Taking the Road Already Travelled

Another son has been born into the Cal basketball family, and the transition shouldn't be too difficult.

Tashaan Forehan-Kelly, the younger brother of Cal wing Ryan Forehan-Kelly, has been admitted to Cal and plans to walk on to the men's basketball team next fall.

The elder Forehan-Kelly came to Cal in much the same fashion, walking on his freshman year and winning a scholarship after contributing significantly his sophomore year.

"I want to come up there and work on getting a scholarship and hopefully start by the time I graduate, the way my brother did," Tashaan Forehan-Kelly said.

There are no guarantees for the 6-foot-3, 170-pound combo guard, who found out he was admitted two weeks ago. He has to try out with the rest of potential walk-ons next year.

But Forehan-Kelly has spoken with the coaching staff and spent time with the team, even playing pick-up with some Cal players in the Recreational Sports Facility last summer.

He also starred for Woodbridge High School as a junior and senior, making the All-Sea View League team each season.

A deadly shooter, Forehan-Kelly averaged 13.3 points per game, four rebounds, four steals and shot better than 50 percent from the floor as a senior at Woodbridge. He has attracted attention from Utah State and St. Mary's.

"His strength is shooting the basketball," said John Halagan, the head coach at Woodbridge. "(But) sometimes when a guy gets a reputation as a shooter, people tend to overlook other things. Tashaan's become more of a slasher and a better on-ball defender and he's not afraid to go inside and rebound. Those are skills he'll need to develop if he wants to play in the Pac-10."

Forehan-Kelly's game resembles his older brother's to a point. He has a similar, if slighter, build than the Cal wing. They both are good defenders and good outside shooters. But there are differences.

"He's more of an off-guard than me," Ryan Forehan-Kelly said. "He's more likely to handle the ball more. He shoots the ball real well, better than me."

That's good news for the Bears, who shot 35 percent from three-point range. And Ryan Forehan-Kelly was their top outside threat, hitting 41.8 percent of perimeter shots.

The brothers have never played together in an organized league, but they played together plenty growing up.

"They really play well together," said mother Lissa Forehan. "They've played together since they were tiny. They complement one another when they play. It's almost like any brothers-they know where one another is without needing to look."

It may be a little while before they get on the court together, though. Cal coach Ben Braun signed a top-10 recruiting class with blue-chippers Julian Sensley and Jamal Sampson this year and only lost Sean Lampley and Nick Vander Laan. In addition, freshman walk-on A.J. Diggs developed into Shantay Legans' primary backup at point guard and would probably be the next walk-on in line if a scholarship opens up.

And first, Forehan-Kelly has to make the team, which is a likely but not foregone conclusion.

"He's tough enough and he has the talent," Ryan Forehan-Kelly said. "Hopefully he can show that."

Tags: