2023–24 California Golden Bears men's basketball team

2023–24 California Golden Bears men's basketball
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Record13–19 (9–11 Pac–12)
Head coach
Associate head coachAdam Mazarei
Assistant coaches
  • Amorrow Morgan
  • Matt Scherbenske
  • Jarred Jackson
  • Ken Moses
Home arenaHaas Pavilion
(Capacity: 11,877)
2023–24 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 11 Arizona 15 – 5   .750 27 – 9   .750
No. 23 Washington State 14 – 6   .700 25 – 10   .714
Colorado 13 – 7   .650 26 – 11   .703
Oregon † 12 – 8   .600 24 – 12   .667
UCLA 10 – 10   .500 16 – 17   .485
Utah 9 – 11   .450 22 – 15   .595
9 – 11   .450 13 – 19   .406
Washington 9 – 11   .450 17 – 15   .531
USC 8 – 12   .400 15 – 18   .455
Stanford 8 – 12   .400 14 – 18   .438
Arizona State 8 – 12   .400 14 – 18   .438
Oregon State 5 – 15   .250 13 – 19   .406
† 2024 Pac-12 tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023–24 California Golden Bears men's basketball team represented the University of California, Berkeley, in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was Mark Madsen's first year as head coach at California. The Golden Bears played their home games at Haas Pavilion as last season members of the Pac-12 Conference after 45 years before they will join the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2024–25 season.

Previous season

The Golden Bears started the year losing their first 12 games, the worst for any Power Five team. They won three of their next four games, including two in conference play against Colorado and Stanford. The Golden Beas finished the year losing the last 15 in conference play and the first-round game in the conference tournament.

At the end of the year, Mark Fox was fired on March 9, 2023,[1] one day after losing their first-round game of the conference tournament.

Off-season

Departures

Departures
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Marsalis Roberson G 6'6" 200 Sophomore Oakland, CA Transferred to UC Davis[2]
Joel Brown G 6'3" 192 Senior Brampton, Ontario Transferred to Iona[3]
Jarred Hyder G 6'3" 185 Senior San Bernardino, CA Transferred to Cal Poly[4]
Kuany Kuany F 6'9" 200 Senior Melbourne, Australia Transferred to VCU[5]
Lars Thiemann C 7'1" 260 Senior Krefeld, Germany Transferred to Loyola Marymount[6]
Obinna Anyanwu F 6'7" 225 Sophomore San Diego, CA Entered the Transfer Portal[7]
Sam Alajiki F 6'7" 230 Sophomore Dundalk, Ireland Transferred to Rice[8]
Dejuan Clayton G 6'2" 190 Graduate Student Bowie, MD Entered the Transfer Portal[9]

Incoming Transfers

Incoming Transfers
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Jaylon Tyson F 6'7" 210 Junior Plano, TX Transferred from Texas Tech[10]
Keonte Kennedy G 6'5" 180 Graduate Student Austin, TX Transferred from Memphis[11]
Fardaws Aimaq F 6'11" 245 Graduate Student Vancouver, British Columbia Transferred from Texas Tech[12]
Jalen Cone G 5'11" 175 Graduate Student Walkertown, NC Transferred from Northern Arizona[13]
Mike Meadows G 6'2" 175 Graduate Student Hollywood, CA Transferred from Portland[14]

2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Rodney Brown
G
Temecula, CA Rancho Christian School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 7, 2022 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 3/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (82)
Devin Curtis
C
Northridge, CA Heritage Christian School 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Nov 9, 2022 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 3/5 stars   ESPN: 3/5 stars   (79)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 California Commits". Rivals.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Roster

2023–24 California Golden Bears men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Fardaws Aimaq 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) GS Steveston-London Secondary School
Texas Tech
Vancouver, British Columbia
G 1 Rodney Brown Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Rancho Christian School Perris, CA
F 2 Monty Bowser 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Bishop O'Dowd High School Oakland, CA
G 3 Keonte Kennedy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Westlake High School
Memphis
Xavier
Austin, TX
G 12 Jack McCloskey 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Mater Dei High School Santa Ana, CA
F 13 Devin Curtis 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Heritage Christian School Northridge, CA
F 14 Grant Newell 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So IMG Academy (FL) Chicago, IL
G 15 Jalen Cone 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Walkertown High School
Northern Arizona
Virginia Tech
Walkertown, NC
G 20 Jaylon Tyson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr John Paul II High School
Texas Tech
Texas
Plano, TX
F 22 ND Okafor 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So NBA Academy Latin America Dundalk, Ireland
G 25 Mike Meadows 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Campbell Hall School
Portland
Hollywood, CA
G 30 Wrenn Robinson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Jr St. Ignatius College Preparatory
City College of San Francisco
Oakland, CA
G 32 Jalen Celestine 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Long Island Lutheran Middle and High School Ajax, Ontario
G 55 Devin Askew 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Jr Mater Dei High School
Texas
Sacramento, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

