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Cal men’s basketball head coach Ben Braun confirmed that point guard Shantay Legans has asked for his release from the program in order to transfer to Fresno State. 

Braun said he spoke with Legans this week, but stopped short of confirming he would release Legans. Braun said he hopes to meet with Legans in person to discuss the matter. 

“I have requested that Shantay meet with me in person to obtain his release from his commitment to the University of California,” Braun said Friday. “To this point, Shantay has not met with me regarding his release. I have supported Shantay since his arrival at Cal and will continue to do so in the future. Obviously, I am disappointed that he has chosen not to finish his senior year at Cal, as well as with the timing of his request.” 

Legans averaged 8.1 points and 3.8 assists last season for a Cal team that made the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. But Legans was reportedly upset when former walk-on A.J. Diggs took over the starting role for a few games in the middle of the season. 

Diggs, who was awarded a scholarship this summer, will likely be the full-time starter. Freshman Richard Midgely could challenge for time as well. 

New Fresno State head coach Ray Lopes adopted Shantay Legans through the “Big Brother” program when the player was in the fifth grade. 

“Ray’s really the only father Shantay knows,” Susan Legans told the Oakland Tribune. “I think it’s always been a dream of his to play for Ray Lopes.” 

It has been a topsy-turvy summer for Braun’s program. Freshman Jamal Sampson made a surprising jump into the NBA Draft, then junior Gabriel Hughes decided to transfer before changing his mind last week. Israeli big man Yaniv Green flirted with the idea of joining the Bears before backing out, then Braun added 6-foot-9 Jordi Geli Vilardell of Spain. 

Bears work on situations: Cal’s final scrimmage turned into a situation practice on Friday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. The Bears went through some regular plays, but concentrated on special situations like clock management and turnovers. 

“We needed to cover every possible situation today, and we did that,” head coach Jeff Tedford said. “We had to communicate what we need to do in certain situations.” 

Senior quarterback Kyle Boller looked solid, completing 9-of-15 passes, including several nicely timed slant patterns and two screen passes to tailback Joe Igber. Training camp sensation Vincent Strang continued to impress at wideout, catching five balls in the first half, including a 25-yard touchdown toss from Boller. 

New turf broken in: Friday was the first time the Bears have played on the new Memorial Stadium turf, which was reseeded this summer. Tedford said the new turf met his expectations and held up well during the practice. 

Injury update: Offensive left tackle Mark Wilson was held out of Friday’s practice due to a sore foot. Tedford said Wilson will be ready to practice Monday... Freshman wideout David Gray also didn’t practice Saturday with a sore shoulder, but should be ready for the Baylor game next weekend... Receiver Chase Lyman has resumed limited practice, but may not be ready for Baylor. Likewise, junior college transfer Junior Brignac is questionable with an ankle injury... Linebacker Ryan Estes has a foot fracture and will miss several weeks. Tedford said a redshirt year is a possibility. 

Decisions this weekend: Tedford said he will make decisions on redshirting freshmen and awarding scholarships to walk-ons this weekend. Although he doesn’t have to make official decisions on redshirts until the Bears’ first road game on Sept. 14 at Michigan State, he’d like to have them sorted out by the opener. 

“You’d like to know ahead of time who you’re going to want to use,” he said. “If we have a game in hand and want to get guys reps, we want to get guys we’re going to use on the field.” 

Tailback battle: Michael Porter has edged ahead of freshman Marcus O’Keith for the third tailback spot, which means O’Keith will likely redshirt this year unless an injury occurs. 

WR competition: With all the nagging injuries among the wide receiver corps, it’s been hard to get a read on who will contribute early in the season. Tedford said junior college transfer Jonathon Makonnen has established himself as the No. 1 receiver, but the picture gets cloudy from there. Lyman was the top wideout coming out of spring practice, but finger and hamstring injuries have limited him in the fall. Sophomore Geoff McArthur is listed as the other starter after missing most of last season with an arm injury. The X-factor is senior LaShaun Ward. After moving over from cornerback last season, he showed a talent for getting behind the defense.