Roundup: Strong recruiting class makes Cal basketball a contender

May 7, 2015

Mike Vernon writes that a great recruiting class is giving hope to Cal basketball coach Counzo Martin for the upcoming season. Martin landed a top-five recruiting class headlined by top-10 recruits in Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown. Potential starting five next year – Jaylen Brown, Ivan Rabb, Tyrone Wallace, Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews. Like drafting "T.J. Who's Your Momma" in your 2005 fantasy football league, that lineup will make you say "championship!"

Czech this story out on Washington women’s golfer Eimi Koga, a big contributor to the Dawgs who nearly died after a wayward golf ball struck her in the head (there’s still a dent in her head from where the ball hit her). The sophomore had emergency brain surgery after the 2012 accident and is now one of the reasons why Washington is competing for a national championship in 2015.

Let’s get an inside look at Oregon tight end Pharaoh Brown recovering from a serious leg injury he suffered against Utah in November. Very well-done video feature here by Pac-12 Networks. While we’re on the subject, Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reports that Oregon basketball big man Jordan Bell is recovering from foot surgery.

Former Arizona State stud James Harden scored 32 points to lead Houston to a 115-109 win over the Clippers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal series. Sixteen of those points came in the fourth quarter.

As top-ranked UCLA prepares for Friday's first-round matchup in the NCAA women's water polo championships, relive when the Bruins won the 2007 water polo national title, the 100th NCAA championship in the school's history.

Colorado basketball coach Tad Boyle will be an assistant for Team USA at the 2015 Pan American Games (July 21-25 in Toronto). Gonzaga head honcho Mark Few is the head coach of the Pan Am team.

Oregon State women’s basketball guard Sydney Wiese has been invited to USA Basketball trials for the Pan American Games (Toronto) and World University Games (South Korea). On that note, Oregon State women’s basketball coach Scott Rueck will be an assistant for the Pan American Games.

Utah women’s basketball alum Taryn Wicijowski signed with a team in Italy, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. Wicijowski finished her Utah career sixth in school history with 1,887 points and third with 1,047 rebounds.

Stanford women’s lacrosse plays Florida in an NCAA tournament first-round game Friday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C. Those are the game notes courtesy of GoStanford.com.

While we’re on the subject, USC women’s lacrosse plays James Madison in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday in Durham, N.C. (game notes here). This is the first time in program history that USC lax is in the NCAA tournament.