Bear Territory Tuesday: Despite the great recruiting class, Tyrone Wallace is still the leader of Cal

     There is no doubting that the additions of Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb have made Cal a contender for the national championship. My last few blog posts have made that very clear. But what cannot be lost in all of this is that Tyrone Wallace, who announced that he would be returning for his senior season, is still the leader of this Cal team.

     Wallace had a chance to leave for the NBA in this year's draft, but he decided to return for his senior season to complete his degree and lead Cal deep in the NCAA tournament. If Tyrone Wallace had opted to leave for the NBA, Cal would still be a dangerous team, but I'm not sure they would be a threat to win the national championship.

     What makes Cal a threat to win the national championship is the combination of their great recruiting class, depth, and veteran leadership provided by Tyrone Wallace, who averaged 17.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game in his junior season. It was a bit of an adjustment for Wallace to be the leader last season after he had Justin Cobbs and Richard Solomon to look to, but thankfully senior power forward David Kravish helped to take some of the pressure off as he made the transition.

      Wallace has been well prepared to take on this role and he seems eager to take it on. He knows that when the game is on the line everybody will be looking at him to either take the shot or create a play for somebody else. Such is the job of the point guard, especially when the point guard is a senior.

     Just so I'm clear, I don't mean to imply that he won't have anybody else to help him in crunch time. As projected lottery picks in the 2016 NBA draft, Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb also need to be expected to step up in the clutch as do juniors Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews. But all the same, it needs to be understood that this is Tyrone Wallace's team.

     There's more to leadership than just hitting big shots. Leadership is about coaching up your teammates, giving them encouragement and confidence when things get tough, etc. The only guy on this team who has the authority to do those things is Tyrone Wallace and that is what makes him the leader. He'll have to be the guy who makes sure everybody else understands their job and stays calm when they take on elite teams like Arizona, Utah, and Virginia. Having this kind of leadership will serve Cal well as they try to make history and win the school its first national championship in basketball since 1959.

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

Bear Territory Tuesday: After landing Jaylen Brown, the sky is the limit for Cal basketball

     Jaylen Brown, a 6'7, 220 pound 5-star small forward from the state of Georgia has committed to Cal. He is a top-five recruit in the country and just like Ivan Rabb, he is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Via CalBears.com:  "Brown was named the 2015 Gatorade Georgia Boys Player of the Year, USA Today’s All-USA Georgia Player of the Year, Georgia’s Mr. Basketball and the Class 6A Player of the Year by the Georgia Sports Writers Association, the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Class 6A North Player of the Year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Class 6A Player of the Year, and the Marietta Daily Journal Class 6A Player of the Year. He was a consensus First Team 6A All-State selection, and a two-time All-Cobb County Player of the Year as a junior and a senior. Brown was also a consensus All-Cobb County First Team pick each of the past two years.   The elite small forward averaged 28 points and 12 rebounds as a senior to lead Wheeler High School to a 30-3 overall record, a No. 6 national ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 poll, and the school’s first Georgia 6A state title since 2009. Like Rabb, Brown sealed his high school’s state title at the free throw line."

     The news of Tyrone Wallace returning for his senior season already made Cal a national championship contender and a consensus Top-25 team. But after landing Jaylen Brown, Cal is now stacked to the point that there is no reason to doubt this team's ability to win a national championship. With three McDonald's All-Americans (Ivan Rabb, Jaylen Brown, and Jabari Bird) on its roster to go along with Tyrone Wallace, Cal will have one of the most talented teams in the country.

     What's scary is that I haven't even yet mentioned Jordan Mathews, Stephen Domingo, Tyson Jolly, Davon Dillard, Sam Singer, Kameron Rooks, or Kingsley Okoroh. I keep wanting to talk about what they are going to bring to the table, but every week Cal keeps on landing another monster recruit. Perhaps next week I'll be able to do a piece on them in more detail, but what I can say about them as a collective whole is that they bring depth to this Cal team and that is what really makes them so scary.

     If you have a couple of NBA lottery picks on your team, you are automatically a national championship contender, but you can still fall short if you don't have enough depth. Cal won't have an issue with depth at all, especially at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Cuonzo Martin will have a wide array of quality options to turn to at all times, which will allow him to make sure the guys he has on the floor are fresh.

     The only concern I have for this Cal team is whether or not they'll be able to adjust to being the hunted. For so long, Cal has been the team trying to upset the big name schools like Arizona. I can attest from personal experience at Cal games, that the Arizona game has always been the big game of the year because it's Cal's one chance at playing with the big boys. But now, Cal is going to be in the same national championship discussion with the likes of Arizona, Utah, and Kentucky, and I wonder whether or not this team is mentally ready to have those kind of expectations.

     But in truth, that discussion is for another week. What I want to drive home to all of you this week is that Cal has a team that can win a national championship in 2016. The pieces are all there. They have the leadership of quality upperclassmen, the talent, and the depth to win a national title. The only question is whether or not they will deliver. Go Bears!

