Even as No. 8 seed, future full of hope
For most teams, the situation facing the Cal women’s basketball squad in the Pac-12 tournament would be one of now or never.
Though it’s true that the Bears won’t make the 2017 NCAA Tournament without advancing from a No. 8 seed to winning the conference title against a loaded bracket that includes No. 2 Stanford, it’s also true that Cal’s window for making that type of run isn’t closing anytime soon.
As Cal prepares for its firstround matchup with No. 9 seed USC on Thursday in Seattle, the Bears can’t help but think of the possibilities of now, next year or even the year after that.
“Our main focus is the game ahead, but coach (Lindsay Gottlieb) does mention how good we’re going to be in the years to come,” freshman guard Jaelyn Brown said. “I think our focus is doing it for the seniors and winning as many games as possible, but we’re really excited about the future.
“It’s almost a nervous feeling, knowing how good we can be.”
If the Bears can knock off the Trojans, Cal will face top-seeded Oregon State on Friday morning. Stanford also earned a first-round bye and will play the winner of Thursday’s Washington State-Colorado matchup Friday evening.
Cal (18-12, 6-12) has had a roller-coaster season, which began with a program-best, 13-game winning streak. Playing in the Pac-12, however, the Bears couldn’t find much consistency.
One thing that has been constant has been the production of the underclassmen. Nearly 87 percent of Cal’s points have been scored by underclassmen, including 44.8 percent from a sophomore class led by center Kristine Anigwe.
Seventy-seven percent of the team’s rebounds have been corralled by underclassmen, and 86.9 percent of the squad’s assists have been dished out by underclassmen. Joltingly, they’re getting even better.
Cal went 3-7 in conference play before inserting freshman Mi’Cole Cayton into the starting lineup, and the Bears went 3-5 with her among the first five, despite that portion of the schedule including four games against top-10 teams.
Brown has responded with a similar burst, earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors Monday. She had a personalhigh 21 points at Oregon State on Sunday, upping her previous best mark of 13 points Dec. 4 at Nebraska.
Brown “is playing some of her best basketball of the season,” Gottlieb said. “I think she displayed what she’s capable of, which is knocking down the three, getting to the rim, and playing good defense.”
The 6-foot-1 guard seems to do her best against the best. She had five steals in Cal’s first meeting with Oregon State and scored double-digit points against then-No. 20 Oklahoma and at perennial powerhouse Nebraska. It makes perfect sense. Brown was born with club feet and wore a cast and corrective shoes before learning to walk at 8 months. As a 7- or 8-year-old, she used to doggedly compete with her brother, who is five years older.
“I love playing against the better competition, and the Pac-12 is really competitive,” she said. “Every team we play is strong, but when we go against the toughest teams, I just feel like I need to step up even more. … We want to go to the NCAA Tournament. That’s our focus.”
Brown producing could help accomplish that this season.
But there’s always next year and the year after.