Now that the season is over, I’ve had time to reflect on it and to consider how special it was. We may not have gone as far as we could have, but we evolved as a program and set the stage for more to come in the future. And as a cool cherry on top, the team met nearly all of my personal expectations, which made them even more fun for me to watch.
In the end, I feel like this was Madsen’s finest season at Cal by far. I already expected him to help some players have career years, as he’s done in the past. But also from recruiting the right pieces with limited resources, to establishing an identity on both offense and defense, it was clear to me that the staff stepped up in a major way. I want to give them their props for what they did as well.
Lastly, the players came through and all outplayed their preseason tape. TT Carr delivered big plays in big minutes. Milos stepped up when Dort was injured. Then DK stepped up when Milos fouled out. DJ came back from injury and gave us help. It was really cool. I hope we get the guys back who want to be here and that we continue to build.
With all that said, I wanted to give out my own postseason awards. They don’t come with a trophy, but they most certainly come with my honest opinion and respect. So let’s get to it:
MVP: Justin Pippen
Traditionally, MVP goes to the team’s leading scorer, but this wasn’t a traditional season. Pippen could potentially be the defensive POY, the most improved, and the X factor all in one. Besides the numbers (14.8p, 4.6ast, 3.9reb, 1.9stl), Pippen was also the glue guy. It was abundantly clear that the team went as he went. Sometimes it was the pull up three. Other times it was simply getting the ball to the right guy. And his ability to draw fouls saved us more than once. All of that with his dad in the stands watching. He played like there was no pressure at all, and that’s maturity.
Pippen was a true floor general for our team this season, and my MVP.
Most Improved: Lee Dort
It’s tough to select a MIP award when every single player on the team saw massive jumps. For me, Dort takes it because he really looked like a different player than last season. Some guys improve at what they already do, but Dort added things to his game. He became a reliable finisher around the basket and was consistently given 1 on 1 post opportunities for his efforts. His passing on the perimeter and decision making within our offense was a big plus as well. We didn’t need to dumb it down for him and that was key. Lastly, his work on defense was head and shoulders above last season and it showed when he went down and our defense suffered.
Highlight Package: Dai Dai Ames, Chris Bell
This is an award I made up because I felt like it needed to exist. While we’ve had some guys with great highlight packages before, these two guys brought the fun to HAAS more consistenty than two guys have in a while. Dai Dai with the stepback. Dai Dai with the crossover. Dai Dai with the lefty And 1. Name a move and he executed it, often making the defense look silly in the process.
Meanwhile, Bell was an entirely different highlight. It’s easy to look at all the alley oops and stop there, but for me his 3-ball was also a highlight. My favorite may have been when he got blocked, fell down, got back up, and hit a 3 the very next play. There’s something exciting about a shooter who just shoots.
X-Factor: John Camden
Camden did so much for us this year that the list goes on too long. He covered for everyone on defense in ways I’m unsure they understand. He hit the 3 ball like an absolute madman. Shoot, he broke the zone so often that I’m worried what happens without him next year. He was that guy for us. I wish he and Petraitis had been able to play a full season together because the only thing better than a swiss army knife is two swiss army knives.
Defensive POY: Justin Pippen
This award has to go to Pippen, although there are a few deserving guys. Pippen generated so much offense because of his steals, blocks, and deflections on defense. Further, his ability to get his man off his game was great. Watching him turn Okogie into a non-factor at Maples was a sight to behold. Not to mention that he, as our PG, was second on the team in blocks. If he stays long enough he might challenge JKidd and AJ Diggs for the steals record.
That’s all I got Cal Fam. It was a season to behold. I can’t wait for the next one. If you didn’t get to check out any of the video breakdowns, check em out because much of what I mentioned above I also mentioned in the film study. Until next time…
GO BEARS.
