BearTalk

Cal Sports Live and Direct

Archive for the 'Basketball' Category

Football: Tyre Ellison embraces 49ers pro day

If Tyre Ellison is a football household name, it’s only in his family’s San Francisco household.

He spent five seasons on the Cal football team and never earned a starting assignment. Until now, his biggest football moment may have been deflecting a two-point conversion pass to clinch his team’s win in the 2012 Cal spring game.

But on Wednesday afternoon, Ellison was among more than 50 recent college football seniors who showed off their stuff in front of the 49ers coaching staff at the club’s local pro day in Santa Clara.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Ellison said, “but it’s still football at the end of the day.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted on Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
Under: Alumni, Football, NFL Draft | 2 Comments »
Leave a comment

Football: WR Jalen Harvey didn’t need to wait

El Cerrito HS wideout Jalen Harvey talked to the Bay Area News Group’s Phil Jensen and explained he saw no reason to wait to make a commitment to Cal for 2014.

Here’s our story.

Posted on Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
Under: Football, Recruiting | No Comments »
Leave a comment

Football: Zach Maynard says Keenan Allen is coping well despite drug-test controversy

Former Cal quarterback Zach Maynard said half-brother and first-round NFL draft hopeful Keenan Allen is coping well, despite an ESPN report this week that his drug test at the combine was red-flagged.

“He’s not down at all,” Maynard said Wednesday after participating in the 49ers’ local pro day in Santa Clara. “I guess he was over-hydrated — that’s what they said about it. I don’t know what they’re going to do about it.”

Allen’s agent, J.T. Johnson, maintains the ESPN report is incorrect.

Twelve former Cal players participated in Wednesday’s event, but Allen was not among them. Neither were center Brian Schwenke and defensive back Marc Anthony,

Maynard said he’s not sure what happened in Allen’s situation, but suggested the test could have been faulty.

“It can happen to anybody. I tell him not to get down on himself because he had an amazing pro day,” Maynard said. “The guy’s a high-caliber athlete. He knows what he can do. There’s down times for everybody but he can pull himself out of it.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted on Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
Under: Alumni, Football, NFL Draft | 5 Comments »
Leave a comment

Basketball: Bears add some size with Rooks

The Cal basketball team got what it needed most on Wednesday — size.
 
On the first day of the spring signing period, the Golden Bears secured 7-foot, 280-pound center Kameron Rooks of Mission Hills High in San Marcos. Rooks oriinally committed to Cal back on Jan. 1.
 
Rated the nation’s No. 22 center prospect by ESPN, Rooks is the son of Sean Rooks, who played for Arizona two decades ago when Cal coach Mike Montgomery was at Stanford.
 
“He told me (Montgomery) is a good big man’s coach, he knows how to teach big men the right stuff,” Rooks said of his dad’s input.
 
“I am happy to have a Rooks on my side for a change after some great battles with his dad through the years,” Montgomery said.
 
Rooks will be a valuable piece in the Cal frontline. Starting forwards Richard Solomon and David Kravish return, but departing walkon Robert Thurman, who played well in two NCAA tournament games, gave the Bears their only real girth up front.
 
“I expect to play as hard as I can and be a dominant force inside. That doesn’t have to be scoring. I’m going to try to get rebounds, anything to help the team.”
 
Montgomery said Rooks “has an unlimited future.”
 
Rooks joins a strong four-man recruiting class headlined by Jabari Bird, a five-star shooting guard from Salesian-Richmond. Rivals.com has rated the Cal class among the top-20 in the nation.
 
Cal still has two open scholarships after freshman forward Kaileb Rodriguez decided to transfer. Rodriguez did not play in 2012-13.

Posted on Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
Under: Basketball, Recruiting | 9 Comments »
Leave a comment

Basketball: Rooks set to sign at 11 a.m.

The Cal basketball program will get a lot bigger at about 11 a.m. today, when 7-foot, 280-pound Kameron Rooks intends to sign his national letter-of-intent at Mission Hills High in San Marcos.

