Sunday Thoughts: Under Armour Deal, Basketball Recruiting, and More
Thursday morning marked the beginning of a new apparel deal for Cal, as the ten-year, 86 million dollar pact with Under Armour kicked in with a bit of a soft rollout, not unveiling the jerseys yet, but unveiling new (old) logos along with new typography, wordmarks, and the "Sather Stripe," something that will be found on the side of uniforms and incorporated into the field and court of Memorial Stadium and Haas Pavilion respectively.
The Sather Stripe, taken from how the lines of Sather Tower (the Campanile) look, will appear on all of Cal's uniforms, as per the release on Thursday.
"It's a design element that will appear on all of Cal's uniforms, with two solid lines on the outside and four broken up lines – two on each side – on the inside. The broken up lines are the final step in the evolution of the vertical lines formed by the beveled edges on Sather Tower, and represent the infusion of athletics into the brand with campus."
Those lines are taking shape at Memorial Stadium as well, though the process of putting in the new turf is still going, as there are still a few new accouterments to add onto the field, with sewing the numbers into the turf and finishing putting the turf in the endzone and the sidelines.
The two biggest pieces of the Under Armour announcement were the return of the block C, seen emblazoned on the student section above, and the walking Bear, combined into one logo, along with a section of verbiage. The block C returning, along with effort put into the Sather Stripe, highlights a dedication by the Under Armour folks working on the branding to keep in with historical traditions.
The verbiage bit might be a bit of a nitpick, but it helps as a sticking point for a number of people. It outlines what the school should be called from an athletic standpoint.
What's Acceptable:
- California
- Cal
- California Golden Bears
- Golden Bears
- University of California Golden Bears
- Go Bears
- Bears
- Cal Bears
What's Not
- Cal Berkeley
That being said, expect Bill Walton to call the basketball team the Berkeley Bears at least 20 times during the upcoming basketball season.
Basketball Recruiting Picking Up
Wyking Jones' tenure started slow on the recruiting front, picking up a couple under-the-radar guys in Deschon Winston and Austin McCullough, but the last week has been extremely helpful in building recruiting momentum, as top 100 recruits Jacobi Gordon and Matt Bradley both committed to Cal over a two day stretch.
Jacobi Gordon is excited play in Wyking Jones' new system
Matt Bradley found Cal to be an opportunity too good to pass up
Gordon's commitment helped to show the recruiting ability of new Cal assistant Chris Walker, who coached on the Texas AAU scene for a number of years while also serving as a broadcaster for CBS. There's a number of talented prospects in that area, and Walker has solid connections as it seems, which could pay dividends down the road with prospects like 2019 G De'Vion Harmon, who just made the USA U16 team today.
Bringing in Bradley, a tenacious lefty with a knack for scoring and aggressive play, is a boon for the Bears going forward, as the San Bernadino native who scored 72 points in a game in January was criminally under-recruited, with Cal being his first high major offer. Bradley looks like he could become a fan favorite in Haas Pavilion as a defensive standout and excellent scorer, defending all the wing positions with a similar versatility to Jorge Gutierrez.
These additions make Cal a better landing place for top target Jordan Brown, a five-star target in their own backyard in Roseville. With both Marcus Lee and Kingsley Okoroh gone after next season, Cal needs at least two bigs in the 2018 class, and landing Brown would be a big-time boost for the program, which faces an uphill battle in the coming season after losing Charlie Moore and Kameron Rooks to transfer.
A further breakdown of the recruiting picture can be found here
Football Recruiting
Cal put out two offers last week, both to quarterbacks in Hamilton's (Chandler, AZ) Tyler Shough and Hart's (Newhall, CA) JT Shrout.
Shough discusses Cal Offer, Monster GPA
Shrout discusses Hart to Cal QB history, Offer
Cal's had a noted interest in taking two QBs in the 2018 class, to help add competition for the spot, and they'd take both of these guys. Shough has a bit more notoriety, getting the bump up to four-stars in the last Rivals update, and is currently participating in Elite 11. He has a fantastic arm and size at 6'5", though he will need a bit more size on his frame at the next level. He looks to make a decision sometime in the next few weeks, as well as take a visit to Cal before that, which bodes well for the Bears
Shrout is a little more of a mystery, having not started last fall and receiving more attention during the spring as more coaches come down to see him. Shrout noted that QB coach Marques Tuiasosopo told him that he liked the way the ball was getting out of his hand, as well as the smoothness of his footwork, which led to his offer. Shrout visited Cal back in February, with plans to make the journey up again soon. He plans on committing before the football season starts and shutting down his recruitment afterward. Currently Cal is his only power five offer, but Oregon has been in contact with him, as Shrout noted it was a dream of his to play in the Pac-12.
Cal also received a visit this weekend from top ILB target Ben Wilson, from Sumner, Washington. He's a rangy defender who made over 200 tackles during his junior year, and looks to be a big priority in recruiting, as the Bears will have to replace three senior ILBs in 2018.
Rugby
Cal Men's Rugby won in National 7's for the 5th year in a row today, with a 19-0 victory over Life University. This marks the fifth consecutive year that Cal Rugby has won in 7s.
Jack Clark released a statement before the weekend on the injured Robert Paylor, which you can read here.
Paylor's GoFundMe page is here, for those who want to contribute.