[15]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
6:00 p.m., P12N
St. Thomas (MN) W 71–66  1–0
 21 – Celestine   11 – Aimaq   2 – Askew  Haas Pavilion (3,066)
Berkeley, CA
November 10, 2023*
8:00 p.m., P12N
Pacific L 79–87  1–1
 22 – Cone   11 – Tyson   3 – Tied  Haas Pavilion (3,195)
Berkeley, CA
November 13, 2023*
7:00 p.m., P12N
Cal State Bakersfield
SoCal Challenge campus site game
W 83–63  2–1
 23 – Cone   12 – Tyson   7 – Tyson  Haas Pavilion (2,628)
Berkeley, CA
November 16, 2023*
8:00 p.m., P12N
Montana State L 60–63  2–2
 27 – Tyson   12 – Aimaq   2 – Tied  Haas Pavilion (2,638)
Berkeley, CA
November 20, 2023*
10:00 p.m., CBSSN
vs. UTEP
SoCal Challenge Surf Division semifinals
L 72–75  2–3
 18 – Aimaq   11 – Aimaq   2 – Tied  The Pavilion at JSerra (529)
San Juan Capistrano, CA
November 22, 2023*
9:30 p.m., CBSSN
vs. Tulane
SoCal Challenge Surf Division 3rd place game
L 81–84  2–4
 24 – Tyson   14 – Aimaq   5 – Tyson  The Pavilion at JSerra (312)
San Juan Capistrano, CA
November 25, 2023*
4:00 p.m., MWN
vs. San Diego State
SoCal Showcase
L 67–76 OT 2–5
 23 – Tyson   18 – Aimaq   5 – Cone  The Pavilion at JSerra (2,293)
San Juan Capistrano, CA
December 2, 2023*
4:00 p.m., P12N
Santa Clara W 84–69  3–5
 26 – Cone   11 – Tyson   4 – Kennedy  Haas Pavilion (3,356)
Berkeley, CA
December 9, 2023*
9:00 a.m., FS1
at Butler L 90–97 2OT 3–6
 24 – Aimaq   16 – Aimaq   7 – Tyson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,034)
Indianapolis, IN
December 16, 2023*
4:30 p.m., SECN
vs. Ole Miss
Hall of Fame Series San Antonio
L 78–88  3–7
 22 – Tyson   12 – Aimaq   6 – Kennedy  Frost Bank Center (2,279)
San Antonio, TX
December 20, 2023*
2:00 p.m., P12N
UC San Diego W 71–67  4–7
 19 – Aimaq   10 – Aimaq   5 – Tied  Haas Pavilion (2,516)
Berkeley, CA
Pac-12 regular season
December 29, 2023
7:30 p.m., P12N
No. 4 Arizona L 81–100  4–8
(0–1)
 22 – Tyson   10 – Tyson   5 – Askew  Haas Pavilion (5,947)
Berkeley, CA
December 31, 2023
5:00 p.m., P12N
Arizona State L 69–71  4–9
(0–2)
 20 – Tyson   14 – Aimaq   5 – Tyson  Haas Pavilion (2,429)
Berkeley, CA
January 3, 2024
7:00 p.m., P12N
at USC L 74–82  4–10
(0–3)
 23 – Tyson   8 – Aimaq   8 – Aimaq  Galen Center (4,603)
Los Angeles, CA
January 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., P12N
at UCLA W 66–57  5–10
(1–3)
 22 – Tyson   14 – Aimaq   3 – Tied  Pauley Pavilion (7,342)
Los Angeles, CA
January 11, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
Colorado W 82–78  6–10
(2–3)
 30 – Tyson   10 – Aimaq   3 – Cone  Haas Pavilion (2,258)
Berkeley, CA
January 13, 2024
5:00 p.m., P12N
at Oregon L 73–80  6–11
(2–4)
 20 – Tyson   10 – Tyson   3 – Cone  Matthew Knight Arena (6,748)
Eugene, OR
January 18, 2024
6:00 p.m., P12N
Washington L 75–77  6–12
(2–5)
 18 – Aimaq   10 – Aimaq   5 – Aimaq  Haas Pavilion (2,913)
Berkeley, CA
January 20, 2024
2:00 p.m., P12N
Washington State W 81–75 OT 7–12
(3–5)
 30 – Tyson   14 – Aimaq   5 – Tyson  Haas Pavilion (3,201)
Berkeley, CA
January 26, 2024
7:00 p.m., FS1
Stanford
Rivalry
W 73–71  8–12
(4–5)
 14 – Tyson   12 – Aimaq   4 – Tyson  Haas Pavilion (8,710)
Berkeley, CA
February 1, 2024
5:30 p.m., P12N
at No. 11 Arizona L 65–91  8–13
(4–6)
 13 – Celestine   10 – Tyson   4 – Tyson  McKale Center (14,688)
Tucson, AZ
February 3, 2024
12:00 p.m., P12N
at Arizona State W 81–66  9–13
(5–6)
 20 – Aimaq   14 – Aimaq   5 – Tied  Desert Financial Arena (7,901)
Tempe, AZ
February 7, 2024
8:00 p.m., P12N
USC W 83–77 OT 10–13
(6–6)
 27 – Tyson   20 – Aimaq   5 – Aimaq  Haas Pavilion (11,801)
Berkeley, CA
February 10, 2024
2:30 p.m., FOX
UCLA L 60–61  10–14
(6–7)
 16 – Tyson   12 – Aimaq   3 – Tyson  Haas Pavilion (9,280)
Berkeley, CA
February 15, 2024
7:00 p.m., P12N
at Washington State L 65–84  10–15
(6–8)
 18 – Tyson   11 – Aimaq   4 – Brown  Beasley Coliseum (2,744)
Pullman, WA
February 17, 2024
5:00 p.m., P12N
at Washington W 82–80  11–15
(7–8)
 28 – Tyson   15 – Aimaq   6 – Tyson  Alaska Airlines Arena (8,916)
Seattle, WA
February 22, 2024
7:00 p.m., P12N
Oregon State W 81–73  12–15
(8–8)
 20 – Aimaq   11 – Aimaq   5 – Tied  Haas Pavilion (3,012)
Berkeley, CA
February 24, 2024
6:00 p.m., P12N
Oregon
Senior Night
W 69–64  13–15
(9–8)
 27 – Tyson   14 – Aimaq   3 – Tied  Haas Pavilion (6,105)
Berkeley, CA
February 28, 2024
5:00 p.m., P12N
at Colorado L 78–88  13–16
(9–9)
 25 – Tyson   11 – Aimaq   4 – Tyson  CU Events Center (6,926)
Boulder, CO
March 2, 2024
6:00 p.m., P12N
at Utah L 59–88  13–17
(9–10)
 19 – Cone   5 – Aimaq   3 – Tied  Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,841)
Salt Lake City, UT
March 7, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Stanford
Rivalry
L 58–80  13–18
(9–11)
 18 – Aimaq   9 – Aimaq   3 – Tyson  Maples Pavilion (4,967)
Stanford, CA
Pac-12 tournament
March 13, 2024
6:00 p.m., P12N
(7) vs. (10) Stanford
First round/Rivalry
L 76–87 OT 13–19
 19 – Cone   9 – Aimaq   8 – Tyson  T-Mobile Arena 
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.

