Cal Bears Today

The Bears will enter this weekend with a Pac-10 best 2-0 record and an overall record of 13-2.  This level of success hasn’t been matched in over 50 years and if Cal can continue to succeed as they’ve already done, their success at the end of the season could be unprecedented.

In sports, all teams strive towards achieving the goal of winning.  In order to win close games or beat stiff competition, talent only gets you so far.  Being smart and cool under pressure gets you over the top, and to play smart and be cool under pressure, confidence is a necessary requirement.  The only problem with confidence: You get it by winning.

It’s a circular achievement.  You want to win to get more confidence, but you need confidence to win.  So what is it that has given these Cal Bears, only mediocre last season, the confidence to start the season as well as they’ve done?  Two words - Mike Montgomery. When asked what Montgomery has brought to the Bears this season, Harper Kamp responded:

I said this once before.  He brings us a lot of confidence, I mean, we just have a lot of faith in him.  He’s just been around a long time and he’s been around a successful program for a long time and that just…when we’re out there in the huddles and on the court and practice, you know, it just gives us that little edge, that little confidence that we need.

Star point guard Jerome Randle had similar words about the difference Montgomery has made just by being their coach:

The difference he makes, is being a great teacher, you know he’s a great teacher.  We have ask a lot of questions, and I think that’s important in practice you know if we don’t know what’s going on, you know he’s willing to just give us the answer that, you know, will be the best thing for the team.  I think that’s been working so far, and with my game, you know, I feel like he should take some of the credit because, you know he’s just putting the ball in my hands and just telling me to run the team.  I know exactly what he wants me to do out on the floor, and it makes me, you know, feel comfortable out there.

Maybe that’s why when they were asked if they were surprised about their success thus far, they answered in the negative.

No, it’s expected.  When we go out there, we expect to win every time and that’s the mentality that you have to have.  There’s still a lot of basketball left, so we still have a lot to prove to ourselves and to others.
- Kamp

I’m not surprised at all.  This is a great group of guys and we work hard, and everyone’s hungry right now.  I know for me and Patrick (Christopher) , we had two tough years and I think it’s time for us to make a change.  I feel like this year, we’re trying to open some eyes.  Just keep playing hard and hopefully it will go another way.
- Randle

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