By Morris Phillips

AP photo Cal Bears Ivan Rabb

BERKELEY–Ivan Rabb is Cal’s big-time recruit with the potential of an All-American. But he doesn’t necessarily fit the profile upon first appearance.

The babyfaced Rabb isn’t physically imposing even at 6’11”, and he may be Cal’s B.M.O.C. but it’s not because the reserved freshman draws attention to himself.

Except when he spots a live ball near the rim. Just ask Coach Jeff Lebo and East Carolina.

Or, for that matter, ask Rabb’s own coach, Cuonzo Martin.

“I thought he played really well,” Martin said after Cal’s 70-62 win over ECU. “Again, watching him play I can tell he had a good game without looking at the stats sheet. I can tell he played well. He did a really good job of playing assertive, playing aggressive and then now the biggest key is keeping him out of foul trouble.”

Were it not for foul trouble, Rabb would have surely improved on his 14 points, 13 rebounds and five block shots. But on a night when Rabb and his teammates shot an uncharacteristic 42 percent from the floor, and the Pirates refused to go away, the Oakland native did more than enough to put his team in the win column.

Rabb was on the floor for 19 of the first 20 minutes of the game as the Bears established a five-point lead at halftime. His three blocked shots had the Pirates thinking, referenced by their chilly, 29 percent shooting in the opening half. When ECU made a run late in the game, Rabb was back on the floor grabbing rebounds and hitting a couple of critical free throws.

And throughout, when the ball was on the rim, Rabb was active. In the first half, Rabb followed a pair of made free throws with a blocked shot as ECU’s Kentrell Barkley attempted to cruise in for a layup. Then at the other end, Rabb followed Jabari Bird’s missed shot with a long-armed tip-in and a 15-11 Cal lead.

Cal and Rabb can thank their superiority on the glass for Friday’s win. Although Cal led throughout, their poor shooting allowed them to lead just 64-61 with 2:14 remaining. Given that, the Bears’ 45-26 advantage on the boards was crucial. The Pirates couldn’t make enough timely shots, and they surely couldn’t rely on offensive rebounding and second-chance points.

“They got a lot of them in the second half,” Lebo said of the rebounding disparity. “I thought Rabb got a few put backs around the basket. You know they’re not a great offensive rebounding team off the first two games, but they shot over 50 percent in those games so there wasn’t a lot of offensive rebounds to be had.”

With Jordan Mathews and Jabari Bird struggling with their shots, Tyrone Wallace carried the Bears offensively with 20 points. Just as importantly, Wallace offered a nice counterpoint to the Pirates’ zone defense that forced the Bears to launch more jump shots than they would prefer. Against the zone, Wallace was more than willing to pass the ball and get it back later in the possession when he hit a couple of open threes, or drove to the hoop aggressively.

Brown and Bird didn’t have their best nights, but they were productive as Brown came up with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Bird added 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Brown, the highly regarded freshman, looked close to breaking through as the form on his jump shot was flawless but still missed all five of his attempts from distance.

The Pirates—in their first ever basketball game in the state of California– were led by Michael Zangari and Caleb White with 17 points apiece.

The Bears resume their early-season homestand on Monday when the Sam Houston State Bearkats visit Haas Pavilion for an 8pm tipoff.