I just saw Larsen's name on the 24/7 Transfer Portal. So who's left just Dort and Curtis?
Big C
1:31p, 4/22/24
Larson has some building blocks: height, decent outside shot, willing to scrap. I was hoping he could get stronger and become a better defender. Guessing Madsen did not offer him a schollie (pure speculation).
concernedparent
1:56p, 4/22/24
Sad to see him go. Walk-ons good enough to earn spot minutes are not super common. If he can get a scholarship elsewhere, more power to him.
calumnus
2:59p, 4/22/24
In reply to concernedparent
Yes. Why wouldn't you enter the portal as a walk-on who has length and who showed he has some skills? At a minimum I am sure Madsen would welcome him back as a walk-on, so there is ZERO risk. However, he could find a scholarship spot and starting role at another school with good academics. Might as well find out what's out there, right? As I said. Zero risk.
concernedparent said:
Sad to see him go. Walk-ons good enough to earn spot minutes are not super common. If he can get a scholarship elsewhere, more power to him.
Yes. Why wouldn't you enter the portal as a walk-on who has length and who showed he has some skills? At a minimum I am sure Madsen would welcome him back as a walk-on, so there is ZERO risk. However, he could find a scholarship spot and starting role at another school with good academics. Might as well find out what's out there, right? As I said. Zero risk.
Oakbear
3:29p, 4/22/24
In reply to calumnus
it depends on what is important to him, playing time or the degree .. he might even be able to make a few bucks too .. but going to another school might make him a starter which for most players is really importantcalumnus said:concernedparent said:
Sad to see him go. Walk-ons good enough to earn spot minutes are not super common. If he can get a scholarship elsewhere, more power to him.
Yes. Why wouldn't you enter the portal as a walk-on who has length and who showed he has some skills? At a minimum I am sure Madsen would welcome him back as a walk-on, so there is ZERO risk. However, he could find a scholarship spot and starting role at another school with good academics. Might as well find out what's out there, right? As I said. Zero risk.
oskidunker
3:47p, 4/22/24
In reply to Oakbear
I thought of Paul Larsen. Just shows you how relevant he is.
Oakbear said:it depends on what is important to him, playing time or the degree .. he might even be able to make a few bucks too .. but going to another school might make him a starter which for most players is really importantcalumnus said:concernedparent said:
Sad to see him go. Walk-ons good enough to earn spot minutes are not super common. If he can get a scholarship elsewhere, more power to him.
Yes. Why wouldn't you enter the portal as a walk-on who has length and who showed he has some skills? At a minimum I am sure Madsen would welcome him back as a walk-on, so there is ZERO risk. However, he could find a scholarship spot and starting role at another school with good academics. Might as well find out what's out there, right? As I said. Zero risk.
I thought of Paul Larsen. Just shows you how relevant he is.
Go Bears!
4thGenCal
3:53p, 4/22/24
In reply to Big C
Your guess is accurate - however He likes the staff, the challenge to play at a higher level and very well could come back. Larsen wanted to test the portal as otherwise, He would not know who could want him. Definitely knows the need to get stronger and gain some muscle. Likely 50/50 to come back. Really well liked by players/staff as a team player.Big C said:
Larson has some building blocks: height, decent outside shot, willing to scrap. I was hoping he could get stronger and become a better defender. Guessing Madsen did not offer him a schollie (pure speculation).
Johnfox
3:58p, 4/22/24
In reply to 4thGenCal
Any word on big men that we are in a good place to land? Or is dort our guy?
Civil Bear
4:04p, 4/22/24
In reply to Johnfox
<<cough>><<cough>> premium contentJohnfox said:
Any word on big men that we are in a good place to land? Or is dort our guy?
calumnus
5:06p, 4/22/24
In reply to Oakbear
He is a walk-on paying out of state tuition?
At a minimum he can probably catch on at someplace like UC San Diego, get a scholarship, PT and a pretty good degree.
As I said, entering the portal let's him see what his options are. It's a no brainer. Zero risk. He's enrolled at Cal, it's not like Madsen would deny him a walk-on spot and kick him off the team if he doesn't get any better options and decides to stay.
Oakbear said:it depends on what is important to him, playing time or the degree .. he might even be able to make a few bucks too .. but going to another school might make him a starter which for most players is really importantcalumnus said:concernedparent said:
Sad to see him go. Walk-ons good enough to earn spot minutes are not super common. If he can get a scholarship elsewhere, more power to him.
