BERKELEY – California men's basketball First Team All-Pac-12 guard Tyrone Wallace has announced he will return for his final season of collegiate eligibility with the Golden Bears in 2015-16.
“There has been a lot of thought that has gone into this process,” Wallace said. “I talked with my family, my coaches, my teammates and I feel this is the best decision for me. I have an opportunity to finish what I started, earn my college degree, and help the team. Earning my degree from the University of California is important to me. I believe in what Coach Martin is building here. I’m excited to be a part of it.”
“I’m happy for our guys,” California head men’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin said. “In order to be a great team, you have to have great players. You have to have guys that want to be a part of your family. This is probably the closest group of guys I have ever been around when it comes to a team. I’m happy for Tyrone, our program and our Cal fan base.”
The Golden Bear completed his junior season as the only individual in the Pac-12 Conference to rank in the top five in points (4th, 17.1 ppg.), rebounds (5th, 7.1) and assists (5th, 4.0). He returns as the league’s active scoring leader and assist leader in 2015-16 with 1,196 career points and 313 career assists through his first three seasons. The career point total ranks 25th on the Bears’ all-time scoring list.
The guard also enters his senior season fourth among active players in the Pac-12 in career rebounds with 526.
Wallace heads into the 2015-16 season as one of the nation’s top guards after being named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award during his junior season.
The point guard was also named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the United States Basketball Writers Association All-District team.
He has started 90 career games, including the last 58 contests dating back to his sophomore season. Wallace has recorded 16 career 20-point games, including 11 this past season. Wallace scored a career-best 29 points, including 23 in the second half, to lead Cal to the victory at Nevada as a junior.
Wallace’s 564 points during the 2014-15 season ranked 14th on Cal’s single-season scoring list. He led the Bears in points (17.1 ppg.), rebounds (235, 7.1 rpg.), assists (131, 4.0 apg.), steals (42, 1.3 spg.) and minutes (1,148, 34.8 mpg.) this past season.
A two-time Pac-12 Player of the Week award winner during the 2014-15 season and the recipient of the Lute Olson National Player of the Week Award on Dec. 8, Wallace was named a First Team All-American in ESPN analyst Jeff Goodman’s mid-season awards list as a junior. He posted three 20-point performances in one half this past season. The guard registered a 21-point (out of 26 in the game) first half at Washington State. Wallace scored 23 of his career-best 29 points in the final period in a comeback win at Nevada and posted 20 of his team-high 23 points in the second half in the win over Princeton. Wallace also posted 17 of his game-high 26 points at No. 11 Utah in the first half,
He single-handedly won the game for Cal against USC at home on Feb. 5. The Golden Bear hit the game-winning three-point shot as the buzzer sounded to give the Bears the 70-69 victory.
Wallace has posted seven career double-doubles, including five this past season. He recorded a career-high 15 rebounds to go along with 22 points in a victory over Montana earlier this past year. The guard scored 16 or more points in 23 of Cal’s 33 games this past season.
With Wallace coming back for his senior year, the Golden Bears now return four of their top five scorers, two of their top three rebounders and their top four assist leaders from the 2014-15 season. Cal returns three starters from this past season overall in Wallace and rising junior guards Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews. The 2015-16 Golden Bears begin their second season under Martin in a newly renovated Walter A. Haas Jr. Pavilion, where construction is underway to enhance the fan experience, including a brand new center-hung video board, upgraded sound and lighting systems, and modernized video production facilities. The project is made possible thanks to a generous $10 million gift from the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund.
