Bear Territory Tuesday: Tyrone Wallace's return makes Cal a contender

     Last week, Cal point guard Tyrone Wallace announced in front of his teammates and certain members of the media that he will return to Cal for his senior season. He said at the press conference that his decision to return for his senior year is fueled by his desire to lead Cal deep into the NCAA Tournament, get his degree, and improve his NBA Draft stock, all of which are good reasons for him to return.

     As for what this means for Cal basketball, this is huge. It will be much easier for Cal to hit the ground running and get off to a good start since they won't be waiting on a guy to evolve into their leader. With Wallace comfortable as the leader, a ton of pressure is taken off of everyone on the team, especially Ivan Rabb, who is already getting hyped as the Messiah of Cal basketball. By having a senior to look to for leadership, Cal will have a much better chance of making a deep run in the NCAA tournament than they would if they were relying on a freshman to lead them. Especially since nobody else on the team has played in the NCAA tournament.

     In addition to Tyrone Wallace's leadership, Cal will benefit from having another really good player on the their roster. Tyrone Wallace is going to get drafted in the NBA in 2016. It's just a matter of where that remains to be seen. He could go as high as the middle of the first round to the middle of the second round. It's really hard to tell at this point where he'll go, but there is no question that he is a legitimate NBA prospect. Cal will certainly benefit from having such a talented player on its roster. Especially a versatile player like Wallace who can play point guard, shooting guard, and even small forward.

     Lastly, Wallace returning helps bring some continuity for Cuonzo Martin who is entering his second season as Cal's head coach. By having Wallace return, Martin will have a guy who already knows his system and can lead in his system. I think if Wallace were gone, Martin would in many ways feel like he was starting from scratch all over again. Wallace brings a feeling of stability to the program by returning and that I think is huge.

     The leadership, talent, and stability that Wallace brings to the Cal basketball program makes Cal a real threat to do some damage in the PAC-12 and NCAA tournament next year. Obviously I will expand much more on this once I do my season preview in the fall, but rest assured that Wallace's return makes Cal a contender for a national championship. I know this team really well and I know what kind of pieces are being brought in. Wallace's return puts in Cal in the national championship discussion. Anybody who says it doesn't simply doesn't know basketball.

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