BearTalk

Lots of news and impressions to report from today’s Cal basketball media day. Let’s get right to it:

– On the injury front, coach Mike Montgomery told us something we already knew, and something we didn’t. Junior power forward Harper Kamp continues to battle back from knee surgery, and hasn’t been able to do anything yet on a consistent basis. Pretty much as we reported last week after talking with Kamp.

Sophomore guard Jorge Gutierrez has joined him on the sidelines, due to a sharp pain on the bottom of his right foot. Cal doctors checked for plantar fasciitis, which can be a lingering and debilitating condition if allowed to fester. Monty said they don’t believe that’s the problem, but no one is taking any chances.

Gutierrez hasn’t practiced yet, and probably will not until next week, at least. My guess is we’ll see little or none of him next Tuesday when the team holds its open scrimmage (5 p.m). He’s just too valuable.

– The players are much more comfortable in Year 2 with Montgomery. “We were like freshmen,” senior Jamal Boykin said of last year’s initial experience with a coach who was starting from Square 1. Theo Robertson said practices seem quicker-paced now, with few interruptions.

– Still, there is much teaching to do, Monty assured. Many things still are not habits, and he expects the biggest improvements to come on defense. “We’re not really very big. If you look at our inside game, other than (7-foot-3) Max (Zhang), we’re probably 6-8 or below at every position,” he said. “We have to be better fundamentally. It takes a long time to really get good defensive habits. I don’t know if we have that yet, but they’re really working at it.”

– The coaches received game tapes of Max’s performance with the Chinese team at the World University Games, courtesy of USA Basketball. Zhang led the tournament in rebounding and blocked shots and Montgomery admitted,  “We were curious ourselves as to how he was able to do that.” What they saw was Max playing in the back of China’s zone defense, often blocking shots of smaller players releaasing the ball from below the rim. He also got lots of offensive rebounds off his own misses.

Still, Montgomery is encouraged and hopes to find a way to effectively utilize Zhang. ”I think he got some confidence,” Montgomery said. “It’s just a slow process. He’s not a very experienced kid. He’s getting better. You’ll see things. There’s still some things he just doesn’t understand about what he needs to do to be effective. But he is 7-3, he does have long arms. And hopefully there’s going to be opportunity for him to help us.”

– Montgomery labeled sophomore forward Omondi Amoke as perhaps the most improved player since last season. Amoke is active on the glass and a factor on every play, assistant coach Jay John said. At 6-foot-7, he still will shuttle between small forward and power forward, especially until Kamp’s situation at power forward becomes clear. Amoke said he doesn’t care which position he plays; he just wants to be on the floor as much as possible.

– Montgomery confirmed that point guard Jerome Randle — who missed the media day session because of class commitments — has gained 15 pounds and is working seriously to improve his decision-making and defense.  “Jerome really has a much better idea of what we’re trying to do,” Monty said. “He’s tried very hard to deliver the ball on time, be a point guard . . . trying to make all the right decisions, and that’s been encouraging.”

– Robertson, who underwent offseason surgery on his hip for the second year in a row, looks better than ever, according to Montgomery.

– Sophomore guard D.J. Seeley is playing harder in practice, something Montgomery said is a necessary step in his development as a player.

– Freshman Brandon Smith, competing to possibly earn the No. 2 point guard job, has been very impressive early. He’s going toe-to-toe with Randle in practice, Montgomery said. “Brandon’s a tough kid who has not given in. That’s pretty impressive as a freshman to come in and really hang in there with a very, very good player.”

– JC transfer Markhuri Sanders-Frison (pronounced FRY-son) has dropped 19 pounds down to 274 since arriving on campus in August. The 6-foot-7 center said he’s done it by eliminating fried foods, eating at appropriate times of day, and making Cal strentgh coach Mike Blasquez “my best friend.” Sanders-Frison said the coaching staff wants him to crack 270 pounds, his goal is 265.

– No word on whether freshman forward Bak Bak is a candidate to red-shirt. But the 6-foot-10 native of the Sudan said he hopes to get the chance to play. He noted he has only played two of the past four seasons, and knows he needs the experience.

 – The basketball offices at Haas Pavilion, which have been undergoing a renovation, should be complete in a week or so, Montgomery said.