Folks may not care and most of these points are well-established here, but I need to lay them down anyway. Been watching a ****-ton of old ballgames and a hodgepodge of thoughts:
- It works occasionally but great basketball is not necessarily found in the biggest menagerie of talent. Many times great teams are built around a singular elite talent whose mere presence elevates everyone else (UMass ‘96, UK ‘92 and ‘93, Arkansas ‘94 and ‘95, Syracuse’03, etc).
Mashburn just made everyone on the floor better. His IQ, spacing, passing and the attention he drew was amazing.
- 2015 obviously wasn’t playing their best ball in March. Likely needed a late season loss to recharge them. Can’t blame anyone for daring to be great. Only one elite NCAA effort- a WV team who foolishly pressed us.
Cal’s biggest mistake was never leaning on the Harrisons. It was playing too big and too deep. Rotation should have been 1-3 in any order (Andrew, Aaron, Ulis, Booker) and 4-5 (WCS, Towns, Lyles). We were damn near good enough to do it anyway but that was a huge mistake. ND and Wisconsin killed us at the wing position.
- 1996 and 2012 were perfect college basketball teams on both sides of the court. Could beat you in any manner.
- I don’t know who the hell Employee #8 was in Boston but he wasn’t the Antoine Walker who played at UK. That guy was great because of his handle and vision for his size, and his excellent boardsmanship.
- Really would have loved to see Wenyen as a junior. Disappointing.
- Biggest misfits in Cal’s era for his system were Wiltjer and Briscoe. Wiltjer is at least a nice piece, but Briscoe never fit. Not his fault just don’t understand Cal’s scouting there. Dude should have been a Seton Hall or St. Johns kid.
- I may be crazy but I’m not so sure that the ‘97 team at full strength isn’t the second or third best team we’ve had since ‘78. Of course, ‘84, ‘93, ‘12 and ‘15 might have a say.
- Cal with a solid effort at sweeping the best college basketball team I’ve ever watched with a Puerto Rican backcourt doesn’t get enough attention from his critics.
- Most clutch Wildcats of My Lifetime (no particular order):
Aaron Harrison
Padgett
Epps
Sheppard
Sparks
Knight
Lamb
- Watching Fox and Monk was an absolute joy.