As the Pac-12 Conference era comes to a close after more than a century, we count down the 50 greatest moments involving Cal Athletics.
THE MOMENT: Jason Kidd had the world at his feet. Virtually every college basketball program in the country had courted him, and on signing day in November 1991, the point guard from St. Joseph’s High in Alameda was expected to choose between Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio State, Arizona or Arizona State. He chose Cal.
THE HISTORY: It’s nearly impossible to overstate what Jason Kidd’s signing with Cal meant to the Bears program and Bay Area basketball. He had received countless scholarship offers from around the country before his sophomore season began and even a marriage proposal from the mother of a young woman from Arkansas.
Yes, Jason Kidd’s life was a little crazy, but his game was extraordinary and his appeal was magnetic.
Kidd finished his prep career with an unmatched resume, scoring more than 2,500 points, setting a state record for assists and leading the Pilots to back-to-back state championships. Legendary UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian called him “the next Magic Johnson.”
In the end, the Oakland native preferred to stay home over the lure of playing for a program with an elite profile. Kidd had spent time in the gym with his future Cal teammates and was comfortable with the talent around him. He also wanted to make his mark on home turf.
The Bay Area embraced it, and Cal moved five home games in its first season from the tiny Harmon Gym (capacity 6,578) to the Oakland Coliseum Arena, home of the Warriors, to meet ticket demand.
In his college debut on December 1, 1992, Kidd dazzled a Coliseum crowd of 12,700 with 11 points, 10 assists and six steals in an easy 89-65 victory against Sacramento State. Three of the Bears’ four remaining games at the NBA Stadium were sold-out crowds of 15,039.
There were bumps in the road during his first season, starting with a pair of embarrassing tournament losses at the Meadowlands in New Jersey and, finally, the controversial midseason firing of coach Lou Campanelli.
That change, with assistant Todd Bozeman installed as interim coach, sparked the Bears. Kidd had 13 assists in a win at Stanford, combined for 25 points with 10 assists as Cal beat USC in overtime and the Bears went 9-1 to close out the regular season and advance to the NCAA tournament.
Kidd scored the game-winning basket in Cal’s 66-64 win over LSU in the NCAA opener and then contributed 11 points, 14 assists, eight rebounds and four steals to the Bears’ upset 82-77 victory over two-time defending national champion Duke that propelled them to the Sweet 16.
A year later, after a surprising first-round NCAA loss at the hands of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Kidd headed to the NBA, where he forged a Hall of Fame career. Kidd, now 51, is the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, who lost to the Boston Celtics this month in the NBA Finals.
Talks about rebuilding the old Harmon Gym became a reality after Kidd filled the place for two years, and the Bears play these days at Haas Pavilion with a capacity of nearly 12,000.
It’s second-year coach Mark Madsen’s job to field a team that fills those seats the way Jason Kidd did after making the decision to play at Cal.
* Top 50 Moment No. 9: First Touch
* Top 50 Moment #10: Gold in Rowing
Only specific acts that occurred while the team or athlete was at Cal were considered for the top 50 list, and achievements that spanned a season or career were not included.
Leslie Mitchell of the Cal Bears History Twitter site assisted in selecting the top 50 moments.
Follow Cal Sports Report’s Jeff Faraudo on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
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