Pac-12 preview: California

This is the third in an annual 12-part series previewing the Pac-12 teams for the upcoming season.

If Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb feels a déjà vu going into this season, it’s understandable. She has come full circle as she enters her fifth year at the helm of a program she guided to elite status.

In her inaugural season, the Golden Bear team had no seniors. Now after sending off the first class she had for four years, Gottlieb this year is again left with no seniors. It is rebuilding time again, but Gottlieb relishes the challenge.

“We are excited for what this new season will bring,” she said. “We have so many people who can step up. We are long, athletic, young and versatile across the board. Most importantly, we have a tight group that wants to get better every day and wants to raise the bar for Cal Basketball. I can't wait to see how good this group can become."

That group includes two juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen.

Gone are prolific scorers and team leaders Reshanda Gray and Brittany Boyd, who were each drafted by WNBA teams and completed successful rookie seasons last month. Justine Hartman and Brittany Shine also graduated. An unexpected loss came last month in junior guard Mercedes Jefflo, who was dismissed from the team.

Two starters return in sophomore forward/guard Mikayla Cowling (10 ppg, 5 rpg) and sophomore guard Gabby Green (6.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg), as well as key bench players Courtney Range (8.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Penina Davidson (3.3 ppg). Junior forward KC Waters is also back.

Gray and Boyd accounted for an average 30 points and almost 15 rebounds per game between them, and Jefflo brought in 10 points per game. New players will have to learn quickly. But given Gottlieb’s track record, and the pedigrees of the newcomers, the learning curve might be shorter.

Kristine Anigwe, a 6-foot-4 McDonald’s All-American forward from Phoenix, was ranked 13th in the class of 2015 and second at her position. She will help fill up the paint with 6-foot-7 freshman center Chen Yue, from China.

Two freshman guards hail from prestigious programs in Oakland. MaAne’ Mosley is from Saint Mary’s College High School, where she was the 16th-ranked wing in the country, while Asha Thomas comes from Bishop O’Dowd, where she was ranked ten spots behind Mosley.

Breanna Cavanaugh is a freshman guard from New Jersey, where she was nationally-ranked.

Gottlieb said the group has been coming along quickly.

“Our basketball IQ, versatility and ability to move the ball are as great as we’ve ever had. As a coaching staff, we’re working hard to push the veteran players to new levels and make sure the freshmen are constantly caught up to speed. That combination has been fun for us and gone really well so far,” she said. “There are a lot of new faces and expectations, but the energy is high and it’s contagious.”

Team motivation is high – so much so that Gottlieb said the season has started with more energy than she’s ever experienced in her tenure as a head coach.

“In all my years, we’ve had the most energy and collective effort and high spirit as I’ve had in any first few practices,” she said. “It’s a youthful group of players who want to take in everything they can, and want to give everything they can. That’s a really good combination.”

Gottlieb quickly elevated the Cal program to new heights after taking the helm. They have been to the NCAA Tournament every season since her first with the team, including a trip to the Final Four in 2013.

Though the faces are new, Gottlieb promised that the up-tempo Cal brand would remain intact.

“This team wants to exceed every accomplishment we’ve had here. That’s what I love about them. They want to do new things,” Gottlieb added. “They want to write their own story. It’s going to have Cal Basketball written all over it, but they’re a very unique group with uniquely talented players who are going to do it in their own way.”