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


   

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 




   

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

Bear Territory Tuesday: Cal could be SCARY next season

   
     The California Men's basketball team could be SCARY next season. With all this talk about Ivan Rabb, Jaylen Brown, and Caleb Swanigan joining forces at Cal, the word "scary" in all capital letters is about the only way I can describe this without failing to do the hype justice. If you read my write up about Ivan Rabb last week, you already got a good taste of who he is. He's a 6'11, 210 pound 5-star power forward projected to be a Top-Five pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

     As for the other two guys, they too have tremendous potential. Jaylen Brown is a 6'7, 220 pound small forward who is also projected to be a Top-Five pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and Caleb Swanigan is a 6'8, 275 pound forward, who despite not being a projected Top-Five pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, is still a five-star recruit like Rabb and Brown.

     Cal is looking at the possibility of having three five-star recruits, two of which are projected to be Top-Five picks in the 2016 NBA Draft. If that isn't "SCARY" enough for you, I don't know what is. That's Kentucky and Duke kinda scary. We're not talking NCAA Tournament anymore with Cal if they get these three guys. We're talking Final Four and a possible NCAA championship.

     Let's not forget that Cal already has a commit from 4-star shooting guard Davon Dillard for this upcoming season, two outstanding junior guards in Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews, and two seven-footers in Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks. Plus, it's very likely that NBA bound point guard Tyrone Wallace comes back for his senior season.

     If you add these three five-star freshmen, what's not to like about this team? This team would have it all: Size, talent, versatility, depth, and veteran leadership. Even the best of teams sometimes are lacking in one or two of these areas, but Cal would have it all. There really wouldn't be a weakness that teams could easily spot. Cal would have multiple go-to guys, the ability to beat teams inside and out, and also NBA-level talent to hang with the likes of Kentucky, Duke, and Arizona.

     I don't want to count our chickens before they hatch, but I am saying that if the very best possible outcome happens for Cal, which is to land Rabb, Brown, and Swanigan, there's no reason for Cal fans to doubt that they could see their team playing in the Final Four. The only reason for Cal fans to doubt is that they've never seen a Cal team this good before. But if you strip away the uniforms and just look at the roster, this team would have Final Four written all over them. Go Bears!

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news. 
   

Bear Territory Tuesday: How huge would it be for Cal to land Ivan Rabb?

     Despite the season being over, the buzz around Cal basketball is bigger than it was at any point during the season all because of one young man named Ivan Rabb, a 5-star McDonald's All-American power forward from Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, CA. At 6'11'' and 220 lbs, Rabb has the ability to dominate on both ends of the floor with his length, explosiveness, and offensive moves. He is able to score in a variety of ways, both inside and out. He can beat you down on the block or take you out on the perimeter and sink a fade away jumper in your face.





     He appears to be the whole package, which is why Cal is drooling all over him and why NBADraft.net has him going #3 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft (Click here for that mock draft). So, how huge would be it be for Cal to land Ivan Rabb? It would be more than huge. It would be monstrous! The Cal basketball program hasn't had a player of this caliber since Jason Kidd in the early 1990s, who like Rabb was a local product debating between Cal and a traditional basketball powerhouse (Rabb is also considering Arizona and Kidd was considering Kansas).

      If Cal lands Ivan Rabb, they will be on the national stage with the likes of Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, North Carolina, and Duke. The table will be set for Cal to land other big name recruits like Caleb Swanigan and Jaylen Brown. Even if those guys don't come to join him, Rabb's presence alone would be huge for the program because he would make Cal a destination for other big-name players to seriously consider.

     The impact landing Rabb would have on the program would be bigger than just his impact for one season. It would impact how Cuonzo Martin is able to recruit for years to come. Big-time recruits like Rabb are looking at college as a place to prepare themselves for the NBA. If Ivan Rabb plays well at Cal and goes on to have a stellar NBA career, Cuonzo Martin will be able to tell other big-name recruits that Cal is a great place to prepare yourself for the NBA. In addition, he'll have Ivan Rabb there to answer any questions.

     As far as what his impact would mean for next season, it's hard to say because there is still a lot of factors and variables that we don't know. We don't know how good Arizona is going to be, how good UCLA  and Utah will be, or what the national championship landscape will be as a whole. But assuming that Tyrone Wallace comes back, I don't see any reason to not expect Cal to make the NCAA tournament and make a run to the Sweet Sixteen. I wouldn't rule out a run to the Elite Eight or Final Four since Rabb would have plenty of quality veteran's around him, but I think that once you get to that point, you're asking for quite a bit of luck.

     In conclusion, landing Rabb would be huge for Cal. He would instantly become the face of the program and have an impact that would ripple through the program for many years to come. He would elevate Cal from the middle of the Pac-12 to the forefront of the national championship picture in a way similar to what we saw happen with Utah. Go Bears!

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