Cal’s 2022-23 men’s basketball roster is now set.
Junior transfer guard Devin Askew had his eligibility waiver approved by the NCAA on Thursday, so he will be available to play with the Bears this season.
A native of Sacramento, Askew was a consensus four-star prospect out of high school and signed with Kentucky. After one season with the Wildcats, he transferred to Texas, and he entered the transfer portal again after this past season.
Because he already had transferred once, Askew needed a waiver from the NCAA in order to be immediately eligible at Cal after changing schools a second time.
“We’re excited with the news that Devin will be able to play this season,” Cal coach Mark Fox said in a statement. “He had a great approach as he waited for the approval and he can now continue to focus on the season ahead. We’re appreciative of the support from the University of Texas in this process, as well.”
The 6-foot-3, 198-pounder gives Fox a range of options at point guard, where senior transfer DeJuan Clayton and returning senior Joel Brown also are available. All three figure in the Bears’ plans and it won’t be surprising if two of them wind up in the starting lineup together.
Askew, who doesn’t turn 20 until later this month, started 20 games at Kentucky as a freshman and averaged 6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and a team-best 2.9 assists while playing just under 29 minutes per game.
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Gary McKnight, who coached Askew at Mater Dei High School in southern California, called him an “explosive” player with great ability to attack the basket.
In an interview I did with him in May, McKnight said he expects Askew to be a good fit for the Bears.
“He wants to play. I think that’s the most important thing,” McKnight said. “The more he’s on the court the better he’ll do. I don’t think he got enough minutes at Texas to show what he can do.
“He needs to have some freedom to shoot the ball and be a playmaker. He’ll have a chance to do both at Cal.”
Askew and Clayton, who spent five seasons as a scoring point guard at Coppin State, are joined in Cal’s class of newcomers by freshman forwards ND Okafor of Dundalk, Ireland, and Grant Newell of Chicago.
Cover photo of Devin Askew by CK Hicks, Cal Athletics
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo