Tahoma High hoops standout Christian Behrens verbally committed to play basketball at the University of California on Monday.

“It just felt like it was the right place for me,” Behrens said during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. “I couldn’t pass it up. It was the greatest opportunity for me.”

What appealed to Behrens — who received offers from Portland State, Seattle University and Eastern Washington University as well as being courted by Washington — was the fact Cal has strong academic programs. He said he can count on getting a good education as well as having the opportunity to play in a program he felt could help him grow as a player.

Behrens, a 6-foot-8 inch forward who led Tahoma while averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds per game, explained that he hit it off with Cal head coach Mike Montgomery.

Currently Cal is in fourth place in the Pac 10 and Behrens said he wants to learn from Montgomery, because “a lot of great teams and great players have played for him… so I want to be a part of that.”

During his visit to Cal, Behrens said, he learned about every aspect of the mens basketball program, all the amenities from the weight room to the locker room to the court to housing.

“The way they treat players is great and I feel like they could help me a lot,” he said. “They had a lot of help and support. There’s a lot of things that really drew me to the school.”