Yes. Why wouldn't you enter the portal as a walk-on who has length and who showed he has some skills? At a minimum I am sure Madsen would welcome him back as a walk-on, so there is ZERO risk. However, he could find a scholarship spot and starting role at another school with good academics. Might as well find out what's out there, right? As I said. Zero risk.
He is a walk-on paying out of state tuition?
At a minimum he can probably catch on at someplace like UC San Diego, get a scholarship, PT and a pretty good degree.
As I said, entering the portal let's him see what his options are. It's a no brainer. Zero risk. He's enrolled at Cal, it's not like Madsen would deny him a walk-on spot and kick him off the team if he doesn't get any better options and decides to stay.
stu
5:26p, 4/22/24
Can we agree to spell his name Gus Larson?
https://calbears.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/gus-larson/22538
Either way I hope Madsen finds a way to offer him a scholarship.
https://calbears.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/gus-larson/22538
Either way I hope Madsen finds a way to offer him a scholarship.
HoopDreams
5:31p, 4/22/24
In reply to 4thGenCal
Liked his energy and looked like a great teammate.
p.s. he scored over the transfer WSU center in this photo
Good luck to him, and hope he returns.
Good thing we had Larson this year. He provided some good minutes, although he was over-matched vs. some P6 bigs. As a sophomore, that is not unexpected. Gaining some good weights and improving his 3 point shooting will make him more valuable.4thGenCal said:Your guess is accurate - however He likes the staff, the challenge to play at a higher level and very well could come back. Larsen wanted to test the portal as otherwise, He would not know who could want him. Definitely knows the need to get stronger and gain some muscle. Likely 50/50 to come back. Really well liked by players/staff as a team player.Big C said:
Larson has some building blocks: height, decent outside shot, willing to scrap. I was hoping he could get stronger and become a better defender. Guessing Madsen did not offer him a schollie (pure speculation).
Liked his energy and looked like a great teammate.
p.s. he scored over the transfer WSU center in this photo
Good luck to him, and hope he returns.
barsad
9:38a, 4/23/24
In reply to HoopDreams
I agree, give him a scholarship, he's definitely earned one ahead of Vlad. Hope to see him back, God knows we need backup centers.
HearstMining
9:43a, 4/24/24
Not sure Larson's performance merits a scholarship at this point. My gold-standard for a walk-on earning one was Ryan Forehan-Kelly and I believe he received it after his second year, after (per sports-reference.com) he'd:
Yes, Larson is scrappy, but doesn't move his feet well on defense and, as others have said, he's not strong enough to compete. If Okafor had not been injured, how much would Larson have even played? I love Larson as a walk-on, but I don't think his PERFORMANCE warrants a scholarship.
I think we collectively suffer from so many years of watching bad Cal basketball played by woefully inexperienced, less talented, and poorly coached players (Note: I'm not saying they were bad guys or lazy guys) that our standards are distorted.
- averaged 15 min per game
- started 11 games
- shot 45% from 3pt, admittedly only 1.8 att/game
Yes, Larson is scrappy, but doesn't move his feet well on defense and, as others have said, he's not strong enough to compete. If Okafor had not been injured, how much would Larson have even played? I love Larson as a walk-on, but I don't think his PERFORMANCE warrants a scholarship.
I think we collectively suffer from so many years of watching bad Cal basketball played by woefully inexperienced, less talented, and poorly coached players (Note: I'm not saying they were bad guys or lazy guys) that our standards are distorted.
RedlessWardrobe
10:24a, 4/24/24
In reply to HearstMining
While I partially agree, my guess is that in this situation Larson holds off committing to a new destination until near the end of the TP window. If after that MM still has a scholarship left, I say give to him.HearstMining said:
Not sure Larson's performance merits a scholarship at this point. My gold-standard for a walk-on earning one was Ryan Forehan-Kelly and I believe he received it after his second year, after (per sports-reference.com) he'd:
- averaged 15 min per game
- started 11 games
- shot 45% from 3pt, admittedly only 1.8 att/game
Yes, Larson is scrappy, but doesn't move his feet well on defense and, as others have said, he's not strong enough to compete. If Okafor had not been injured, how much would Larson have even played? I love Larson as a walk-on, but I don't think his PERFORMANCE warrants a scholarship.
I think we collectively suffer from so many years of watching bad Cal basketball played by woefully inexperienced, less talented, and poorly coached players (Note: I'm not saying they were bad guys or lazy guys) that our standards are distorted.
