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The Bears have now officially announced the hiring of Matt Scherbenske as assistant coach on Mark Madsen's staff. He worked at Cal under Mike Montgomery from 2011-14 as a grad assistant and video coordinator and was most recently in charge of recruiting at Texas Tech.

"Matt was instrumental in the roster-building success at Texas Tech the past two seasons and is a workhorse on the recruiting trails," Madsen said. "He knows what success at Cal looks like with his previous experience on Mike Montgomery's staff and he'll make an immediate high-level impact on our program and our student-athletes. I'm excited to have Matt wearing the Blue and Gold once again."

He went from Cal to Central Arkansas where he was an assistant and eventually associate head coach. He's got Kentucky roots and Under Armour connections as a former coach for the KC Run GMC squad based out of Kansas, which has had plenty of top tier players come through its program.

"I'm elated and thankful to return to Cal and help Coach Madsen lead this program back to its winning ways," Scherbenske said. "I first came to Berkeley more than 10 years ago and saw firsthand what it takes to make this program great. I'm excited to work alongside Coach Madsen and lead Cal men's basketball into a new era."

It's a very impressive visitor list this weekend for the Bears, including one official visit -- Houston OL transfer Cam'Ron Johnson (more on him in the link):


2024 unofficial visitors:

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CB Niko Clark, Chandler, Arizona

2025 unofficial visitors:

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The spring game production was awesome today. They really stepped their game up and you could feel the energy! Yet there was absolutely no dialog on here 🤔...Is Cal football dead to everyone!?!

Here's this weekend's visitor list for the Bears that will include tomorrow's spring showcase. Many of the visitors are already on campus and were at practice today including Akili Smith Jr., Tyler Knape, Caleb Mithcell Irving and Jayden "Duke" Scott. It was my first time seeing Mitchell Irving in person and he is a must-get type of guy in my opinion. He looks like he could suit up right now and play. Really impressive. There are also a bunch of commits/signees expected to be in attendance Saturday and there were already a few present at today's practice including Frederick Williams III.

Commits

2023 RB Jaivian Thomas, McClymonds
2023 DL Zurich Ashford
2023 DL Tiu Afalava
2023 OL Frederick Williams III
2023 DL RJ Stephens
2023 LS David Bird

2024

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2025

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Hearing some buzz about Vandy assistant Adam Mazarei. Don't have anything definite to tell you, but keep his name on your radar.

Got a bunch of interviews for you from today's spring showcase including Justin Wilcox, Sam Jackson V, Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiah Hunter, Trond Grizzell, Matthew Littlejohn and Craig Woodson plus I grabbed Myles Jernigan for a one-on-one interview as well. You can watch all those below:

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The day has arrived. The end of spring practice is today for the Bears and it will end with Cal's Spring Showcase. The day will mostly be a scrimmage but will still feel a bit like Practice No. 15 more than a true spring game. Still, there should be plenty to see and I'll try and keep you guys as updated as I can. For full transparency, I'll be focused on shooting game clips since it will be the first and only time I'll be able to record team periods before the season. I'll also be snapping some photos and doing as much as I can from the field on my phone.

The game is being televised by Pac-12 Network, so feel free to talk among yourselves if you are watching.

I will have full coverage of the day afterward for anyone who isn't able to make it out to Memorial Stadium or watch it live.

Beautiful day in Berkeley and it should be a fun one!

Ryan has been putting together this feature story on Sam Jackson V diving a bit into his past and the path that brought him here to Berkeley to lead the Cal offense. It's a good read and worth your time as it gives some more insight into the player currently in line to be the starting quarterback for the Bears this fall.

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I'm going to write a story on this with more comments from Spav, but he said today that Cal will be adding another scholarship quarterback this spring once the portal window opens again and he can evaluate the options. He is of the mindset of adding the best available player at the position, but based on what he said today finding a mobile quarterback with game experience is the priority. It sounds like experience is going to trump anything else when evaluating potential QB options. You can hear a portion of his comments in the clip above.

Cal has nearly reached the end of spring ball with only Saturday’s spring showcase remaining on the schedule. The Bears hit the field once more Friday for a shorter practice that featured just one team period. The day was mostly used as prep for the showcase to make sure the players and coaches are all on the same page ahead of tomorrow afternoon.

There were still enough live plays to get some more evaluations done, and here are some of the top takeaways and observations from Friday’s practice.

• As I mentioned in another thread, Jake Spavital plans on adding another scholarship quarterback to the roster before the start of training camp and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some added depth to that group. So far, Sam Jackson V has not shown quite enough to be given the job straight away as of now, and Friday was another mixed bag for the TCU transfer.

