Bears won their first 12 contests before suffering their only setback, a decision to Arizona. Still, Cal posted four wins over ranked opponents, defeating Stanford, Oregon, UCLA and USC along the way, in addition to convincing victories over Fresno State and New Mexico. Inside Haas Pavilion, the Bears average margin of victory was and they held the opposition to just 39.1 percent shooting from the floor. In its history, Cal won more home games only one other time the Bears were 24-2 during the season. DEFENSE A HALLMARK OF BEARS For just the second time since 1964, Cal led the Pac-10 in scoring defense, allowing only 66.4 points per game. The last time the Bears paced the league came in Ben Braun s first year at the helm when Cal surrendered 67.8 ppg in on its way to the NCAA Sweet 16. This season, the Bears have limited 13 teams to 60 points or less, including nine conference opponents. The last time Cal kept more squads to 60 or under was in three years before the introduction of the 35-second shot clock when the Bears held 14 teams down. Both Stanford (54) and UCLA (51) were held to season lows vs. Cal, while Arizona (68), Arizona State (59) and Washington (50) put up their second-lowest totals of the year against the Bears. Additionally, in Cal s win over Eastern Washington Brian Wethers was a big part of Cal's effort that led the Pac-10 in scoring defense during the regular season. CAL GAINS FOURTH 20-WIN SEASON UNDER BRAUN With a 22-8 record entering the NCAA Tournament, head coach Ben Braun has guided Cal to a fourth 20-win campaign, a feat attained by just one other coach in school history Nibs Price. However, Price took 24 years to reach the goal, while Braun is in just his sixth season at the helm of the Golden Bear program. Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell had three 20-win seasons in six years as head coach, while Lou Campanelli also had three in eight seasons. CAL COACHES WITH MOST 20-WIN SEASONS 4 Ben Braun (23-9), (22-11), (20-11), (22-8) 4 Nibs Price (24-8), (30-6), (20-11), (25-9) 3 Pete Newell (21-5), (25-4), (28-2) 3 Lou Campanelli (20-15), (20-13), (22-10) CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE 5

6 GOLDEN BEAR NOTES BEARS BOAST TURNOVER RATIO One of the characteristics of a Ben Braun-coached team is its ability to take good care of the basketball, as the Bears have averaged just 13.3 turnovers per outing. And with their strong defensive effort, the Bears have forged their way to an impressive turnover margin a mark significantly higher than last year when they led the conference with a margin. The Bears also topped the league in turnover differential in with a school-record In , Cal has had at least eight fewer turnovers than its opponents nine times, and the Bears have had more turnovers on just four occasions (12-10 vs. New Mexico, 10-9 at USC, at Arizona and 16-8 vs. Arizona in the Pac-10 Tournament). Cal turned the ball over a season-low 8 times vs. Penn State Dec. 29 and matched that figure at Washington State Feb. 14. In addition, the Bears had only 10 turnovers at Oregon, in both games against Oregon State and at USC. WITH NO TRUE STAR, BEARS CAPITALIZE ON BALANCE With no player near the Top 10 in the Pac-10 in scoring or rebounding, Cal is utilizing a balanced offensive attack this season. Junior forward Joe Shipp paces the squad with 14.3 ppg and he has led the Bears in points 14 times. But Shipp, who scored a career-high 31 points vs. Fresno State in December, isn t the only player capable of putting up big numbers. Amit Tamir poured in 39 points vs. Oregon Feb. 9, Brian Wethers added 24 at USC Jan. 24 and Ryan Forehan-Kelly chipped in with 19 points vs. Stanford Jan. 6 and 20 more vs. UCLA in the Pac-10 Tournament. In addition, Dennis Gates had a career-best 17 points against USC Feb. 23, while Shantay Legans added 20 points, including a 4-for-4 performance from three-point range to tie a school record, at Arizona State. Overall, eight different players have led Cal in scoring this year, while the Bears have had seven different rebounding leaders and eight players pace the squad in assists. As Wethers put it toward the end of the season: It s kind of like rolling dice. You never know who s going to pop up. TIMES LEADING TEAM... in Scoring* in Rebounding* in Assists* Joe Shipp Amit Tamir Ryan Forehan-Kelly