Jaylon Tyson Says Mark Madsen Will Take Cal ‘To Heights It’s Never Been To’

Will the respect all-conference guard Tyson has for his coach cause him to stay at Cal for another season rather than turn pro?

Amid the gloom of Cal’s disappointing overtime loss to Stanford Wednesday night, Bears All-Pac-12 guard Jaylon Tyson offered high praise for Bears coach Mark Madsen, saying Madsen is the best coach he’s ever played for and insisting that Madsen will take the program “to heights that it’s never been to.”

It makes you wonder whether Tyson might delay his move to the NBA and return to Cal for his final season of college eligibility in 2024-25 in the ACC.

Tyson has not announced whether he will enter the 2024 NBA draft, but logic suggests he will. He is projected to be taken late in the first round or early in the second if he turns pro this season and enters the NBA draft.

USA Today, Bleacher Report and David Cobb of CBS Sports all project Tyson to be taken late in the first round of their mock drafts.

USA Today has Tyson selected with the 30^th overall pick, which is the lst pick of the first round, with this comment:

Can score, sees the court well and moves well without the ball. A solid rebounder who can also initiate offense as a playmaker either passing or creating shots for himself and knows how to utilize his size in pick-and-rolls as a ball-handler.

Bleacher Report projects Tyson to be taken with the 28^th pick, with this comment:

Pro Comparison: Caleb Martin

Jaylon Tyson entered the Pac-12 tournament averaging 19.6 points and 3.3 assists per game, numbers that reflect impression ball-handling/footwork for creation and shotmaking skills for a 6'7" wing.

He'll eventually have to adjust to playing off the ball at the next level, something he hasn't looked proficient doing at California. But he could also find success as a second-unit scorer based on how advanced he's become on the ball, getting into his shot, rising up off the dribble and finishing at the rim off his own moves.

David Cobb of CBS Sports projects Tyson to be taken with the 20^th selection, with this comment:

Tyson is a two-way wing with impressive offensive efficiency for such a high-volume player. Perhaps the elite-level upside isn't there. But with a proven body of work in college basketball on both ends of the floor and good size, he should have a reasonably high floor in the NBA.

However, ESPN.com and NBADraft.net, perhaps the two most respected draft sites, project Tyson to go in the second round.

ESPN.com projects Tyson to be taken with the fifth pick of the second round (No. 35 overall), and NBADraft.net predicts Tyson will be chosen with the seventh pick of the second round, No. 37 overall.

So let’s weigh that against what Tyson said following Cal’s overtime loss to Stanford, a game in which the Bears blew an 18-point lead with less than 15 minutes left.

Remember this is Tyson’s third college team, and he played for Chris Beard at Texas and Mark Adams at Texas Tech.

“This [Cal] is probably the closest team I’ve ever been a part of, just off the court” Tyson said. “I built life-long friendships here, not only players, but with staff, this is the closest staff I’ve ever been with. I’ve been to three universities and this [Madsen] is the closest and best head coach I’ve ever played for in my life.

“I know for a fact that this man in charge right here, that this program is going to heights that it’s never been to. I can bet the bank on that.”

It suggests that if Tyson does not turn pro this year, he would be stay at Cal for the 2024-25 season, rather than transferring again.

Madsen also predicts better times ahead.

“We saw some initial, some modest results this year,” he said. “We’ll have much greater results going forward.”

The Bears finished 13-19 overall, and its 9-11 Pac-12 record as the Bears’ best in seven years. However, Cal was not close to earning an NCAA tournament berth, something it has not achieved since 2016. To do so next season, Madsen will have to effectively replace at least three starters (four if Tyson turns pro). 

Cover photo of Jaylon Tyson by Darren Yamashita, USA TODAY Sports

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