California
Cal’s experienced team
could be Pac-8 sleeper
By NEIL GRUENFELDER
Of the Emerald
Youth and experience should
compose the California Golden
Bears into a solid team of the fu
ture as well as a 1977-78 Pac-8
contender, despite two opening
losses.
Eight of the top 10 ball players
are veteran varsity performers
and only Doug Vilotti is a senior. In
addition, the Bears will nurse
along highly-touted Eric Vial, a
6-10 freshmen center.
Head Coach Dick Edwards
hopes the Bears will start playing
where they left off last year.
California started slow, with a
league record of 1-5. After the
freshmen and sophomore starters
began to gel, however, the Bears
knocked off all four of the North
west schools and finished with a
commendable 7-7 mark.
“I’m satisfied so far,” Edwards
said regarding his team’s early
exhibition play. “We’re going to be
an aggressive, tenacious, bas
ketball team. We could develop
I into a fine young team.”
Edwards said he was extremely
jleased with his guard play —
notably junior starters Gene
tensom and John Caselli. Ran
>m is a 5-8 speedster who was
^second team Pac-8 last year and
the Bears’ leading scorer with
14 .8 points per game. He is one of
jphe league’s most complete
players, owning several California
“records including assists. The 6-3
r
Caselli is very much like Oregon's
John Murray. He is aiso a dandy
defensive demon and his hot
shooting from the perimeter has
broken many zones.
Subbing the guards will be 6-6
swingman Kevin Singleton. The
sophomore leaper will serve dou
ble duty at forward and is re
garded by his coach as “one of the
better pure shooters.” Walt Gil
lespie, a 6-3 sophomore, and
Tyrone Davis, a 6-1 transfer,
should see considerable playing
time.
As is true with most basketball
teams, the big men will either
make or break California’s sea
son. The Bears are fortunate in
that they have a true big man —
6-7 Doug True. The 19-year-old
started every game as a freshman
and finished with a scoring aver
age of over 10 points. He was third
leading rebounder and second on
assists.
The Bear’s success will depend
on center Tom Schneiderjohn’s
improvement. He is an excellent
shooter, connecting on 48 per
cent of his shots for a 12.6 aver
age as a sophomore. He is 6-11
and even at 210 pounds, he isn’t
too frail for the rigors of Pac-8
basketball. Subbing him is Vial,
whom Edwards describes as hav
ing “tremendous potential.”
Oregon split its two games with
California last season. The Ducks
won in Eugene but lost a
5-overtime, 107-102 heartbreak er
in Berkeley.
WSm
Photo by Stove Schneider
Cal’s John Caselli, here guarding Oregon's Rob Closs, reminds some of John Murray. But his tough defense
makes him a smooth partner of Gene Ransom in the Bear backcourt.
use
(Continued from page 8B)
game last year for Western Texas
College.
Four freshman recruits round
out what Boyd considers to be as
strong a recruiting class as he has
produced at Southern Cal.
Purvis Miller and Cliff Robinson
are two big men who should help
the Trojans this season.
Miller, a 6-7 forward, averaged
23.5 points and 11.6 rebounds
last year for Compton High. Boyd
said of Miller, “He has tremend
ous physical gifts. He’s very quick,
very strong and very fast going
down the court.”
"Cliff’s rebounding on both
ends will be an important factor for
our team, said Boyd of the 6-9
Robinson. ‘‘He’s got tremendous
potential, and I don’t say that
lightly,” added Boyd. "He really
can be almost as good as he
wants to be.”
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