Basketball Insider Jon Wheeler invites Tripper back inside the Section925 Hoop Cave to talk about the Dubs latest moves and finding their rhythm, undefeated Gonzaga coming to Moraga, and the development of Cal point guard Charlie Moore.
Battery mates Alex Jensen and Brett Thomas link up to discuss the 49ers' hire of GM John Lynch, the Raiders Las Vegas saga and LeBron's war of words with Sir Charles Barkley.
Already written into Cal’s record books, when will the sophomore center be satisfied?
Anigwe has reached 1,000 points faster than any Cal player in history (photo courtesy of pac-12.com)
By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com
Seated next to her coach in the bowels of Key Arena, Kristine Anigwe couldn’t take it anymore. Like a winter downpour in Seattle, the tears were inevitable at this point, it was only a matter of how long they would last. All anyone could do was pass her a towel.
The 10th seeded Bears had just bowed out in the semifinals of the 2016 PAC-12 tournament, a six point loss at the hands of 3rd seeded UCLA. Anigwe had an outstanding game in defeat, 26 points and 15 rebounds to be exact, both numbers eclipsing her already gaudy season averages of 20 and 9. Numbers unheard of for a freshman. Especially one who didn’t pick up the game of basketball until the 8th grade.
Tasked with the near impossible chore of summing up a season in one post game press conference, fifth year head coach Lindsay Gottlieb chose to sing the praises of her freshman center and the otherworldly year she had. 43-points in a game, national freshman of the year, averaging almost double digit rebounds, scoring more than any frosh in Cal basketball history, the list of accomplishments goes on seemingly forever. But if you learn anything about Kristine Anigwe, all those accomplishments are thrown to the side after a loss. And maybe even forgotten. “Failing is very hard for me,” she says simply on a recent evening in Berkeley. “I dread it. I hate losing. I hate not doing something that I know I could do.”
Losing is something the Cal women did a lot of last season. A fact Anigwe willing shoulders the blame for. Despite her record year, Anigwe is haunted by the fact that it was her beloved coach’s first losing campaign in her Berkeley career. In Gottlieb’s first season as Cal’s coach, she took an NIT team to the NCAA’s. The next year, Gottlieb had the Bears in the Final Four. Now, Gottlieb was at the podium following her first sub .500 season that included a dismal 4-14 mark in the PAC-12. Even so, all the protective coach could do was praise her team’s effort, particularly an emotional Anigwe, who proved incapable of talking. The pain of falling short on Gottlieb’s expectations was too much to bear.
Anigwe fights her emotions following the end of the PAC-12 Tournament in Seattle in 2016 (photo courtesy of Pac-12.com)
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Sitting down with Anigwe behind the scorers table at Haas Pavilion, two things quickly become noticeable. One is that Anigwe isn’t particularly comfortable talking about herself. Another is that she requires some extra room for her legs that power her 6’4” frame up and down the court and even to the rim for dunks (we’ll get to that later.)
She is eating a post workout meal of soft tacos, in the kind of way you’d expect an Olympic Triathlete to eat, with the nutritional value being the most important aspect of the act. The gym is quiet now, except for the welcome squeaks, dribbles and swishes being made by Ivan Rabb. The future NBA first round pick is taking advantage of the vacant floor space, fine tuning his game in the middle of conference play.
The presence of NBA-bound Rabb, along with Anigwe’s upbringing in Phoenix inevitably brings up the topic of the Suns. Steve Nash? Amare Stoudemire? Was she a fan? “No,” she says matter-of-factly, “I grew up watching the Phoenix Mercury. I loved Diana Taurasi. She was a huge inspiration for me.”
Despite having the luxury of a WNBA team in her backyard to look up to and always being the tallest girl in her class, it wasn’t until just before high school that Anigwe found her way onto a basketball court. Fortunately, her area volleyball team was good enough to push her into her calling. “To be honest, back then I tried out for the volleyball team and I didn’t make it. So I went ahead and tried basketball. It’s worked out from there.”
Her two parents, Annette and Christopher, ran a strict household focused primarily on academics and the fruits that books could bear for their four children. Basketball was secondary to Anigwe, up until the time her talent was spotted and she was sent to Colorado Springs to try out for Team USA’s youth program. By the time Anigwe was selected to Team USA and began jett-setting to international tournaments, she started to realize basketball could really take her places. “Don’t get me wrong, I made the team, but the tryouts were really nerve wracking. It seemed like so many great players were getting cut everyday. But after I made that team, I really began to take my basketball career seriously.”