Rooks is rated a three-star prospect and will be a valuable piece in the Cal frontline beginning next season. Forwards Richard Solomon and David Kravish return, but departing walkon Robert Thurman, who played well in two NCAA tournament games, gave the Bears their only real girth up front.

Rooks, the son of former Arizona star Sean Rooks, is not a finished product, especially on offense. He said he hopes to lose at least 10 pounds, improve his jumping ability, get stronger and “get in college shape.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted on Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
Under: Basketball, Recruiting | 1 Comment »
Leave a comment

Football: Bears get commit from junior wideout

Jalen Harvey, a junior wide receiver from El Cerrito HS, gave Cal an oral commitment, according to Rivals.com and Scout.com.

A 6-foot-1, 175-pounder, Harvey is rated as a three-star prospect by both websites. Scout reported that Oregon also offered Harvey, but wanted to use him as a defensive back.

He is the second member of the Class of 2014 to commit to the Bears, joining Koa Farmer, a four-star “athlete” from Notre Dame HS in Sherman Oaks.

Posted on Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Under: Football, Recruiting | 2 Comments »
Leave a comment

Football: Heavy Cal presence at 49ers pro day

Keenan Allen won’t be there, but there will be a significant Cal presence Wednesday at the 49ers’ local pro day workout in Santa Clara.

Allen’s agent told me the wide receiver won’t be in the Bay Area on Wednesday.

Here’s a rundown of former Cal players expected to show their stuff to the 49ers: RB C.J. Anderson, CB Marc Anthony, DB Josh Hill, QB Zach Maynard, DL Kendrick Payne, C Brian Schwenke, RB Isi Sofele, FB Eric Stevens, G Matt Summers-Gavin, DT Aaron Tipoti, CB Steve Williams.

Posted on Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Under: Alumni, Football, NFL Draft | 6 Comments »
Leave a comment

Football: Allen’s agent says story is not true

Clouds continue to gather over the NFL draft status of former Cal wide receiver Keenan Allen after ESPN.com reported Tuesday that his drug test at the combine was red-flagged.

Allen’s agent insists the story is wrong.

“We have received no notification about anything abnormal to his test. No team has requested a retest. Nobody,” said J.T. Johnson, adding that he first got wind of this when a reporter called him last Friday.

One thing is clear: Allen, once the consensus top prospect at his position, no longer is a sure thing to go in the draft’s first round on April 25.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Posted on Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Under: Alumni, Football, NFL Draft | 2 Comments »
Leave a comment

Football: Keenan Allen red-flagged for drug test at combine, according to ESPN report

Former Cal star Keenan Allen was red-flagged for a drug test at the NFL combine in Indianapolis and ordered to undergo another test, according to a report by ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.

Allen’s agent, J.T. Johnson, denied the wide receiver failed a drug test.

Results of Allen’s subsequent test are unknown.

Once rated the top wide receiver in this draft class, Allen’s stock has slipped some as he has rehabbed a knee injury he sustained late last season. He was clocked at 4.71 and 4.75 seconds for the 40-yard dash at a private workout he held for scouts last week in North Carolina.

He still is projected as a late first-round or early second-round pick on most NFL mock drafts.

Posted on Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Under: Alumni, Football, NFL Draft | 9 Comments »
Leave a comment

Basketball: Monty confirms Rodriguez transferring

Following a weekend of rumors, Cal coach Mike Montgomery confirmed that freshman Kaileb Rodriguez is transferring.

Rodriguez, a 6-foot-9 forward from Highlands Ranch, Colo., was did not play this past season and was red-shirted. He was rated a three-star prospect by Scout.com out of high school, a two-star recruit by ESPN.com.

His departure means the Bears will have 11 players on scholarship after their expecting signing of center/forward Kameron Rooks on Wednesday.

Cal has seven returning scholarship players, plus three other incoming freshmen who signed in November.

The NCAA limit for Division I men’s basketball is 13.

Posted on Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Under: Basketball | 7 Comments »
Leave a comment