{"id":94947,"date":"2024-09-12T13:58:32","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T17:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=94947"},"modified":"2024-09-12T13:58:32","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T17:58:32","slug":"california-basketball-preview-golden-bears-break-into-acc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/12\/california-basketball-preview-golden-bears-break-into-acc\/","title":{"rendered":"California Basketball Preview: Golden Bears Break Into ACC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/coaches\/mark-madsen-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Madsen<\/a> has saved Cal&#8217;s program after years of losing. Let\u2019s take a peak at the Golden Bears&#8217; new roster for a California Basketball Preview. Along with <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/08\/stanford-basketball-preview-kyle-smith-reviving-cardinal\/\" target=\"_self\">Stanford<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/09\/smu-basketball-preview-enfield-takes-the-reins\/\" target=\"_self\">SMU<\/a>, Cal will be playing their inaugural season in the ruthless ACC. Madsen has revamped his roster after losing several players to the transfer portal. With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tysonja01.html?__hstc=213859787.4b656b14df21f1da7845d882377f9faa.1724974081939.1725918966614.1725922301915.13&amp;__hssc=213859787.5.1725922301915&amp;__hsfp=922870213\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaylon Tyson<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/fardaws-aimaq-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fardaws Aimaq<\/a> now in the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/06\/cleveland-cavaliers-to-bring-back-former-nba-champion-tristan-thompson\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">big leagues<\/a>, the Bears will need some new scoring options as we approach the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n<h2>California Basketball Preview: Golden Bears Break Into ACC<\/h2>\n<p>While last year&#8217;s 13-19 record doesn\u2019t seem impressive from a distance, it should be noted it was Madsen\u2019s first year at the helm. The team fared well at home, going 10-6. Additionally, Cal picked up big wins against Colorado, Washington State, and Oregon, who all played in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. With 10 new transfers and a handful of freshmen, these new look Golden Bears should help Madsen achieve a winning record.<\/p>\n<h3>Pair of Big 10 Transfers<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/mady-sissoko-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mady Sissoko<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/joshua-ola-joseph-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joshua Ola-Joseph<\/a> each played in the Big 10 before coming to Berkeley. Sissoko was coached by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/coaches\/tom-izzo-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tom Izzo<\/a> for four seasons at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/03\/michigan-state-basketball-spartans-all-time-starting-lineup\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Michigan State<\/a>. Interestingly, the Mali native\u2019s role decreased in his senior year after starting nearly every game in 2022-23. The former Spartan finished his Big 10 career 14th all-time in defensive rebound percentage and 21st all-time in total rebound percentage, averaging 24.65% and 17.7% respectively. Ola-Joseph joins Madsen\u2019s squad after playing at Minnesota. While with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/05\/minnesota-basketball-gophers-all-time-starting-lineup\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Golden Gophers<\/a>, Ola-Joseph was named to the 2023-24 Big Ten All-Academic team. A highly efficient forward, he managed to shoot 60% on field goals last season.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2024 Senior Highlights: Michigan State C Mady Sissoko | Michigan State Men\u2019s Basketball\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0c34RrmJiB0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Staying on the West Coast<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/andrej-stojakovic-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrej Stojakovic<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/spencer-mahoney-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spencer Mahoney<\/a> will both be transferring in from former PAC-12 schools. Stojakovic played one season at Stanford and is considered one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/07\/29\/acc-transfers-which-new-arrival-will-make-the-biggest-impact\/\" target=\"_self\">bigger names<\/a> among ACC transfers. The former Cardinal added 15 pounds to his wiry frame this offseason, which should help him when defending larger players. Despite being known as a long-distance threat, Stojakovic only shot 32% from deep his freshman year, a number he\u2019ll look to improve upon. Mahoney redshirted his freshman year at Washington State, and with head coach Kyle Smith\u2019s departure, he decided to enter the transfer portal. The Brooklyn native was a three-star prospect coming out of high school and had offers from DePaul and Harvard before choosing WSU.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Andrej Stojakovi\u0107 Maybe The Most Underrated Transfer - California Commit\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ek3aVpED1Po?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Desert Dwellers Headed to Cali<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/rytis-petraitis-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rytis Petraitis<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/christian-tucker-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Christian Tucker<\/a> are making their way to the Golden State. Petraitis spent his freshman and sophomore years playing at Air Force in Colorado. In the 2023-24 season, he led the Falcons in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. The Texan has also played with the Lithuanian national team in friendly international competitions. Tucker entered the portal after three seasons at UTSA. The Arizona native started all 32 games for the Roadrunners last year and led the team in assists with 5.4. On top of that, Tucker led the AAC in free throw percentage in 2023-24 averaging 87.5%.