On Friday, Cal men’s basketball landed a commitment from Texas A&M-Corpus-Christi grad transfer guard Kareem South, who averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game last season. South visited Cal earlier in the month and Northwestern earlier this week. South becomes the 11th scholarship player on the 2019-20 Golden Bears squad.

After having to deal with the departures of Justice Sueing, Connor Vanover, Darius McNeill, and 2019 commit Charles Smith IV, Cal head coach Mark Fox and his coaching staff have done a really nice job of replenishing the roster. First, they landed Prolific Prep forward Kuany Kuany, then Greek shooting guard Dimitrios Klonaras, and now they got a third commit in South. On top of that, they also have a talented German 7-footer visiting Cal in Lars Thiemann, who will be on campus June 6-8 after taking visits to Saint Mary’s (June 2-4) and Oregon State (June 4-6).

As for what South will bring to the program, he is certain to bring scoring, versatility, and veteran leadership. South’s 13.8 points per game came on 41.3% shooting from the field, 36.7% shooting from 3-point range, and 82.7% shooting from the foul line. That kind of shooting is something that Cal sorely needs. On top of that, he will able to play both the point guard and shooting guard positions, giving Cal some versatility in the backcourt as well. Lastly, his experience as a grad transfer will enable him to mentor the younger players on the team.

The addition of Kareem South is huge for this Cal program. With so many key players leaving, they needed someone with experience that can also be a viable go-to option, making South a perfect fit. We look forward to interviewing South about his commitment and also doing a more in-depth scouting report about his game.