Cal is a team in transition with three active seniors, a junior and six active freshmen who have not yet meshed into a consistently effective team.
Their early losses included three by respectable margins to ranked teams Baylor (#8/9 at the time), Ohio State (#3/3) and Texas A&M (#10/5). But then they lost at home to San Jose State – a loss that led head coach Joanne Boyle to say, "We need to find some leadership ... we need to find some mental and physical toughness."
Two of the So-Berkeley Trio (Ashley Walker and Devanei Hampton) graduated, leaving fifth-year senior guard Alexis Gray-Lawson as the go-to player, but she is struggling to do as much as the young team needs of her. She is Cal's top scorer, but with just 14.3 points per game. Her shooting percentages are down from last season; she makes just 66% of her free throws; and she has almost as many turnovers as assists (23-26).
The other veterans (seniors Natasha Vital and Lauren Greif and junior Rachelle Federico) are performing about the same as last season. Vital and Greif are getting about 10 minutes less playing time per game than last season and Federico about 10 more. Senior center Rama N'diaye has not yet played this season because of her knee injuries.
Cal's seven freshmen were ranked as the top recruiting class in the nation last season. Tierra Rogers' basketball career has been ended by a heart ailment. The performance of the other six has sometimes been disappointing, but they are improving as the season goes on.
6'3'" freshman forward/center DeNesha Stallworth has been in the starting five all season and is beginning to fill the gap left by Walker and Hampton. She is Cal's second-best scorer (13.6 ppg) and rebounder (6.9 rpg). She can shoot the three, but does so infrequently – so far, a bit less than one per game at a rate of 69%.
6'3" freshman center Talia Caldwell has started all but the first three games. She averages 8.1 points and 6.5 rebounds a game. She has had one double-double. She is Cal's most accurate shooter, making 65.6% of her attempted field goals.
6'3" freshman center Brenna Heater is playing on an ankle that was surgically repaired a year ago. She has played limited minutes in just four games this season – not enough yet to evaluate her performance.
6'2" freshman forward Gennifer Brandon missed two games in December with a stress reaction in her fibula. She returned to play in their last game, sooner than expected. She is Cal's top rebounder (7.1 a game) and averages 8.1 points a game. She had two double-doubles before her injury.
5'11" freshman guard Layshia Clarendon is a pretty good three-point shooter – Cal's second-best (to Alexis Gray-Lawson). She averages 1.3 a game at a rate of 37.8%. She averages 11 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. She was the Cal's top scorer with 20+ points in their last three games and had a double-double in one of them. She was in the starting five in the last two games, replacing senior Lauren Greif.
5'7" freshman guard Eliza Pierre started for the first time in Cal's last game, in place of senior Natasha Vital. She handles the ball quite well – 1.5 assists and 1.4 turnovers a game. She leads the team in steals with 2.2 a game.
Cal's overall win-loss record (6-5 ) places them in a tie with USC for 7th in the Pac-10, their RPI (83) places them 6th, and their strength of schedule (95) places them 5th. Their standings are expected to improve as the freshmen gain experience.
Here are their 2009-10 statistics and their roster.
No comments:
Post a Comment