Cal sophomore power forward Ivan Rabb was named to the AP’s preseason All-American team. He is joined on the team by Duke’s Grayson Allen — the only player to receive more votes than Rabb — Villanova’s Josh Hart, Oregon’s Dillon Brooks and Iowa State’s Monte Morris.

Rabb, who was a highly touted recruit before coming to Cal last season, is expected to take on a much bigger role for the Bears this season after the departures of Jaylen Brown, Jordan Mathews and Tyrone Wallace. Even last year, Rabb was able to put up 12.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game on a Cal squad full of other offensive options. Rabb’s work was done efficiently, as he ranked second in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage, making 61.5 percent of his shots.

He added in some impressive work protecting the rim for such a lanky and young player, and his 1.2 blocks per game aren’t fully reflective of his shot-altering impact.

The only other Bear to ever receive this preseason honor was future NBA legend Jason Kidd. Rabb is the only underclassman on this year’s team, but he received the third-most votes of any player named to the team in the last two seasons, behind Allen and North Carolina’s Marcus Paige last year.

Rabb will be in action for the Bears for the first time Thursday in an exhibition game against Division II power Cal Baptist, and the team’s first official game is next Friday versus South Dakota State.