By her junior year at Desert Vista High School, Anigwe was morphing into a star. In addition to her duties with Team USA’s program, Anigwe was competing on the women’s AAU circuit with the “Arizona Elite” and her trusted coach Kenny Drake. Not only was she playing for his team, but also dedicating herself to attending his private workouts on the side, even if she hated it. “Yes, I often really hated those workouts,” she explains. “Sometimes I would have to sit down in the corner of the gym and take off my shoes, but Kenny would refuse to let me leave the gym until we finished our workouts. He really made me so much better at basketball.”
By the spring of her junior year, Anigwe lead her high school team to an Arizona State Championship. Anigwe was the star that brought the school the glory of a state crown, but true to her personality, she has trouble recalling all the details of the triumph. “I can’t remember if we played in the Suns’ arena or not to be honest, now that you ask. I just remember it being a really fancy place.”
What Anigwe remembers most about her high school career is failing to win back-to-back titles, falling to Goodyear Millennium High in the the Division 1 semifinals. Anigwe took the loss hard, almost completely shutting her down. “It was tough. I remember I didn’t really talk to anyone for like a week. I spent a lot of time in my room just writing in my room. Sleeping, talking to my mom, writing some more. But eventually I realized I had to grow up and move on.”
Anigwe in her final high school game with the Desert Vista Thunder. A semifinal loss in the Arizona state championships. (photo by Nick Cote)
Moving on meant turning her sights to a bright future in the college ranks. By now, she had been named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year, to go along with her eye-popping stats with her AAU club team and gold medals on Team USA’s junior teams. No one could have blamed her if visions of UCONN, Tennessee, or Stanford began to pop into her head. After all, the late-bloomer was now a nationally recognized blue chip recruit. But even with her rising stock shooting through the roof, Anigwe never wavered on her verbal commitment to Berkeley and coach Gottlieb. “In the end, Cal showed interest in me when no one else did. I trusted them at an early age. For me to get super good and decommit is not a part of my character. At the end of the day, you know where your roots are, where your heart is and who has your back.”
With her commitment to Cal solidified, Anigwe overcame the anguish of her senior year defeat by attending the McDonald’s All-American game in Chicago, an event reserved for the best 48 men and women high school basketball has to offer. When ESPN personnel realized Anigwe could dunk, they pushed her on the idea of being the lone female in the annual dunk contest, one that has produced a long list of NBA superstars. Anigwe, shy by nature, took a leap of faith and gave it a shot. But with the cameras on and her legs jet-lagged, Anigwe came up empty in her turn to dunk. Naturally, the internet’s reaction was polarizing. From basement bloggers ripping her, to 13-year-old girls congratulating her for rising above the rim with the nation’s best male athletes. Florida State’s Dwayne Bacon ended up beating Anigwe and the rest of the field with a monster dunk, leaping over the head of a standing Jalen Rose.
Nowadays, a google search of Anigwe will no longer lead you straight to her famed dunk attempts at the McDonald’s contest. Instead, you’ll be hit with stories of her 50-point night on December 8th, 2016 versus Sacramento State. Of course, Anigwe doesn’t like to talk about it, but it was a night that put the spotlight back on Cal women’s hoops for the first time in a while here in the Bay Area. In what was a incredible display of efficiency, Anigwe managed to score all 50 points in just 24 minutes of play. Moreover, her 19 buckets were converted on just 23 shots. Virtually every time Anigwe caught the ball, she finished with a basket. With her right hand or her left, midrange or under the basket, Anigwe’s deft touch and uncanny ability to finish around the basket was put on full display for the nation to see. No player, even in the higher scoring men’s game has reached the 50 point plateau. Ed Gray’s 48 against Washington State in 1997 is the closest any Cal player has come. That is until Anigwe did it, using only 24 minutes to do so.
Even with all the attention the 50-point night brought to the program, Anigwe does her best to avoid the topic. “I honestly don’t like talking about the 50 point game. I don’t want my legacy at Cal to be all about one 50 point game. I want it to be, ‘Kristine helped take a team to the Final Four.’ Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun game. But I want to help change the program and be a part of an incredible team at Cal.”
Despite being apprehensive to talk about her personal accomplishments, Anigwe is never at a loss for words when speaking about those around her. After all, the Media Studies major has visions of a career in broadcast journalism after she hangs up her sneakers. “Kristine’s Korner” is already a broadcast platform she has dabbled with in the past, and hopes to do more of.
If she had it her way, she’d do some features of some of her favorite people in Berkeley including her trusted coach Gottlieb, who Anigwe describes as “Incredibly caring. Caring about her players, caring about the program.” Anigwe also is quick to deflect praise on her trusted point guard Asha Thomas. A sophomore from Oakland’s Bishop O’ Dowd High School, Thomas is responsible for keeping the Bears calm and confident, even in the hairiest of situations. “Even when there is fire all around her, she always leads us in a calm way,” explains Anigwe. Thomas’ love for her home city of Oakland and its deep rooted culture is also something Anigwe enjoys being exposed to. “She just loves Oakland and repping the Bay Area. Always trying to teach me new Oakland lingo. She tries to keep me hip that way.”
