BERKELEY - Cal may not really know for sure until Aug. 8, the first day of fall camp the Bears put on pads, but the team is doing everything it can to make sure star tailback Jahvid Best is ready for the 2008 season.
Cal's training staff recently put Best through two weeks of simulated two-a-day practices, an exercise designed to measure the recovery of his bruised left hip. Best reportedly emerged from the sessions with no ill effects, and the Bears are excited to see how he responds in the fall.
"I felt fine the whole time," said Best, expected to be the Bears' starting tailback this season after a promising campaign as a true freshman. "I've felt fine for awhile. It was more of a mental barrier that I passed. I feel like now I am confident in myself."
Best, a Vallejo resident, suffered the injury during a kickoff against USC in a game late last season. He missed the rest of the season and only practiced in extremely limited fashion during the spring. An accomplished sprinter, he also was forced to sit out Cal's track and field season.
Since hip injuries can be potentially serious, the Bears have been extremely cautious with Best's recovery. He was relegated to just individual drills during the spring.
Aug. 8 may be the next benchmark in Best's recovery. He presumably will take his share of hits during practice that day, and the way his hip responds will be of great interest to everybody in the Cal program. Head trainer Ryan Cobb said the recent simulated workouts provided about 70-80 percent of the physical toll Best will eventually endure.
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