INSIDE THE NUMBERS

2000-01 record: 23-9; 12-6 in Pac-10 (Tie/2nd) Postseason: Lost to Pittsburgh 63-50 in second round of NCAA South Region. RETURNING LEADERS Points: Shipp 14.8 Rebs: Shipp 4.6 Assists: Shipp 1.7 FG: Shipp 48.9% 3pt: Shipp 35.7% FT: Tamir 82.9% 01-02 Stats: Cal | Pac-10 KEY LOSSES Shantay Legans | 8.1 ppg Solomon Hughes | 7.7 ppg Jamal Sampson | 6.4 ppg R. Forehan-Kelly | 7.7 ppg Dennis Gates | 5.6 ppg PROJECTED STARTERS G | A.J. Diggs | Junior G | Brian Wethers | Senior F | Joe Shipp | Senior F | Amit Tamir | Soph C | David Paris | Fresh Player to Watch Joe Shipp Senior Forward Not shy about shooting, went 9-12 behind arc against Fresno State last season. DATE TO REMEMBER Dec. 7 Plays Georgia as part of the Wooden Classic and affords Cal its first look at a Top 25-caliber opponent.

 

CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS

There is a giant hole in Berkeley and it's under the basket. Cal could be every bit as good as last year's 23-9 edition, but it will again win from the perimeter. Solomon Hughes graduated and Jamal Sampson jumped early for the NBA after just one season, leaving the Bears with no proven inside presence. It's also without three-year starter Shantay Legans after the point guard abruptly transferred over the summer. So why the optimistic thoughts? Cal returns its three leading scorers (Joe Shipp, Brian Wethers and Amit Tamir) from a team that finished tied for second in the Pac-10. Five more players return, including junior A.J. Diggs, one of the conference's best defenders. Tamir (6-10, 250) proved foul-prone last season, something he must avoid given the team's thin middle. He has the range to pull bigger centers away from the basket, but needs to improve his offensive rebounding and consistently bang at both ends. Offensively, Shipp and Wethers are each capable of carrying Cal for stretches, although Wethers can't shoot 9-of-47 on three-pointers again.

TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
The firepower from outside is everywhere and all those guards and wings will certainly make Cal a tough matchup for slower, bigger teams. In Shipp, the Bears have a proven talent, a player who is the returning leader in six-of-seven offensive categories. Diggs should handle the point duties left by Legans, especially with Donte Smith recovering from a torn quadriceps tendon. The energy supplied by this group should translate into wins on most nights.

TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
Cal was out-rebounded by an average of 1.7 per game last season. Gabriel Hughes is a 6-10 sophomore who flirted with transferring last spring (he'll be slowed by a herniated disc early), and Rod Benson (6-10, 200) and David Paris (6-8, 260) are true freshmen. Shipp (6-5) needs more boards at small forward. The key is Tamir, who has the potential to be a matchup nightmare. But he can't rebound alone, and we're talking about a roster with six regulars listed 6-6 or below.

BOTTOM LINE..............................
It's a team that could finish anywhere between third and sixth in the Pac-10 race, and yet one with enough experience and skill to make another NCAA field. If the new faces inside cope at all well with the speed and size of Division I ball, Cal will be fine. But if the Bears can't at least hold their own against bigger teams, the Pac-10 is good enough to shove Cal down the standings.