It came down to Texas and Cal for Air Force transfer Rytis Petraitis. The rising junior from Arlington eventually decided to go with the Bears after visiting both programs and getting a feel for what each had to offer.

The 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward has the size and skill set to impact the game in a variety of ways. Things that helped the Bears in a number of ways last season with a player like Jaylon Tyson eventually becoming vital to Cal's victories in Year 1 under Mark Madsen.

It is easy to see how Petraitis — who averaged 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a sophomore in the 2023-23 season — could fill a similar role heading into Year 2.

“Rytis is capable of doing just about anything on the court and will be a tremendous addition to our basketball program,” Madsen said in a statement announcing the signing of the four-star transfer last week. “His playmaking ability on the wing shines, as he averaged more than 15 points, six rebounds and three assists as a sophomore.

"Our staff loves Rytis’ mature approach to the game and he comes from a great basketball family. We can’t wait to have them as Golden Bears.”

Petraitis will step into an important role for the Bears and will likely be relied on to carry a big part of the scoring load when he arrives.