NBA champion employed to teach alma mater’s rival: ‘Go Bears!’

Cal males’s basketball has introduced its subsequent head coach, and he comes with deep ties to the Golden Bears’ largest rival. 

Mark Madsen, a two-time NBA champion and coach of Utah Valley for the previous 4 seasons, was introduced Wednesday as the pinnacle coach at Cal Berkeley. 

Head coach Mark Madsen of the Utah Valley Wolverines talks to his group earlier than their first spherical sport towards the New Mexico Lobos within the 2023 National Invitation Tournament at The Pit on March 15, 2023 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  (Sam Wasson/Getty Images)

“I’m extraordinarily grateful to Chancellor Christ and Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton for his or her perception in me, and for the super alternative to guide Cal’s males’s basketball group again to its successful custom,” Madsen mentioned in a press launch.  

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“Having grown up within the space, I’ve at all times admired Cal as an establishment and as an athletic program, with so a lot of my lecturers, coaches and associates spectacular Cal graduates. We will win with younger males who’ve elite tutorial and athletic expertise and who will characterize Cal with satisfaction. Hannah and I and our kids are excited to return to the Bay Area and be part of the Cal group and I can not wait to get began. Go Bears!”

Madsen performed his faculty ball at Stanford, serving to the Cardinal attain the Final Four in 1998 earlier than being chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers within the first spherical of the 2000 NBA Draft. 

Los Angeles Lakers Assistant Coach Mark Madsen seems to be on earlier than an NBA sport between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers on November 27, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Images)

Madsen spent three years in LA, successful two championships with the Lakers earlier than ending his nine-year NBA profession with the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

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He served as an assistant coach with the Lakers for six seasons from 2013-19 earlier than being employed to guide Utah Valley. 

In his 4 seasons in Orem, Utah, Madsen led the Wolverines to 2 regular-season convention titles and was named the 2023 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. 

“I couldn’t be extra excited to welcome Mark, his spouse Hannah, and their youngsters to the Cal Family,” Knowlton mentioned. “We performed an exhaustive search, and one identify saved rising to the highest – and that is Mark Madsen. 

Head coach Mark Madsen of the Utah Valley Wolverines seems to be on in the course of the second half of their first spherical sport towards the New Mexico Lobos within the 2023 National Invitation Tournament at The Pit on March 15, 2023 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Wolverines defeated the Lobos 83-69.  (Sam Wasson/Getty Image)

“Mark is an individual of excessive character, excessive vitality, excessive depth, and he is carried out it the correct method. He’s intense. He’s passionate. He loves his student-athletes, and he loves competing. We need an envoy for this program who’s going to make us proud and develop our younger males – each on and off the courtroom. I’m completely thrilled that Mark will lead our program into the long run.”

The Golden Bears have struggled in recent times, failing to complete every of the previous six seasons with a successful file. 

In 2022-23, Cal went 3-29, and this system has failed to achieve the NCAA Tournament since 2016.