BearTalk

We started the post-game press conference with coach Mike Montgomery by asking him if he learned anything from Thursday night’s 84-42 exhibition win over Chico State.

“No,” he said. “We know what we’re doing.”

What he meant, of course, is the Bears are an experienced team who had just played an outmanned Division II opponent. Things went the way they were supposed to go.

“It’s early, and you’ve seen some interesting results from exhibition games because it’s early,” he said. “But with a veteran team, we should be ready, and being up 28 at the half, I suspect we were.”

Montgomery had no real complaints about anything. He got to play every available man on his roster, getting points from 13 different players. None of them played more than 21 minutes, but 12 of them spent at least 10 minutes on the floor.

Junior forward Harper Kamp (knee) did not play and won’t suit up Monday for Murray State, either, Montgomery said. It’s safe to assume, then, that he’s doubtful for Detroit on Wednesday.

Sophomore guard Jorge Gutierrez, who had 11 points, twisted his left ankle late in the game, but Monty didn’t sound terribly alarmed.

THE OFFENSE: The Bears were ragged early, and got tested by Chico State’s aggressive man-to-man defense, which pressured their perimeter and allowed only eight 3-point attempts (Cal made four).

“I thought Chico did a nice job,” Montgomery said, “They played hard and forced us out of some things. So we know we’ve got some thing to work on, but we knew that going in.”

 ”We did some things good. We could have done some things better,” senior guard Patrick Christopher said, “I think we were a little bit sloppy on offense. We weren’t crisp. I just don’t think we executed all that well.

“It was our first time with fans out here, officials, an official game setting,” he added. “We got a chance to iron our some wrinkles and dust off some cobwebs. I don’t think it will be like this from here on.”

THE DEFENSE: The Bears played hard and aggressively at this end, limiting Chico to 28.6-percent shooting and forcing 25 turnovers.

“I liked the intensity,” senior guard Jerome Randle said. “As a team, we came out and tried to stop them,  put it on them defensively. I think the defensive intensity was definitely there. I was proud of my team.”

THE BIG MEN: JC transfer Markhuri Sanders-Frison, making his debut as the Bears’ starting center, gets mixed reviews. He was just 1-for-5 from the field, but he grabbed nine rebounds and he appears to be an upgrade as a defensive presence inside. At 6-7, 275, he moves well and provides a physicality the Bears need (especially with Kamp sidelined).

Sophomore Max Zhang, meanwhile, never found a rhythm. He was 1-for-3 from the field and appeared a bit timid defensively in the first half. He wound up with three blocked shots.

“Markhuri is great defensively, a big body in the hole,” Randle said. “It’s just all confidence with Max. I think he’s going to be helpful in the long run.” 

 ”We’ve got some work to do in there,” Montgomery added. “We’ve got to finish inside, and got to develop in inside game. That’s a concern.”

MISCELLANY:

– A nice game by senior forward Jamal Boykin, who had eight points and 12 rebounds in 18 minutes.

– Impressive college debut by freshman point guard Brandon Smith, who had four points, three assists and zero turnovers in 17 minutes off the bench as Randle’s replacement. ”I thought Brandon handled himself pretty well for the first game out as a freshman,” Montgomery said. 

– Gutierrez, before twisting his ankle with 1:20 left, had 11 points, three assists and two steals and provided the same energy we saw from him last year. He looked more sure of himself on the floor in his second season.

– Redshirt sophomore Omondi Amoke has been the talk of his teammates and coaches, and he looked good. Nine points, six rebounds and two steals in 14 minutes.