9/21/2018 basketball Edit

Cal lands commitment from 2019 big man D.J. Thorpe

Ben Parker • GoldenBearReport

Golden Bear Report

I cover Cal basketball for Rivals.com.

Cal men’s basketball has been looking for a big man to add to the 2019 class and they have officially found their man, securing a commitment from 3-star power forward D.J. Thorpe out of Lake Travis High School in Lake Travis, Texas. Thorpe is currently ranked #146 overall in the latest Rivals 150 rankings for the 2019 class and #35 for his position. Thorpe joins 3-star shooting guard Charles Smith IV as the second member of Cal’s 2019 recruiting class, which was ranked #52 in the country prior to Thorpe’s commitment.

When looking at the current Cal roster, the one glaring need is depth in the frontcourt. At the moment, Connor Vanover and Andre Kelly are the only true big men on the team and Kelly while skilled is a bit undersized for the power forward spot. Thorpe should be able to get minutes right away and help Cal develop more of an inside presence.

In order to land Thorpe, Cal had to beat out some quality competition such as Kansas State, Texas A&M, and TCU. Cal was the first official visit Thorpe took this fall, but shortly afterwards, he took his second official visit to Kansas State, with visits still scheduled to TCU and Texas A&M. For Cal to land a player who was as sought after as Thorpe is a testament to the staff’s ability to secure quality talent and sell all that Berkeley has to offer.

With Thorpe now on board, Cal can feel a lot more comfortable about their long-term outlook. The need for a big man was obvious and something that they really wanted to address. While they wouldn’t mind adding another big man to the fold, they now have more freedom to focus on other needs such as point guard.

D.J. Thorpe projects to be a great fit for the Cal program. He not only gives them much needed size, but he also runs the floor well and is a great fit for the style of play that Wyking Jones wants to run. On top of that, he’s a high academic kid who values what a Cal degree can offer him. When you consider Thorpe’s all-around package, it’s clear that he’s a perfect fit.