He opened the practice strong with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Hunter in the 7-on-7 period early in practice. It was a great throw and Hunter was able to catch the ball in stride to beat the defense. There’s obviously no pass rush coming in 7-on-7, so Jackson had ample time to throw the ball but it was still an impressive play. Jackson two more really impressive plays during the live team period Friday including a 23-yard touchdown pass to Mavin Anderson over the middle on a beautiful pass. He also found tight end J.T. Byrne for a 22-yard connection on what was probably Jackson’s best play of the day. He scrambled to buy a bunch of time before hitting Byrne with a cross-body pass that was right on target.

The big issue for Jackson during Friday’s practice was making plays in some more high-pressure situations. The team worked a true 2-minute drill Friday and Jackson had a number of issues. The drive began at the -34 yard line and he wasn’t able to guide the first-team offense beyond midfield. He was forced to scramble on the two final plays of the drive but in one instance he tried a little too hard to make something happen wasting crucial seconds on the clock.

That play was one Spavital called out after practice as being something Jackson needs to improve on by the time the season arrives.

• Fernando Mendoza continued to make some impressive plays throughout Friday’s practice. Like Jackson, he was able to put the ball in the end zone during the 7-on-7 period with a 50-yard completion to Trond Grizzell with Mayze Bryant in coverage on the play. Mendoza also had nice completions to Jordan King for about 15 yards as well as a 15-yard toss to Chris Rogers on a throw that took some precision in traffic.

Mendoza was able to lead his group to a field goal in the 2-minute drill with a big play coming to Rogers on a 25-yard completion over the middle to push the second-team offense into plus territory.

• Defensively, Dejuan Butler came up with a pass breakup in the 7-on-7 period as did Kaleb Higgins working against Elijah Mojarro. Inside linebackers Sergio Allen and Kaleb Elarms-Orr each had strong plays during the latter part of practice with Allen being part of a scramble play in the 2-minute drill that ended with a tackle for loss against Jackson with 8.5 seconds left. KEO played well in coverage to keep Mojarro from catching a pass in the 2-minute drill to force a field goal.

David Reese came up with the tackle for loss that ended the drive for the first-team offense during the 2-minute period late in practice.

Myles Jernigan was in a boot on his right foot today pushing Myles Williams into the starting unit opposite Reese at outside linebacker.

• At this point, it doesn’t sound like Jaydn Ott will get much work during Saturday’s showcase and Spavital said he could be held out altogether as the staff tries to preserve some health at the running back position. Byron Cardwell remains out and was using a crutch but otherwise looks to be moving better after suffering a right knee injury earlier in the spring. Andy Alfieri and Aidan Lee would be the ones to step into those roles Saturday behind Ashton Stredick.

• 2025 QB Akili Smith Jr., 2024 running back Duke Scott and 2024 defensive lineman Caleb Mitchell Irving were a few of the recruits I noticed were allowed to watch practice from the field on Friday. You can see Smith in this photo below.



Video interviews

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Practice clips

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According to a BI post, Cal Athletics is going to forgo next season any mandatory donation to the men's basketball excellence fund; that is the good news. The bad news is that the price for courtside seats, not an inconsiderable amount, will more than double. Overall a net gain for donors like mysellf who want to redirect their donations from such excellence fund to Cal Legends NIL.

Today was the last work day for the Bears before Saturday's spring showcase, and there was a bit more fire around the practice field today as Cal inches closer to the end of spring ball. Here's a roundup of what I noticed watching practice as Day 13 is now in the books for Justin Wilcox and his team.

• Like most practices, there were some good and bad moments for both sides of the ball. I'd say the defense ended up winning the practice overall but the offense finished strong by making some big plays in the final team period. It could just be that it's the end of spring and players are growing tired of going up against one another, but there were more physical, after-the-whistle moments between players than at any other point in the spring. There were at least three instances when players on both sides of the ball got into shoving matches with one big one that brought a handful of players together during blitz pickup drills. Eventually it died down, but it was the first time there has been any glimpse of that this spring.

• The offense struggled to get the ball in the end zone again today, and the first touchdown of the day didn't come until very late in practice when Fernando Mendoza found tight end Jack Endries for 24 yards over the middle on a nice throw and catch by that duo. Endries probably had the best day overall of any offensive player, and Mendoza was able to put together a strong finish to practice as he continues to show signs of being a playmaker at the quarterback position. His ability to make plays with his feet has been a pleasant surprise for the Bears this spring, and he scored a 21-yard touchdown late in practice on a run to the right side that included him breaking a tackle near the line of scrimmage.

