Kameron Rooks rounds into shape for Cal

To keep his father positive, Kameron Rooks often tells Sean in their postgame phone conversations not to worry because “you can get the next one.”

In each of the Bears’ past four games, Rooks has broken or tied his career high in rebounding.

The redshirt sophomore from San Marcos (San Diego County) anchors an interior defense that leads the nation in opponent two-point-shooting percentage.

A strict diet and conditioning program put Rooks in enviable territory:

Rooks passed 7-foot-1 Kingsley Okoroh on the depth chart and, six games into the season, cracked the starting lineup.

Given the Bears’ bevy of scorers, Rooks was asked to protect the rim and deny low-post feeds.

[...] Rooks’ defense stopped balancing out his limited offensive production.

Though fouls remain a concern, Rooks is learning how to maximize his playing time.

Unwilling to challenge Rooks or Ivan Rabb around the rim, Stanford settled for ill-advised jumpers.