After Trace Travers released our Cal football team of the decade, I have decided to shift to the Cal men’s basketball team of the decade. Just like Trace did, I will quickly outline a couple of rules:

1. This spans from the 2009-10 season through the current season. If a player wore a Cal jersey in this decade, they’re eligible to make the team.

2. I am focusing exclusively on how well a player did while they were at Cal.

3. 15 players will make this team, just like a real college basketball team. I will also include a head coach.

4. Positions are a factor, but just like a real basketball team, you want the best players to make the team regardless of position.

5. I take full responsibility for this list. If anyone has complaints, holler at me directly.

Head coach-Mike Montgomery (2008-2014)

Montgomery is the best coach Cal has had since Pete Newell, finishing with a 130-73 (64.0%) overall record and 69-39 (63.9%) Pac-10/Pac-12 record. Montgomery coached Cal to the 2010 Pac-10 regular season title, their first conference regular season title since 1960. Montgomery is hands down the coach of the decade for Cal men’s basketball.

Starting Five

PG: Jerome Randle (2006-2010)

Randle had a stellar career at Cal, averaging 13.9 points and 4.0 assists per game throughout his four years. In his senior season (2009-10), Randle helped guide Cal to the Pac-10 regular season title, averaging 18.6 points and 4.3 assists. Known for his heart, grit, and determination, the 5’10”, 172 pound guard from Chicago, Illinois is without a doubt the best floor general Cal has had this decade.

SG: Allen Crabbe (2010-2013)

Crabbe was the star of Cal when I first arrived on campus after transferring from Foothill College. So there’s some sentimental value here a bit. During his three years at Cal, Crabbe averaged 15.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on 44.6% shooting from the field, 38.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 81.9% shooting from the foul line.

In his junior year, he averaged a team-high 18.4 points per game, guiding Cal to an NCAA Tournament appearance. Cal would defeat UNLV 64-61 in the first round before falling to Syracuse 66-60 in the second round.

His decision to leave Cal a year early for the NBA was a bit of a risk as he was drafted in the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers of the 2013 NBA Draft before getting traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Looking back on it, Crabbe made the right decision as he is now in his 7th season in the NBA, averaging 9.3 points per game for his career.

SF: Jaylen Brown (2015-16)

During his lone year at Cal, Brown averaged 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, helping Cal get a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the highest seed in school history. Brown made quite an impact on the program thanks to his electrifying dunks, all-around play, and McDonald’s All-American status. In the 2016 NBA Draft, Brown was selected 3rd overall by the Boston Celtics. He has become one of their brightest young stars.

PF: David Kravish (2011-2015)

Kravish had a really good four-year career at Cal, averaging 9.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. His 219 career-blocks is #1 all-time in Cal history and 6th all-time in Pac-12 history going back to the 1985-86 season. What made Kravish so good was his efficiency on both ends of the floor. He could score, rebound, and protect the rim. In his junior and senior seasons, he developed a 3-point shot (28.6%), forcing teams to guard him on the perimeter. Kravish played a steady role in Cal’s back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012 and 2013.

C: Richard Solomon (2010-2014)

Solomon averaged 8.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks during his four years at Cal. In his senior season, Solomon was one of just three players in the power six conferences to average a double-double (11.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks). While not the flashiest of players, Solomon brought his hard hat to work every night and it showed in his production. Like Kravish, Solomon too played a role in helping Cal reach back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012 and 2013.

The Bench

PG: Jorge Gutierrez (2008-2012)

During his four years as a Golden Bear, Gutierrez averaged 9.6 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. After averaging 4.7 points per game as a freshman and 5.5 points per game as a sophomore, Gutierrez blossomed into a starting guard for Cal averaging 14.6 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.6 steals per game as a junior and 13.0 points, 4.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game as a senior. During his junior and senior years, Gutierrez started for Cal 66 times after just 13 starts in in his first two years. Gutierrez was a member of the 2010 Pac-10 championship team and was the senior leader on the Cal team that reached the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

PG: Justin Cobbs (2011-2014)

As you can probably tell, Cal has had some really good floor generals over the years and Cobbs was most certainly one of them. After transferring to Cal from Minnesota, Cobbs averaged 14.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game as a Golden Bear. He played an instrumental role in Cal’s back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament (2012 & 2013) and is most famous for his game-winner at Haas Pavilion to knock off #1 Arizona. I will never forget that shot.

