Bozeman's blue as Cal's spring exodus continues

Sporting News, The, May 20, 1996 by Mike DeCourcy

The sight of another California player headed for the exit drove Todd Bozeman to tears. He had finished the season on a three-game losing streak, and that slump continued into the off-season, claiming his three best players.

Sophomore guard Jelani Gardner transferred to Pepperdine. Sophomore forward Tremaine Fowlkes declared himself a free agent, looking hard at Fresno State. The one that got to Bozeman, though, the one he figured might be coming but hoped would not was the declaration by freshman forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim that he was placing his name in the NBA Draft.

Those three were such highly regarded recruits that Cal was considered to have more young talent last season than any Division I school. Perhaps even too much talent, given the Bears' inconsistency and 17-11 finish. With those three gone, and with junior center Michael Stewart also having asked for a transfer release, there is understandable speculation the program is in turmoil.

"Say what you want, but I guess I just don't look at it in the same way as other people are looking at it" Bozeman says. "To me, if it happens, it's God's will, and you don't buck that.'

Bozeman regards all these cases individually and contends each had different reasons for departing. With Abdur-Rahim, he is accepting. With Fowlkes, he is understanding. With Gardner, he is disappointed.

Abdur-Rahim. Bozeman was not the only person who broke down at the news conference when Abdur-Rahim announced his intentions. The kid was crying, too. Citing the need to help his family, be is leaving Cal against his will. "Shareef going to the NBA is a tough thing," Bozeman says, "because if he had a choice, he would stay in school."

Abdur-Rahim, 6-10, is as good a pro prospect as there is in college, with the frame to play inside and the dexterity to operate on the perimeter. Had he stayed, Cal would have been an improved team next season because of enhanced chemistry and leadership.

Fowlkes. Named Pacific-10 Conference rookie of the year in 1995, he expected to advance toward player of the year in '96, but he got himself a half-season suspension for accepting a loan from a former agent to buy a car. When he returned, Abdur-Rahim was an established star. Fowlkes, 6-7, chose not to accept a diminished role.

Following his return, Cal went 7-7, including an embarrassing first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Iowa State.

"I kind of feel for him," Bozeman says. "I really tried to work with him to understand, `You just have to work to get through this year. We just can't stop in midstream and try to change to fit you.' It just didn't work out that way, and he felt as though he needed to go somewhere else."

Gardner. As his sophomore season progressed, he played less like a true point guard, frustrating Bozeman into benching him. Garder's assists declined by nearly half from his first year; his assist-turnover ratio went from nearly 2-to-1 to almost even.

"I just think in every player's career, it gets to a point where there are adjustments to be made," Bozeman says. "I don't look at it as being any different than what any other kid had to work through.

"Just because you have a bumpy road, that does not mean it is over. You have to stay positive. I've never seen a successful pessimist."

Bozeman may have been talking as much about himself as the players by that point. He claims to be looking forward to coaching a senior-dominated team with shooting guards Ed Gray and Randy Duck, point guard Anwar McQueen and rugged junior forward Tony Gonzalez, presuming he again escapes from the Cal football team. Although Stewart asked for his release and Bozeman says he is free to leave, he is expected to return.

"Sometimes you lose some talent, and you gain some chemistry," Bozeman says, citing this year's NBA Sonics as an example. "You lose agendas.

"I feel good about where the program is. The players in the program are all good kids. work extremely hard. You don't see off-court problems. When you look at all the positives, they far outweigh the negatives. Every program has lost players. This is no different."