Solomon Hughes Brian Wethers Dennis Gates Shantay Legans Jamal Sampson A.J. Diggs *includes ties WITH JOE ON BOARD, CAL S SHIPP HAS COME IN With Cal s balanced offense this season, it s hard to pin the label of go-to player on any one member of the Golden Bear squad. But the person who comes closest is junior forward Joe Shipp, who leads the squad with 14.4 ppg. Shipp has paced Cal in 14 games and reached double figures 24 times. He showed off his explosiveness against Fresno State Dec. 11 when he connected on a school-record nine three-pointers (12 attempts) on his way to a career-best 31 points. Shipp also poured in 24 points vs. Saint Louis and at Oregon, and he had 20 points and a careerhigh-tying 9 rebounds in an overtime victory at USC. In addition, he tallied 25 points vs. Arizona in the Pac-10 Tournament, passing the 1,000-point barrier along the way. Primarily as a three-point specialist when he arrived at Cal, Shipp has developed into one of the Bears better contributors on the block where he can take advantage of his strong 6-5, 220-pound frame, and he ranks second on the squad in rebounding with a 4.6 average. With a pair of 6-11 starters in senior Solomon Hughes and freshman Jamal Sampson, plus a pair of 6-10 reserves in sophomore Gabriel Hughes and freshman Amit Tamir, the Bears clearly present teams with an intimidating presence in the middle. As a result, Cal has swatted away 121 shots this season, good for a tie for third on the school s all-time list. The elder Hughes has 26 blocks and ranks second on Cal s career chart with 117 blocks, while Sampson, the cousin of former Virginia and NBA star Ralph Sampson, has 49 blocks to his credit and could challenge the Bears season record of 59 set by Michael Stewart in Tamir, SAMPSON, HUGHES LEAD CAL S BLOCK PARTY Freshman Jamal Sampson enters the NCAA Tournament with 49 blocks. who spends much of his time on the perimeter where he has knocked down 25 three-pointers, has just four blocks, but Gabriel Hughes owns 10 rejections although he plays only 4.5 minutes per game. TEAM BLOCK RECORD INDIVIDUAL SEASON LEADERS INDIVIDUAL CAREER LEADERS Michael Stewart ( 94) Michael Stewart ( 94-97) Michael Stewart ( 97) Solomon Hughes ( 99-02) Jamal Sampson ( 02) Tom Schneiderjohn ( 76-79) Michael Stewart ( 95) Brian Hendrick ( 90-93) Michael Stewart ( 96) Lamond Murray ( 92-94) CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE

7 GOLDEN BEAR NOTES SMURFS GIVE LIFT TO CAL IN BACKCOURT At the point, Cal sports a pair of diminutive 5-10 guards who direct the Bear offense and try to disrupt opposing defenses in junior Shantay Legans and sophomore A.J. Diggs. But when the two enter the game at the same time they become in the words of their teammates the Smurfs. Legans has 24 starts to his credit, while Diggs has six starts, and they have combined to average 10.8 ppg and 5.2 apg. But perhaps their greatest asset is their quickness on the defensive end. Legans enters the NCAA Tournament with 37 steals and he ranks seven on Cal s career chart with 131 thefts. Diggs, despite playing just 16.7 minutes per outing, leads the Bears with 44 steals, including one game vs. Harvard when he picked off six steals in just 11 minutes. Although the pair usually substitute for each other, head coach Ben Braun is not afraid to put them on the court together to give Cal both a different defensive look and better ball handling. TAMIR S BIG NIGHT NO. 5 ALL-TIME AT CAL Amit Tamir may be listed as a freshman on the Cal roster, but the 6-10 forward brings the experience of membership on the Israeli national team to the court for the Bears. Tamir, who turned 22 in December and has already served three years in the Israeli army, had to sit out the first eight games of the season for playing alongside professionals in his homeland. But once he got into the lineup, he quickly made his presence known. In just his second game, Tamir had 12 points and nine rebounds, plus forced a key turnover in the closing seconds, to help Cal top Penn State in the championship game of the Golden Bear Classic. However, his best performance clearly game in a double overtime victory over Oregon Feb. 9. In that contest, Tamir came off the bench for 39 points (14-19 FG, 5-6 3P, 6-8 FT), an effort that ranks No. 5 on Cal s single game list and earned him both Pac-10 Player of the Week