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Air Force hits game winner to STUN New Mexico as 18 point underdogs\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DW3f7Tn5IRM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Remainder of Cal Transfers<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/dj-campbell-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Campbell<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/bj-omot-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BJ Omot<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/lee-dort-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lee Dort<\/a>\u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/jovan-blacksherjr-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jovan Blacksher<\/a> round out the 2024 Stanford transfer class. Campbell comes from Western Carolina, where he spent two seasons with the Catamounts. The fiesty guard was eighth in the Southern Conference in true shooting percentage, averaging 59.5% last year. Omot played his first two years at North Dakota and made the 2023-24 All-Summit 1st Team. Dort, a former four-star recruit, comes from Vanderbilt, where he competed in the tough SEC. Blacksher is in his sixth collegiate season after spending his first five at Grand Canyon. In his final year as an Antelope, Blacksher helped the team to a 30-5 record and an NCAA Tournament bid.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jovan Blacksher Jr. - Grand Canyon - 2023-24 Transfer Portal Highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aK7ihEQpdak?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Freshmen with big shoes to fill<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/247sports.com\/Player\/jeremiah-wilkinson-46132713\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeremiah Wilkinson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/calbears.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=24106\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hugh Vandeweghe<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/calbears.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/kevin-armstrong-ii\/24108\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Armstrong Jr.<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/calbears.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=24377\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaden Goodall<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/calbears.com\/roster.aspx?rp_id=24105\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephon Marbury Jr.<\/a> will all join Madsen\u2019s crew for their freshman season. Wilkinson is the highest rated prospect and the only freshman on a scholarship. Ranked 229th nationally and 19th in the state of Georgia, Wilkinson shined in his senior season at The Skill Factory averaging more than 30 points a game. Vandeweghe\u2019s uncle,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/kiki-vandeweghe-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kiki Vandweghe<\/a>, was a two-time NBA All-Star, and Marbury\u2019s father,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/stephon-marbury-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephon Marbury<\/a>, was a two-time NBA All-Star. \u201cMad Dog\u201d Madsen may have found two diamonds in the rough, with both Marbury Jr. and Vandeweghe coming from families with basketball roots. Armstrong Jr. attended high school at Breck School in Minneapolis where he led the his team to a 2024 Minnesota State Championship. A native of California coming from downstate Anaheim, Goodall has joined the team as a walk-on.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jeremiah Wilkinson hooping big for Game Elite Basketball!!\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6TYU3DkLI1g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>California Basketball 2024-25 Schedule Preview<\/h3>\n<p>The Bears will begin their season at the Haas of Pain hosting CSU Bakersfield and Cal Poly. Madsen and company will hit the road to take on Vanderbilt in Nashville, and then head back to the West Coast to face USC in a consecutive road game at the Galen Center. Following that, the team will partake in the Cal Classic, where they\u2019ll play against Mercyhurst, Air Force and Sacramento State in a &#8220;round robin&#8221; format. All three games will be at home in Haas Pavilion. For the SEC\/ACC Challenge, the Golden Bears have been pitted against Missouri, which will be a tough matchup. Afterward, California will get two relatively easy home games in Berkeley versus Cornell and Northwestern State. They\u2019ll close out their non-conference schedule at the San Diego Tip-Off, taking on San Diego State. As newcomers to the ACC, there may be some rough beginnings during their conference schedule.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mark Madsen has saved Cal&#8217;s program after years of losing. Let\u2019s take a peak at the Golden Bears&#8217; new roster for a California Basketball Preview. Along with Stanford and SMU, Cal will be playing their inaugural season in the ruthless ACC. Madsen has revamped his roster after losing several players to the transfer portal. With [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5164,"featured_media":95416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,773],"tags":[3120,3850,2306,49280,1436,2266],"class_list":["post-94947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-college-basketball","tag-acc-basketball","tag-acc-basketball-preview","tag-california-golden-bears","tag-jaylon-tyson","tag-sec-basketball","tag-stephon-marbury"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5164"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}