Pac-12 Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
25. Ivan Rabb
A Top 5 prospect from the Class of 2015, Rabb chose Cuonzo Martin and California, giving Martin quite the boost for his first recruiting class with the Golden Bears. Rabb was clearly an elite recruit and played a substantial role during his two seasons in the Pac-12, leading California to heights they haven’t matched since.
In that highly-anticipated freshman season, he averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, helping guide the Golden Bears on a 23-win season to earn a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, Cal was upset and hasn’t returned to the Big Dance since, though Rabb’s sophomore year was pretty good. He’d have some nice performances, including a 17-point, 20-rebound affair at UCLA, leading the Golden Bears to 21 wins and a 5th-place conference finish. That year saw him average 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds each game.
A marvelous young talent, Rabb was one of the Pac-12’s best rebounders during his brief career, earning Second Team All-Pac-12 honors as a freshman and the First Team nod as a sophomore. He was a massive part of the frontcourt in the program’s only two great seasons from the last decade and did average a double-double as a sophomore. He’d be selected early in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft.