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Ivan Rabb is headed to the Cal Golden Bears (YouTube video capture)
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Oakland (Calif.) Bishop O’Dowd standout forward Ivan Rabb put an end to all of the speculation and fervor over his college choice by announcing tonight that he will attend Cal in 2015-16.
Rabb, 6’10” and 220 pounds, is a five-star recruit who has been on Arizona’s radar for more than four years. Cal became a leading candidate after the hire of Cuonzo Martin from Tennessee before this season.
“I went back and forth a lot,” Rabb said during his press conference tonight at his mother’s restaurant in Oakland. “It was such a tough decision because Arizona has recruited me since I was in the eighth or ninth grade. I know Sean Miller will support me whatever I decided.
“I feel I made the best decision for myself.”
In Martin’s favor was the ability for Rabb to do for Cal’s program what Tucson hoops legend Sean Elliott did for Lute Olson and Arizona in 1985 — resurrect the hometown program.
Miller countered with the potential to start and play significant minutes for a perennial Pac-12 title contender and NCAA tournament team.
If Rabb is a one-and-done player, and most insiders believe that will be the case, his imprint on Cal’s program won’t be immediate but one in the future for recruits down the road to know that choosing to play for Martin is a good decision.
In Arizona’s case, Rabb could have continued to bolster the Wildcats’ yearly push to the Final Four with more prestigious matchups in both the conference and non-conference schedules with more weekly national exposure than he will experience at Cal.
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I am excited to announce that I will be attending the University of California,Berkeley next year ! #GoBears
— Ivan Rabb (@YoungIvee) April 14, 2015
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In the end, the idea of playing close to home, near where his mother Tami owns the restaurant called Ol’ Yeller, was too enticing.
Arizona’s offseason personnel news is far from over.
— Drexel graduate transfer Damion Lee, who will be immediately eligible next season, takes an official visit to Tucson this weekend. A 6’6″ and 200-pound wing player, Lee is rated the No. 1 transfer of the nation by ESPN.com.
— Arizona junior center Kaleb Tarczewski and freshman wing player Stanley Johnson have yet to officially announce their intentions for next season — return or turn professional.
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— Two other graduate transfers — power forwards Mark Tollefson of San Francisco and Tyler Harris of Providence — are also considering Arizona.
— Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School five-star post player Stephen Zimmerman has not removed Arizona from consideration.
With Rabb out of Arizona’s picture, Miller still has two to four scholarships to fill depending on the decisions of Johnson and Tarczewski.
The most pressing needs are the small forward and power forward positions. Tollefson or Harris can help at the power forward spot — where they could back up Boston College transfer Ryan Anderson — while Lee can be a Godsend on the wing with the potential of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Johnson leaving. Standout freshman wing Ray Smith, who missed this season with Las Vegas High School with a knee injury, is another player who will earn plenty of minutes.
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He has also written articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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