Big Game Win for Bears

Ethan got to experience his first Cal game against Stanford yesterday. Although it wasn't the biggest crowd of the season, Haas Pavilion was rocking just the same. After all, it was Stanford in the house. It was fun to see Ethan's reaction to seeing the Stanford tree for the first time. He thought that it was goofy, especially that the mouth that was attached to the tree looked ready to fall off at any time.

The Stanford band was their usual obnoxious self, playing barely recognizable tunes that became less frequent as the game wore on as it became apparent that there would be very little to cheer about for the cardinal-clad. Most of the empty seats were arranged around the Stanford band giving the band a halo-like effect. Even the Stanford fans who were nearby chose to distance themselves from the seats closest to the band probably to prevent premature deafness. Although we were on the opposite side of Haas from the band, each time the band would strike up Ethan would put his fingers in his ears because it was too loud.

The Bears broke out to a 10-2 lead and never looked back to cruise to a 74-55 win. When the Bears started to clear out their bench, the lead had grown to 28 points. Here's a link to highlights from the game, including a fastbreak layup (starting at about the 1:17 mark of the video clip) that must've brought a smile even to Coach Montgomery. Pass, pass, layup with not a single dribble over half court. This was like one of those drills run in practice with no defenders.

On senior day, the Bears faithful said good-bye to three seniors in pre-game ceremonies. Markhuri Sanders-Frison and two team managers. The Bears lose one key player, but will be adding at least 4 new faces, including two players who are currently redshirting. Although the Bears are not loaded with blue chip recruits like some schools (Arizona, UCLA and Washington come to mind in the Pac-10) and usually are undersized and less athletic compared to their opponents, having the best Pac-10 coach on our side of the court is a big plus. The players part in this is that they have figured out how to play as a team with great chemistry and no hint of personal agendas. The Bears are a very good college team in every sense of the word "team." Looking forward to more Pac-10 hoops next year.