Two weeks ago, the Cal women’s hoops program went on a historic run, securing commitments from three 5 star 2020 post/forwards -all 6’3” and above.
The Bear Insider was there to chronicle how it came together and to introduce Cal fans to the future Bears on today’s podcast (recorded soon after the last of the three commitments).
Texas post Fatou Samb was the first public commitment and the 6-3 senior took a bit of a leap of faith in deciding on the Bears.
“My commitment that week was extremely tough,” said Samb. “It was after I already had taken my three visits and talked to the other coaching staffs. Once I’d taken those visits, I think it kind of came from within myself. I felt like all the coaching staffs -especially Cal- were very much about making the choice at the right time and taking my time. Basketball season was approaching and I had a lot of doubts and was overthinking. I look for signs and sometimes everything for me is a sign. But once I got on the phone with Coach Charmin and the rest of the coaching staff, it all went away. And from those conversations, I just knew that it was a place where I’d want to be at. And with the visit, I just really felt secure and the school is top-notch. And the team is just the best. They’re so cool and good friends and so welcoming. They’re really a good group of girls. And now I’m really excited for Michelle and Lay (Daniels) that they’re coming, too.”
Eastvale, CA forward Michelle Onyiah was in a similar position to Samb, as she was actually the first commit of the three and had yet to publicly announce prior to Samb’s announcement for the Bears.
“When I committed to Cal on my visit, I was really nervous,” said Onyiah. “I didn’t know who else was coming with me. Cal said there were four other people they wanted to get. So I went looking around on my social media a little, bit seeing who had offers to Cal and I saw Lay Lay and thought it would be really cool to play with her. Then after Fatou committed, I was like, ‘Okay, that’s good. Another player I know.’ And when I was putting together my commitment video, everyone at school and everywhere kept asking me where I was going to go. They knew I had my top four schools with USC, Louisville, Arizona and Cal and everyone wanted me to go to USC (the hometown program). But after I committed, I had a lot less pressure on myself. And after Fatou and Lay Lay committed, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s three really solid committed players going to Cal. This is actually awesome!’ I was so excited, like, ‘Look at my teammates! I’m excited! Let’s go! We’re gonna be good next year.’”
6-4 forward Dalayah Daniels was the last of the three to commit and had the benefit of knowing she’d be joining a special class. She had taken her official visit earlier with Samb, with neither knowing they’d be future teammates.
“After Michelle committed, she said, ‘I committed. You should be a Bear,’” said Daniels. “I hadn’t taken all my visits so I was kind of overwhelmed. But I was so excited when I found out we had two other really good players coming in. It’s always good to play with with other players who can really do a lot (with a fourth addition since the subsequent commitment of Greek point guard Ornella Muca). And it’s nice to know that you’ll be playing with people playing for the same goals as you. So I was really excited when they both committed.”
To hear more from the future Bears, tune into the Bear Insider podcast linked below:
Other stories:
5 Star Cal Sparks Forward Michelle Onyiah Talks About Commitment to Cal
5 Star Post Fatou Samb Becomes First Building Block in Talented 2020 Cal Class
Daniels Ready For the Challenge at Cal
