What a Mark Madsen-led March Madness run for Cal Men's Basketball would mean to me

Reflecting on my buy in for Mad Dog and frankly writing into the abyss

This piece is all over the place and not in the realm of analysis. If you guys like getting into the mind of a 21 year old masochist, I love it. If not, don’t worry, you only hurt my ego!

To say the least, the past six years of Cal Men’s Basketball have been something to forget. There’s no beating around the bush, we just want to rid our minds of it (and in that vein sorry for bringing it up!). For me, it was the most apathetic I’ve ever been to any sport during my lifetime and for those that know me (and even for some of you who have met me), I try and watch anything and everything related to sports. Last season, I voluntarily left a game early for the first time in my life (Cal at Stanford MBB), in case you needed some sort of significance of that. But that was then and this is now.

Madsen coaching UVU via his twitter @madsen_mark

The hire of Mark Madsen brought back my passion for Cal Men’s Basketball. What was once appointment viewing became a reluctant slog, and how has finally turned course, into something I genuinely want to support again. And that’s not to say I didn’t root for student athletes of past teams but the buy in was never there. But it’s back. Most importantly, it feels good to be a Cal MBB fan again. There’s the phrase we all know “it’s the hope that kills you”. I’m ready to meet that hope head on. Seeing transfers in Fardaws Aimq, Jalen Cone, and Mike Meadows with reportedly more on the way makes me want to step foot into Haas Pavilion again. Combine that with actual coaching and some nice pieces in Devin Askew and Jalen Celestine, and who knows where this team can go.

Could Haas Pavilion be rocking again? If it does get rocking…….

*I sincerely hope that my literacy in memes pays off

Let’s fast forward a bit. Should Mark Madsen lead the Golden Bears to the postseason, the pure euphoria and glee that will be not only my face but others will be a sight to see. If that euphoria led to a March Madness run, I’d be hopping on a plane to where ever Cal is playing. And this time, hopefully it’s not a world turned upside down event like in Spokane when the Bears played Hawaii in the first round amidst the chaos off the court. The Write for California crew most certainly would make a trip out to whichever location the Bears are playing at, you just have to do it after the tribulations of the last six years. And most importantly, we’d have the opportunity to meet the community who has supported us throughout the years, who have gone on the road with us, to smile, laugh, and come back to the bay in anger all in the same breadth.

March Madness is by far my most favorite time of the year, and the postseason I look forward to the most. To see Cal back in the dance simply put, is a dream that I’d be glad to be relive. Mark Madsen would have my respect, as if he didn’t already with the demeanor and mindset he carries himself with. The fans will most certainly be back, the Bench will be back, and folks dare I say, Cal basketball would be back. I for one can’t wait to get on this train and leave this desolate station, to yell Go Bears at Haas Pavilion like a Mad Dog, and re-engage with the place where I watched my first ever basketball game in person back in 2011.

Simply put, a Cal March Madness run led by Mark Madsen would mean…….everything to me :)