BearTalk

Heather Petri/Photo courtesy Cal athletics

We don’t devote much attention to water polo in this space, but here’s a special event that may hold interest for Cal fans — especially those coming to Haas Pavilion for Saturday’s 2 p.m. game against Colorado.

Just before 1 p.m., next door at Spieker Aquatics Complex, Cal women’s water polo will retire the cap of former Bears star and four-time Olympian Heather Petri. Fifth-ranked Cal will take on top-ranked USC after ceremonies honoring Petri.

A 34-year-old graduate of Miramonte HS in Orinda, Petri was a two-time All-America player at Cal and earned four Olympic medals as a member of U.S. teams, including a gold in London last summer.

She recently returned from a trip to Afghanistan, where she and other Olympians (including former Cal rower Erin Cafaro) visited U.S. troops.

Junior guard Allen Crabbe is among the top-30 finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year award.

Joining Crabbe on the list from the Pac-12 Conference is UCLA freshman Shabazz Muhammad.

Saint Mary’s senior point guard Matthew Dellavedova also is on the list.

Junior guard Justin Cobbs, who hit the game-winning shot at Oregon, then scored 18 points in the Bears’ victory at Oregon State, has been named Pac-12 Player of the Week.

That’s three Pac-10 PofW awards in a row for the Bears, who were represented the two previous week by Allen Crabbe. It’s the second time this season and the third time in his career Cobbs has earned the honor.

Cobbs’ tie-breaking shot with 0.7 seconds left at Oregon lifted the Bears to a 48-46 win over the first-place Ducks. He finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

At OSU, Cobbs hit a 3-pointer with 2:49 left to help the Bears secure a 60-59 victory. In addition to his 18 points, Cobbs delivered five assists as the Bears improved to 10-5 in Pac-12 play, moving into sole possession of fourth place.

For the week, Cobbs averaged 16 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists.

Salesian HS star Jabari Bird, who is signed to play for Cal next season, is among a record three Bay Area players who were named to the McDonald’s All-America Game.

Bird will be joined in the April 3 event in Chicago by Aaron Gordon of Mitty-San Jose and Marcus Lee of Deer Valley-Antioch. Gordon is unsigned and Lee is headed to play next season at Kentucky.

Bird, a 6-foot-6 guard, is rated as the nation’s No. 19 overall prospect, according to ESPN. He led Salesian to the 2012 CIF Division IV state title last season.

He will become the fifth player to come to Cal after playing in the McDonald’s game, joining Jason Kidd (1992), Jelani Gardner (1984), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1995) and Leon Powe (2003).

Matt Beeuwsaert (1984), who began his career at Notre Dame, finished up at Cal.

This marks the first time in the history of the McDonald’s game, dating back to 1978, that the Bay Area will be represented by more than one player. Only six local players have participated in previous years.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the NCAA basketball tournament, the NCAA has commissioned paintings of each of the coaches of the winning teams.

Artist Opie Otterstad’s portrait of the late Cal coach Pete Newell hoisting the 1959 championship trophy will be unveiled during a private reception prior to Thursday’s home game against UCLA, then displayed to fans at halftime.

The original artwork then will be auctioned off, beginning Feb. 15 through www.NCAA.com/ART. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Here is Newell’s portrait:

Andy Wolfe, Cal’s first great player in the post-World War II era, will be honored Thursday with the Pete Newell Career Achievement Award.

Wolfe, 87, will be recognized at halftime of the Bears’ 6 p.m. game against UCLA at Haas Pavilion. The game is designated as the third annual Pete Newell Classic.

Wolfe, who lives in Walnut Creek with his wife Peggy, said his sons and their families also will be on hand for the ceremonies.

The first Cal player to score 1,000 career points, Wolfe played for the Bears from 1945-46 through 1947-48. He led the team in scoring as a sophomore, when he led Cal to its first Final Four appearance.

He was a three-time All-Pacific Coast Conference Southern Division selection and and a first-team All-America pick by the Helms Athletic Foundation as a senior in 1948.

I talked Tuesday with Wolfe, posing five questions:

Who was the best player you ever played against?

“I would have to say the most effective against us was Bob Kurland from Oklahoma A&M. He was a 7-footer. Our tallest guy was 6-5. He controlled the boards pretty well. That’s when what we call the key actually looked like a keyhole — the lines didn’t go straight from the outer arc. He’d just park underneath the basket.”

Note: Kurland scored 29 points as Oklahoma A&M beat Cal 52-35 in the West Regional Final at Kansas City, Mo., which also served as the national semifinal.

Who do you consider the best players you’ve seen at Cal?

“You’ve got to go to Pete Newell’s (national championship team) group. I thought they all were good players. Obviously, Darrall Imhoff was the one who got more recognition than the others. That team was solid all the way through. Jason Kidd, obviously he’s distinguished himself. I know he was a great passer — could see the floor. He wasn’t much of a scorer. He had a good cohort with him in Lamond Murray.”

