Connor Vanover Officially Leaves Cal For Arkansas

It’s been somewhat known for at least a few days now, but freshman center announced Wednesday morning via Twitter he would not be returning for his second season at Cal. Less than an hour later, Vanover announced his intentions to return to his home state and suit up for the Arkansas Razorbacks and new coach Eric Musselman. Vanover averaged 7.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game during his freshman season in Berkeley.

Vanover, originally from Little Rock, scheduled two visits during the first week of May — first to Vanderbilt and then to Arkansas. Ranked No. 355 in 247 Sport’s composite ranking and No. 337 in the overall 247 Sport’s ranking, Vanover originally committed to Memphis, but de-committed when coach Tubby Smith was fired. At the time he committed to Cal, Vanover held offers from Mississippi, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and a slew of Midwestern mid-major schools.

 Vanover started slowly last year, but after sitting out a few games with a head injury, he finished on a hot streak and averaged more than 17 points over the final three regular season games. Vanover won over many Cal fans as he pretty much single-handedly lifted the Bears to a season-finale win at Stanford. In that game, Vanover shot 75% from the field and scored 24 points while grabbing five rebounds and recording six blocks.

Mark Fox officially has four open scholarships going into next season. One recent offer went out this morning to Dimitrios Klonaras, a 6-foot-6 wing from Greece. Other than that, there isn’t much cooking for 2019 recruits at the moment.