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 Young Cal wideouts vie for playing time Posted: Thur April 1, 1999 at 6:52 p.m. EST Daily Californian (U. California-Berkeley) BERKELEY, California (U-WIRE) -- It happened during the most ordinary of practices and on the most mundane of plays, but it meant the season for Mike Ainsworth. The Cal football team's blue-chip wide receiver went down in the first week of training camp last August with a seemingly minor thigh bruise. But it worsened as camp wore on, and the freshman was forced to take a medical redshirt as calcification set in. Ainsworth couldn't even run for most of the season, and did not begin practicing until November. With spring practice underway this week, he is looking to compete for a spot in the Bears' wideout rotation. "I felt I could have come in and helped the team out (last year)," said Ainsworth, who was named the 1997 Far West Offensive Player of the Year by SuperPrep Magazine. "But I think the redshirt year helped me get ready for what I'm going to face in the Pac-10." A graduate of Southern California's Monrovia High School, Ainsworth spearheads a talented group of young receivers who should challenge for playing time. Cal head coach Tom Holmoe redshirted four freshmen last season including Ainsworth, while true freshmen Ronnie Davenport and Sean Currin each saw limited action. Junior wideout Joel Young figures to provide some direction for this largely unproven corps. Young caught 28 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown last season, and played in the shadow of the man he's slated to replace -- record-breaking flanker Dameane Douglas. Young has the inside track on the receiver position, which has been filled by the likes of Douglas last season, Bobby Shaw two years ago and Iheanyi Uwaezuoke before him. "It's every receiver's dream at Cal," Young said. "That's what all these young guys are dreaming about." "His experience will put him far ahead (of the other receivers)," Holmoe said of Young. "We're looking for him to give some leadership." With sophomore Phillip Pipersburg added to the mix, the competition for the three remaining receiver spots should be intense this spring. The X-factor remains Ainsworth, and whether he can catch up with players who had an extra four months of practice last fall. "(His progress last fall) was slower, because it had been so long since he had played," Holmoe said. "But he was able to come out in winter conditioning and get back into the swing of things. This spring is a good chance for him to get back into form." Ainsworth probably has the most raw talent of all the members of Cal's receiving corps. In addition to the honors he received from SuperPrep, he was only the fourth recruit in the team's history to receive a unanimous 10 votes in the Long Beach Press-Telegram's Best in the West poll, joining the elite company of Pat Barnes, Andre Carter and Marc Hicks. "When you look at him in high school, he was a playmaker," Holmoe said. "He could catch and run well, and make people miss. We could see some of those same qualities in the first week of (fall) camp." "I feel real confident in my skills to get into the rotation," Ainsworth said. "Most of the receivers are freshmen, so I feel I've got as good a chance as any of them." Ainsworth missed the spring's inaugural practice on Monday due to flight delays. After his first practice since the fall, he was understandably spent. "It was kind of tiring," he admitted. "But other than that, I felt we did a good job of learning the new offense." The offense being installed by newly-hired offensive coordinator Steve Hagen should utilize the depth the Bears figure to enjoy at receiver next season. It calls for multiple formations to confuse opposing defenses, and for spreading the ball around more than in last year's West Coast offense. Holmoe was reasonably pleased after his team's first day working in the new system. "There's a lot to learn in the new offense," he said. "But people seemed to know what they were doing." Cal practices Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:30 p.m. and Saturday mornings at Memorial Stadium. After conducting their first three practices in shorts, the Bears will don their pads beginning Monday and play in them for the remainder of the spring. Practice culminates April 24 with the Blue-Gold Scrimmage in Santa Rosa, Calif.© 2000 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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