and ESPN.com National Player of the Week honors. Tamir, who ranks second on the team with 10.6 ppg, has tossed in 25 three-pointers on the season (34.2%). In addition, he has 39 assists, including seven (no turnovers) vs. USC Feb. 23. TOP 5 SCORING GAMES IN CAL HISTORY 1. Ed Gray at Washington State, 2/22/ John Coughran at Utah State, 1/31/ Ray Murry vs. Stanford, 3/5/ Bob McKeen vs. Utah, 1/30/ Amit Tamir vs. Oregon, 2/9/ CAL SUCCEEDS IN CLASSROOM UNDER BRAUN Since Ben Braun arrived at Cal just prior to the season, academics have always received a high priority. The results of that emphasis can been seen in the 2001 Pac-10 All-Academic team, which featured three Bears on the first unit (Dennis Gates, Ryan Forehan-Kelly, Morgan Lingle) and another on the honorable mention list (Donte Smith). Gates has already received his bachelor s degree and is competing as a graduate student in education this year, while fellow senior Solomon Hughes needs just one class this spring to complete his B.A. All seven of Cal s upperclassmen are on track to graduate on time. In addition, Sophomore guard A.J. Diggs leads the Bears with 44 steals. Braun took his commitment a step further last April when he pledged $250,000 toward academic support services for student-athletes at Cal. BEARS TAKE CONTROL WITH HALFTIME LEADS Over the past two seasons, Cal has proven that once its gets ahead, opposing teams have a difficult time coming back. Last year, the Bears were 15-1 when leading at the half, while Cal is 15-1 this season when up at the break. The only setback in 2002 came at home against Arizona Jan. 31 when Cal took a edge into the locker room, but dropped a decision. In addition, the Bears are 6-6 when trailing at the half this year and 1-1 when tied. WETHERS DOES THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MATTER For junior Brian Wethers, the box score doesn t always measure his contributions on the court. Instead, his most valuable commodity is his effort on both ends of the court. Offensively, he can put up impressive numbers when called upon and has reached double figures 15 times this year. He also has the capability to be a top rebounder, leading the Bears on the boards seven times, with a best of eight in wins over Stanford and Arizona State. Perhaps the best example of his ability came in Cal s overtime win at USC. Wethers tallied a season-high 24 points, sinking a game-tying turnaround three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation to send the game into the extra period. In addition, he took on the challenge of defending the Trojans David Bluthenthal after intermission and helped limit him to just three points following a 17-point first half. CAL EARNS HIGHEST RANKING IN SEVEN SEASONS On Monday, Feb. 25, Cal claimed its first national ranking of the season, earning the No. 21 spot in the Associated Press poll and the No. 25 position from ESPN/USA Today. The ranking was the first for the Bears since they were voted 25th by AP on Jan. 4, In addition, it was Cal s highest location in the AP poll during the regular season since the Bears were 20th on Jan. 9, Cal was 18th in the final coaches poll in 1997, following its run to the NCAA Sweet 16. Here is a look at Cal s recent national rankings: CAL RANKINGS SINCE Week AP Coaches Week AP Coaches Dec Feb Dec Feb Jan April Jan Jan Preseason Dec Jan Feb March March CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE 7

8 GOLDEN BEAR NOTES BENCH GIVES BEARS SUPPORT ALL SEASON Contributing 25.6 points per game, Cal s bench has been a source of strength for the Bears all season. Non-starters have reached double figures in scoring 30 times, including some of the year s most important performances. Most significant was Amit Tamir s 39 points vs. Oregon, while Brian Wethers had 24 points at USC and Ryan Forehan-Kelly had 19 points against Stanford at home and 20 vs. UCLA in the Pac-10 Tournament. Forehan-Kelly has just two starts to his credit this year, but has tallied at least 10 points 13 times. Given that two of Cal s three seniors typically come off the bench, the Bears can also rely on experience in their reserve corps. In fact, current substitutes Forehan-Kelly, Tamir, Dennis Gates, Donte Smith and A.J. Diggs have combined for 96 starts during their careers. BEARS POST 5 WINS OVER RANKED OPPONENTS So far this