Mark Madsen gives Adam Mazarei the nod as Cal men's basketball's associate head coach
The first domino to fall on the bench
There has been lots of chatter as to who Mark Madsen would hire for his assistant coaches, and the first domino has fallen. Adam Mazarei is a West Coast native who most recently spent his time at Vanderbilt (since 2019) while getting a promotion to AHC this past season under Jerry Stackhouse.
At Vandy, Mazarei was able to help develop players like Pacers F Aaron Nesmith, Suns G Saben Lee, and Lakers G/F Scotty Pippen Jr. Even before that, Mazarei had his name in the professional ranks, working with the Memphis Grizzlies during grit and grind era that included Mike Conley and the younger Dillon Brooks.
Here’s what some notable people are saying about the hire of Mazarei:
"Coach Maz was a tremendous help in my development during my sophomore year at Vanderbilt. He brought NBA coaching experience to our program and taught me as much as he could to prepare me for the next level, from off-the-court tendencies to my on-floor abilities. He was always willing to put in the extra 1-on-1 work with me and always held me accountable when I wasn't doing what I needed to. The Golden Bears got a great one in Coach Maz." – Aaron Nesmith
"I met Adam early in my professional career when I made the leap from Europe to the NBA and signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. I did skill development with him every morning and got the chance to see the devotion and knowledge of his craft. We've always stayed in contact throughout our career journeys and I'm excited to have him be a part of the Cal family." – Patrick Christopher, Cal MBB alumnus
Even if you look at the instagram post from today, Vandy G and NBA draft prospect Tyrin Lawrence signaled his approval for the hire with two fire emojis, so you’ve got the past and present on board. Coach Madsen will look to fill out the rest of the bench as the summer period comes around and who he may tab is a great guessing game, it could be someone from UVU or outsourcing like with Coach Mazarei.
Welcome to Berkeley, Adam! Cal fans what are your thoughts on the hire?
Sounds like a fantastic hire! Welcome to Coach Mazarei! I'm thinking this was only possible because the University and Cal donors stepped up with salary raises to match or beat what Vandy was paying, and credit to Coach Madsen for attracting this sort of talent on his staff. If you are a player, this is the start of a staff you know will coach you up and treat you right. Go Bears!
Random thought when seeing him for the first time:
"Now that 'Barry' is nearing its final season, I'm glad Noho Hank was able to find himself this new gig."