With nine newcomers on this year's Cal Men's Basketball roster, there are plenty of fresh faces to get to know among the Golden Bears. Each week leading up to Pac-12 play, the Fast Break is bringing five key facts about a Cal newcomer to CalBears.com. First up in the series is Boise State transfer Austin Paris, a redshirt junior guard from nearby Oakland, Calif.

1. He's a Local Boy

Austin is from Oakland, Calif.and played high school basketball alongside his best friend and former Cal standout Ivan Rabb at Bishop O'Dowd. During his senior season at Bishop O'Dowd, Austin and Rabb led the Dragons to a state championship win against Mater Dei High School at Haas Pavilion in thrilling overtime fashion. Following a productive high school career, Austin enrolled at Boise State, where he played his freshman and sophomore seasons before transferring to Cal.
 
"Oakland has not only shaped me as a basketball player but as an individual," Austin said. "There is a certain toughness that comes in Oakland and it just builds in you and it builds character. In Oakland, you build perseverance, you build toughness and you develop that hard work."
 

2. Chef Paris with the Sauce

His nickname is "Chef Boy," which came about during his middle school days when he created his Instagram account. The nickname stuck and Austin said he's "been rocking with it since."
 

3. Trail Blazer Ties

Fellow Oakland native and NBA All-Star Damian Lillard has been a mentor for Austin and the two talk through text on a regular basis. Their families also know each other and he was often able to see Lillard play during his high school days in Oakland.
 

4. Family First

Austin's proudest basketball moment to date? Earning a college scholarship.
 
"For me, being the first one in my family to go to college, it was really big," he said. "Making my Mom and Dad happy seeing me go to college while doing something I love is probably the biggest thing so far."
 

5. Wood You Know?

His favorite movies of all-time are The Wood and Friday. However, Austin didn't realize that his new head coach Wyking Jones, who played a small role in The Wood, was in the movie until just recently.
 
"I could watch those movies five times a week. They never get old," he added.
 

BONUS:

Favorite TV show: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Favorite Athletes: Damian Lillard, LeBron James and Floyd Mayweather
Favorite Subject: Legal Studies
Favorite Rapper: Meek Mill
Favorite Social Media Site: Instagram