Photo by: CK Hicks/Cal Athletics
INTRODUCTION
Consider things for a moment from Mark Madsen’s perspective. Despite large structural disadvantages across a number of dimensions, you assembled a transfer portal team into a competitive group that scored the best program performance in 10 years. You won gritty upsets against powerhouse tournament teams in a premier basketball conference, and the only reason you were denied a spot in the Big Dance was because of a lack of consistency in a few look-ahead games.
It is reasonable to assume that with a bit of tinkering, Madsen could run it back and do a bit better on the margin. If he can earn Cal’s first ticket to March Madness since 2016, the money cannon may finally be on his side.
There is a wide consensus that Madsen is a good coach who is widely liked by his players. But what cannot be emphasized enough is his hit rate in the transfer portal. Last year, he brought in Dai Dai Ames, Justin Pippen, John Camden, and Chris Bell, all of whom morphed into very solid pickups for the program. Though Madsen could not retain his elite talent, that is less of a function of his coaching and more of a statement about institutional investment. Therefore, it is wise to assume that he excelled this offseason again in finding good value in the market. The fundamental question is whether Cal will find the consistency and cohesion that ultimately stopped them from dancing last year.
THE STAFF
Arguably, the most notable additions to the program this offseason came at the staffing and coaching level, where some changes were coupled with modernization efforts aimed at bringing the Cal basketball program closer to the state of the art.
Richard Midgley - Midgley will take over the position of Deputy General Manager, which, in function, seems to have the same responsibilities that General Manager Ron Rivera has in football. Midgley graduated from Cal in 2006 after scoring over 1,000 points during his career. He gained crucial experience as a scout for the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks. Interestingly, he also served as a financial advisor for the Hawks, nestling him at the perfect intersection of player evaluation and resource management that defines revenue college sports these days. It will be interesting to see the relationship dynamics between Madsen and what is ostensibly his new boss.
Casey Hill - The Bears have a new assistant coach, one who Mark Madsen hopes will aid on a tactical, in-game level. Hill boasts an impressive resume: several years as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans, as well as a stint in the head coaching role for the Golden State G League affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors. For a team whose ultimate downfall last season was a lack of consistency, an ambitious assistant coach with a strong pedigree is much needed.
THE POTENTIAL STARTERS
GUARD: Jordan Ross- Ross returns to the Bay Area, where he began his collegiate career in Moraga for St. Mary’s before departing for Georgia. The senior guard earned over 20 minutes per game in each of the last two seasons but will play an even more prominent role in Berkeley. He will be at the helm of Cal’s scoring efforts and will need to make a serious jump in production to fill the void resulting from Dai Dai Ames and Justin Pippen’s departures. Athletic and decently sized, he was a Top 100 recruit out of high school. Mark Madsen has done well at developing this genre of player: former highly touted recruits who are looking for a career renaissance.
GUARD: Michael Cooper - The Wright State transfer has solid upside potential and NCAA Tournament experience under his belt. After an excellent freshman campaign in which he played a crucial role in winning the Horizon League title, Cooper may well be Cal’s breakout star. Cooper is more of a combo guard than a true point guard and will likely play the 2 spot for the Bears.
GUARD: Nojus Indrusaitis - The Iowa State and Pitt transfer is a much needed addition for his three-point shooting ability. He hit several shots against the Bears last season while playing for the Panthers, but he’ll be turning the guns on opposing teams for the 26-27 campaign. If Cal goes to a three-guard lineup, then having him as a shooter from the wing seems like a natural fit. He is probably the closest replacement for John Camden, as he had several clutch performances last season that are a bit obscured by total production numbers.
FORWARD: Jake Wilkins - Cal’s tradition of starting the children of NBA legends continues in the form of the Georgia transfer and son of Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins is your man for most likely to get a dunk that makes the SportsCenter Top 10. If Cal goes with a bigger lineup, he will be in the mix at the 3 spot and potentially more of a Power Forward if Cal goes small. He provides the Bears with a desperately needed offensive rebounder and a dynamic force in transition.
CENTER: Lee Dort - Cal’s single starting returner will have quite the task on his shoulders after a season of both marked improvement and injury struggles. The Bears will need Dort to stay healthy and act as a dominant presence inside the paint. As the team’s leading rebounder during the last campaign, he will need to clear the glass quickly and lock down the defensive interior. Most importantly, though, will be his role as an anchor for a cobbled-together group.
ROTATION PLAYERS
T.T. Carr - Marin’s own came off the bench last season and had some excellent defensive and transition plays. Though he is a bit undersized, his return to Cal for another season means the Bears will have a guard with breakneck speed.
Mantas Kocanas - The Lithuanian now sits on a team brimming with his countrymen, and perhaps the newfound sense of home will let him grow on his solid shooting last season into an ACC-caliber big man.
Sammie Yeanay - Yeanay has been earning praise for his performance in practice and exhibition games. He would be a natural fit for the 4 spot and adds a strong, veteran presence to Cal’s front court.
DEPTH WITH UPSIDE
Dhiaukuei Manyiel Dut - The hero of a gritty win against Miami last season, the pride of South Sudan may not be on the court to start the season, but his size is a massive asset for Cal, and in a front court with so many unanswered questions, it is plausible that he could play his way into the rotation.
