Last minute of an exciting, very close game between Duke and Louisville. Looks like Louisville, but I hope not.

(South Carolina and Texas at noon.)

wvitbear said:

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Much has been made of turnovers but at the end of the season, our FG % has gone down and our defensive aptitude. And I believe it is because of fatigue.

One was caused when we lost two starters for a good part of the season. At first we played well but the guards logged heavy minutes. So even when they returned we were tired.

The second problem is something that will always be with us as long as we are in the ACC. And that is we have to make 5 trips back east to the (with the exception of Stanford), compared to the rest of the ACC who has to make either one or none.

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Very much agree. Some fellow Bear Insiders have denied the fatigue factor, but I remember how much sleep I, and our two daughters, needed as adolescents. As an old lady, I only need about 7 hours a night, instead of 9 or 10, even when flying red-eyes to London twice a year.

After hearing all of the reasons why in Year 7 we can't do any better, how no one else could possibly do any better, and how if we could spend more than $8 million maybe we could possibly do better, but maybe not, I am feeling a lot of fatigue myself.

While travel fatigue may be a factor my real reason for downplaying it is, when Cal made the decision to join the ACC the athletic department knew going into it that our football and basketball teams were going to have to log in excessive travel miles. It was our choice. For me, bringing up the issue more than once is tiresome. It comes with the territory so no need to keep bringing it up. It was Cal's choice.

Now bringing up fatigue is "tiresome". People on this board are great ones for declaring that a topic has been run into the ground and that they don't want to read anymore about it. Complaints about the sound system of Haas, the vagaries of cross country travel, where Naya should play. Nothing seems to aggravate people here as much as having to read the same complaints over and over. Maybe we need a moderator to declare when a topic has run its course and ban further mentions. Alternatively people could just skip over topics they've tired of reading about and let the rest of us have our say.

Sorry finish but the fatigue topic is tiresome. Mote specifically, the "travel factor." So often after a road loss someone has to bring it up. Funny, I don't ever recall after a home win against an ACC team a poster claiming that we won the game because the other team had to travel. Two years ago we entered the ACC and since then you can count on someone bringing up after a loss. The ACC was Cal's choice, it is what iit is. Let's live with it and drop it. If someone has an opinion to bring it up, I'm allowed to have an opinion to drop it. Simple as that.

Finnish Oski said:

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Alternatively people could just skip over topics they've tired of reading about and let the rest of us have our say.

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^ liked

smh said:

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Finnish Oski said:

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Alternatively people could just skip over topics they've tired of reading about and let the rest of us have our say.

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^ liked

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Yes. If I make a post stating that this issue has been beaten into the ground, any other poster can skip right over it.

Quote:

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Let's live with it and drop it

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Not your choice to make. People are free to talk about whatever they want related to Cal women's basketball. I suppose one can argue that while we're free to talk about the fatigue factor as much as we want you're free to complain about us talking about the fatigue factor, but is that really where you want to expand your energies? You're a respected member of the this community but whining about what people choose to discuss is not productive or interesting.

RedlessWardrobe said:

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smh said:

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Finnish Oski said:

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Alternatively people could just skip over topics they've tired of reading about and let the rest of us have our say.

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^ liked

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Yes. If I make a post stating that this issue has been beaten into the ground, any other poster can skip right over it. My post doesn't eliminate what anyone else said. They can continue to have their say.

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Finnish Oski said:

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Quote:

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Let's live with it and drop it

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Not your choice to make. People are free to talk about whatever they want related to Cal women's basketball. I suppose one can argue that while we're free to talk about the fatigue factor as much as we want you're free to complain about us talking about the fatigue factor, but is that really where you want to expand your energies? You're a respected member of the this community but whining about what people choose to discuss is not productive or interesting.

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Okay let's put it this way. If I have a problem with the topic and state it here then it's "whining." Well guess what, I happen to feel that the repetitive posting about our travel situation - when there is nothing that can be done about it, sounds like "whining" to me.

SFCALBear72 said:

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The ACC was "our choice"?

More like our financial lifeline when the Big 10 opted not to include Cal and Stanford in their expansion plans.

Other ACC schools make one trip out to the West Coast every other year (and some even complain about that. Lol.). We travel to the East Coast four times a year in WBB (Cal's '25-'26 schedule). Plus, the ACC Tournament.

Charmin and her staff also plan activities in each locale to give the players opportunities for added learning experiences. For instance, when they went to Miami, they got to see two games in the Unrivaled Basketball League and connect with WNBA players.

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Yes, Cal did not have to join the ACC. They could have done what WSU and OSU did, or seek out a conference that didn't require as much traveling.

RedlessWardrobe said:

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SFCALBear72 said:

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The ACC was "our choice"?

More like our financial lifeline when the Big 10 opted not to include Cal and Stanford in their expansion plans.

