Transfer-heavy Cal meets Cal State Bakersfield in opener

Field Level Media|published: Sat 2nd November, 13:22 2024

Mar 7, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; California Golden Bears guard Jalen Cone (15) defends against Stanford Cardinal guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) during the second half at Maples Pavillion. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Cal will get an opportunity to introduce its new look to the home fans -- and any scouts from Atlantic Coast Conference rivals -- when coach Mark Madsen's second edition debuts Monday night against Cal State Bakersfield in Berkeley, Calif.

Cal improved from three to 13 wins (13-19) in its first season under Madsen, a former San Francisco Bay Area high school standout who played at Stanford. But any momentum carried over will have to come from different players, as the Golden Bears don't return any of their top eight scorers from a season ago.

Madsen has restocked with a roster composed almost exclusively of transfers, including former McDonald's All-American Andrej Stojakovic, who played for Stanford as a freshman last season, averaging 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds a game.

As a group, Cal's haul of 10 transfers is ranked 36th-best in the nation by 247 Sports.

"We have 10, 11 guys that you could put into a game at any time," Madsen boasted. "Guys are capable of making an impact either on the defensive end or being able to go for 25 to 30 (points). We've got a lot of different guys who can do that."

Other than Stojakovic, the son of former NBA standout Peja Stojakovic, the Golden Bears' newcomers are expected to be led by Jovan Blacksher Jr. (formerly of Grand Canyon) and Mady Sissoko (Michigan State).

Cal will play in the ACC for the first time this season after moving from the Pac-12, where the team finished 9-11 last season.

Bakersfield, which went 13-19 (8-12 Big West) last season, hopes to pick up where it left off the last time it played Cal. That was in the first round of the 2017 NIT, when the Roadrunners stunned the tournament's top seed.

Bakersfield has graduated its top two scorers but hopes West Valley College transfer Shakir Odunewu can help fill the void. The 6-foot-11 native of Egypt, nicknamed Shaq, averaged 16.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in the California community college ranks last season.

"With the loss of two of our post guys, we need help up front, and Shaq provides that," Bakersfield coach Rod Barnes said. "He brings an inside presence with both an offensive skillset and offensive-rebounding ability."

--Field Level Media