Head Coach: Mike Montgomery
2008-09 Record (Pac-10): 22–11 (11–7)
2008-09 Postseason: NCAA: Lost to Maryland 84–71 in the first round
Key Loss: C Jordan Wilkes (4.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg)

2009-10 Pac-10 Prediction: 1st

Mike Montgomery, beginning his second season as the Bears’ coach, isn’t putting much more stock into others’ opinions than he did a year ago. “You wish they knew something,” he says of the prognosticators predicting big things for Cal. “It’s all speculation. Obviously, they didn’t know what they were talking about last year because we were picked eighth (in the Pac-10) and finished third. I just hope we’re a good basketball team.”

While many others in the conference suffered substantial losses, the Bears return four starters from a team that won 22 games. That may elevate them to contender status, but Montgomery warns that there are no guarantees. Cal was mostly injury-free a year ago, but three players — starting wing Theo Robertson (hip) and key reserves Harper Kamp (knee) and Jorge Gutierrez (knee) — had offseason surgeries. Kamp’s situation is considered the most unsettled, and he likely won’t be able to begin full basketball activities until September.

There are other concerns. “We just need to be better defensively,” Montgomery says. “We need to develop our depth a little bit more so we can have people off the bench who really make a difference. We don’t have an inside game yet.”

The Bears do possess the Pac-10’s only two returning first-team all-conference players in point guard Jerome Randle and shooting guard Patrick Christopher. They are one of the nation’s top 3-point shooting clubs and begin this season familiar with a system they learned on the fly a year ago.

Frontcourt

Starting center Jordan Wilkes left the program with one year of eligibility remaining after graduating in the spring. He figures to be replaced by junior college arrival Markhuri Sanders-Frison, a 6'8", 265-pound lefthander who could provide a needed physical element.

Power forward Jamal Boykin returns for his senior season, providing a nice offensive complement and passionate leadership. Kamp, who has struggled with knee pain the past two seasons, is a key to the Bears’ hopes. He is physical, tough and smart, probably the club’s top interior defender.

Sophomore Omondi Amoke, originally recruited as a wing, has adapted well to playing up front, where the Bears like his ability to create matchup problems with his quickness and activity level. Cal is hoping 7-3 sophomore Max Zhang can begin to provide some lift off the bench.

Backcourt

Randle, something of a question mark at this time a year ago, was perhaps the Pac-10’s most-improved player in 2008-09. Now Montgomery wants him to improve defensively and make his teammates better without losing his ability to score. Randle’s 3-point range is seemingly limitless. If he can create off penetration into the key, he will be virtually impossible to defend.

Christopher toyed with the notion of entering the NBA Draft, then decided he would benefit from another year of college ball. He is a gifted athlete and good perimeter shooter but admits he struggled at times when Montgomery put him in the role of defending the opposition’s best player. With the NBA as a carrot, Christopher figures to be motivated.

Robertson is a critical “glue” player, a judicious but accurate shooter and tough competitor.

Gutierrez became a Haas Pavilion favorite as a relentless, attacking defender. Montgomery hopes freshman Brandon Smith can develop sufficiently as a backup point to allow Gutierrez to concentrate on playing off the ball. Montgomery says shooting guard D.J. Seeley also showed off-season progress after a quiet freshman season.

Final Analysis

The Bears can win the Pac-10 title, something that last happened 50 seasons ago. Cal has great perimeter firepower, more experience than any club in the Pac-10 and improving depth.

The league is hardly flush with great big men, but the Bears still must develop an interior game capable of preventing opponents from ganging up on their guards. The Bears were a solid but hardly dominant rebounding team a year ago, and it’s questionable whether they can be significantly better.

Familiarity with the system should help, especially on defense, where the Bears made progress a year ago but never entirely satisfied the coach. If Cal wants to win its first conference title since 1960, its defensive prowess must more closely match its offensive execution.