BERKELEY – Men's basketball head coach Wyking Jones hauled in a talented trio during the early signing period, with Joel Brown, Charles Smith IV and D.J. Thorpe each signing a National Letter of Intent to join the program.
 
"I am so very excited to be welcoming Charles, Joel and D.J. to our Cal family. They are three wonderful young men that share the core values of the culture that we are building here," Jones said. "Their parents deserve all of the credit for raising these high-character young men who value education as much as they do basketball."
 
The Golden Bears welcome another international to their roster with Brown's addition. The point guard out of Ontario, Canada won a silver medal with the Canadian U-18 squad at the FIBA Americas Championship this summer. He averaged 7.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds to help Canada reach the gold-medal game against the United States.
 
"Joel is one of the fastest players with the ball in America. His ability to get by his defender and get in the lane along with his tremendous vision and body control make him a threat," Jones said. "His unselfishness and ability to deliver passes will make him a favorite amongst his teammates."
 
Brown, who attends Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, is rated a three-star recruit by both ESPN and Rivals. He is listed as the 93^rd overall player in his class by 247Sports.
 
Nicknamed "C4" for his explosiveness, Smith is a four-star prospect and the No. 31 wing in the country according to ESPN. Rivals and 247Sports rate him at three stars. At this summer's Pangos All-American Camp, he was a consensus top 50 performer who led all prospects in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 63.6 percent (7-11).
 
"Charles is an elite-level athlete who has tremendous range from anywhere on the court. He's an extremely hard worker, and I'm looking forward to him showcasing highlight-reel plays that will bring our fans in Haas to their feet," Jones said.
 
Smith's signing continues a Golden Bear pipeline out of Wheeler High School in Georgia, where Golden Bear Greats Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jaylen Brown both attended. Smith's Berkeley ties also include familiarity with fellow Houston, Texas products and current Bears Darius McNeill and Jacobi Gordon. The trio played for Chris Walkers AAU Houston Hoops team.
 
The Bears add a much-needed big man in fellow Texas product D.J. Thorpe, who joins the signing class out of Lake Travis High School, just outside of Austin, Texas. As a freshman, he averaged just five points and 16 minutes, and steadily upped his contributions to 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 22 minutes per game. As a junior, he logged averages of 13.5 points and 9.5 rebounds to help Lake Travis reach its first-ever Class 6A regional final.
 
"DJ already has impressive size and a college frame today. His high basketball IQ, toughness and willingness to mix it up excites our staff," Jones said. "His back to the basket skillset along with the ability to step out and shoot makes him a weapon."
 
He's a consensus three-star recruit according to ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports, and has continued to develop as a power forward and center.  Thorpe is also the son of former NBA star Otis Thorpe, who won a championship with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and was an NBA All-Star in 1992.
 
 "These three young men join a nucleus of returners that we should all be very excited about. The future of Cal basketball is bright," Jones said.
 
 California continues its season this week in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the GotPrint.com Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper. The Bears open the week against St. John's on Nov. 19, followed by either VCU or Temple.