:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46720306/usa-today-8423798.0.jpg)
Oklahoma City (Ok.) Putnam City West shooting guard Tyson Jolly is no longer a part of California's stellar 2015 recruiting class, with Davon Dillard being the other. Cal did add Los Angeles (Ca.) Windward forward Roman Davis to the class, though, so it's not all bad news.
The departure thins out the 2015 class a bit, but it gives the Bears a decent start to the 2016 class as Jolly plans on joining the Bears for the 2016 season after spending one year in prep school, according to Lindsay Brauner of Rivals.
Have just heard from Tyson Jolly that he still plans to attend Cal, in 2016. More here on his plans @calrivals http://t.co/es3h5aPILc
— Lindsay Brauner (@lindzcatharine) July 9, 2015
Jolly brings top 100 talent to the 2016 class which already features Hayward (Ca.) Moreau Catholic wing Oscar Frayer. While it would have been nice to add Jolly to the team's crop of talented wing players for this upcoming season, the Bears have more than enough firepower to overcome this loss.
Freshman Jaylen Brown, a projected top three pick for the 2016 NBA Draft, Juniors Jordan Matthews, Jabari Bird and Stephen Domingo will take the majority of available minutes on the wings this season. Star point guard Tyrone Wallace could occasionally see some minutes off-the-ball on the wing, giving the Bears quite a group to choose from.
We have seen recruits pull out of commitments before, but Jolly seems as solid as it gets. His Twitter profile is filled with tweets about his excitement at joining the Bears. He is a tough, hard-nosed defensive player with plenty of offensive upside. He even overcame life-threatening blood clots before exploding onto the national recruiting scene last season. He fits the mold of a prototype Cuonzo Martin player. We will have to wait a bit longer to see him on the court, but it is going to be fun to watch him develop his game.
Check out highlights of Tyson Jolly at last season's Tarkanian Classic, including a phenomenal performance against national powerhouse Las Vegas (Nv.) Bishop Gorman.