Jamal Boykin Has Had Enough

Jamal Boykin doesn't like to lose. It was written all over his face at the end of the Stanford game at Haas last Saturday. Throughout his career at Fairfax High School and Duke, the Cal sophomore forward has experienced success on the court.

The Bears' recent struggles are something new for Boykin, and he's not enjoying it. At Monday's media session, he clearly expressed his feelings, saying, "This if the first time I've been on a team where you feel like your backs are against the wall. It's exciting in a way. It's time to just come out swinging. It's not too late to put together a really good season. We have all the parts."

The Bears hit the road this weekend for challenging games against Washington State and Washington. The 9th ranked Cougars are 17-2 and 9-0 at home in Pullman, so winning on Thursday will not be easy. Boykin believes that the team is ready to turn the corner: "We have guys that are at the point where we've pretty much had enough. We're ready to put together a season that we can be proud of."

Boykin's appearance before the press corps was packed with boxing references. At one point he said, "We have to throw the first punch, we have to be the aggressor." Boykin has been doing his part. He had 14 points and 8 rebounds in 23 minutes against Stanford, and it seems likely that his playing time will continue to increase. He gives Cal a needed physical presence on the court, and he is more than capable of backing up his words with his performance.

For Boykin, the turnaround must start in practice. He noted the need to crush the Gold Team (the reserves) in practice because, "If were not beating up on them we can't expect to go out and beat a Pac-10 team."

Pullman is not an easy place to win. Tony Bennett's Cougars are known for their patience on offense, and their stifling position defense. Ben Braun said, "I come away impressed with how efficient they are, especially on the defensive end."

Interestingly, WSU has been having problems on the defensive end in conference play. Opponents are hitting 49% of their shots in the 7 Pac-10 games. Arizona burned the Cougs with 55% shooting, including an impressive 12-21 on three pointers last week in Tucson. Wazzou took away the perimeter against Arizona State last Saturday, but still allowed the Devils to shoot a solid 47%.

Those numbers have to give Cal some hope. The Bears strength has been on the offensive end. Washington State will give up some outside looks, and Cal is shooting 40% on threes in conference games. WSU plays the percentages, they double on the block, and they try to make you beat them from the outside - and Arizona had success doing exactly that.

Braun cited Kyle Weaver as the key player, but also noted the great play of Derrick Low in the backcourt and Aron Baynes in the post. Braun agreed with Boykin that Cal needs to be more physical.

Twenty-one offensive rebounds by Stanford killed Cal last Saturday. Washington State doesn't pound the offensive boards, but Jon Brockman of Washington certainly does. Brockman is having a great year, averaging 19.1 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Cal will need to keep a body on Brockman on Saturday afternoon, and the bigs will need some help. Patrick Christopher had just 1 rebound against Stanford.

Once again, the key this weekend will be defense and rebounding. On the road, putting stops together is essential. If the game is close, the Bears need to forget about the recent games and make plays. Said Boykin, "We need to take that camaraderie we have off the court and just put that on the court late in games, play together and will ourselves to win down the stretch."

It's time for Cal to get over the hump.

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