BearTalk

New coach Mike Montgomery is happy to be playing Pacific and USF — traditional Northern California rivals — but doesn’t sound like he’s married to putting them on the Golden Bears’ schedule every year.

Monty understands there are fans out there who’d like to see Cal play those teams and others in the Bay Area, including Saint Mary’s. It’s not that simple, he said.

“I think it’s good to play those people. I think you need to play all the people every now and again, but I don’t think you need to get stuck on it,” he said at his weekly press gathering Monday. “You’re trying to get a well-rounded schedule from a travel standpoint, trying to get a well-rounded schedule from the level of play.”

There was a time the NorCal teams played each other routinely. Cal and USF have met 74 times, but just once in the past 12 years. The Bears and UOP have played 25 games, only one of them in the past 14 seasons.  Cal’s series with Saint Mary’s features 77 matchups, just one of them in the past 11 years.

Money is a factor, too. Home games are worth more financially, and road games in small venues don’t come with paychecks worth the risk. 

“Part of your job becomes revenue generating, if you can,” said Montgomery, who developed his scheduling philosophy during 18 seasons at Stanford. “Plus, one of the things once we got to a point, we’re not playing in gyms. It just doesn’t make any sense because you don’t play it in the Pac-10, you don’t play it in the NCAA. It’s a trap.

“You get in there and it’s just way different. That’s nothing again anyone, anywhere. You just try to play in comparable venues if you can.”

Translation: Cal intends to play mid-majors at Haas Pavilion, and the big schools on either a home-and-home basis or at a neutral site.

It sounds as if the Bears will play a return game in Stockton against Pacific next year, but don’t count on them crossing the Bay Bridge to face USF at Memorial Gym. Perhaps a meeting between the Bears and Dons at Oracle Arena in Oakland will materialize down the line, presuming new USF coach Rex Walters develops a program worthy of an NBA arena.

Monty wouldn’t confirm any details about next year’s schedule, but said he’s trying to get schedules set for two to three years out on a regular basis. Next year’s schedule is believed to feature the Bears playing Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., with a return game in Berkeley a year later.

Even scheduling home games is tricky these days. Saint Mary’s found that out in the wake of beating Oregon and Seton Hall in Moraga last season. Now no one wants to take the risk of facing the Gaels in their tiny gym.

Cal’s problem is potential visitors, especially those without great marquee value, expect too much in return for playing at Haas.

“There’s a lot of people out there holding people hostage now for big, big money,” Montgomery said.  ”There’s some people calling us, making bus trips, wanting 85 grand to play. They’re holding out because they think they can get it. We’ve just said, `Look, we’re not doing that.’ ”

Then Monty changed the subject. “I’ve got more problems,” he said, “than who we’re playing a year from now.”