Cal fans with kids may want to check out JamFest08, a 90-minute event to be held at Spieker Plaza in front of Haas Pavilion before Saturday’s 5 p.m. season-opening game against Pacific.

Here are details on the free event that will serve as a warmup to coach Mike Montgomery’s coaching debut at Cal.

Also, discounted game tickets, priced at $10, are available for this one game through Cal’s Web site. The promotional code is: callingallkids. Cal tells us there are a limited number available.

Halftime activities for the Cal-UOP game include a dribbling display by members of the Triple Threat Academy. Kids ages 5 through 13 will show off their skills, dribbling as many as four basketballs.

 Bob Thomason has a pretty good idea what to expect from the atmosphere at Haas Pavilion on Saturday evening when his Pacific Tigers visit in Cal coach Mike Montgomery’s debut.

   “The emotion of him being the new coach in his first regular-season game will be a tough environment for us to play in,” said Thompson, beginning his 21st season as coach at his Stockton alma mater. “I hope we can quiet it down a little.”

   Thomason faced Montgomery’s Stanford teams twice and expects little will be different now.

   “I have a lot of respect for Mike. I think he’s one of the better coaches in the country,” Thomason said. “I love watching his teams play — not when I’m preparing to play him. He gets his guys to play aggressively, and I like the way he runs his stuff. He’ll have his guys well-prepared.”

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Coach Mike Montgomery hardly painted an optimistic picture of Cal’s front-court injury situation as the Bears began the countdown to Saturday’s season opener vs. Pacific.

Montgomery said sophomore forward Harper Kamp’s sore right knee continues to pose a problem, and that sophomore center Taylor Harrison is at least a month away from beginning practice.

“We’ve got big-guy issues,” Montgomery said at his Monday press conference. Jordan Wilkes and Jamal Boykin are starting at the center and power forward spots, but there’s no help in the second line at either position.

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A few observations, impressions and notes the day after Cal’s 91-70 exhibition victory over Division II Seattle Pacific.

– Junior Theo Robertson, who scored 29 points, appears to have made a huge leap from 2006-07, when he last played. Robertson, who missed all of last season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his hip, was more assertive with the ball than we’ve seen before.

Coach Mike Montgomery was pleased, but said he needs more rebounding and a greater defensive presence from the 6-5 junior wing. Robertson didn’t disagree.  ”Like he said, there’s always something you can do better,” Robertson said.

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The Mike Montgomery era got off to a successful, albeit imperfect start, with a 91-70 victory over Seattle Pacific, a solid Division II program.

Theo Robertson scored 29 points for the Bears, who also got 15 points and seven assists from Jerome Randle and 12 points and 11 rebounds from Jamal Boykin.

Theo Robertson is on the bench, presumably for the rest of the evening, after scoring 29 points.

Cal leads 81-64 with 5 minutes left and freshan D.J. Seeley has just scored his first basket.

That’s all for now.

Cal has scored eight straight points and 12 of the past 14 and leads 65-52 with 13:23 left. Seattle Pacific just called timeout.

Jamal Boykin is hitting the offensive boards, Jerome Randle has triggered a couple fastbreaks with steals and Theo Robertson is still scoring: 29 points. FYI: His career high in a regular-season game is 21.

Seattle Pacific crept within 49-47 less than 2 minutes into the second half, but Cal responded with an 8-3 run to inch the lead back to 57-50. It’s now 57-52 with 15:44 left.

Redshirt freshman Omondi Amoke has entered the game for the first time in his career, and true freshman Jorge Gutierrez returned, scoring on a nice drive to the basket.

Theo Robertson update: 25 points.

Not a lot of defense, but the Bears got 23 points from junior Theo Robertson in his first game since the 2006-07 season and are up by seven at halftime of their exhibition game against Division II Seattle Pacific.

Robertson, a small forward from De La Salle High, sat out last season after microfracture surgery on his hip. Needless to say, he looks terrific so far. He’s 7-for-9 from the field (missing twice from 3-point) and 8-for-8 from the FT line.

Point guard Jerome Randle has made a couple decisions that got coach Mike Montgomery’s attention, but generally has played well. And under control. He’s got 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting with six assists and three turnovers at the half.

The Bears are shooting 62.1 percent, Seattle Pacific 48.3. Neither team has missed a free throw: Cal 10-for-10, SeaPac 9-for-9.

Sophomore forward Harper Kamp, who has practiced every other day since his surgically repaired right knee developed soreness a couple weeks ago, played 9 minutes in the first half.

Cal led by as many as 12 points midway through the first half, but Seattle Pacific twice has clawed within four points. A dunk by Jamal Boykin off a feed by Jerome Randle pushed the Bears back to a 37-31 lead with 3:37 left in the half.

Theo Robertson has 15 points for the Bears.