Cal Coach Mark Madsen `Hopeful' Lee Dort Makes Quick Return

Cal coach Mark Madsen said Monday he’s hopeful that big man Lee Dort could be healthy enough to play this week when the Bears travel to Florida for a pair of ACC games.

Dort landed awkwardly after leaping for a lob pass during Cal’s 78-66 win at Stanford on Saturday and left the game, unable to return. He was later seen icing his knee.

“Lee had a tweak on something,” Madsen said. “He was walking around even during the game, trying to loosen it up, and then afterward. So we’re hopeful it’s pretty minor.”

Madsen expected to know more later Monday before the Bears travel on Tuesday to Tallahassee, Florida, for their Wednesday game at Florida State. Cal plays Saturday at Miami.

Asked if he thought there was a chance Dort could be available this week, Madsen did not rule it out. “Just very hopeful of a quick recovery.”

Dort, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound senior, has started all 20 games this season, averaging 8.3 points. He leads the Bears in rebounding (7.7) and in blocked shots (19).

Milos Ilic, a 6-10 graduate transfer Loyola-Maryland, has served as Dort’s primary backup in the post, contributing 2.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14 minutes per outing. He had two points and six rebounds in relief against Stanford

Sophomore Mantas Kocanas, a 6-11 transfer from Florida Atlantic, averages just 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds but has seen his playing time increase in recent games, often as Madsen uses two big men together.

"If Lee is unavailable, Milos and Mantas have both been fantastic,” Madsen said. “They both are great passers, really good rebounders, they both can shoot the 3 and they know our system, they know our stuff. We’re in a good position either way.”

Ilic, a native of Serbia, actually has 24 assists, but the two big men each have converted just a single 3-pointer in a game this season.

The Bears (15-5, 3-4 ACC) will try to build on a two-game win streak when they take on the Seminoles (8-12, 1-6), who are tied for last place in the ACC standings.

The Seminoles, under first-year coach and former NBA assistant Luke Loucks, play an up-tempo style and have taken more 3-point shots (671) than any team in the ACC and have forced more turnovers (300) than all but one conference program. But they rank 17th in the conference in 3-point accuracy (.316) and they are at or near the bottom in most defensive categories, including points allowed (80.5).

FSU’s best player is senior guard Robert McCray V, a transfer from Jacksonville, who averages 14.3 points and is second in the ACC in assists at 6.5 per outing.

The Seminoles own a win over Miami (16-4, 5-2) and their losses include some very narrow defeats — by a combined 10 points Florida, Duke, Wake Forest and SMU. They also lost to NC State, Dayton, Georgia and Texas A&M by a combined margin of 142 points.

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