BearTalk

Former Cal middle-distance running star and East Bay resident David Torrence has cleared a huge obstacle in his quest for a spot in the London Olympics.

Torrence, 26, achieved the Olympic “A” qualifying standard in the 1,500 meters on Friday, clocking a time of 3 minutes, 35.41 seconds at the Occidental College High-Performance Meet in Los Angeles.

Torrence needed to run faster than 3:35.50 to get the “A” mark, which means that he now qualifies for London if he secures a top-3 finish in the event at the U.S. trials next month in Eugene.

It’s a big deal, because often events such as the 1,500 become slower, tactical races at the trials as athlete compete for positions more than times. So getting the “A” standard at the trials is less likely. Now it’s out of the way for Torrence.

For those who don’t pay attention to track, his 1,500 time translates to 3:52.64 for the mile. Pretty fast.

Torrence burst onto the scene as a Cal junior in 2007 when he ran 3:58.62 to break Don Bowden’s 50-year-old school record in the mile. In 1957, Bowden became the first American to break the 4-minute mile.

Ex-Cal star Ryan Anderson was among 13 players chosen to the USA Basketball Select Team that will help prepare the U.S. Olympic team for this summer’s London Games.

Also chosen to the squad were Warriors rookie Klay Thompson and NBA sensation Jeremy Lin of Palo Alto.

In his fourth pro season, Anderson was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player this season after producing 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds for the Orlando Magic.

Former Cal guard Jorge Gutierrez, the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2012, will participate this weekend at the NBA Draft combine at East Rutherford, N.J.

Gutierrez is among three Pac-12 players at the event, joined by Stanford’s Josh Owens and Arizona’s Kyle Fogg. Two Bay Area products — Richmond’s Eli Holman (Detroit) and San Jose’s Drew Gordon (New Mexico) — are among the 44 players invited.

Gutierrez is included in Group 1, scheduled to be on the floor at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday.

Players will be split into four groups of 11, half of them competing Saturday, the others on Sunday. Players will be put through agility tests and skill work, and will have the chance to show their games in five-on-five action.

Prospects also will be interviewed by media, scouts, agents and team front office representatives.

BYU and Arkansas State will play Saturday night for the national collegiate rugby title that Cal has won 26 of the past 32 years.

Here’s why the Bears passed on the chance to pocket another title this season.

– Water polo: Two former Cal stars were named to the U.S. Olympic women’s water polo team. Heather Petri, 33, a former All-America star at Cal and Miramonte HS grad, was named to her fourth Olympic team. And ex-Cal star Elsie Windes has earned a spot on her second Olympic roster.

– Track and field: Courtesy of “Bring Back the Mile,” here’s a 4-minute interview with former Cal middle-distance star David Torrence, a contender for the London Olympics.

Former Cal quarterback Steve Bartkowski, who led the nation with 2,850 passing yards in 1974, then was the first overall pick of the 1975 NFL draft, was elected as a member of the 2012 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision Class.

Bartkowski is among 14 former All-Americans and three coaches who make up the 2012 class.

“It’s an absolute honor, and I’m humbled by it, especially now that I hear some of the guys that are along with me in this class,” Bartkowski was quoted in Cal’s news release. “I’m absolutely thrilled. It’s one of the highest honors I’ve received, and I’m grateful for it.”

So, where does Bartkowski rate among the greatest Cal QBs?

It’s difficult comparing players from different eras, but starting an argument is the whole point of these lists, right?

So, let’s hear from all you.

Before you send me your top-10 list, here’s mine:

1. Aaron Rodgers (2003-04): Great college QB, great pro QB.

2. Steve Bartkowski (1972-74): Cal’s only No. 1 overall NFL draft pick delivered.

3. Troy Taylor (1986-89): Efficient, tough QB produced with limited help.

4. Mike Pawlawski (1988-91): Tough-guy leader of ’91 Citrus Bowl winner.

5. Pat Barnes (1993-96): Threw for school-record 3,499 yards, 34 TDs as senior. 

6. Craig Morton (1962-64): Good enough to be All-America on 3-7 team.

7. Joe Kapp (1956-58): Forget the rest – he was most recent Rose Bowl QB.

8. Joe Roth (1975-76): Directed a magical offensive unit in ’75.

9. Dave Barr (1992-94): Cool Concord kid was underrated, maybe even by me.

10. Rich Campbell (1978-80): Has to be a place for 7,174 yards, 64.5 percent.

   Honorable mention: Paul Larson (1951-54), Gale Gilbert (1980-84), Kyle Boller (1999-2002).

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who left Cal for the NBA after one basketball season, doesn’t really need a college degree. After all, he earned somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 million playing professional basketball, and a bachelors degree won’t really change that that equation.

But that’s exactly what Abdur-Rahim, 35, will be awarded on Monday morning in ceremonies at Zellerbach Hall.

And here’s what I think of that: Nice going.

Abdur-Rahim was the most gifted scorer I’ve ever seen play for Cal. He walked in the door and scored at least 30 points in each of his first three college games. He averaged 21.1 points per game as a freshman.

Then he left for the NBA, and was the third player picked in the 1996 draft. If the purpose of attending college is to prepare for a career, Abdur-Rahim did that better than most.

But he wasn’t content to attend classes for just one year, then begin collecting his NBA paycheck. Now an assistant general manager for the Sacramento Kings, Abdur-Rahim said in a statement that finishing his degree always has been his intention.

According to Jason Jones’ blog in the Sacramento Bee, Shareef compiled a 3.8 grade-point average on the path to his sociology degreee, which will provide a tremendous example to Atlanta area youth involved with his Future Foundation in his home state.

“Receiving my degree will be an extremely proud moment for me and my family,” Abdur-Rahim said. “I hope it will also help inspire many of the students our foundation proudly serves and encourages.”

Abdur-Rahim averaged 18.1 points during a 12-year NBA career. He was an All-Star. He won a gold-medal at the 2000 Olympics.

But his most impressive achievement may be the one that is being recognized Monday morning at Zellerbach Hall.

It’s the one he didn’t need to accomplish, but did anyway.

Ex-Cal star Ryan Anderson was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player this season, but he and the Orlando Magic couldn’t get it done without all-star center Dwight Howard against the Indiana Pacers.

With Howard sidelined for the fifth straight game with a back injury, the Magic lost 105-87 at Indiana, which completed a 4-1 series victory.

Anderson, who had 14 points, said the Magic did all it could. “We gave a tremendous effort,” he said. “We really battled. We played hard. Nobody can say we didn’t. It’s just tough.”

It was tough for Anderson the entire series. He averaged just 9.6 points, shooting a solid 40 percent on 3-pointers but only 3 for 14 on shots inside the arc.

He is 39, coming off his least-impressive statistical season and entering free agency this offseason.

But Jason Kidd says he expects to play another NBA season. “I’ll land somewhere early, I would think,” he told the Dallas Morning News.

The one-time St. Joseph High star, who played two seasons at Cal, said he hopes to return to Dallas. He also has heard the rumors he could wind up back home playing for the G0lden State Warriors.

Kidd had 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the Dallas Mavericks’ 103-97 loss to Oklahoma City, clinching the Thunder’s four-game NBA playoff sweep.

In his 18th pro season, Kidd averaged 6.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists, well off his career marks of 13.0, 6.4 and 9.0.

Regardless of what happens next, his path to the Basketball Hall of Fame is secure. Kidd ranks second all-time in career assists (11,842), second in steals (2,559), third in 3-point baskets (1,874), fifth in minutes played (48,068), and 11th in games (1,315).

He has scored 17,071 points and ranks first all-time in rebounds by a guard (8,402).

That makes him the only player in NBA history to accumulate at least 15,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists for his career.

Ex-Cal star Ryan Anderson was voted Most Improved Player in the NBA after averaging career highs of 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in his first season as a full-time starter with the Orlando Magic.

Drafted 21st in 2008 after his sophomore season at Cal, Anderson led the NBA with 166 3-point baskets, just the second power forward to do so.

“It’s very surreal for me to be sitting where I am today,” Anderson said. “A year ago if you would have said I would be the Most Improved Player, I’d probably laugh at you in the face. This year has just been a culmination of a lot of different things and a lot of different people helping me.”

Anderson, 23, entered his fourth NBA season with a career scoring average of 8.6 points.

Anderson averaged 16.3 points as a freshman at Cal in 2006-07, then 21.1 in 2007-08. His 1,236 career points are the most by any two-year Cal player.

Former Cal linebacker Scott Fujita faced the music today over his involvement in the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal.

Fujita, now with the Cleveland Browns, was hit with a three-game suspension, without pay. If he is unable to get the penalty reduced through appeal, Fujita will lose about $644,000.

Fujita, 33, played at Cal from 1998 through 2001. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2002 and also played for Dallas before joining the Saints in 2006.

Here’s a story from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.