Men's and Women's Basketball Sign their 2020 Commits
Cal men's and women's basketball signed a total of six commits Wednesday, with the men's side signing two, and the women's side signing four (in a class ranked 6th best in the nation by ESPNw). The men added two wing players in Bishop O'Dowd's Monty Bowser and Long Island Lutheran's Jalen Celestine, while the women added three five-stars in forwards Dalayah Daniels, Fatou Samb, and Michelle Onyiah, along with an international prospect in Ornela Muca (a member of Albania's u-18 squad)
"We wanted to add versatile wing players and young men with the quality of character to make our program stronger and better," men's basketball head coach Mark Fox said in a Cal release. "We are excited about Monty and Jalen's ability to impact our team. Both come from terrific high school programs."
"Our 2020 class is comprised of student athletes who are truly gifted as basketball players and who understand the value of a Cal degree," women's basketball head coach Charmin Smith said in another Cal release. "Dalayah, Fatou, Michelle, and Ornela embody the type of people we want in our Cal basketball family. They are willing to commit to this program and we are lucky to have them."
On the men's side, the 6'6" Bowser comes to the Bears from Bishop O'Dowd in Oakland, joining Paris Austin and Ivan Rabb as former Dragons making the transition to the Golden Bears. He notably guarded top prospect Jalen Green in the NCS Playoffs, leading O'Dowd to a win over Green's San Joaquin Memorial squad. Bowser earned all-Metro honors (honorable mention) from both the SF Chronicle and Mercury News.
A 6'7" guard, Celestine averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists for Long Island Lutheran, on his way to being named to the New York State Sportswriters' Association all-state squad. He also averaged 44% shooting from 3-point range, while putting 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists over 13 games with his UPlay Canada squad in the 2019 Nike EYBL circuit.
On the women's side, Smith has put together one of the top classes in the country, if not in Cal history. From the release:
A 6'3" forward, Daniels is entering her senior year at Garfield High School, where she is the two-time reigning Metro League MVP and led the Bulldogs to the Metro League Championship in 2019. As a junior, Daniels averaged 21 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, and four assists per game on the way to capturing all-state honors. Daniels plays her club ball for Tree of Hope (EYBL) under coach Maruice Hines, and has competed at Nike Nationals.
An elite rebounder, Onyiah averaged 18 points and 15 rebounds per game last season for Eleanor Roosevelt High School. Onyiah plays her club ball for Cal Sparks gold (EYBL) under coach Elbert Kinnebrew and boasts one of the top rebounding averages in EYBL. Also a standout in track and field, Onyiah competed at the CIF Championships in the triple, long, and high jump.
Another Top-100 prospect, Samb is the No. 6 post prospect in the Class of 2020, according to ESPN's HoopGurlz. Samb is a two-time Defensive Player of District 6A for Westside High School in Houston, also earning First-Team All-District honors each of the last two seasons. A 6'4" forward/center, Samb averaged 12 points, eight rebounds, and three assists per game last season while helping lead her team to the regional finals. Samb played her club ball for Cy-Fair Premier National under coach Chris Johnson and also earned a spot at the USA Basketball 16u Team Trials Camp.
Though currently residing and competing in Athens, Greece, Muca has Albanian citizenship and represented her country at the FIBA Under-18 Women's European Championships in 2019. Muca has helped lead her Greek club, Panathinaikos, to a first place finish in the Under-18 Regional Championship of Athens (ESKA) and a second-place result in the U18 Championship of Greece. An all-star selection as well at the American Community School of Athens, Muca has also competed in track and field, and is a standout in the classroom and a member of the National Honor Society.