Comments on: Basketball: Boykin named Pac-10 Player of Week

By: uh oh.

uh oh. — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:19:53 +0000

When Jamal first showed up at Cal, he had to spend the first semester on the bench, due to transfer rules. I usually go to many of the preseason games to get a handle on the team before all the TV games. It provides a great look at the players, their abilities, chemistry. And then I get to second guess the coach a bit as he works his rotation. I don’t see the practices, which show a coach a TON more than I get to see, but at least going to the early games, I have an idea what to expect later in the season in terms of rotation, bench, etc.

Anyways, Boykin was such a fireball off the bench, dressed in street clothes. A timeout would be called, and he would jump up and run out and start slapping all the fannies of the players coming off the court, trying to fire them up and keep the intensity up. He was alone in his effort. And, as many of us know, the preseason fans aren’t very numerous or vocal, so there was Boykin, alone in the entire Haas, and the single most enthusiastic person in the arena. I used to chuckle, not b/c I thought it silly of him, but because he didn’t care that he stood out in this way. Sure, it’s easy to be fired up when you are the guy in uniform on the court – everyone expects it. But for a street clothed guy who is brand new to the program? That showed balls.

And so it was one of my favorite moments of Saturday’s game against ASU, when he was coming off the floor toward the end of the game, that Boykin still had that same old fire – he hadn’t gotten past that.

I was happy to see that, in fact, it was that initial fire that actually carried Boykin to the high position he now holds. Let it be an example for ALL players!

GO BOYKIN!!!! Congrats on a much deserved award!

By: K1W

K1W — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:46:44 +0000

Hey, that’s great! No one’s a better “team player” this year than Jamal Boykin, so this is well-deserved recognition. Maybe the TV game coverage will put him into those staged pre-game shots now, as the fourth senior “amigo.”

By: Will

Will — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:43:13 +0000

I think Jorge will do a great job of filling that locker room void. I’m more concerned about how they gel on the court next year, especially with a lot of talented youngsters.

By: TakeOffThatRedShirt

TakeOffThatRedShirt — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:46:40 +0000

agree with lots of you, especially #8.

so much improvement in his time at Berkeley.

one of my all-time favorite Cal players to watch.

i believe his presence on the court (and in the locker room?) will be harder to replace than Randle, Theo, or Patrick.

By: Will

Will — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:04:34 +0000

Have you seen Jamal on the bench? He’s so passionate and supportive of his teammates. This couldn’t happen to a better guy.

By: covinared

covinared — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:36:07 +0000

Cal loves and has always depended on its LA guys.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:06:44 +0000

I would say that Jamal is the only senior that was noticeably improved over last year and was our most consistent player this season. He was better, he was consistent other than when Randall and Christopher were bombing the ball and forgot about him.

I love him, his work ethic, his positivity, his team first approach, his fire… I could go on and on. He is the genuine article. To boot, he was at Looney’s after just about every home game with his parents, and just seemed tickled to be there with that big, friendly smile on his face. As he and his family would make their way to a table, Jamal looked at EVERY table he passed and if you happened to catch a look, you got a smile, a nod and a hello. His parents must be so proud, they did a great job raising him.

He will forever be one of my favorite Golden Bears. I hope he is as glad he decided to leave Duke and come to Berkeley as we all are. Well done Jamal and all the Golden Bears hoopsters. You did yourselves and the Bear nation proud on Saturday.

And how much do we love Coach Montgomery? It’s amazing what a good coach can accomplish.

By: The Wisdom Cow

The Wisdom Cow — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:22:10 +0000

This guy’s game improved SO much since last year. The 15 footer is a reliable option, and the last half of the Pac 10 season HE HAS BEEN DRIVING TO THE HOOP!!!!

I wonder if he had been holding back for a while, not doing these things in games, and finally thought, “I’m a senior. I’ll give it a shot.” After some success with those 15 footers, it was pretty obvious Monty gave him the green light with them, even letting him keep firing after missing the first two in a game.

In my mind, watching a guy really blossum like Jamal has is the best part of following college basketball. This guy has always had an A+ attitude for the team, and to see his game take off as well has been a true delight.

By: BlueNGold

BlueNGold — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:02:15 +0000

It is not just Boykin’s play that deserves recognition. He is often the player that provides the emotional spark that lifts the rest of the team. He’s a true leader on a team of leaders. Will be a treat to watch him play in the big dance.

By: rollonubears

rollonubears — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:00:44 +0000

the “three” have been there since the beginning, so they deserve a bit more of a shoutout, but I think boykin’s the best all around player on the team. but they are ALL a team, finally, thanks to monty. it takes a special coach to do that. these guys are all very good. but they’re so much more fun to watch when they play together. and come tournament time, that’s what’s most important.

next year, with jorge getting even better, kamp hopefully back, msf a little trimmer, max a little stronger, and amoke and seeley getting better, we should be decent. add in 4 superstar freshman, and we could be tourney bound again. in 2 or 3 years, we could be talking about that “special season” that eluded the football team, haha.