With it now being March, it is time for me to provide the latest Cal hoops recruiting breakdown as we head into the third month of 2018. Before I dive into the breakdown, let me first respond to the questions that some of you asked.
“I guess this question is probably redundant, but are their any JUCO or international prospects being recruited in case Cal does not land Brown? I’m assuming Brooks is out at this point.”-djsit
From what I’ve been told, they are exploring the JUCO market as a safety net in case Jordan Brown doesn’t commit. They haven’t yet offered any JUCO bigs and likely won’t until they know what decision Jordan Brown makes. As for international bigs, I’m not aware of any international prospects at this time, but that doesn’t mean that avenue won’t get explored. If Brown does in fact go elsewhere, all options will be on the table: JUCO, international, etc.
In regards to J’Raan Brooks, it feels like he’s not going to be targeted, but recruiting is fluid and if he’s still on the table in a month or so, it’s possible he reenters the picture. The best I can say with J’Raan is we just have to wait and see. Washington does seem like the logical landing spot for him, though.
“Brown is a one and done. Will be great for that one season. They will need a big to develop and more bigs for 2019 class. What is the plan (or is there even a plan) for a development big? I expect significant roster turnover at the end of the season. So are there other non bigs in the pipeline?”-capnted
It’s actually no slam-dunk Jordan Brown is a one and done player. It’s totally possible he stays for two years like Ivan Rabb did. It all depends on what his draft stock looks like after his freshman year, but I actually think if Jordan Brown comes to Cal, he’d stay for a couple of years just like Rabb and Jason Kidd did.
Your point about a development big still stands, though. The 2019 big men targets include 5-star Charles Bassey (probably stays in school for two years, but he could be a one and done guy), 4-star Maxwell Lorca-Lloyd, 4-star Kofi Cockburn, and 4-star Isaiah Mobley. Lorca-Lloyd, Mobley, and Cockburn are all guys who would stay at Cal for multiple years if they were to commit. Landing any of them would qualify as getting a development big. As for Andre Kelly, he’s going to be at Cal for four years, so he already counts as a big man that they can develop over the coming years.
“Is it anything other than wishful thinking that Charles Bassey is serious about reclassifying and Cal is a top option?”-vineyardview
Whether or not Charles Bassey reclassifies remains very up-in-the-air. I don’t think we’ll know his plans on that front for at least six more weeks. I wouldn’t call it “wishful thinking” since it is a route that is being discussed by his guardian and he will ultimately make the call for Bassey. My prediction as of right now is that Bassey probably doesn’t reclassify, but like I said, it’s really too early to say what he’ll do.
As for whether or not Cal is a top option, a lot of that might come down to what Jordan Brown does. If Jordan Brown commits to Cal, that could be enough to get Bassey to reclassify and join Brown at Cal. One thing that does help Cal is Hennssy Auriantal is a close friend with Chris Walker and Renaud Gordon (Jacobi’s father). That relationship definitely bodes well in Cal’s favor. I think if Brown commits to Cal, there’s a decent chance Bassey comes and joins him.
“There may be lots of transfer candidates from other schools as a result of the FBI case. Any potential Cal players from that pool or is it too early to tell?”-philbert0
It’s too early to tell at this stage since teams are still playing. April is when we’ll start to see the transfer pool really heat up. One guy that could be an option is Ira Lee of Arizona. He was heavily considering Cal and if he decides to leave Arizona, Cal could be an interesting option for him. The only concern there is he’d have to sit out for a year and Cal needs bigs that can play right away.
“Can I get my money back for this year's season tickets?”-dhemy
Probably not, though if enough of you raise a fit, maybe something good will come of it. As a season ticket holder, you help keep the program in business. Cal would be wise to take all season ticket holder complaints seriously. If you want to ask for your money back, even if it’s just on principle, go for it. You got nothing to lose.
“I guess this question is probably redundant, but are their any JUCO or international prospects being recruited in case Cal does not land Brown? I’m assuming Brooks is out at this point.”-djsit
From what I’ve been told, they are exploring the JUCO market as a safety net in case Jordan Brown doesn’t commit. They haven’t yet offered any JUCO bigs and likely won’t until they know what decision Jordan Brown makes. As for international bigs, I’m not aware of any international prospects at this time, but that doesn’t mean that avenue won’t get explored. If Brown does in fact go elsewhere, all options will be on the table: JUCO, international, etc.
In regards to J’Raan Brooks, it feels like he’s not going to be targeted, but recruiting is fluid and if he’s still on the table in a month or so, it’s possible he reenters the picture. The best I can say with J’Raan is we just have to wait and see. Washington does seem like the logical landing spot for him, though.
“Brown is a one and done. Will be great for that one season. They will need a big to develop and more bigs for 2019 class. What is the plan (or is there even a plan) for a development big? I expect significant roster turnover at the end of the season. So are there other non bigs in the pipeline?”-capnted
It’s actually no slam-dunk Jordan Brown is a one and done player. It’s totally possible he stays for two years like Ivan Rabb did. It all depends on what his draft stock looks like after his freshman year, but I actually think if Jordan Brown comes to Cal, he’d stay for a couple of years just like Rabb and Jason Kidd did.
Your point about a development big still stands, though. The 2019 big men targets include 5-star Charles Bassey (probably stays in school for two years, but he could be a one and done guy), 4-star Maxwell Lorca-Lloyd, 4-star Kofi Cockburn, and 4-star Isaiah Mobley. Lorca-Lloyd, Mobley, and Cockburn are all guys who would stay at Cal for multiple years if they were to commit. Landing any of them would qualify as getting a development big. As for Andre Kelly, he’s going to be at Cal for four years, so he already counts as a big man that they can develop over the coming years.
“Is it anything other than wishful thinking that Charles Bassey is serious about reclassifying and Cal is a top option?”-vineyardview
Whether or not Charles Bassey reclassifies remains very up-in-the-air. I don’t think we’ll know his plans on that front for at least six more weeks. I wouldn’t call it “wishful thinking” since it is a route that is being discussed by his guardian and he will ultimately make the call for Bassey. My prediction as of right now is that Bassey probably doesn’t reclassify, but like I said, it’s really too early to say what he’ll do.
As for whether or not Cal is a top option, a lot of that might come down to what Jordan Brown does. If Jordan Brown commits to Cal, that could be enough to get Bassey to reclassify and join Brown at Cal. One thing that does help Cal is Hennssy Auriantal is a close friend with Chris Walker and Renaud Gordon (Jacobi’s father). That relationship definitely bodes well in Cal’s favor. I think if Brown commits to Cal, there’s a decent chance Bassey comes and joins him.
“There may be lots of transfer candidates from other schools as a result of the FBI case. Any potential Cal players from that pool or is it too early to tell?”-philbert0
It’s too early to tell at this stage since teams are still playing. April is when we’ll start to see the transfer pool really heat up. One guy that could be an option is Ira Lee of Arizona. He was heavily considering Cal and if he decides to leave Arizona, Cal could be an interesting option for him. The only concern there is he’d have to sit out for a year and Cal needs bigs that can play right away.
“Can I get my money back for this year's season tickets?”-dhemy
Probably not, though if enough of you raise a fit, maybe something good will come of it. As a season ticket holder, you help keep the program in business. Cal would be wise to take all season ticket holder complaints seriously. If you want to ask for your money back, even if it’s just on principle, go for it. You got nothing to lose.