Amier Ali - The junior journeymen played 20 minutes a game at Arizona State before having a quieter year at Mississippi State last season. His addition yields an experienced option on a squad with several inexperienced upstarts at key positions.
THE FRESHMEN
Jovani Ruff - Ruff was a solid recruit but ended up redshirting last season due to injuries. To sustain success, Cal will need to start getting real returns out of its high school recruits. In the Madsen era, Jeremiah Wilkinson alone has made the jump. If Ruff can break his way into the rotation and contribute meaningful minutes, it will signify a nice growth indicator for the Madsen regime.
Nicolas Mitrovic - Mitrovic excelled against peer European competition and on the elite camp circuit, bringing both size and shooting ability. The 7-foot freshman will not likely start the season for Cal, but if he can quickly develop, it would be a seismic break for the Bears’ front court. He adds both further European flair to a team rich in it and a solid recruiting win for Mark Madsen. He was a top 50 recruit in the class of 2027 before reclassifying for the 2026 class.
ROUNDING OUT
Dionycius (Nyce) Bakare, Jorell Clark, Luke Butler, BJ Fisher, Gabriel Sularski, and Dominykas Daubaris round out the rest of Mark Madsen’s squad. Of interesting note regarding this group:
Luke Butler’s father played at Cal and was drafted by the Celtics.
Daubaris played on Lithuania’s U-16 and U-18 national teams.
Jorell Clark is a Palo Alto native who will get to escape the grim fate of the Caltrain for the more sensible BART now that he is in the East Bay.
Bakare adds to the international flair of the team as a Canadian and competes in Karate.
Fisher is actually a third-generation Cal athlete.
Sularski played for the Polish national youth team.
OBSERVATIONS FROM EXHIBITION GAMES
Cal played LMU and Oregon State in exhibition play towards the end of the month. Takeaways are quite difficult in that the games were approached more as experiments than showcases. The shooting was glaringly off, with Cal posting percentages from particularly three point range that were not satisfactory. The defense looked solid in the first game, but capitulated nearly 90 points to Oregon State. In subsequent interviews, multiple Cal players acknowledged the need to improve on transition defense.
On the bright side, Sammie Yeanay excelled with 24 points in Corvallis, and Nojus Indrusaitas hit the go-ahead three against LMU with seconds remaining. Ocam’s razor would say it is unwise to extrapolate much from these games. But if the Bears get off to a slow start, especially in shooting, these games will merit revisiting as early warning signs. Of note from the exhibitions is that Lee Dort seems to have sustained an ankle injury. Coach Madsen characterized his status as day to day and progressing; hopefully, he will be good to go for the opener.
KEY QUESTIONS
Who is the go-to scorer on this team? Jaylon Tyson, Jeremiah Wilkinson, and Dai Dai Ames all had clutch scoring ability that was instrumental in attaining consistent improvements for this program. Cal will need to quickly identify who possesses that attribute this season. Ideally, it is two of the touted guard transfers who can create space and penetrate defenses with the gusto that Ames and Pippen did last year.
The front court. Does Cal have confidence in any arrangement or player besides Lee Dort?
THE SCHEDULE
Unlike last year’s anemic non-conference schedule, Mark Madsen’s program will face early challenges. Their third game is against Houston at Lake Tahoe, and they’ll have to travel to Utah and Minnesota while seeing off USC and Vanderbilt at home. Aside from these, the matchups shouldn’t be particularly meaningful given that those opponents may not offer informative challenges. On the conference side of the schedule, the first few games will be a baptism by fire, starting with an early January trip to the Tobacco Road, followed by Virginia and Louisville. However, the back half of the schedule is considerably lighter.
CONCLUSION
Expectations are not high for Cal, according to any survey of ratings or media. They are predicted to finish 17th in the ACC and start in triple digits on KENPOM. The Bears lost their two star playmakers to the portal and do not have the funds needed to keep up with the big kids of the ACC. They have glaring questions in many areas and few certain answers.
All that being said, Mark Madsen has time and again produced year-over-year improvement and fielded a team that plays extremely hard for him and wins gritty games down the stretch. Fans have to trust that they have an excellent coach who does more with the resources and constraints presented to him than almost anyone else could.
Whether that will be enough to stave off all the headwinds facing his team is a question that will be answered in short order. Action starts at Haas Pavilion this Monday at 5 PM against Adams State.
Great and complete article. Gives me hope to stay engaged as a Cal fan.
I think MM is a good coach for us. He recruits solid players and coaches them up during the season. We just need one more push to make it to the NCAA and to attract an even higher base of players.
As for the money, don’t be surprised if it starts to flow away from football and towards basketball.
I also like the challenging, out-of-conference schedule. Sounds crazy, but I think those games (with even some loses) will push us to play at a higher level VS easy wins against blah opponents.
I was delighted by seeing Sammy Yeanay in the pre-season. He looks physically set - just a big fast and strong guy. I think he'll be able to take a big step forward.
Wilkins might be the best athlete we've seen under Madsen - his ability to run and jump and dunk were incredibly impressive.