26. California

Bruce Anderson

November 19, 1986

For years, basketball at Berkeley aroused less excitement than an 8 a.m. section of Subject A, bonehead English. Before coach Lou Campanelli arrived on campus a year ago, the Bears had spent 10 straight seasons in the second division of the Pac-10. But last season the Golden Bears won 19 games, made the NIT and ended a 25-year losing streak to UCLA. All five starters are back, including all-conference guard Kevin Johnson, who had a school-record 175 assists and 15.6 points a game last season. Campanelli will work his team hard to overcome its lack of height; the starters average less than 6'5". Campanelli can't make the Bears grow, but he can keep them hungry. And winning gives the students a nice break from evenings at Moffett library.