HearstMining
11:49a, 4/24/24
In reply to RedlessWardrobe
Larson was at Penn for two years, but I believe he redshirted his first year, so has two more to play.
This brings up an interesting point: I believe athletic scholarships were/are techically for one year and renewable at the discretion of the university, but wasn't it a Pac-12 policy that scholarships were treated as a four-year commitment to the student-athlete as long as they made appropriate academic progress and no legal/behaviorial issues? Does anybody know what Cal's stance on athletic scholarships will be going forward?RedlessWardrobe said:While I partially agree, my guess is that in this situation Larson holds off committing to a new destination until near the end of the TP window. If after that MM still has a scholarship left, I say give to him.HearstMining said:
Not sure Larson's performance merits a scholarship at this point. My gold-standard for a walk-on earning one was Ryan Forehan-Kelly and I believe he received it after his second year, after (per sports-reference.com) he'd:
- averaged 15 min per game
- started 11 games
- shot 45% from 3pt, admittedly only 1.8 att/game
Yes, Larson is scrappy, but doesn't move his feet well on defense and, as others have said, he's not strong enough to compete. If Okafor had not been injured, how much would Larson have even played? I love Larson as a walk-on, but I don't think his PERFORMANCE warrants a scholarship.
I think we collectively suffer from so many years of watching bad Cal basketball played by woefully inexperienced, less talented, and poorly coached players (Note: I'm not saying they were bad guys or lazy guys) that our standards are distorted.
Larson was at Penn for two years, but I believe he redshirted his first year, so has two more to play.
Big C
1:10p, 4/24/24
In reply to HearstMining
This issue came up recently related to football recruits. Assuming it's the same for basketball...
When offering a high school player, the school is making a four-year commitment. (I presume 2 yrs for CC)
When awarding a scholarship to a current walk-on, it is year-to-year.
HearstMining said:This brings up an interesting point: I believe athletic scholarships were/are techically for one year and renewable at the discretion of the university, but wasn't it a Pac-12 policy that scholarships were treated as a four-year commitment to the student-athlete as long as they made appropriate academic progress and no legal/behaviorial issues? Does anybody know what Cal's stance on athletic scholarships will be going forward?RedlessWardrobe said:While I partially agree, my guess is that in this situation Larson holds off committing to a new destination until near the end of the TP window. If after that MM still has a scholarship left, I say give to him.HearstMining said:
Not sure Larson's performance merits a scholarship at this point. My gold-standard for a walk-on earning one was Ryan Forehan-Kelly and I believe he received it after his second year, after (per sports-reference.com) he'd:
- averaged 15 min per game
- started 11 games
- shot 45% from 3pt, admittedly only 1.8 att/game
Yes, Larson is scrappy, but doesn't move his feet well on defense and, as others have said, he's not strong enough to compete. If Okafor had not been injured, how much would Larson have even played? I love Larson as a walk-on, but I don't think his PERFORMANCE warrants a scholarship.
I think we collectively suffer from so many years of watching bad Cal basketball played by woefully inexperienced, less talented, and poorly coached players (Note: I'm not saying they were bad guys or lazy guys) that our standards are distorted.
Larson was at Penn for two years, but I believe he redshirted his first year, so has two more to play.
This issue came up recently related to football recruits. Assuming it's the same for basketball...
When offering a high school player, the school is making a four-year commitment. (I presume 2 yrs for CC)
When awarding a scholarship to a current walk-on, it is year-to-year.
WalterSobchak
4:03p, 4/24/24
The portal only closes for entry. Players who enter during the window can join a new team after it closes.
Please give to Cal Legends at https://calegends.com/donation/ and encourage everyone you know who loves Cal sports to do it too.
To be in the Top 1% of all NIL collectives we only need around 3% of alumni to give $100/mo. OR 6% to give $50/mo. Please help spread the word. "If we don't broaden this base we're dead." - Sebastabear
To be in the Top 1% of all NIL collectives we only need around 3% of alumni to give $100/mo. OR 6% to give $50/mo. Please help spread the word. "If we don't broaden this base we're dead." - Sebastabear
3Cats4CAL
4:32p, 5/1/24
When a walk on enters the transfer portal-can another school offer him a walk on position on their team or would it only be as a scholarship? How often does a Walk On transfer to another school just as a walk on there?
Big C
5:00p, 5/1/24
In reply to 3Cats4CAL
^ Of course. In that case, he is just a student who is transferring. It would be up to admissions at his new school. Going into the portal would be for the purpose of advertising himself to prospective suitors.