Anigwe rises for a dunk attempt at the McDonald's All-American Dunk Contest in 2015. (Photo courtesy of bearinsider.com)
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Now over halfway through her sophomore campaign, with the dust settled from her 50-point barrage, Anigwe is focused on navigating her team back into the NCAA tournament, a place Coach Gottlieb is so used to being, but where Anigwe has yet to find. This season started as good as ever. Ignited by Anigwe’s nightly double-doubles, Cal started the year 13-0, the best start in program history by a wide margin. Unfortunately, this has given way to a 3-7 start in league play. A disappointing result that has eaten away at Anigwe thus far.
As a player and as a person, Anigwe is often times more driven by the fear of failure that the feeling of success. She admits this can be a gift and a curse. Her coach recently told the Mercury News, “Kristine is the most self-motivated player we’ve ever had here. It’s not close.” But this self-motivation has its costs, as it can put blinders on the ability to see and appreciate success as its unfolding in the moment. Explains Anigwe, “People think I’m just running through life without appreciating things or digesting accomplishments, and yes, it can be lonely. But to me it is scary to fail, so I’m always looking for ways to get better and avoid that failure.”
Even if Anigwe were to give her coach the gift of another Final Four trip at Cal, there is a good chance Anigwe will be wrapped up in her obsession to improve her game indefinitely. Beyond her Cal career looms the light of more basketball in the WNBA, not to mention the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, or her post playing career endeavors into the media business, or even a crusade to close the wage gap in women’s sports like basketball, soccer and the like.
Whether or not Kristine Anigwe will successfully overcome her dread of failure still remains to seen. But rest assured, she’ll leave a wake of her defeated opponents on the way to defining her own definition of success.
Bay Area native Daniel Descalso sits down with Tripper Ortman at Venture Goods in Lafayette to talk baseball. Descalso discusses his upbringing as an A's fan, his days at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, coming up through the minors, winning a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals and much more.
Alex Jensen and Brett Thomas of "The Battery" analyze offseason the offseason moves from the 49ers and Golden Bears while also jumping into more analysis of the Warriors as they head toward the All-Star break.
Baseball Insider Jon Zuber comes back into the Outdoor Podcenter to talk Oakland Athletics hot stove as well as new and future hall of fame inductees.
Since 2001, Wilcox has made stops at Boise State, Cal, Tennessee, Washington, USC and Wisconsin. Since 2006, he has held Defensive Coordinator roles.
Former Cal catcher and current CEO of The Catching Academy flies solo to discuss Cal's coaching search, the Niners in limbo and the Warriors (relative) struggles.
The Bucks' next visit to Oakland is March 18th...
By Jason Gordon
There really isn't another athlete quite like Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA. Comparisons have been drawn to guys like Kevin Durant and Tracy McGrady, but he has a few inches on both of those players. The only thing Durant holds as a physical feature over Giannis is a little over an inch wingspan advantage. The "Greek Freak" has taken the NBA by storm this season. He is up in all the major statistical categories on his career averages. His 23.9 points per game are nearly 10 up from his career average. His assists, rebounds, and field goal percentage are also a few points higher than the numbers he has put up prior to this season. Heck, if he started handing out a few more assists per game he would be right next to James Harden and Russell Westbrook with a near triple-double average per game. While this may seem astronomical to some, Giannis has held this potential since being drafted in 2013.
The next crazy thing about Giannis is that he just turned 22 in December. He has been referred to with high regard by guys like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. That is some high praise being shed his way, but the Milwaukee Bucks would not trade him for any player in the entire NBA. The Milwaukee Bucks were criticized heavily when drafting the Greek superstar with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 draft. He was said to be a talent that wouldn't leave his home nation and team and the development process he would require left him years away from the NBA. The Bucks have done well scouting foreign born talents before and the Bucks ownership group made a confident decision with the pick. Giannis has doubled nearly all his statistics each year he has played in the league and he has given the Bucks a sense of relevance they haven't seen since Ray Allen led the team.
So, when does his improvement become limited or reach a road block? That has yet to be seen. He has improved upon his ball handling each year, making him one of the most versatile players in the league. He can play any position with his size, giving the team an advantage over any potential match-ups that pose a threat. He has turned the Bucks into a winning organization once again, also making other players around him better. His plug-and-play style makes him a nightmare for opponents to deal with. The Bucks, as a team, are currently 18-16 and 6th in the Eastern Conference standings. Their record takes some shine away from impressive victories over teams like the Cavaliers and the Thunder. The attention that Giannis draws also help create opportunities for players like Jabari Parker, Greg Monroe, and Malcolm Brogdon.
