Cal hires Stanford icon Madsen

Cal hired former Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen to lead its men's basketball program, athletics director Jim Knowlton announced Wednesday.

Madsen, who had an iconic playing career at rival Stanford, accrued a record of 70-51 (.579 winning percentage) in four seasons leading Utah Valley. The Wolverines won two regular season WAC titles in Madsen's four campaigns. They went 28-9 in Madsen's final year coaching.

"I could not be more excited to welcome Mark, his wife Hannah, and their children to the Cal family," Knowlton said in a statement. "We conducted an exhaustive search, and one name kept rising to the top - and that's Mark Madsen. Mark is a person of high character, high energy, high intensity, and he's done it the right way. He's intense. He's passionate. He loves his student-athletes, and he loves competing.

"We want an ambassador for this program who is going to make us proud and develop our young men - both on and off the court. I am absolutely thrilled that Mark will lead our program into the future."

Cal struggled in recent years under previous coach Mark Fox, failing to make the NCAA Tournament in each of his four campaigns. The Bears finished 3-29 last season under Fox, leading to his firing in early March. They haven't made the NCAA Tournament since 2016.

Madsen, a former Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves center, played 108 games for Stanford from 1996 to 2000 over his four-year college career. He was named to the All Pac-12 (then Pac-10) first-team in his final two seasons.

"I am extremely grateful to chancellor (Carol) Christ and director of athletics Jim Knowlton for their belief in me, and for the tremendous opportunity to lead Cal's men's basketball team back to its winning tradition," Madsen said in a statement. "Having grown up in the area, I have always admired Cal as an institution and as an athletic program, with so many of my teachers, coaches and friends impressive Cal graduates.

"We will win with young men who have elite academic and athletic talent and who will represent Cal with pride. Hannah and I and our children are excited to return to the Bay Area and join the Cal community and I cannot wait to get started. Go Bears!"