Cal Lands a Much Needed Big in the 2019 Class

D. J. Thorpe‍ becomes the second piece to fall so far in the 2019 class. With the addition of Charles Smith IV‍ and Thorpe look for the Bears to look for a backup point guard next. Cal was competing with Kansas State, TCU and Texas A&M.

Strengths: The 6-8 230-pound center out of Lake Travis in Austin, Texas has the size already for the next level. He will protect the paint and be a plus defender as soon as he steps foot on a college campus. He has a nice touch around the basket, and his basketball I.Q is solid.

Areas of improvement: Thorpe needs to develop a go-to move down low. He also needs to improve on his mid-range game so he can stretch the floor and make the opposing big step out and guard him.

On his first thoughts on Cal and what he will bring to the team next year: "I was very impressed after my visit, and I believe I'm going to bring in a mindset that's obsessed with getting better."

On what his strengths are and what he needs to work on to be ready for the next level: "I think I've got a game that's hard to guard, and I move well so I can guard multiple positions. I've been working on my ball handling and my shot and a lot of other things to try and prepare for the next level."

On his relationship with the staff and if they kept in contact throughout the whole time: "I've got a great relationship with the staff, and they've stayed zoned in on me since this past AAU season."