Balanced Cal Rolls Past Bakersfield in Men's Basketball Opener

Cal coach Mark Madsen promised the 2025-26 Golden Bears would shoot the 3-pointer more efficiently and share the basketball better.

The Bears delivered on one of the two in an 87-60 win over Cal State Bakersfield in their season opener in front of 3,143 fans at Haas Pavilion on Monday night.

Cal shot just 5 for 22 on 3-point tries, but their teamwork and scoring balance were significantly improved. A year after they relied on two primary scorers and averaged just 10.45 assists per game, the Bears dished 20 of them — two more than they totaled in any of their 33 games last season.

The Bears have 11 new scholarship players, and they combined for 68 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists.

Forward John Camden (Delaware) had 22 points, guard Dai Dai Ames (Virginia) scored 18 and point guard Justin Pippen (Michigan) contributed 15 points and seven assists with his father, Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen sitting in the front row.

Lee Dort goes above the crowd | Photo by Finn Marshall, Cal Athletics

The biggest revelation was the play of 6-foot-10 senior post Lee Dort, who had 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists — all of them career bests. A year ago, Dort’s contributions were modest — 3.6 points and 4.6 rebounds — but he appears leaner and stronger and ready to have an impact.

“There’s probably not a player I’m more proud of than Lee Dort,” Madsen said in the video at the top of the story. “Over the summer, Lee Dort changed his body changed his nutrition, got in the gym even more — he has an unbelievable work ethic. Four assists and one turnover, that shows how unselfish he is.”

Dort talks about his big game in the video above.

The Bears recorded their largest margin of victory since an 87-56 win over Cal State Northridge on Dec. 19, 2020. In their 300th all-time win at Haas, they posted their highest point total in a season opener since the 2015-16 team that featured Jaylen Brown and played in the NCAA tournament.

Madsen was thrilled by the unselfish play he saw from everyone. Each of the Bears’ starters had at least two assists as they virtually doubled their season average of a year ago.

The passing led to 27-for-36 shooting (75 percent) inside the 3-point stripe.

“The first game, we didn’t even shoot the ball well from 3 and we had 20 assists,” Madsen said in the video above.

Pippen and transfer Chris Bell (Syracuse) had the Bears' other two3-point baskets but shot a combined 2 for 9 from deep.

Camden, a 6-foot-8 grad student, was 3 for 7 from the beyond the arc and said he had a blast in his first game at Haas.

NOTES: Madsen said 4-star freshman guard Jovani Ruff, who had battled a couple offseason injuries, is scheduled to be redshirted . . . Senior guard DJ Campbell, one of three returning players, sat out the game with an injury but should be healthy soon. Same thing with Sammie Yeanay, a 6-8 sophomore transfer from Grand Canyon.