year, Cal has played 10 games and scored five wins over teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, going 5-5 in those contests. The Bears have defeated Stanford (then-no. 12), Oregon (13) and UCLA (25) and topped USC (23 & 20) twice. Cal last beat five ranked foes in when they were 6-4 vs. Top 25 squads. Prior to its victory over Stanford Jan. 6, the Bears had lost their previous 11 contests to ranked schools. CAL OVERCOMES INJURIES TO KEY COMPONENTS Prior to the season, head coach Ben Braun stated that one of the strengths of his team this year would be its depth. And with the injury bug striking several players during the season, that depth has certainly benefited the squad. Senior center Solomon Hughes sat out Cal s first four Pac-10 games in early January after straining a knee in practice the week of the Stanford games. Although the Bears lost on The Farm Jan. 4, they came back two days later to defeat the Cardinal at home, Cal also split its road trip to Oregon with Hughes in street clothes. In mid-february, senior guard Dennis Gates was on the sidelines for four games with partially torn ligaments in his right wrist. The Bears went 3-1 in his absence, defeating Oregon State, Oregon in double OT and Washington State, but falling at Washington. Starting point guard Shantay Legans then watched from the bench vs. USC Feb. 23 after suffering a concussion against UCLA Feb. 21. With sophomore walk-on A.J. Diggs handling the point, Cal won, In addition, freshman forward Amit Tamir sat out the first eight games of the season for playing with professionals on the Israeli national team. CAL BREAKS THREE-POINT RECORD TWICE Cal may be shooting just 31.7 percent from three-point range this year, but the Bears have shown a penchant for occasionally scorching the nets from outside the arc. Twice during the season, Cal has broken the school record for three-pointers in a game. Back on Dec. 11, the Bears were 14- for-28 (50.0%) against Fresno State, snapping the old mark of 13 most recently reached against UCLA on Feb. 1, Then at USC Jan. 24, Cal was 15-for-28 (53.6%), with six different players contributing Amit Tamir (3-5), Joe Shipp (4-6), A.J. Diggs (2-3), Dennis Gates (1-3), Shantay Legans (3-6) and Brian Wethers (2-4). In addition to those two Senior Ryan Forehan-Kelly has been a potent perimeter shooter for Cal, making more than 40 percent of his three-point attempts during his career. games, Cal also shot 64.7 percent (11-17) from long distance in its win over Oregon Feb. 9. Individually, Ryan Forehan-Kelly is sinking a team-high 40.4 percent (40-99), which rose to 44.9 percent (22-49) in Pac-10 play. WALK-ONS GIVE BEARS A LIFT Throughout his tenure as head coach at Cal, Ben Braun has given walk-ons the opportunity to be major contributors to the Golden Bears success. This year s team, for example, sports five players who started their careers as nonscholarship players, with three of them playing key roles. Senior wing Ryan Forehan-Kelly, who was rewarded with a scholarship two years ago, averages 7.9 ppg and is Cal s top three-point shooter, making 40.4 percent of his attempts. He totaled 19 points, including 13 in the final 5:12, to help the Bears beat Stanford Jan. 6 and had a career-high-tying 20 vs. UCLA March 7. Sophomore A.J. Diggs has established himself as Cal s primary backup at point guard and he has six starts to his credit. Diggs, who paces the team with 44 steals, tied career highs with 12 points and four assists in a start vs. USC Feb. 23, helping Cal to the win. Sophomore forward Conor Famulener won a state championship at De La Salle HS in Concord, Calif., and has appeared in 20 games, getting in for key stretches against Stanford, Oregon, Washington State and several other opponents. In addition, sophomore guard Ronnie West, younger brother of former Cal and NBA star Kevin Johnson, and freshman guard Tashaan Forehan-Kelly, Ryan s brother, are also on the roster. Two other walk-ons besides the elder Forehan-Kelly have earned scholarships under Braun Robbie Jones in 2000 and Morgan Lingle last season. GOLDEN BEAR NOTES Cal came back from 19 points down (45-26, 2:41 left in first half) to beat Oregon Feb. 9 its largest comeback since the Bears fell behind by 20 points to Arizona State on Feb. 10, 1994 before winning, Ben Braun won his 100th game at Cal