Mark Madsen Signs Contract Extension With Cal
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Mark Madsen has raised the excitement level of Cal basketball in his first season as the Golden Bears head coach, and he was rewarded with a two-year contract extension that was announced Tuesday.
The extension, added to his original five-year deal, takes Madsen through the 2029-30 season.
"Coach Madsen has made an incredible difference in the short time he has been at Cal," Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton said in a statement. "He has not only developed our young men and made great progress in the last year, but has engaged our faculty, our donors, our fans and truly brought energy back to the 'Haas Of Pain.' I'm excited to extend Mark and work together with him as we make the move to the ACC, and I know our entire Cal family is excited to see what's next."
The contract extension presumably is meant to dissuade Madsen from leaving Cal for another head coaching job in the near future, although it does not prevent him from leaving.
The announcement comes one day before Cal faces Stanford on Wednesday in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas.
The Bears are 13-18 overall and finished with a 9-11 conference record, which is Cal's best Pac-12 mark since they went 10-8 in 2016-17. The Bears lost their final three regular-season games.
Perhaps more important, Madsen has energized the fan base.
Cal averaged 4,566 in home attendance this season after averaging 2,155 last season in Mark Fox's final season as the Bears' head coach. Cal's 2023-24 home attendance increased late in the season, and the Bears drew their first sellout in seven years when 11,801 spectators showed up for the Bears' February 8 home game against USC.
Madsen's success was built on transfers, as four of the Bears starters this season played for other colleges a year ago. He will have to remake the Bears' roster for next season, as at least three of the current starters -- Fardaws Aimaq, Jalen Cone and Keonte Kennedy -- are in their final season of college eligibility.
All-Pac-12 guard/forward Jaylon Tyson has another season of college eligibility but he might enter the NBA draft this year.
Madsen will undoubtedly return to the transfer portal to replenish the Cal roster.
Cover photo of Mark Madsen by Darren Yamashita, USA TODAY Sports
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