Other ACC schools make one trip out to the West Coast every other year (and some even complain about that. Lol.). We travel to the East Coast four times a year in WBB (Cal's '25-'26 schedule). Plus, the ACC Tournament.

Charmin and her staff also plan activities in each locale to give the players opportunities for added learning experiences. For instance, when they went to Miami, they got to see two games in the Unrivaled Basketball League and connect with WNBA players.

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Yes, Cal did not have to join the ACC. They could have done what WSU and OSU did, or seek out a conference that didn't require as much traveling.

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Oh, sure. Cal fans would have been very angry if we had opted for the newly re-designed "Pac-12". Meanwhile, our debt from the Memorial Stadium renovation would have continued to spiral out of control.

I guess conference road trips to Chico State and Sonoma State wouldn't be all that bad. Hahahaha.

The OP wasn't "whining" about fatigue, he was pointing out the overall effects of such fatigue particularly as the regular season came to a conclusion.

SFCALBear72 said:

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RedlessWardrobe said:

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SFCALBear72 said:

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The ACC was "our choice"?

More like our financial lifeline when the Big 10 opted not to include Cal and Stanford in their expansion plans.

Other ACC schools make one trip out to the West Coast every other year (and some even complain about that. Lol.). We travel to the East Coast four times a year in WBB (Cal's '25-'26 schedule). Plus, the ACC Tournament.

Charmin and her staff also plan activities in each locale to give the players opportunities for added learning experiences. For instance, when they went to Miami, they got to see two games in the Unrivaled Basketball League and connect with WNBA players.

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Yes, Cal did not have to join the ACC. They could have done what WSU and OSU did, or seek out a conference that didn't require as much traveling.

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Oh, sure. Cal fans would have been very angry if we had opted for the newly re-designed "Pac-12". Meanwhile, our debt from the Memorial Stadium renovation would have continued to spiral out of control.

I guess conference road trips to Chico State and Sonoma State wouldn't be all that bad. Hahahaha.

The OP wasn't "whining" about fatigue, he was pointing out the overall effects of such fatigue particularly as the regular season came to a conclusion.

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Okay, I can live with that, but the fact is this issue is brought up frequently and when I brought that up my post was labeled as "whining."

Also, using Chico State and Sonoma State as selective examples is weak. I mentioned Oregon State. Aren't they playing in the WCC tournament right now? In basketball they joined the WCC and are playing teams like Gonzaga, St. Mary's and Santa Clara. OSU joined the WCC for basketball, you don't think the WCC would have taken us? If we had a semifinal game tonight against one of those three teams wouldn't you and most Cal fans be interested? I have a hunch you would be.

My issue with the fatigue "travel" factor is that in our current situation it comes with the territory, there's nothing that can be done about it. The ACC isn't going to give us and furd a "handicap" because of it, so at a certain point rehashing the issue is kind of pointless, it leads to nowhere. That's why I get tired of it. That being said, let's hope for some wins in the WBIT.

redless, if cal wbb played in a local conference, there's no way the university would lose $6,500,000 a year on the program & attendance (which is already abysmal) would be a couple of hundred fans tops

no coach in a local conference is making total compensation of $700,000+ a year like charmin

but ur right that unless there's significant improvement in the coaching & attendance, cal wbb is not financially sustainable and the program will be relegated to an inconsequential rec league future

as for fatigue, yeah it's a real thing with acc travel which is compounded by the head coach every year playing her starters too many minutes which leads to injuries, poor shooting performances late in the season with tired legs & a lack of player development for the bench which inevitably leads to their transferring out because of a lack of playing time

charmin played naya 3 minutes in the syracuse game because she can't effectively defend 6'5" acc posts, under this insane logic lulu should also play 3 minutes every game because she can also not defend opposing 5s

why don't the assistant coaches say anything re: the program's calcified turnover problems??

smith turned over her staff almost every year for multiple seasons, the assistant coaches now know to keep their mouths shut & not object to the turnovers in order to keep their jobs

the reality of the situation is that the bears are poorly coached and underperform every season (except once), they beat up on mid majors (the upcoming wnit tournament is another opportunity to do so) & cellar dwelling conference opponents but lose 90% of the time against well coached power 4 teams

UCLA just finished undefeated in the Big Ten. Lots of long travel distances for them, and no apparent fatigue issues. So I think that excuse is out the window.

UCLA has Washington, Oregon and USC on the west Coast. and the Midwest is closer than the Southeast. UCLA gets all that money frpm michigan, the scourge of college sports with all its wealth.

wvitbear said:

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UCLA has Washington, Oregon and USC on the west Coast. and the Midwest is closer than the Southeast. UCLA gets all that money frpm michigan, the scourge of college sports with all its wealth.

