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Cal Basketball

Bears Make Another Portal Addition in Minnesota SF Josh Ola-Joseph

April 20, 2024
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The Bears made their second 2024 addition of the day this evening, adding athletic 6-7/205 small forward Josh Ola-Joseph, who joins Cal with two years of eligibility after starting 43 games for Minnesota in his freshman and sophomore seasons after signing as a high 3 star from Compass Prep in Arizona.

“The way the coaches welcomed me and the plans they have for the future really attracted me,” Ola-Joseph said of his commitment to Cal. “I really feel like they can help me take my game to the next level. I also like the home environment and the closeness of the coaching staff, too.”

While the high 3 star portal addition played a bit more 4 than 3, he sees his future more at the small forward position.

“I think I can do a little bit of everything,” Ola-Joseph noted. “I’m very consistent in the paint, downhill, driving, athleticism and can shoot the ball at a higher volume. I’m a bit of a tweener but I think my future is at small forward.”

The Bears’ latest addition averaged 7.5 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting an impressive 60% from the field as a soph and 40% from 3, averaging 15.7 minutes per game.

The Academic All-Big Ten Ola-Joseph becomes the fifth portal addition and sixth overall addition to the 2024 class including JC All-American wing Jeff Nwanko, Vandy transfer center Lee Dort‍, North Dakota forward B.J. Omot‍ and Western Carolina PG DJ Campbell.

Related:

Bears Add Third Portal Commitment to 2024 Class in Forward B.J. Omot

Bears Add JC All-American Wing Jeff Nwankwo

Discussion from...

Bears Make Another Portal Addition in Minnesota SF Josh Ola-Joseph

7,452 Views | 6 Replies | Last: 6 mo ago by calbearinamaze
AZ Bear
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Love it!

Way to go, Coach!

Welcome to Cal, Josh!
stu
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Don't call him OJ.

Academic All Big 10.

sosheezy
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Show him some love!


Also nice ups!
smokeyrover
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https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/5105822/joshua-ola-joseph

Kind of a mysterious season. Ola-Joseph averaged like 20 mpg through the end of January, then 6mpg the rest of the way.

He averaged 13 ppg and shot over 50% in 9 straight games from early December into Big 10 play. He shot under 50% fg only 3 games all season.

BerkeleyBAT
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smokeyrover said:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/5105822/joshua-ola-joseph

Kind of a mysterious season. Ola-Joseph averaged like 20 mpg through the end of January, then 6mpg the rest of the way.

He averaged 13 ppg and shot over 50% in 9 straight games from early December into Big 10 play. He shot under 50% fg only 3 games all season.


I believe I read he was in concussion protocol and then came back and struggled to get going again.
calbearinamaze
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smokeyrover said:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/5105822/joshua-ola-joseph

Kind of a mysterious season. Ola-Joseph averaged like 20 mpg through the end of January, then 6mpg the rest of the way.

He averaged 13 ppg and shot over 50% in 9 straight games from early December into Big 10 play. He shot under 50% fg only 3 games all season.


I follow the Gophers a bit. The coach...Ben Johnson....had no prior head coaching experience.
They did go 19-15 last season (after winning only 9 games the year before), but were fading fast near the end.

GO BEARS!!!

Gophers' Braeden Carrington back from concussion, but Joshua Ola-Joseph out at Northwestern (startribune.com)


"You only have so many minutes," Johnson said. "And Parker [Fox] has been playing really well. It's hard when Parker and Dawson [Garcia] at the 4 spot are playing well. We kind of looked at him as playing that four, so when those guys are rolling you've got to decide as a coach what you want to do."


NOTE:
Johnson was considering Ola-Joseph as a 4. He had turned the 3 over to freshman Cam Christie....who's really good. Christie repaid Johnson by entering the portal at the last second.
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