The Bucks are also currently without a player that has been nothing but spectacular for them over the past few seasons in Khris Middleton. His return will help open up the floor for all players and may create a mini “Big 3” with Parker and Giannis. This team is a force when fully healthy. The return of Middleton, albeit probably a year away, will place the Bucks in the running for the top spot in the East. Giannis and the team are the real deal; just sit back and watch his improvement reach new heights as his career progresses.
Section925 Hoops Insider Jon Wheeler brings us back into the Hoop Cave to talk about the Warriors at a crossroads, how Cal's lack of overall athleticism may hinder them in March, whether SMC can make the tourney without winning the WCC, and the bright future for USF Dons basketball.
Battery mates Alex Jensen and Brett Thomas get back together to talk through the Raiders' playoff season, the Niners' fire sale and the Golden State Warriors post Christmas.
Section925 Baseball Insider Jon Zuber stops by the podcenter to talk Oakland A's, hot stove, and HOF ballots.
By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com
Over the first weekend in December, America’s four best women’s soccer teams converged inside Avaya Stadium, the home of the San Jose Earthquakes, for what turned out to be a spectacular event for the ever-growing sport. Georgetown, USC, West Virginia and North Carolina were the final four who made this year’s College Cup, all of which brought contrasting styles and abundant diversity to the “The Beautiful Game.”
With soccer legend Julie Foudy up in the broadcast booth and fans upwards of 6,000 intently watching above Avaya’s fan-friendly pitch, West Virginia was able to knock off 22-time National Champion North Carolina in the first Friday semi-final. In the nightcap, the USC Trojans took care of Georgetown to set up a evenly matched Sunday showdown featuring national team-level talent up and down both rosters.
Sparked by an unexpected header goal in the first few minutes of play, USC went into halftime holding a one goal lead, despite repeated offensive chances by West Virginia. In the second half, the levee finally broke as Canadian National Team star Ashley Lawrence sent a missile into the back of the net to pull things even in a suspenseful National Title Game. It didn’t take long, however, for USC to answer with a clutch, well placed goal of their own, as Katie Johnson placed the eventual game winner into the bottom right corner of the net. Just for good measure, Johnson stuck again with a top-shelf strike that West Virginia’s keeper had no fighting chance at. In the two Final Four games Johnson spent in San Jose, she racked up a total of three goals, two of which were game winners. Not bad for a player who has overcome a series of knee injuries and came into Sunday’s championship as a substitute.
The loss by West Virginia was taken especially hard for a group of young women who were arguably the more talented team on Sunday evening. A team proud of it’s diversity and international talent that has elevated its program to its best season in program history. Tears flowed on the field after the final horn, but the Mountaineers, led by Lawrence, were gracious in defeat in the post game press conference. Regardless of which side you were rooting for on Sunday in San Jose, no one can argue how bright the future is for Women’s soccer across the globe. The showcase on the field in San Jose spoke for itself.
Stanford is one win away from advancing to Houston, Texas and their second straight College Cup.
By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com
The defending National Champion Stanford Men's Soccer Team is one win away from a repeat trip to the 2016 College Cup. After a dramatic double OT win over Virginia in the Sweet 16, the Cardinal now head on the road to face the Louisville Cardinals. The match will air on ESPN3.com at 4pm PST. If the 5th seeded Cardinal can get past #4 Louisville they will face the winner of unseeded Virginia Tech and #2 Wake Forest. The other half of this year's college soccer bracket consists of unranked Providence V. #9 North Carolina and #3 Clemson V. #6 Denver.
Stanford is coming off their third straight PAC-12 championship and their 14th conference title in program history. This year's team is led by Foster Langsdorf (co-PAC-12 Player of the Year) and Tomas Hilliard-Acre (PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year).
Louisville enters Saturday's match coming off a home win versus Notre Dame. Their best player, Tim Kubel is among the finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy or the Heisman of college soccer. The defender ranks fifth nationally with 11 assists for Louisville.
Survive & advance.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/Y6vgwvQvr5
— Stanford Athletics (@GoStanford) November 28, 2016
The #NCAASoccer Men's Quarterfinals are set. Who is going to Houston for the #CollegeCup? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/U21PBBPkP1
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 28, 2016
Alex Jensen and Brett Thomas of “The Battery” are back to discuss Saint Mary's Hoops and the West Coast Conference. The two also dive into Durant and the new look Dubs, and give their outlook on new stadium plans in Oakland with Lew Wolff out of the picture.
Section925 Football Insider J Torchio and special guest Tommy Renno come into the Podcenter to preview UCLA at Cal this Saturday, and finally, we hear the real reason The Insider hates UCLA.