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I have flown into a lot of those Midwestern college towns, and it is no picnic, especially in the winter time. I think that I spent more time waiting on tarmacs, in terminals, and de-icing than actually in the air.

I think we have made the mistake of falling in love with a particular coach, rather than holding our coach, whomever it may be, to higher performance standards. And ironically, Charmin would actually be better off if she was held to higher standards since it would challenge her and could lead her to having a more successful career.

But the excuses keep on coming.

Maybe the new international strategy will help next year. But it is notable that we failed to recruit a single U.S. high school player this time around. And I am sure that we made lots of offers.

And by the way, Michigan didn't initiate the NIL era. That was a court decision against. the NCAA. But their wealthy donors have responded. Cal actually has more wealthy alumni than Michigan. But our wealthy alums are less interested in sports. Hopefully, politicians of both parties will soon try to clean up this whole unhealthy situation,

Shocky1 said:

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redless, if cal wbb played in a local conference, there's no way the university would lose $6,500,000 a year on the program & attendance (which is already abysmal) would be a couple of hundred fans tops

no coach in a local conference is making total compensation of $700,000+ a year like charmin

but ur right that unless there's significant improvement in the coaching & attendance, cal wbb is not financially sustainable and the program will be relegated to an inconsequential rec league future

as for fatigue, yeah it's a real thing with acc travel which is compounded by the head coach every year playing her starters too many minutes which leads to injuries, poor shooting performances late in the season with tired legs & a lack of player development for the bench which inevitably leads to their transferring out because of a lack of playing time

charmin played naya 3 minutes in the syracuse game because she can't effectively defend 6'5" acc posts, under this insane logic lulu should also play 3 minutes every game because she can also not defend opposing 5s

why don't the assistant coaches say anything re: the program's calcified turnover problems??

smith turned over her staff almost every year for multiple seasons, the assistant coaches now know to keep their mouths shut & not object to the turnovers in order to keep their jobs

the reality of the situation is that the bears are poorly coached and underperform every season (except once), they beat up on mid majors (the upcoming wnit tournament is another opportunity to do so) & cellar dwelling conference opponents but lose 90% of the time against well coached power 4 teams

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Actually Shocky, my mention of the WCC was pertaining to the men's tournament going on right now. And to your point, the "travel" issue is beyond our control, but yes, if we are looking fatigued in recent games it has a lot more to do with the strange minute distribution that Charmin has been using than any travel issues. If the players look "tired" at least the coach has the opportunity to do something about it. In my opinion, that should be the focus of the conversation.

Fatigue is a false excuse. Many athletes travel across the country and perform outstandiingly-- see swimming and water polo. If travel makes you tired, you prepare for the problem. WBB has looked like they are sleep walking in games at home as well as on the road. Something is wrong with the preparation and that means the coaching.

bearchamp said:

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Fatigue is a false excuse. Many athletes travel across the country and perform outstandiingly-- see swimming and water polo. If travel makes you tired, you prepare for the problem. WBB has looked like they are sleep walking in games at home as well as on the road. Something is wrong with the preparation and that means the coaching.

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Thank you bearchamp. I wish I had been able to express this opinion as well as you did with my own words, but I wasn't able to. This is why I'm so down on the travel excuse.

Nobody travels more than Cal and Stanford. Try flying to Miami Florida. From here. And the NC State women's basketball coach said last year it was a real chore to fly out here but it was worse or us. That is not the only reason we were tired. Try losing 2 starters for 6 weeks. Our other starters had to play heavy minutes to make up for that. And you said you were tired of talking about travel and then you start it up again.

wvitbear said:

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Nobody travels more than Cal and Stanford. Try flying to Miami Florida. From here. And the NC State women's basketball coach said last year it was a real chore to fly out here but it was worse or us. That is not the only reason we were tired. Try losing 2 starters for 6 weeks. Our other starters had to play heavy minutes to make up for that. And you said you were tired of talking about travel and then you start it up again.

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No, Bearchamp made the point that if a team has to travel its up to the coach to prepare for it. I agreed with him. It is your post above that is repeating the same old stuff, the now infamous "NC State coach statement", the injury factor, (like other teams don't have injuries too), and the "we fly the most" line. My problem with this whole subject is, except for preparing for it, it simply is what it is, and my opinion (which I am allowed to express) is - time to let it go. Neither the NCAA or the ACC is going to give Cal "handicap points" for it so why the neccessity to keep using it as an excuse. Even Charmin and MM don't make an issue of it. It's a given.

The 49ers struggle with travel, and I think they have enough coaches to "prepare" for it.

That's like saying you should "prepare for the fact their players are better." There's only so much you can do. Or should Charmin conduct bed checks every night, and then go around and make sure they're not texting under the covers?

Flying charter for longer distances is a long way better than flying commercial in the old days. Wish that I could afford it.