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When the Cal men’s basketball team faces off against the Oregon Ducks on Thursday, it will be a battle of teams looking to break into the top half of the Pac-10 conference. It will also be an individual battle between two stars with remarkably similar backgrounds. 

Cal’s Sean Lampley and Oregon’s Bryan Bracey are both seniors. They are both 6-foot-7 forwards from Chicago. And both players lead their team in scoring with effective inside-outside games. 

But while Lampley’s journey since high school has been fairly smooth, becoming a starter in his freshman year at Cal, Bracey took the long way to stardom. He started out at Malcolm X Junior College in Chicago, leading the team in scoring and rebounding and making the all-conference team. Bracey clearly has the talent to play big-time basketball, but he feels Al Allen, his coach at Oak Park High, held him back and forced his onto the juco circuit. 

“My high school coach didn’t want to give me a chance,” Bracey said. “He didn’t want to help me get a scholarship to play basketball, and that’s what I wanted. We just had a difference of opinion.”  

Bracey headed to Oregon in 1999 to play for head coach Ernie Kent, and was the sixth man on a team that made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. This year he has emerged as the leading scorer in the Pac-10, combining an improved outside game with his powerful inside moves after spending last summer back home in Chicago, playing against big-time opposition in summer league games. 

“I actually went and played and Coach Kent came down to watch me play. He thought that I was the best player in the gym. Now, we're talking about guys like Michael Finley, Antoine Walker, Juwan Howard, all them guys, and I was just dominating everybody,” Bracey said. “I feel more confident that I can compete with those guys at the next level. While I was there, they taught me offensive moves, ways to get open, things like that. I learned a lot. It was a very productive summer for me.” 

Bracey is using those moves to score 20.3 points per game, to go with 7.5 rebounds. Cal head coach Ben Braun is impressed with the improvement Bracey has shown, especially since the Ducks lost their three leading scorers from last season. 

“I think Bryan Bracey has really stepped up and shown improvement from a year ago. He was a solid player a year ago, but he’s really stepped up,” Braun said. “After losing some of the players they lost, it’s really given Bryan Bracey an opportunity to take more of an assertive role on the team, and I think he’s taken advantage of that. He’s an active player, he’s scoring, he’s rebounding and he’s a versatile player, as well - somebody who can score inside and outside.” 

Bracey has led the Ducks to a 10-1 record so far this year, and they could be on their way to a second straight NCAA appearance. But with Stanford, Arizona and USC firmly entrenched at the top of the Pac-10, they will have to battle several other teams, including the Bears, for a spot in the tournament. 

Lampley and Bracey will likely be matched up for much of the game on Thursday. Neither player is known for his defensive prowess, so it could be a big scoring game for both players. The game will be won in the backcourt, where the Ducks are led by freshman point guard Luke Ridnour. Cal point guard Shantay Legans has been stepping up his offensive game lately, so Ridnour will have his hands full. 

“He’s getting better and better with his confidence. He’s getting more aggressive in spots,” Braun said of his point guard. “I think he’s becoming more familiar and understanding situations a little bit better. He’s coming around. He’s been a lot steadier for us.” 

The Ducks also have a two-headed threat at the off guard, where both Frederick Jones and Anthony Norwood are averaging more than 14 points per game. But the Bears will have an advantage inside, as the Ducks only have one player in their regular rotation who is taller than 6-foot-7.  

Centers Nick Vander Laan and Solomon Hughes should be able to have their way with the Oregon frontcourt. Hughes, who has been coming off of the bench of late, has been playing very well lately. 

“He’s using his agility, not rushing himself as much, and he’s playing with confidence. He’s confident that he can be a factor,” Braun said. “I think his teammates are looking for him, and that may have been something that didn’t happen as much earlier in the year. His teammates’ confidence has grown as well. You can see that by Lampley giving up shots to get the ball to Solomon. That’s a good sign.”