Friday was a good day for the Cal men’s basketball program as incoming freshmen Joel Brown and D.J. Thorpe both reaffirmed their commitment to the program. The good news is not done flowing out of Berkeley as a source confirmed to GoldenBearReport.com this afternoon that sophomore shooting guard Juhwan Harris-Dyson has removed himself from the transfer portal and will remain at Cal.

Harris-Dyson had a bumpy first two years at Cal. He lost over 20 pounds due to a nasty flu his freshman year and in effect spent his first year getting back into shape and putting weight back on, averaging 6.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game in 19.4 minutes of action. During his sophomore year, Harris-Dyson saw the floor even less (16.0 minutes per game) and averaged just 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and .8 steals per game. While not hit with a flu, he missed some time due to a fractured hand/finger, once again battling through injury.

Despite a lack of production on the court, Harris-Dyson has shown flashes of what he can become. In his freshman year at Washington State, he recorded his first career double-double, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Against Santa Clara this past season, he scored a career high 15 points to go along with 4 steals, putting on an impressive display on both ends of the court.

These two games aren’t the only instances in which Harris-Dyson has shown potential. Throughout his first two seasons, Harris-Dyson showed that he can leap out of the gym, possessing athleticism that few have. The physical tools are definitely there, it’s just a matter of him refining his game, improving his jump shot, and getting more confident as a scorer.

Diving a bit deeper into the stats, Harris-Dyson’s production per minute has actually been better than his season averages indicate. Per 40 minutes, he’s averaging 11.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 steals for his career. Per 100 possessions, he’s averaging 15.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.2 steals for his career. A major issue has been a lack of opportunity to show what he can do (18.2% usage percentage).

Next season should prove to be an excellent opportunity for Harris-Dyson to take his game to new heights. He’s projected to have a bigger role and with a new coaching staff, it’s a chance for him to get a fresh start. After two years of limited playing time and fighting through injury, hopefully he’ll be able to finally live up to the hype that he came in with his freshman year.

As far as Cal’s other players in the transfer portal are concerned, both Justice Sueing and Connor Vanover haven’t found new homes, so it’s conceivable that both of them reverse course and stay at Cal. The same may also be true of Charles Smith IV, who asked out of his NLI last week. After looking like there was this mass exodus out of Berkeley, it’s looking like Mark Fox will have more to work with in his first year than we initially thought. It will certainly be interesting to see what other developments take place in the coming days and weeks.