BearTalk

With the 13th-ranked Golden Bears (2-0) taking eight days off to pack for New York and prepare for Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone defense, the rest of the Pac-10 is about to begin play. Here’s a chance to catch up on your basketball reading:

– Here’s my story from this morning on former San Leandro High star Jared Cunningham, who already is making an impression as a freshman at Oregon State.

– More on Cunningham and the Beavers from the Oregonian as they prep for tonight’s opener in Texas against Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

– Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said sophomore guard Jeremy Green was reinstated because “he hasn’t been charged, so it’s hard to keep him on suspension,”

– Washington coach Lorenzo Romar says freshman guard Abdul Gaddy reminds him of Jason Kidd.

– On the other hand, Romar won’t be starting his “Kidd” tonight against Wright State.

– New coach Ken Bone promises Washington State will play faster, as if there was any other direction to go.

– Bone called it “unbelieveable” that WSU standout Klay Thompson shot just 31 free throws in 33 games last year. That has to change, the coach said.

– Here’s a variety of Arizona State notes, including a look at their lineup for tonight’s opener vs. Western Illinois.

– Eugene, Ore., bills itself as Track Track USA, so maybe it’s not a surprise that basketball coach Ernie Kent wants his teams games to look like track meets. The Ducks open their final season at McArthur Court tonight against Winston-Salem, the school that gave us Earl “the Pearl” Monroe (41.5 ppg in 1966-67!)

– Forecast for Arizona’s Sunday opener against Northern Arizona: Little chance of Fogg in starting lineup.

– A youthful UCLA squad has yet to fully embrace coach Ben Howland’s dedication to tough defense.