Tell us what you remember about your coach, Clarence “Nibs” Price?

“After I played, I was his assistant for four years. I have a lot of memories. He was there for 30 years and he started in 1924, ended up in ’54. From ’24 through ’30 he was both the head basketball coach and head football coach. He took the team to the Rose Bowl team in ’30. He was a gentleman. He could get tough in practice and be demanding. Never would embarrass anybody. It was more this is what we’ve got to do. He was a good coach to play for.”

What is your lasting memory of playing Ohio State in the third-place game at the 1946 Final Four at New York City?

“My memory is we got beat. And that I don’t like. We were in the game at halftime (trailing 22-21). Then they came out and they took control of the game. (Ohio State won 63-45) Believe it or not, you remember more the games you lose than the games you win. It was fun playing in the Garden. Then I went back there in the East-West Game in ’48.”

Which brand of college basketball is better — your era or today’s game?

“The game has changed. Probably the fans like this game better. There are a lot of things they do today we would called on. That makes a different game out of it. The players today are better, faster, bigger. If they had to play under our rules they wouldn’t look quite as good.”

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who debuted at Cal in 1995-96 by scoring 33, 29 and 32 points in his first three games, has been chosen to the Pac-12 Hall of Honor.

Abdur-Rahim and 11 other former players and coaches from the league’s 12 schools will be honored in ceremonies at halftime of the March 16 championship game of the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas.

I’ve covered a lot of Cal hoops over the years and Abdur-Rahim, without question, was the most ready-made scorer ever to arrive on the Berkeley campus. Better than Lamond Murray, who was very good. Better than Ryan Anderson. Better than anyone.

He led the Pac-12 in scoring at 21.1 points per game and was the first freshman named conference player of the year. After just one season at Cal, he went onto a sucessful career in the NBA, played in the 2000 Olympics and now serves as an excecutive with the Sacramento Kings.

Aside from Jason Kidd, Abdur-Rahim was the best player I’ve ever seen at Cal. Were these the old days and he had to stick around for four years, the guy would have scored 3,000 career points. No doubt.

Previously Cal players and coaches named to the Hall of Honor: Pete Newell (2002), Kevin Johnson (2003), Jason Kidd (2004), Darrall Imhoff (2005), Andy Wolfe (2006), Russ Critchfield (2007), Charles Johnson (2008), Nibs Price (2009), Earl Robinson (2010), Bob McKeen (2011) and Lamond Murray (2012).

Also set to be inducted this year: Jason Gardner (Arizona), Dennis Hamilton (Arizona State),  Cliff Meely (Colorado), Chuck Rask (Oregon), Charlie Sitton (Oregon State), Ron Tomsic (Stanford), Lucius Allen (UCLA), Forrest Twogood (USC), Keith Van Horn (Utah), Nate Robinson (Washington) and James McKean (Washington State).

Click here for the full Pac-12 release.

Andy Wolfe, a first-team All-America star in the post-World War II era and Cal’s first career 1,000-point scorer, will be honored withthe Pete Newell Career Achievement Award during the Bears’ Feb. 14 home game against UCLA.

“It is always nice to be recognized,” Wolfe said. “You get as far along as I am in my life and to be given this honor is really outstanding. It means a great deal to my family and I.”

Wolfe played for the Bears from the 1945-46 through 1947-48 seasons, totaling 1,112 points for teams that posted 75 victories and won two Pacific Coast Conference titles. The ’46 Bears were 30-6, earned the school’s first Final Four appearance, finishing fourth in the nation.

At 6-foot-1, Wolfe played guard and forward for Cal. He was a three-time all-PCC Southern Division selection.

Former Cal star Valerie Arioto of Pleasanton was named 2012 USA Softball Female Athlete of the Year.

Arioto, 23, helped lead the USA team to the World Cup Championship and Silver medal finishes in the Canadian Open Championship and International Softball Federation (ISF) Women’s World Championship. Arioto was named the Batting MVP of the Canadian Open
Championship after finishing the event with five home runs and 13 RBI.

“I’m so honored to be named 2012 USA Softball Female Athlete of the Year,” Arioto said. “The supported I’ve received from my family, my Team USA family and my Cal family has been tremendous and I wouldn’t be where I am without their help.”

With the USA team, Arioto batted .462 on the year with 11 home runs, 37 RBI and 27 runs. She had an on-base percentage of .611 with a 1.115 slugging percentage.

Former Cal running back Isi Sofele has been chosen to play in Saturday’s NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Kickoff is 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Sofele will be playing in his second college all-star game this year after rushing for a team-high 64 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run, on 11 carries as a member of the winning West squad in the Casino del Sol College All-Star Game last Friday at Kino Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.