California signs basketball coach Mark Madsen to a 2-year extension
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — California has signed coach Mark Madsen to a two-year extension after he led an impressive turnaround in his first season with the Golden Bears.
Athletic director Jim Knowlton announced the deal on Tuesday that will run through the 2029-30 season, saying Madsen has made an “incredible difference” in his brief tenure at Cal.
Madsen took over a program that went 3-29 under Mark Fox last season and led the Bears to a 13-18 mark heading into the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday night against Stanford.
Cal went 9-11 in regular-season play in the conference to finish tied for sixth. That was the school's best finish since 2016-17.
The Bears won six of their final eight games at Haas Pavilion as Madsen created excitement that helped deliver several big home crowds.
“I’m grateful to Jim Knowlton and our administration for their ongoing confidence in what we’re building in Berkeley,” Madsen said in a statement. “Our goal is to win championships and pursue greatness, and our entire basketball program will continue to execute on that vision with the Cal community behind us. There are great things ahead in Bear Territory, and we’re just getting started.”
The Bears will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