• Mendoza closed the final team period with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Andy Alfieri coming out of the backfield on a rollout to the left side of the field. Alfieri has made the move over to running back for the last several practices with the running back group thinned out because of injuries and absences. Alfieri might not eventually stick at the position, but he was impressive running the ball Wednesday with a couple big plays where he trucked defenders to gain extra yards. His aggressive running style was effective and led to runs of about 10 yards and 15 yards during the second team period.

• Junior college transfer Matthew Littlejohn would get my pick for most impactful defensive player in Wednesday's practice. He opened the first team period by intercepting Sam Jackson V around the 10-yard line with the Cal quarterback looking for Kenden Robinson Jr. down the field. It was a poor throw for Jackson and Littlejohn was able to easily track it and come down with the ball. Littlejohn also pressured Jackson later in the practice forcing a throw out of bounds plus he locked up his man later in that period to force a turnover on downs for the offense. The versatile defensive back also had a win in the blitz pickup period being tight end Asher Alberding on a play.

• Hunter Barth, who Peter Sirmon says is likely to stay at linebacker, made an impressive play early in practice as well coming up with a sack of Mendoza. It was really the first time this spring that Barth has been able to look completely comfortable at his new position, and he had a solid practice overall as well.

• Other standouts for the defense included cornerback Nohl Willams, who added to his interception total this spring by pulling in a pass from Jackson intended for Jeremiah Hunter down the left sideline close to the 5-yard line. Isaiah Young, who has put together a solid spring in the secondary, came up with yet another pass breakup late in the first team period in coverage against Chris Rogers. Mayze Bryant also had a pass breakup on the day as he knocked down a ball intended for Jordan King down the side line.

• Jake Spavital continues to try out some different plays and looks this spring, and Wednesday brought a different wrinkle in the running game. The best play of the day offensively went to Mavin Anderson who took the ball from Jackson on a reverse fooling the defense allowing the offense to pick up 29 yards to open the second team period.

• There were fewer mistakes overall for the offense, but the quarterbacks continue to have some issues hanging onto the ball. Today it was Mendoza who had a bobbled snap early in the first team period. The offense was able to keep control of the ball, but those types of mishaps have been common during the first 13 practices.

• The outlook for some of the players who have been limited in spring is starting to look much better as the end of the practice schedule draws near. Illinois transfer receiver Brian Hightower is doing more than he has at any point this spring and finally was able to get in on the team periods during today's practice. He still does not look completely comfortable but it is much more than we saw from him early in spring ball. It's clear there are at least some limitations there since he was only involved in the team periods for a short time, but there is clear progress as well.

Offensive lineman Matthew Cindric was behind the offensive line throughout the team periods taking some live mental reps. He was going through his motion of snapping the ball and working against air, but he has been allowed to do full work within the individual periods showing signs of progress as he prepares to make his return once training camp arrives. Offensive line coach Mike Bloesch says he wants to have 8 or 9 players ready to go up front by the time the season arrives but there won't be much movement with the starting five once he settles on a group. When Cindric goes into the starting lineup for individual periods, the team has moved Brian Driscoll over to left guard and Ender Aguilar then is the odd man out in that scenario with Cindric at center.

Practice videos

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Official Visit
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Also might have one more visitor that I'm waiting on hearing about, but that remains to be seen. I'll put up an article about it in the next hour

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Four-star Rivals250 sophomore quarterback Akili Smith Jr. will be making the trip out to Berkeley this weekend for Cal's spring game. The four-star prospect recently made the move from the Inland Empire down to San Diego where he will get a chance to follow in his dad's footsteps at Lincoln High School. Smith is every bit of 6-foot-6 and is really starting to come into his own as a quarterback. Oregon will be a huge factor in his recruitment but he has been open to seeing other schools and looking at options other than his dad's alma mater.

He's visiting with the Ducks next weekend for their spring game, so it will be a big weekend for the Bears to make a strong impression.

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We might see a familiar face when Auburn comes to town ... Maybe

https://www.si.com/college/auburn/f...regon-state-transfer-quarterback-chance-nolan

oh, and there's this

https://stanforddaily.com/2023/04/1...r-who-is-running-stanford/#comment-6159795627

Here is Caminong at Oregon State with a potential lineman recruit. Seems to be taking his commitment to UW very seriously. Or maybe not.

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I'll have my writeup posted here in just a little bit, but here are all the videos from today including interviews with DC Peter Sirmon, OL coach Mike Bloesch and receivers Trond Grizzell and Jordan King. Plus, I have the daily practice clips with a little mix of OL/DL work and WR/DB one one ones.

