Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
California (Projected: 11th in ACC)
After a first year at Cal that exceeded expectations, Mark Madsen lost nearly his entire roster and will have to build the Golden Bears back up. Moving to the ACC may prove even more of a challenge for Cal, heavily increasing the travel of a team that can’t just out-talent their opponents. Madsen’s short turnaround at Utah Valley should give fans a lot of hope, and the fact he turned down the BYU job this offseason should mean he’s here for the long-term.
The list of returners is three names long for Cal, all players who saw limited action last season. Gus Larson (1 ppg) and Vladimir Pavlovic (1 ppg) return in the backcourt, while forward Devin Curtis (1 ppg) is the lone returner down low. Most of the Golden Bears’ losses came due to graduation and the NBA Draft, so it’s not like Madsen’s roster retention was awful.
Nine players left the program this off-season, headlined by junior guard Jaylon Tyson (20 ppg, 7 rpg, 4 apg), who left for the NBA Draft. Seniors Fardaws Aimaq (15 ppg, 11 rpg), Jalen Cone (13 ppg), Keonte Kennedy (9 ppg, 5 rpg), and Devin Askew (6 ppg, 4 rpg), all graduated, some choosing to use a fifth year elsewhere, some moving on from the sport. Underclassmen Jalen Celestine (9 ppg), Grant Newell (6 ppg, 4 rpg), Rodney Brown Jr (4 ppg), and ND Okafor (2 ppg) all left the program, finding new homes in the transfer portal.
Mark Madsen used the portal heavily, finding ten transfers to fill out the Cal roster. The most exciting for the long-term may be Stanford transfer Andrej Stojakovic (8 ppg at Stanford), a top-50 recruit in 2023 who showed flashes of his potential during his freshman season. Stojakovic provides a bit of everything as a 6-7 guard, and if he fills out his frame a bit more, could be a hot topic for the 2025 or 2026 NBA Draft. In my projected starting lineup, he’ll be joined by UTSA transfer Christian Tucker (11 ppg, 5 apg at UTSA). Tucker gives Cal experience in the backcourt and will be a great option as a pass-first point guard.
The list of incoming guards and wings doesn’t stop there, with plenty of enticing options on the roster for Madsen this season. North Dakota transfer BJ Omot (17 ppg, 4 rpg at North Dakota) is an athletic scoring wing, and will provide Cal with a boost offensively, either off the bench or in the starting lineup. Jovan Blacksher Jr. (16 ppg at GCU in 21-22) could be one of the most impactful transfers, but his production remains a question after two injury-riddled seasons. Western Carolina transfer DJ Campbell (12 ppg, 4 rpg at Western Carolina) and Washington State transfer Spencer Mahoney (Redshirt) round out the transfers in the backcourt, both adding depth to the Golden Bears lineup.
The most intriguing transfer of them all though may be Air Force transfer Rytis Petraitis (16 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg at Air Force). Petraitis is a 6-7 forward who can do a bit of everything, leading Air Force in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game averages. He should be the focal point of the Cal team in 2024-25, an elite interior scorer with a developing three-point shot. The rest of the frontcourt transfers include three high major players, Minnesota transfer Joshua Ola-Joseph (8 ppg at Minnesota), Michigan State transfer Mady Sissoko (3 ppg, 5 rpg at Michigan State), and Lee Dort (1 ppg at Vanderbilt). Ola-Joseph is an athletic forward that showed great flashes at Minnesota before being forced out of the starting lineup in January and struggling from there on, but should provide Cal with an athletic option up front.
Coach Madsen found one high school recruit to land in the 2024 class, guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (3*, NAT 231). Wilkinson is seen as a combo guard at 6-1, with great scoring ability and court vision. The backcourt is heavily littered by older transfers, but Wilkinson could still fight his way into the rotation during his freshman season.
If you’re a Cal fan, you have to be happy with the direction Mark Madsen has the program going. Haas Pavilion started to feel some energy last season, specifically that dramatic home win over Stanford. With the energy and excitement building, Madsen has a squad full of transfers that could come together to create a team talented enough to reach the NCAA Tournament, though that will be easier said than done.
I think Rytis Petraitis will be the best player on this roster next season, a difference maker offensively and a game that should translate well to the ACC. With an entirely new roster, it’s hard to gauge what the rotation might look like, and there’s a lot of guys who could be possible X-factors. For efficiency’s sake I’ll choose Stanford transfer Andrej Stojakovic as my lone X-factor. Stojakovic was a highly-touted recruit in the 2023 class and has a chance to breakout in the ACC this season for Cal. If Stojakovic becomes a star, this Cal team can make a serious run for the tournament in the ACC.
I’ve hinted at the fact that I think Cal has the potential to reach the NCAA Tournament with the roster they have, but I still have them projected low in the ACC because of the uncertainty in how it comes together. It’s a talented roster, but one that lacks a true big guy outside of Mady Sissoko. I’ve got Cal finishing 11th in the ACC, but if this squad comes together how it could, this team could push for as high as 5th or 6th in the conference.