Signing Day: Cal MBB Signs Two in ND Okafor and Grant Newell

Signing day is in the books for Mark Fox and company, as they've added more size in their 2022 class with the official additions of forwards ND Okafor and Grant Newell. Okafor committed to Cal on October 23rd, while Newell's commitment and addition to the class was a surprise.

"We're excited to welcome ND and Grant, who are high-quality young men with the talent to step in and contribute to our basketball program right away," Fox said in a release. "Both ND and Grant bring elite athleticism to the court and will be great players to coach starting in the 2022-23 season."

Okafor, a former and future teammate of current Cal Bear Sam Alajiki, comes to the Bears from the NBA Academy Latin America (a training academy in San Luis Potosí, Mexico). The Dundalk, Ireland native played for the Irish National team, where the 6'9", 225 lb Okafor averaged 16 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks for Ireland at the U16 European Championship in 2019.

"We believe ND's size, length and athleticism at the forward position will enable him to be an impact player immediately," Fox said in the release. "He has a strong understanding of the game and when you pair that with his pure talent, he will be an exciting player to have on our team."

Newell comes to the Bears from the IMG Academy, where he's playing a post graduate year. The 6'8" 217 lb. Chicago native played his high school ball at Whitney Young, graduating this spring prior to enrolling at IMG. He chose Cal over other offers from DePaul, South Florida, Nevada, and others, taking an official visit to Cal on October 30th.

"Grant's versatility and ability to handle on the perimeter is really impressive," Fox said. "Similar to ND, Grant's size and length will create advantageous matchups for our team, and he is a quality shooter from the forward position."

Cal is set to lose Makale Foreman, Grant Anticevich, and Jordan Shepherd after the 2021-22 season. Andre Kelly is also a senior, but has an extra year of COVID eligibility if he chooses to take it. Both Foreman and Anticevich don't count against Cal's scholarship limit this year, and the assumption would be that in signing two players, Fox and company expect the Bears to have two scholarship slots available for the two incoming forwards.