SPOKANE, Wash. — The mood of the Cal basketball team on the eve of its first NCAA game since 2013 was a reflection of the approach set Thursday by coach Cuonzo Martin.
After four days of controversy and the loss of starting point guard Tyrone Wallace to injury, the fourth-seeded Golden Bears (23-10) finally get down to the business of basketball when they face Hawaii (27-5) in a first-round South Regional matchup in the NCAA tournament.
The firing of assistant coach Yann Hufnagel because of a sexual harassment scandal and the sudden loss of leading scorer Wallace to a broken hand have shifted the headlines from on the court to off it.
Outwardly, Martin was cool and collected Thursday, sounding a business-as-usual tone in the wake of one of the most disturbing and unfortunate few days in recent Cal basketball history.
Martin fielded questions about the Hufnagel situation and potential fallout that could lead to the head coach’s office.
The second-year coach expressed disappointment for Wallace, who returned to school this season so that he could experience the NCAAs again. But he broke his right hand during practice on Wednesday before the team departed for Spokane and remained behind in Berkeley.
“We talk about how things happen in life, whether it’s basketball, the classroom, family members,” Martin said of how he addressed the issues with his players. “It’s a bump in the road, you keep moving forward. We don’t spend a lot of time on it. We’re not consumed by it. We talk about it, deal with it. That’s life.”
“It’s unfortunate, but it’s in the past,” junior guard Jordan Mathews said of the week’s events. “We’ve got to focus on Hawaii.”
The players were coached on how to respond to reporters’ questions Thursday, and they all said pretty much the same thing that Mathews did — Hufnagel’s firing will not be a distraction when the Bears play Hawaii.
The absence of Wallace is another matter. There’s nothing unseemly about it, but the injury couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Wallace is the team’s lone scholarship senior and top scorer. He’s averaging 15.3 points per game, he leads the team in assists by a wide margin, and he’s tied for the team lead in steals.
The injury occurred during a non-contract drill when Wallace caught his hand in the jersey of another player, breaking the same hand — but a different bone — that he broke on Jan. 17.
That one cost him five games. The Bears went 3-2, including a win over Arizona.
This one ends his college career.
“I feel terrible for Tyrone. He’s our leader,” said junior Sam Singer, who will take over the point, as he did two months ago. “We’ve been here before, and we’re focusing on tomorrow, just like we would if he was here.”
Singer has started eight games this season and averages 3.5 points and 2.7 assists.
“He’s a great facilitator,” guard Jabari Bird said of Singer. “He’s not the scorer Tyrone is, but he does his job, plays defense, and we’re all behind him.”
Martin said he has full confidence in Singer. The coach added that small forward Jaylen Brown could slide to the point at times when Singer needs a rest.
The Hufnagel issue is the much bigger and potentially much more damaging problem. The Cal assistant and lead recruiter was fired Monday after a campus investigation in which he admitted to inappropriate dealings with a female reporter.
Cal athletic director Mike Williams declined to answer questions on the topic.
Said Martin, “It’s a university issue right now.”
The school announced Wednesday that it will review how the entire situation was handled, including whether Martin promptly reported the news to the university after learning the nature of the complaint.
Martin, when asked if the fallout from the investigation could put his job in jeopardy, said, “I don’t worry about those things, to be totally honest with you. My job with this basketball team is to win games, graduate young men and develop young men. Anything else is a waste of time.”
Martin said Hufnagel’s game-day duties will be shared by the entire coaching staff.
“He impacted our practice with passion, energy enthusiasm,” Martin said. “We just have to pick up those pieces.”
Analyst Doug Gottlieb, who will call the game between Cal and Hawaii on TBS, said he won’t be surprised if the Bears respond well.
“Kids are usually more resilient,” he said. “Oftentimes, immediately you play better when things are turbulent outside. It brings the team together.”
For more on Cal sports, see the Bear Talk blog at ibabuzz.com/beartalk. Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter at twitter.com/ Jeff Faraudo.
