Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The California Golden Bears will be losing their best player for the 2013-14 college basketball season, but there will still be plenty of talent left on the team, along with a good recruiting class that is highlighted by Jabari Bird.
Bird is rated as the No. 23 recruit in the nation, according to ESPN. Being ranked that high, Bird should get a lot of playing time right off the bat and he has the talent to make an immediate impact. Until that actually happens, though, we can only speculate how Bird will do.
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Along with Bird, four 3-stars will be joining the team. Bird is the only recruit ranked in ESPN’s top 100 freshmen, but that does not mean that he will be the only freshmen that makes an impact.
The Golden Bears will be getting back one of their best players in Justin Cobbs. Cobbs put up 15.1 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game and 4.8 assists per game this past season. He was the second highest scorer on the team, and should take over as the go-to guy and leading scorer.
As good as the recruiting class may be, it will be very hard to replace Allen Crabbe. Crabbe put up 18.4 points per game on average and his offensive production will be very hard to replace.
California is coming off of a NCAA tournament appearance, where it made the round of 32. Who knows how the Golden Bears will fair in the upcoming season, but if the recruiting class can make a big impact, Cal should be just fine.
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