Cal's Leading Scorer Dai Dai Ames Plans to Enter Transfer Portal

The two basketball players Cal most wanted to retain were junior guard Dai Dai Ames and sophomore guard Justin Pippen. It seems the Bears will lose at least one of them as Ames plans to enter the transfer portal according to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports based on information provided by Ames' agent.

Ames will also test the NBA waters to see if it makes sense for him to turn pro, according to Tipton's report.

Ames was the Bears' leading scorer this past season and was a third-team All-ACC selection, making him the only Cal player to earn first-, second- or third-team all-conference honors this season.

NEWS: Cal guard Dai Dai Ames plans to enter the @TransferPortal and test the NBA waters, his agent Adam Papas of @nxtsportsagency told @On3.

The 6-2 junior averaged 16.9 points per game this season and earned All-ACC Third Team honors. Made previous stops at Kansas State and… pic.twitter.com/vVUjDaouje
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 6, 2026

Ames had said after the Bears' final game that he expected to be at Cal next season, and head coach Mark Madsen expressed optimism that Cal would be able to retain the core members of this season's team, which finished with a 22-12 record and reached the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.

Madsen also claimed over the weekend that Cal has done well in its recent campaign to raise funds for NIL payments. The elite college basketball programs can offer a transfer a considerable amount of money to join their basketball programs.

Nonetheless, it appears likely that Ames will be headed elsewhere. According to Tipton's tweet, Ames could also turn pro and try to make it in the NBA, but that seems unlikely. Theoretically, Ames could withdraw from the portal and stay at Cal. That happens occasionally, but not often.

Ames was much more productive in his one season at Cal than he was in his previous season at Virginia. He averaged 8.7 points in 2024-25 at Virginia, and increased that to 16.9 points while making 37.6 percent of his three-point shots this season at Cal. He scored 20 points or more 12 times this season, and had a season-high 31 points against Wake Forest.

Ames was the team's best one-on-one player, often getting to the basket with a series of reverse dribbles.

Cal lost its two best players from its 2024-25 team to the transfer portal. Andrej Stojakovic transferred to Illinois, where he helped the Fighting Illini reach the Finals Four. Jeremiah Wilkinson, who had an outstanding freshman season at Cal in 2024-25, transferred to Georgia and led the Bulldogs in scoring this past season when Georgia reached the NCAA tournament. It has been reported that Wilkinson plans to enter the transfer portal again this year.

The transfer portal window for men's college basketball starts on Tuesday (April 7) and closes on April 21.

Now the question is whether Pippen will enter the transfer portal. The Bears would like to keep Jovani Ruff, who redshirted his freshman season at Cal in 2025-26 after being a highly touted recruit.