PG: Tyrone Wallace (2012-2016)

While NBA teams have had a hard time labeling Wallace’s position, if you ask him, he’s most definitely a point guard. He averaged 12.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game during his four years at Cal, evolving into a legit junior and senior leader for the program. What Wallace should be remembered for is his decision to return to Cal for his senior season, fulfilling a promise to his grandfather to get his college degree. Wallace’s decision paid off as he got drafted by the Utah Jazz with the 60th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Wallace was a member of two Cal teams to reach the NCAA Tournament (2013 and 2016). While he played a much bigger role on the 2016 team, his lone NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2013. He sadly suffered a broken hand leading up to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

SG: Patrick Christopher (2006-2010)

Christopher averaged 12.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game during his Cal career as one of the better shooting guards in program history. In his senior year, he averaged 15.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game, playing a huge role on Cal’s 2010 Pac-10 championship team. Without his stellar shooting and defense, Cal would not have won that title.

SG: Jabari Bird (2013-2017)

Bird came to Cal as a McDonald’s All-American out of Salesian in Richmond, choosing to stay close to home. While he didn’t become the player everyone hoped he would be, largely due to injuries, Bird still managed to have a productive career at Cal. He averaged 10.8 points per game on 37.1% shooting from 3-point range for his career and become a sound senior leader for Cal in the 2016-17 season, averaging 14.3 points per game. Bird also played a significant role on the 2016 NCAA Tournament team.

SG: Matt Bradley (2018-present)

After a solid freshman season in which he averaged 10.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, Bradley has emerged into the star player for Cal in his sophomore year, averaging 17.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game on 40.4% shooting from 3-point range. If you want to know how good Bradley is, him making this list while he’s in his sophomore season is all you need to know. He’s the real deal and promises to get even better in the next decade.

SF: Theo Robertson (2005-2010)

If it wasn’t for a redshirt season, Robertson wouldn’t have been able to make this team. As a 5th year senior, Robertson helped Cal win the 2010 Pac-10 championship, averaging 14.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He was the third leading scorer on that team behind Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher.

PF: Harper Kamp (2007-2012)

Like Robertson, Kamp played five years at Cal due to a redshirt year, averaging 8.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for his career. During his junior year, Kamp averaged 14.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on 52.8% shooting from the field and 81.6% shooting from the foul line. He’s one of the better forwards Cal has had during this decade, giving him a spot on this team. Kamp was a member of the 2010 Pac-10 championship team during his redshirt season and played a significant role on the 2012 NCAA Tournament team in his senior year, averaging 11.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

PF: Ivan Rabb (2015-2017)

When Rabb committed to Cal in 2015, he was a McDonald’s All-American out of Bishop O’Dowd in Oakland, choosing to stay home. During his two years at Cal, Rabb averaged 13.2 points, 9.4 rebounds per game, and 1.1 blocks per game. In his sophomore year, Rabb averaged a double-double (14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game).

Rabb played a huge role on the 2016 NCAA Tournament team and is one of the best big men to ever play for the program. He continues to stay connected to his Oakland roots, making time to stop by Cal basketball games during his busy NBA schedule. Rabb would get drafted in the 2nd round of the 2017 NBA Draft by the Orland Magic before getting traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He is now a member of the New York Knicks.

C: Kingsley Okoroh (2014-2018)

During his four years at Cal, Okoroh patrolled the paint and protected the rim, earning himself the nickname “The Tower of London.” Well, that was my nickname for him anyways. Okoroh averaged 3.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game during his Cal career and finished with 201 blocks for his entire career. That is third all-time in Cal history behind David Kravish (219) and Michael Stewart (207). Okoroh averaged 2.2 blocks per game in his junior year and 2.1 blocks per game in his senior year. His 74 blocks in his junior year set a school record for most blocks in a season. Okoroh was a member of the 2016 NCAA Tournament team his sophomore year, averaging 1.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.

Honorable mention

SG: Jordan Mathews (2013-2016)

Earlier this week on our message boards, I shared a rough draft of my All-Decade Cal men’s basketball team and Mathews was on it. He averaged 11.8 points per game on 41.7% shooting from the field during his Cal career and was a major contributor on Cal’s 2016 NCAA Tournament team. The reason he didn’t make the final team is because I felt Harper Kamp did a little bit more during his final two seasons at Cal. This one was a tough call. At least for me.

PF: Marcus Lee (2016-18)

Lee almost committed to Cal in 2013, the same class as Jabari Bird, but ended up going to Kentucky instead. Lee would reunite with Bird on the 2016-17 Cal team, but had to sit out due to transfer rules. Lee averaged 11.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game during the one year he was eligible to play. He was the one of the few bright spots on what was otherwise a really dismal Cal team that went 8-24 overall and 2-16 in Pac-12 play.

I nearly put Lee over Okoroh because he was a better overall player. I gave Okoroh the nod for his shot blocking and the fact that he played four seasons at Cal.