BearTalk

It seems increasingly possible that Terrence Jones and Terrence Ross, top prospects from Oregon, might both wind up at Washington.

First, Jones will make a recruiting visit to Kansas, but he has set April 30 as the date he will announce his college choice.

Here’s the latest from the Oregonian.

The Bears wrapped up spring practice Thursday, and they appear to have a chip on their shoulders.

Here are some transcriptions from the last day of practice:

COACH JEFF TEDFORD

General impressions on the spring:

“We improved through the spring. We’re nowhere where we need to be, but I thought a lot of guys got better each day. That’s the objective, to try to put some things in, get some young guys a chance to get in the rotation and make some mistakes in the spring. As long as we improve, that’s what it’s about.”

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Tyson Alualu became Cal’s first top-10 pick since defensive end Andre Carter went No. 7 to the 49ers in 2001.

Jahvid Best, general manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz spoke with the Detroit-area media last night. Here are the transcriptions of those interviews:

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• Tyson Alualu didn’t only get picked before Jahvid Best, but ahead of a lot of other high-profile defensive linemen.
• Picking Alualu at No. 10 was certainly a surprise.
• It was an emotional day for Alualu and his family.
• The Jaguars know they surprised their fans by picking Alualu.
• The Jaguars tried to trade down, but some say the pick is still a reach.
• The Lions are thrilled to have Jahvid Best.
• The trade to acquire Best was a good one.
• Further explaining the trade and selection of Best.
• The Lions were targeting Best all along.

This wasn’t exactly the normal day around Cal football. The Bears wrapped up spring practice today. About 45 minutes after the last practice, Tyson Alualu gets picked No. 10 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is arguably the biggest story of the draft. Just when you are about ready to digest that, Jahvid Best goes No. 30 to Detroit.

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Picking a most valuable player is never as easy as it sounds, mostly because it depends on how you define “most valuable.”

The Cal coaching staff made a surprise, but hardly shocking pick, Thursday night, giving the team MVP to senior forward Theo Robertson at the annual postseason banquet at the Faculty Club on campus.

The immediate reaction is to wonder if this is some sort of shot at senior point guard Jerome Randle, who led the team in scoring, the nation in FT accuracy, was a two-time all-Pac-10 pick and the league’s Player of the Year this season. There can be no argument that without Randle, no way the Bears win their first Pac-10 title in 50 years.

Montgomery would be the first to say that.

My guess is it’s less about Randle and more about Robertson, the De La Salle HS grad, who is very much coach Mike Montgomery”s kind of player, and he has toiled with minimal hype and overcome two major surgeries on his hip. Robertson not only provided the Bears 14.2 points and 4.7 rebounds this season, he shot 45 percent from the 3-point play, never forced anything, was a tough defender, a good teammate, able to play as many as three positions, and smart, low-maintenance player.

In short, Robertson may have been Cal’s most versatile player.

But most valuable?

Here’s another way to look at it: The Bears were 21-8 with Robertson in the lineup, 3-3 without him early in the season when he sat out six games with a foot injury.

Still, the award could have gone to Randle and no one would have batted an eye. Randle averaged 18.6 ppg, became the Bears’ career scoring leader and converted 93.3 percent of his free throws.

Here are Cal’s other award-winners:

* Highest Field Goal Percentage – Jamal Boykin (58.4 percent)
* Darrall Imhoff Award (leading rebounder) – Jamal Boykin (6.7 rpg)
* Pete Newell Coach’s Award – Jamal Boykin
* Senior Award – Nikola Knezevic
* Defensive Player of the Year – Jorge Gutierrez
* Jason Kidd Award (leading assists) – Jerome Randle (4.29 apg)
* Best Free Throw Percentage – Jerome Randle (93.3 percent)
* Hustle and Spirit Award – Patrick Christopher

Robertson

Jahvid Best has been selected with the 30th pick by the Detroit Lions, who traded with the Minnesota Vikings to pick him. This gives Cal two first-round draft picks for the first time since 2003, when quarterback Kyle Boller went No. 19 to Baltimore and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha went No. 31 to Oakland.

First of all, I’d like to thank the Jacksonville Jaguars for surprising the football world and picking Tyson Alualu 10th overall, or better known as the very minute I finished writign my story on the final practice of the spring.

Here’s an early story from Jacksonville.

Forward Josh Crittle is the third Oregon player to leave the program since the school began its search — now in its sixth week — for a new coach.

Makes you wonder: if the coaching hunt lasts another 4 months, the cupboard could be completely bare for the new boss.

OK, you can go back to the NFL draft.