Bear Territory Tuesday: Ivan Rabb commits to Cal!

     Five-star power forward Ivan Rabb from Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, CA has committed to Cal for the upcoming season! This is not a dream. This is reality. A player with the potential to be a top-five pick in the 2016 NBA Draft has chosen to play for Cal over traditional basketball powerhouses like Arizona and Kentucky.

     As a Cal graduate and fan of Cal athletics, all I can say is "Wow! This is huge!" When I heard the news I was beyond ecstatic. I was tweeting out all sorts of stuff and probably making a fool of myself. But I didn't care at the time and I still don't. Cal has landed perhaps the biggest basketball recruit in the history of the school. If that isn't a reason for a Cal basketball fan to go bananas, I don't know what is.

     Of course, there are still a lot of questions that we don't have answers to. We don't know if Tyrone Wallace is coming back or if Jaylen Brown will also commit to Cal. We also don't know how good other commits like Tyson Jolly and Davon Dillard are going to be be. As a whole, we don't know how good Cal's basketball team is going to be next season.

     These are questions that I will address in the future. But for now, all I want to do is enjoy this moment of Cal basketball landing such a huge recruit. Cal may not be able to recruit the best players from all across the country, but they should be able to recruit anybody who is playing in their own backyard. They did that with Rabb and certainly can expect to continue to do so in the future.

     Head coach Cuonzo Martin, assistant Yanni Hufnagel, and the rest of the coaching staff should feel really pleased with what they have accomplished. Yes, there were factors outside of their own control, but they obviously did a good job making Rabb feel like he was valued and wanted at this program.

     Via SF Gate: "I'm going to the University of Cal-Berkely," Rabb said. "I felt the most at home there. It felt like family."  

     Cuonzo Martin and his entire staff certainly contributed to his decision to come to Cal and their contribution should not go unnoticed. As a Cal fan, I feel really good knowing that these guys are at the head of the basketball program. Go Bears!

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA and Cal basketball news