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The basketball world reacts to Mark Madsen, Cal head coach

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The basketball world reacts to Mark Madsen, Cal head coach

The feedback is positive from all basketball circles about Madsen's leap back to the Bay Area.

Avinash Kunnath
Mar 30, 2023
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The basketball world reacts to Mark Madsen, Cal head coach

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Mark Madsen is now officially the next Cal men’s basketball coach. Early reviews have come in and the hire is receiving very solid kudos from many hoops experts.

Basketball legend Steve Nash was one of the first to officially congratulate Madsen.

Twitter avatar for @CalMBBall
Cal Basketball @CalMBBall
High praise from a legend 👏 @madsen_mark x @SteveNash #GoBears
Image
9:20 PM ∙ Mar 29, 2023
100Likes14Retweets

Klay Thompson was curious about the Cal coaching search, and all signs are he’s a fan of the hire.

Twitter avatar for @timkawakami
Tim Kawakami @timkawakami
As a Pac-12 guy, Klay Thompson has been curious about the Cal men's hoops search for a few weeks now. We both came up with candidates back then and neither of us said Mark Madsen. But last night Klay gave a huge thumbs up for Madsen at Cal.
6:44 PM ∙ Mar 29, 2023
205Likes17Retweets

Lakers legend James Worthy went so far as to give him a call to offer his congratulations!

Twitter avatar for @Geeseyy
Ryan Gesas @Geeseyy
James Worthy just called Mark Madsen live on air to congratulate him on the Cal job.
11:49 PM ∙ Mar 29, 2023
135Likes19Retweets

Cal alum Dennis Gates, who is now thriving in Missouri after being passed over in previous Cal coaching searches, voiced support for Madsen.

Twitter avatar for @coachdgates
Dennis Gates @coachdgates
Congrats to @madsen_mark as he enters into this next chapter @UCBerkeley! Yes he is a @Stanford grad! So what! He is a great leader, person & coach. If you want @CalMBBall to WIN show him & the players unwavering support! I do! Best of luck! I can’t wait to hear him say Go Bears!
11:20 PM ∙ Mar 29, 2023
373Likes37Retweets

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who vouched for his brother Amir in Cal’s search for a new coach, was a big fan of the decision.

Twitter avatar for @ShareefAbdur_R
Shareef Abdur-Rahim @ShareefAbdur_R
Couldn't say it better! Go Bears!
Twitter avatar for @coachdgates
Dennis Gates @coachdgates
Congrats to @Madsen_mark as he enters into this next chapter @UCBerkeley! Yes he is a @Stanford grad! So what! He is a great leader, person & coach. If you want @CalMBBall to WIN show him & the players unwavering support! I do! Best of luck! I can’t wait to hear him say Go Bears!
12:32 AM ∙ Mar 30, 2023
177Likes18Retweets

Amir has gone on to accept the head coaching job at South Florida.

Former Laker Luke Walton also had great things to say.

Twitter avatar for @CalMBBall
Cal Basketball @CalMBBall
Checks off all the boxes ✅ @madsen_mark x #GoBears
Image
12:06 AM ∙ Mar 30, 2023
82Likes6Retweets

Cal head coach Ben Braun, who coached against Madsen numerous times, had nothing but kind words.

Twitter avatar for @coachbenbraun
Ben Braun @coachbenbraun
Congrats @madsen_mark Never had an answer for you when @CalMBBall played your @StanfordMBB team. Could have used you on our side then but good to have you now. All the best! https://t.co/XtXNabTd7V
Twitter avatar for @CalMBBall
Cal Basketball @CalMBBall
An East Bay native is coming home. The new head coach of the Golden Bears is @madsen_mark! 📰 » https://t.co/QDi2kVAReM #GoBears https://t.co/UvrOV7ZrLf
2:29 AM ∙ Mar 30, 2023
83Likes7Retweets

Madsen also said farewell to his Utah Valley team after bowing out in the NIT semifinals on Tuesday.

Twitter avatar for @madsen_mark
Mark Madsen @madsen_mark
Thank you @UVU for the most incredible journey over the past four years. We will miss you and will be back OFTEN! Thank you @UVU_president and @Jared_Sumsion for your inspirational leadership of this great university and athletics program. Thank you for everything. We… https://t.co/0kXXPmLh6J
Image
4:30 AM ∙ Mar 30, 2023
306Likes20Retweets

Here are additional quotes from Madsen’s old teammates and fellow coaches.

"Mark was not just my teammate but my friend. I'm excited to witness all of his success both playing and coaching the game. Mark's love for basketball is over the top; his willingness to learn the game from coaches and teammates throughout his career has set him up to be a great coach. I'm excited to see what this next chapter brings him." – Robert Horry

"Mark is one of the brightest coaches in college basketball today. Besides his basketball knowledge, the thing that sets Mark apart is his high moral character. He will be a fantastic representative of the Cal family." – Mark D'Antoni
 
"Mark Madsen is one of the best human beings I've ever met. I was lucky to be teammates with him in college where he consistently demonstrated leadership, hustle and true friendship each and every day. His drive and positive energy inspired all of us to improve and work harder to achieve our goals. I'm so proud to see the coach he has become and how his players can look to him as an excellent role model for future success in all parts of their lives." – Jason Collins
 
"Mark was the teammate that every championship-level team must have on it; a player with boundless focus and energy coupled with a high basketball IQ and a willingness to sacrifice for his teammates and the greater team goal. Some people call those players the glue player – I call it the heart and soul of any successful team." – Rick Fox

Of course, Mark Fox came with his fair set of kudos like Brad Stevens, Geno Auriemma, and Jeff Van Gundy, so it’s pretty clear that none of these statements will bear any weight on Madsen’s performance.

But at least it’s nice to have a palpable buzz around the program again!

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The basketball world reacts to Mark Madsen, Cal head coach

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29 Comments
Jimmy Chitwood
Mar 30

This comes as zero surprise. He's a personable, quality human being with strong ties to both the college and NBA games. Let's get that NIL funded so he can recruit at the highest levels.

www.calegends.com

Men's Basketball specific.

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goldenone
Mar 30·edited Mar 30

The acclamations of his peers are indeed impressive, hopefully we can turn around the program quickly.

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