when the Bears beat Saint Louis, 88-63, Dec freshman Erik Bond underwent right ankle surgery Nov. 10 and will redshirt this season the Bears have two sets of brothers on their squad Solomon and Gabriel Hughes and Ryan and Tashaan Forehan-Kelly freshman Jamal Sampson was voted MVP of the BCA Classic, while Joe Shipp was also named to the all-tournament team at the Golden Bear Classic, Solomon Hughes was voted tournament MVP, with Dennis Gates also earning all-tournament honors Dennis Gates changed his number from 15 to 51 this year; 51 was the number he wore as a junior high school player Sean Lampley, the 2001 Pac-10 Player of the Year for Cal, has been named the 2001 Male Collegiate Athlete of the Year by the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame Cal signed three players to National Letters of Intent in November: 6-7 wing Kennedy Winston from Pritchard, Ala. (Blount HS), 6-8 forward Davis Paris from Modesto, Calif. (Modesto Christian HS) and 6-2 point guard Richard Midgley from London, England (Modesto Christian HS) Cal tied for second in the Pac-10 standings, just the fourth time the Bears have attained such status since winning their last conference title in CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE

9 NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET First Round Second Round Regionals Semifinals NATIONAL Semifinals Regionals Second Round First Round CHAMPIONSHIP SOUTH EAST 1 Duke Maryland 1 16 Winthrop Alcorn State/Siena 16 8 Notre Dame Wisconsin 8 9 Charlotte St. John s 9 5 Indiana Marquette 5 12 Utah Tulsa 12 4 USC Kentucky 4 13 UNC Wilmington 6 CALIFORNIA Lexington, KY March 21 & 23 Syracuse, NY March 22 & 24 Valparaiso 13 Texas Tech 6 11 Penn Southern Illinois 11 3 Pittsburgh Georgia 3 14 Central Connecticut State Murray State 14 7 Oklahoma State 10 Kent State 2 Alabama 15 Florida Atlantic WEST 1 Cincinnati 16 Boston University 8 UCLA 9 Ole Miss 5 Miami 12 Missouri 4 Ohio State Atlanta, GA March 30 FINAL NATIONAL CHAMPION Atlanta, GA April 1 FOUR Atlanta, GA March 30 North Carolina State 7 Michigan State 10 Connecticut 2 Hampton 15 MIDWEST Kansas 1 Holy Cross 16 Stanford 8 Western Kentucky 9 Florida 5 Creighton 12 Illinois 4 13 Davidson 6 Gonzaga San Jose, CA March 21 & 23 Madison, WI March 22 & 24 San Diego State 13 Texas 6 11 Wyoming Boston College 11 3 Arizona Mississippi State 3 14 UC Santa Barbara McNeese State 14 7 Xavier Wake Forest 7 10 Hawaii Pepperdine 10 2 Oklahoma Oregon 2 15 Illinois-Chicago Montana CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE 9

10 CAL vs. TOURNAMENT FIELD Opponent All-Time Last Meeting Alabama Alabama, 76-73, 12/29/94 Alcorn State Cal, 77-73, 12/13/80 Arizona Arizona, 90-78, 3/8/02 Boston College BC, 65-51, 12/29/87 Boston University Cal, 76-45, 12/28/99 Central Connecticut State Cal, 92-44, 12/30/88 Charlotte Cal, 80-63, 12/4/86 Cincinnati Cincinatti, 77-70, 12/20/95 Connecticut Connecticut, 74-54, 3/17/90 Creighton Cal, 70-49, 11/28/87 Davidson Cal, 95-87, 1/2/00 Duke Cal, 82-77, 3/20/93 Florida Cal, 73-58, 11/25/88 Florida Atlantic Georgia Cal, 85-64, 12/21/00 Gonzaga Cal, 72-64, 12/21/99 Hampton Hawaii Cal, 71-60, 11/15/98 Holy Cross Cal, 75-64, 12/28/95 Illinois Cal, 89-88, 12/3/96 Illinois-Chicago Indiana Cal, 65-63, 3/15/90 Kansas Kansas, 85-67, 11/26/96 Kent State Kentucky Kentucky, 89-71, 11/28/88 Marquette Maryland Maryland, 80-64, 12/8/96 McNeese State Miami Michigan State Cal, 78-68, 12/20/63 Mississippi Mississippi State Cal, 83-76, 11/13/00 Missouri Cal, 64-63, 12/2/86 Montana Cal, 37-23, Murray State North Carolina State UNC Wilmington Notre Dame Cal, 69-63, 12/27/66 Ohio State OSU, 75-55, 3/18/60 Oklahoma Oklahoma, 75-58, 11/21/99 Oklahoma State Cal, 80-65, 12/5/92 Oregon Cal, , 2/9/02 Pennsylvania Penn, 74-71, 12/29/99 Pepperdine Pittsburgh Cal, 70-58, 12/26/50 San Diego State SDSU, 27-26, 1/12/42 Siena Southern California Cal, 83-64, 2/23/02 Southern Illinois St. John s Stanford Cal, 68-54, 1/6/02 Texas Texas, 57-54, 11/15/00 Texas Tech Tulsa UCLA Cal, 67-61, 3/7/02 UC Santa Barbara Cal, 74-61, 12/5/81 Utah Utah, 96-77, 12/30/69 Valparaiso Wake Forest Wake Forest, 76-59, 3/24/00 Western Kentucky WKU, 96-85, 12/29/67 Winthrop Wisconsin Wisconsin, 66-63, 12/29/86 Wyoming Cal, 77-75, 12/18/81 Xavier CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL POSTSEASON MEDIA GUIDE