Top 50 Cal Sports Moments -- No. 8: Kidd Stuff, 1991

Jason Kidd's decision to stay home and play basketball for Cal was the school's most impactful recruiting victory ever

Jason Kidd, surrounded by his parents, sister and coach Frank LaPorte, signs with Cal / Photo by Wendy Lamm, Oakland Tribune Archives

As the Pac-12 Conference era comes to a close after more than a century, we count down the Top 50 moments involving Cal athletics.

THE MOMENT: Jason Kidd had the world at his feet. Virtually every college basketball program in the country had courted him, and on signing day in November 1991, the point guard from St. Joseph’s High in Alameda was expected to choose from among Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio State, Arizona or Arizona State. He picked Cal.

THE STORY: It’s nearly impossible to overstate what Jason Kidd’s signing with Cal meant to the Bears’ program and Bay Area basketball. He had received countless scholarship offers from across the land before his sophomore season began and even a marriage offer from the mother of a young lady in Arkansas.

Yes, Jason Kidd’s life was a little crazy. But his game was off the charts and his allure was magnetic. 

Kidd finished his prep career with a peerless resume, scoring more than 2,500 points, setting a state record for assists and leading the Pilots to back-to-back state championships. UNLV coaching legend Jerry Tarkanian called him “the next Magic Johnson.”

Ultimately, the Oakland native chose staying at home over the temptation of playing for a program with an elite profile. Kidd had spent time in the gym with his future Cal teammates and was comfortable with the talent around him. He also wanted to make his mark on his home turf.

The Bay Area embraced him and Cal moved five home games his freshman season from tiny Harmon Gym (capacity 6,578) to the Oakland Coliseum Arena, home of the Warriors, to accommodate the ticket demand. 

In his Dec. 1, 1992 college debut, Kidd dazzled a Coliseum crowd of 12,700 with 11 points, 10 assists and six steals in an 89-65 walkover vs. Sacramento State. Three of the Bears’ four remaining games at the NBA venue were sellouts of 15,039.

There were bumps in the road his freshman season, starting with a pair of embarrassing losses at a tournament at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, and eventually the controversial mid-season firing of coach Lou Campanelli.

That change, with assistant Todd Bozeman installed as interim coach, sparked the Bears. Kidd had 13 assists in a win at Stanford, paired 25 points with 10 assists as Cal beat USC in overtime and the Bears went 9-1 to close the regular and storm into the NCAA tournament.

Kidd made the winning basket in Cal’s 66-64 defeat of LSU in the NCAA opener then contributed 11 points, 14 assists, eight rebounds and four steals to the Bears’ stunning 82-77 upset of two-time defending national champion Duke that propelled them into the Sweet 16.

A year later, after a shocking first-round NCAA ouster by Wisconsin-Green Bay, Kidd was off to the NBA, where he forged a Hall of Fame career. Now 51, Kidd is head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, who lost to the Boston Celtics this month in the NBA Finals.

Conversations about rebuilding ancient Harmon Gym became reality after Kidd packed the joint for two years, and the Bears play these days in Haas Pavilion with its capacity of nearly 12,000. 

It’s the job of second-year coach Mark Madsen to field a team that will fill those seats the way Jason Kidd did after he made the decision to play at Cal.

* Top 50 Moment No. 9: First Touch 

* Top 50 Moment No. 10:  Rowing Gold

Only specific acts that occurred while the team or athlete was at Cal were considered for the Top 50 list, and accomplishments spanning a season or a career were not included. 

Leslie Mitchell of the Cal Bears History Twitter site aided in the selection of the top 50 moments.

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo