Nov 9, 2016 4 min read

CALIFORNIA – Name tags and a few how-to books would have come in handy for the California University men’s basketball team during the Vulcans’ preseason practices.

Almost everything about the Vulcans is new this season, from the roster to the coaches to the uniforms. So while the players are busy getting to know the names of their new teammates, they’ve also been trying to learn new offensive and defensive systems and what is expected from them both on and off the court.

For the first time in 20 years, California has new head coach. Bill Brown retired after last year’s disappointing 7-21 season. Brown guided the Vulcans to the NCAA Division II tournament six times.

Kent McBride, an energetic young coach who spent the last five years as the head coach at Concord (W.Va.), was hired as Brown’s successor in June. Since then, McBride has been busy rebuilding a roster that was depleted and trying to put his stamp on the program.

“It has been hectic,” McBride said Wednesday prior to his 18th practice as the Vulcans’ coach. “We have a situation in which every player is basically a freshman and my assistant is a freshman because they’re new to the program. So I’ve been trying to get everyone on the same page. We have to be simplistic at this point.”

California plays its first game under McBride Friday night against the host team in the Virginia State Trojan Tip-Off Classic. Virginia State is coming off a 24-6 season and is so highly regarded in Division II that it played an exhibition game two weeks ago against Duke. The Vulcans play St. Augustine’s Saturday before playing their home opener Monday against Davis & Elkins.

Cal has 12 players on its roster and it’s an odd mix. There are no seniors, eight juniors and one sophomore. Five of the players are holdovers from last season.

“We had to rebuild the roster and I feel good about the guys we brought in, especially in the short time frame we had. Probably three of the new guys will start,” said McBride, who guided Concord to the Mountain East tournament championship and the NCAA tournament last year.

One of the returning players is 6-5 junior guard Luke Andjusic, who was Cal’s second-leading scorer (11.5 points per game) last season. Andjusic, however, will miss the opener after injuring an ankle in practice and might not be available for another week.

Tony Richardson, a 6-8 forward, is the only other returning player who averaged more than seven points per game last season.

Cal has high expectations for two transfers, sophomore guard Rashawn Browne and 6-7 forward Robel Teckle (Nicholls State). Browne played in 34 games and averaged 12 minutes per game last year for New Mexico State. McBride said he likes the effort and intensity both players have brought to practice on a daily basis, but like all the players on the team, there have been days of inconsistent play while learning a new system.

“Everybody has had their days,” McBride said. “We’ve had moments in each of our scrimmages when we’ve shown signs of being really good, but it hasn’t been consistent. We want everyone to follow Rashawn’s approach, which is full speed, loud and intense every day.

“The biggest adjustment for these guys is the way the coaches envision winning, what our expectations and philosophies are and what the expectation for them is in every single aspect of life. It has been an adjustment. From study hall to every single rep of every drill, it’s an adjustment for everybody.”

McBride wants to play the up-tempo style he utilized at Concord, but he realizes his first edition of the Vulcans might be short on the experienced depth necessary to play that style. Plus, as McBride said, there’s more to playing fast than just pushing the basketball up the court and shooting quickly.

“We have to be able to defend and get the ball off the rim. Playing fast starts with playing defense and rebounding,” McBride said. “I think it’s unfair to come in and implement a style when it’s not the best for the talent you have. You owe it to your players to use the style that gives them the best chance to win. It’s going to take some tinkering, and we know that. We’re at the very, very beginning stages of what we want to be.”