Cal basketball recruiting: Olivier Sarr has top four of Cal, UCF, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest

Cal basketball still doesn’t have a big man in this class, a situation I’m sure the Bears would like to change. With Ivan Rabb likely out of here after this season and Marcus Lee, Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks all with a year of eligibility remaining, Cal needs to think hard about who he wants his big men of the future to be.

One of the brightest possibilities comes from France. Olivier Sarr has played for the French u17 team, and has such freakish potential athletically. He has long arms, is mobile as a 6’11 player, and can protect the rim while also rebounding. He has a lot to work on offensively, but once he fixes that up, the sky could be the limit!

More from Evan Daniels of Scout from last year’s FIBA u17 championships.

Sarr is impressive physically, as he has lengthy arms, to go with good mobility and athleticism. He's quick off his feet, will contest shots and rebounds his area. He didn't get many opportunities on offense, and appeared a tad raw on that that end, but he did flash a good set of mitts.

Sarr visited Cal earlier. Here’s what he had to say about the trip to Evan Daniels of Scout.

"That was an interesting visit," Sarr told Scout. "Berkeley is known by its academic level all around the world . It's a good place to live, people are open and kind. Beautiful campus, and I appreciate to be able to talk with the coaching staff and the team."

...

"That was my first visit and it was interesting to discover an American college campus," he added. "That was also the first time I had watched a NFL Super Bowl game and that was a really good moment."

Sarr also said he enjoyed spending time with California coach Cuonzo Martin.

"He is a good coach and a good person too," Sarr said.

He now has plans to visit the following schools before making his decision.

• Wake Forest, which ran from last Friday to this Saturday.
• UCF, which runs from this Monday to this Tuesday.
• Vanderbilt, which will wrap up this week.

A decision is expected soon thereafter.