Honors for Jahvid Best

Jahvid Best, one of the headliners for the Bears’ 2007 recruiting class, is getting some big recognition as he graduates from high school.

He’s been honored with NorCal Athlete of the Year from CalHiSports:

Best’s numbers and awards could take up an entire book, and when the new Cal-Hi Sports Record Book was updated recently for this web site, Best’s name was there in more than a few places, both in the football and track and field categories. …

However, when we talked with [Coach Chad] Nightingale, all he could do was rave about Jahvid as an athlete, and a person. What he is most specially proud of is Best’s top times in the 100 and 200 which at 10.36 and 20.65 are fourth and second fastest in the nation this year respectively, and qualify Jahvid for status as a 2007 Track and Field All-American. “You know,” said Nightingale. “Those 100 and 200 marks are a few ticks better than Reggie Bush,” he gushed. In fact, they are. Bush’s best marks were 10.42 and 21.06. “Plus, he’s a little bigger than Reggie.” Nightingale said grinning. And that is also true.

He also received the Boys Track Athlete of the Year honor from the Contra Costa Times:

His time of 20.65 seconds would have won every California state meet in history prior to this year. But he faced Long Beach Poly’s Bryshon Nellum, who set a state meet record (20.43). Best’s time was also under the previous state meet record.

To give you an idea about the quality of those times, they would have placed Nellum and Best second and third, respectively, in this year’s NCAA 200 final.

Congratulations to Jahvid. Needless to say, we’re excited about what he will do in his next few years at Cal.

No GameDay on Sep. 1

ESPN has opted to take GameDay to Blacksburg for the East Carolina at Virginia Tech game instead of Berkeley on September 1 (reported in May). This decision was most likely prompted by the tragedy that occurred earlier this year.

Hopefully, we may have GameDay for our match-up with USC in November.

Quick bits: “players to watch” mentions

Sporting News’ Inside Dish:

Player to watch in the season openers: Cal CB Syd’Quan Thompson. The guy who was the definition of torched in the Bears’ season-opening loss to Tennessee last year will be one of the nation’s best cover corners this season. The teams open against each other again this fall. . . .

ESPN‘s “Seniors to watch in 2007”:

5. Justin Forsett, RB, California
Forsett ran for 626 yards and scored five touchdowns playing behind Marshawn Lynch last season. Lynch will be playing in the NFL this fall, and Forsett has the speed and vision to become the Pac-10 Conference’s premier running back.

AD: Trial set for September 19

Athletic Director Sandy Barbour has delivered some good news about the Memorial Stadium and Student-Athlete High Performance Center plans in a letter to Cal supporters:

On Thursday, June 14, the judge presiding over the legal challenges to the project agreed to our request and signaled that she is ready to set a firm trial date for September 19. Although later than we would have preferred, the date is more expeditious than the October and November dates that the judge had been considering.

She also asserts:

With the facts firmly on our side, we are eager to have our case heard by an impartial judge and are completely confident that we will prevail. At the same time, pre-construction planning is continuing apace so that we will be ready to hit the ground running as soon as the injunction is lifted. … You should also know that we remain interested in and open to reaching settlement agreements with the plaintiffs. I firmly believe that Berkeley taxpayers and the campus can find better uses for the money that will be spent on litigation.

Barbour concludes with these additional statements:

…We will be making a concerted effort during the summer to take our case to directly to the public, civic leaders and local elected officials. The need for informed debate is ill-served by misinformation. Oak trees planted by the university in 1923 cannot be considered an “ancient grove.” A building site that is clear of active fault lines cannot be labeled as unsafe. A center that will serve the pressing needs of 13 intercollegiate teams cannot be described as benefiting a single sport.

With cautious optimism, I am beginning to believe that things should begin rolling very soon. Our AD is doing an excellent job.

Cal lands big TE

Spencer Ladner (6’7″/235) has given a verbal to Cal. He comes out of Kansas City, MO and lists Cal’s reputation as the #1 public school in the nation as a primary reason for choosing Cal. He is rated as a 3 star TE by Scout.com and a 4 star recruit by Rivals.

There’s a couple reasons that this signing means a lot. First, this guy is BIG. Just for reference, Lebron James is 6’8″/250. Craig Stevens is 6’5″/254. With a year in the weight room, Ladner can be a great endzone target or a blocker in the Tedford tradition. Second, Ladner comes from Missouri. This shows that Cal’s reach on the national recruiting front has grown even further after last year’s record number of out-of-state commits. Third, this confirms that Cal’s reputation as an academic leader will continue to land some top recruits.

EDIT BY ERIC: Also, it’s noteworthy that Ladner turned down offers from traditional powerhouse schools like Michigan and Oklahoma, showing that Cal is really on its way up in terms of nationwide recruiting.