The Kidd : Freshman Is Expected to Lead Cal Back to Greatness

The last time the California Bears were a power in college basketball, John Kennedy was President of the United States and Pete Newell was Cal’s coach.

After winning the school’s only NCAA championship in 1959 and coming back the next year to win the title in the Athletic Assn. of Western Universities--forerunner to the Pacific 10--before losing to Ohio State in the NCAA championship game, Newell retired. The Bears have barely made a splash in the sport since.

But there is a new kid on the block--Jason Kidd--and there is renewed enthusiasm for basketball in Berkeley. The four freshman starters from last season and Kidd give the Bears a solid nucleus for a possible return to glory.

Although Coach Lou Campanelli cautions not to expect too much of a team featuring nine sophomores and freshmen, Sport magazine, for one, has already jumped on the bandwagon. The publication picks Cal, 10-18 last season and 4-14 in the conference, to win the Pac-10 championship and ranks the Bears ninth in the nation.

Kidd, arguably the best high school player in the country last season, isn’t quite that optimistic. He does say that the Bears will make the Final Four next season, but he cites the learning process the Bears are facing.

Kidd, 19, is a 6-foot-4 freshman from Oakland. When he announced a year ago he was staying in the Bay Area for college, he thrust the Bears and Campanelli into the limelight.

Despite their dismal record last season, there is more than Kidd to kindle Cal hopes.

Campanelli had probably the best group of freshmen in the school’s history last season. Four of them are now sophomores.

Then, too, there is 6-9 senior center Brian Hendrick. Although he went out with a dislocated kneecap and needed surgery last February, Hendrick was named All-Pac-10 for the third consecutive season. He figures to be the calming influence on a talented group of youngsters that includes another precocious freshman, Jerod Haase, a 6-2 guard from South Tahoe.

When Kidd committed, Campanelli was well into the building of his squad. Three freshmen, 5-11 guard K.J. Roberts, 6-9 forward Alfred Grigsby and 6-7 forward Lamond Murray, were already starters. When Hendrick went out, 6-11 Ryan Jamison from L.A. Loyola High moved into the lineup.

Campanelli, trying to divert pressure from his youngsters, maintains that they are learning. He points out they are at a disadvantage, what with practice having begun two weeks later this season than in previous years. He said the young Bears will lose games, maybe even be humiliated. But he also acknowledges the talent is there and that with added experience, the future is bright.

Campanelli might be overplaying the lack of experience.

Last season’s four freshmen are now experienced sophomores. And Kidd, at the approximate age of the sophomores, has surprising poise. Hendrick probably put it best when he said, “When you see him out there, you can’t believe he’s just a freshman. His court presence is that of a veteran. He stepped right in as a floor leader. I don’t see any problems for him to adjust to college basketball.”

There was also a sense of maturity and poise when Kidd met reporters.

“I’m not concerned about pressure,” he said. “I’ve had to handle the media since high school.

“I’ve been waiting about a year for this opportunity to play at Harmon (the compact Cal arena). It’s now a mental game to me. I’m learning from Coach Campanelli. I haven’t changed my game. I never did go out there and free-fall.”

Kidd’s basketball idol is Magic Johnson. Like Magic, he’s looking for open teammates first and his shot later. At St. Joseph of Notre Dame in Alameda, Kidd averaged nearly 10 assists, 7.4 rebounds and 25.3 points last season.

“I’ve been a marked man in high school, and I don’t expect that to change,” he said. “I expect to have some bad games. I’m no Michael Jordan, and even he has a bad game. All I can do is go out and give 110%, and that’s what I’ll do.”

Asked if he thought his expectations were too high, Kidd, who played extremely well last summer in the San Francisco Pro-Am League against NBA players, said he didn’t think so.

“The more I see of my teammates, the better I feel,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do, but I think we’re capable of winning big--nationally. Maybe not this year, but it will happen.

“I think my shooting has been given a bad rap. If we needed a basket, I could rely on my shot. But I think everybody wants to be a scorer. Passing is almost a lost art. If it hadn’t been for Magic, it would be. This is a team game and we have to play as a team to win. I just plan on going out there and hustling all the time.

“People talk about it being my team, but it just isn’t true. Don’t forget, I’m just a freshman. Brian leads this team. I’m the last to get taped. I just want to do my part to make us a great team.”

Kidd had 10 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds while playing 22 minutes of Cal’s Nov. 24 exhibition against the Australia Rollers. He sat out the second exhibition with a strained Achilles’ tendon but is expected to play tonight in the regular-season opener against Sacramento State.

Hendrick, meanwhile, is trying to become only the second Pac-10 player to make all-conference all four seasons. Todd Lichti of Stanford (1986-89) was first.

“I’m just glad to be back,” said Hendrick, who underwent six months of rehabilitation. “This is the best personnel since I’ve been here. I’m excited about this team.”

So is Campanelli, who took the Bears to a 22-10 record and an NCAA bid when Hendrick was a freshman. It was the Bears’ first appearance in the tournament since that 1960 defeat by Ohio State, a team featuring sophomores Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek.

“I’ve never been involved with a player of Jason’s caliber,” Campanelli said. “I’m not nervous about this. I’m just going to enjoy it and help with the development of this team.

“My basic philosophy on coaching focuses on three things: Play hard, play together and play defense. This group seems to understand the philosophy quite well.”

Campanelli believes it is to the Bears’ advantage that there doesn’t appear to be a dominant team in the Pac-10.

“All the top contenders have lost key players,” he said. “Arizona should be favored, along with UCLA. USC learned about winning last year. I look for Oregon State and Oregon to be better. We will contend, too, especially if we learn to win on the road. The conference could send five teams to the NCAA (tournament). We want to be one of them.”