Cal Basketball Recruiting: Bears target 2018 PF K.J. Hymes

While the Bears continue to look for talent to add to the 2017 recruiting class, Cuonzo Martin and the rest of the coaching staff are hard at work in the hopes of putting together a top-notch 2018 recruiting class.

The need to add post-players to the roster has been discussed at length lately and 4-star Rivals top 100 power forward K.J. Hymes could go a long way to helping solve that issue for the Bears.

Hymes has a unique skill-set that could help take Cal’s offense to the next level. Usually when a power forward is said to have the ability to “stretch the floor” it means that they can hit mid-range jumpers. Well, Hymes can certainly do that, but he can knock down three-pointers, too. While he is comfortable shooting from all over the floor, he is also willing to get into the paint and do the dirty work. He impacts shots on the defensive end with his length, while also competing hard on the offensive glass.

Hymes can flat out play basketball, AND HE CAN PASS!!!!

The Phoenix, Arizona, product is, predictably, drawing interest from a host of good programs including Arizona State, Cal, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Memphis, Oklahoma, St. John’s, Virginia, and Washington.

A recent article from Rivals included Hymes talking about some of the programs on his offer list. Here is what he had to say about the programs that he is hearing from quite frequently.

Arizona State: “They are talking to me a lot. He’s doing a pretty good job. He’s still playing with Herb Sendek’s team, but once they get their players in, they are going to do a lot of damage.”

California: “I think they are young, but they have a bright future. I like what they do there. I just think once they get more experience they are going to win a lot of games.”

Clemson: “I thought it was really nice. It’s a really nice college town. It was a really fun place to be. Their new arena is super nice.”

Georgia Tech: “I talk to Coach (Josh) Pastner himself. He just hits me up every now and then to talk to me and see how I’m doing. He talks about my family and it’s just a comfortable conversation.”

USC: “I like them. They are doing pretty well right now. Once they get Bennie Boatwright back, I think they’ll get back to where they were when they were undefeated. They are really good.

Virginia: “I like them a lot. They are straight-up guys. They have a really good program there. Virginia is just a good place.”

The competition is stiff for Hymes’ services and it is easy to see why when you watch his array of offensive talent on display in his highlight videos.

Hymes would be a great addition to the 2018 recruiting class as he would fill a need in the front-court while bringing a dimension to the Cal offense that could help bring it up a notch.

Bears fans, what do you think about Hynes?

Sound off in the comments!