Tyrone Wallace is one of the guards that the California Golden Bears really wanted to get from this class. And today they received his official verbal to Mike Montgomery and Cal hoops, Josh Gershon of Scout reports. Wallace ended up picking Cal over Colorado, mentioning the proximity to home and Monty's experience in the NBA as the main reason he went with the Bears.
Wallace is from Bakersfield and played at Bakersfield High, and is ranked as the 78th top prospect in the country by Rivals, and the 27th best point guard by ESPN, so he should hopefully be able to emerge as a crucial bridge to the next era of Cal basketball.
Dominic Artis is the point guard that Cal fans had their eyes on early on, but after his commitment to Oregon, Wallace is probably the best available choice for the Golden Bears. Wallace provides more athleticism and strength at the guard spot and is a more versatile player who can play and plug into multiple positions. Wallace should slide in once Jorge Gutierrez departs into a combo guard position, whether as a backup or a starter, and could compete at either the one or the two spots for playing time as a freshman in 2012.
For more on Cal basketball recruiting, hit up California Golden Blogs.