References

  1. ^ Borzello, Jeff. "Cal fires men's basketball coach Mark Fox after four seasons". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  2. ^ Mico, JD. "UC Davis Men's Basketball Signs Cal Transfer, Marsalis Roberson". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  3. ^ Faraudo, Jeff. "Cal Basketball: Ex-Golden Bears Point Guard Joel Brown Heading to Iona". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  4. ^ Curtis, Jake. "Cal Basketball Transfer Jarred Hyder Joins Cal Poly". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  5. ^ Curtis, Jake. "Cal Transfer Kuany Kuany Commits to VCU". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Curtis, Jake. "Cal Transfer Lars Thiemann Commits to Loyola Marymount". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  7. ^ Curtis, Jake. "Pac-12 Basketball Transfers: Who's Out, Who's In So Far". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Andrzejewski, Tim. "Men's Basketball Adds Transfer Sam Alajiki". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  9. ^ Curtis, Jake. "Cal's DeJuan Clayton Enters Transfer Portal for 8th College Season". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "Texas Tech sharpshooter Jaylon Tyson transfers to Cal". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  11. ^ "Keonte Kennedy Signs With Golden Bears". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  12. ^ Faraudo, Jeff. "Cal Basketball: Mark Madsen Lands 1st Recruit - Ex-Utah Valley 6-11 Star Fardaws Aimaq". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  13. ^ Curtis, Jake. "Cal Adds Northern Arizona Transfer Jalen Cone". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Faraudo, Jeff. "Cal Basketball: Former Portland Guard Mike Meadows Set to Join Golden Bears". Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  15. ^ "2023–2024 Schedule". calbears.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.