Cal has added a commitment from Virginia transfer guard Dai Dai Ames this morning following a visit with the Bears. The sophomore from Chicago began his career at Kansas State and will have two seasons of remaining eligibility with Mark Madsen's team. Ames will head to Berkeley with plenty of experience after starting 26 games this season for the Cavaliers with 31 appearances overall.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound guard averaged 8.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He connected on 39.7% of his 3-point attempts this season (31 for 78) and hit on 46% of his shots from the field. Cal has lost a couple members of its backcourt to the portal already with Jeremiah Wilkinson and Christian Tucker opting to seek out other opportunities.
Ames can help fill the void left by Wilkinson, who was the ACC Sixth Man of the Year for the Bears.
The new Cal commit was once rated as a top-100 prospect out of Kenwood Academy in Chicago. He finished his high school career ranked 66th overall in the 2023 class and the 19th-best point guard prospect, according to Rivals. He had a decorated high school career that included scoring 65 points in one game.
At Kansas State, Ames played in 31 games and made 16 starts. He averaged 5.2 points and 2 assists as a freshman with the Wildcats. This season he had several games in which he scored in double figures including having 27 points, a career high, against Pitt on 11-of-16 shooting from the field in February.
In Ames, the Bears find a player familiar with the landscape of the ACC and another player with experience. He is the second transfer addition for Madsen's team since the portal opened following the addition of Campbell guard Nolan Dorsey over the weekend.
Florida State, Clemson and Nevada had been some of the other programs reportedly in pursuit of Ames following his sophomore season in Charlottesville.
Last edited:
