By Christian Caple

The News Tribune

BERKELEY, Calif. — Their declaration for the NBA draft became a foregone conclusion by the time last season ended, so there was little shock when star Washington Huskies freshmen Dejounte Murray and Marquese Chriss chose to leave UW after just one year.

Both used the 2015-16 season as a launching pad toward their NBA careers, developing into first-round picks despite UW’s failure to make the NCAA tournament. Their ascension was ahead of schedule; both were four-star high-school recruits with bright futures and widely acknowledged potential, but they didn’t fall in the same no-doubt-about-it-one-and-done category as, say, current UW freshman Markelle Fultz.

Or current California sophomore Ivan Rabb, a 6-foot-11 forward from Oakland who made the surprising decision to return for another season rather than enter the NBA draft despite projections suggesting he might be a lottery pick.

Rabb is the biggest reason why Cal again looks like a team with postseason potential. The Huskies visit the Golden Bears at 6 p.m. Thursday for their first Pac-12 road trip of the season, and they do it with one outstanding freshman (Fultz), a roster full of sophomores and a mediocre record that includes a few embarrassing defeats.

For that reason, it might be tempting for UW fans to daydream about what this roster would look like with Murray and forward Chriss, who now play for the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns, respectively. Before both players impressed scouts with raw talent last season, the Huskies likely figured they would also be on this year’s team to play with Fultz, a legitimate superstar who might be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.

In Berkeley, they don’t have to daydream. Sure, Cal lost bruising forward Jaylen Brown, a one-and-done prospect chosen No. 3 overall by the Boston Celtics. But most assumed they would lose Rabb, too, and his decision to stay has bolstered a Bears frontcourt that also includes 7-footers Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks.

Rabb, Cal’s leading scorer (15.4 points per game) and the Pac-12’s leading rebounder (10.8), told Sports Illustrated in June that he stayed because “at the end of the day, the NBA isn’t going anywhere. If I’m the guy I’m supposed to be, I should be there next year, as well.”

UW coach Lorenzo Romar says Rabb’s decision has been beneficial for player and the program.

“Obviously, it’s helped Cal,” Romar said. “It would be a different team if he weren’t there. But it’s helped Ivan. When you look at him play out there … he’s just a different player than he was last year. He will go into the NBA — if he decides to leave after this year — much more prepared to help a team and handle the NBA now.”