California Golden Bears Commit Ivan Rabb Will Be 2016 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year

Senior Ivan Rabb, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound McDonald’s All-American power forward out of Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), was rumored to be in a possible package deal with talented big man Caleb Swanigan and wing Jaylen Brown heading out of state, but the PF decided to stay home instead.

Rabb was once a prospective recruit for the Arizona Wildcats, but he ended up shunning head coach Sean Miller and committing to the California Golden Bears. Rabb may not be a national name just yet; however, the forward is my pick to be the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2016.

He will lead the Golden Bears to a resurgent season full of highlight-reel plays and signature wins. Rabb is talented enough to even be considered for Player of the Year in the conference, but he might have trouble matching the statistical production of some other Pac-12 players. He will be a difference-maker at Cal though, and then he will likely get drafted into the NBA during the summer of 2016. Don’t get things twisted, because this was a huge get for the Bears.

“Rabb is the one that is most important to them because he’s local. He’s the one that they had to get,” recruiting analyst Eric Bossi told USA TODAY High School Sports. “The other guys are really gravy. If they add Ivan, that’s a pretty good first haul for [head coach] Cuonzo Martin.”

The conference has largely been dominated by the Wildcats as of late. They have set the gold standard when it comes to both recruiting and wins. This rectified one of those areas for the Golden Bears, and we will have to see if they can translate Rabb’s commitment into more wins. California residents were pleased to see the power forward stay in state, but they would appreciate it even more if he leads them to a Pac-12 title.

That might be a heavy burden for a freshman player to bear, though didn’t we just witness a team of mostly freshman seize the NCAA championship? College ball is in a strange place currently, and the teams willing to take advantage of elite freshman talent, like the Kentucky Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils and possibly Golden Bears, will be rewarded with cutting down many nets.

Dave Daniels is a Prep Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.