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Still trying to get in touch with him, but in case you missed it Cal added Northern Arizona leading scorer Jalen Cone as a transfer today. The graduate transfer began his career at Virginia Tech before playing the last two seasons with the Lumberjacks. He's averaged 18.2 points over the last two seasons and made improvements with his outside shot this year going from just over 35% to 40% on 3-point attempts. He scored at least 28 points in five different games and had a season-high of 45 against Southern Utah.

He'll give the Bears a scoring punch on the perimeter and should very much be a plug-and-play type of guy for Mark Madsen. As of now he has one season of eligibility left since he has played in four seasons already. His season during the COVID year was cut short after 15 games because of an injury because that year doesn't count and he is coming to Cal as a graduate transfer he will be immediately eligible for one more season.

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By the own admission of the coaching staff, Friday's practice was not a good one for the Cal offense. The Bears failed to reach the end zone and really could not move the ball much in the 10th practice. So, being able to bounce back with one of the best overall days on that side of the ball was a positive development and exactly what the offensive staff hoped to see Saturday.

Here's a rundown of my top takeaways from Saturday's action, which featured some extended team periods but fell short of a true scrimmage.

• Jaydn Ott returned to practice for the first time this week, and whether or not he was the thing that sparked the offense it was clear how much his presence was missed Friday. The first drive ended with a touchdown as the offense was able to come out of the gate with a different level of success in the first team period Saturday. Ott put together a couple strong runs but the drive was capped with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Sam Jackson V to Monroe Young. The offense scored four touchdowns overall during the team periods and two of them came in the first segment of practice.

Fernando Mendoza led the second scoring drive as he connected with Kenden Robinson Jr. for a 28-yard touchdown to keep the momentum moving for the offense. Mendoza accounted for the other two touchdowns in the practice as well as he had a 5-yard rushing score in the second team period and a 21-yard touchdown connection with Trond Grizzell toward the end of practice. He also scored a 2-point conversation to end practice rounding out a solid day for the Cal backup signal caller.

Jackson, again, proved to be a difference maker with his feet. He broke a run that went for close to 20 yards to open the last team period and kept plays alive with his ability to scramble. Overall, he was only able to throw one touchdown pass but compiled a really nice collection of throws. Still, he had a couple big mistakes that he will need to clean up including an interception thrown to Raymond Woodie III that likely could have been returned for a touchdown plus another mishandled ball on a handoff exchange that ended ultimately ended up not being a turnover.

• The work up front from both the first and second units was also improved on the offensive side of the ball. There was a mostly clean pocket for Jackson and Mendoza to work from Saturday, and far fewer breakdowns in protection allowing the offense to be executed at a higher level than on Friday when the defense created all kinds of disruptions in the backfield and at the line of scrimmage.

• That is not to say it was all bad for the defense or all good for the offense, however. Woodie, in particular, had an impressive day as he opened the practice with a pass breakup working against Jeremiah Hunter that would have gone for a touchdown if not for his impressive play. Lu-Magia Hearns III, Craig Woodson and Kaleb Higgins all had pass breakups as well in Saturday's practice. Cam Sidney came through with some pressure and batted a ball at the line of scrimmage against Mendoza.

• The defensive front also did a good job of creating some problems but could just not get home as often as it did Friday. There were some pressure situations with Sidney, Myles Williams, David Reese, Matt Littlejohn, Sam Ross and Curlee Thomas IV all either forcing bad throws or throws out of bounds with their ability to pressure the quarterbacks.

Reese had the only sack of the day as he was able to get to Jackson to open the second team period. That came shortly after defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon grouped the defense together and scolded them for not having as much effort and energy as he thought they should. Justin Wilcox brought that up again after practice and told the defense that it was too "flat" during today's practice.

• There some updates from Wilcox on absences from practice. Running back Byron Cardwell still has his right leg heavily wrapped and Wilcox says the medical staff is still running tests to determine the severity of the injury and exactly what is going on. Ott was back at practice today but Wilcox declined to comment on the situation and says the Bears' star running back was simply "unavailable" to practice earlier in the week. Ott didn't appear to be injured in any way today and he was not seen with the "injured" group working off to the side earlier in the week. Jeremiah Earby has been dealing with an injury and Wilcox says he should be "progressing" this week but it's unclear on if he'll be able to get back on the field for the last week of spring.

• The staff mixed and matched some of the groups today and there were some players getting extended time with the first unit more than they had previously. Jordan King was able to get a good amount of reps with the first unit in place of Monroe Young during today's practice while walk-on tight end Jack Endries also seems to be solidifying his role as an option with the first unit at his position alongside J.T. Byrne.

• The Bears worked special teams into the team periods more than any other practice today, and it was a strong practice for kicker Michael Luckhurst. He was perfect with all five of his field goal attempts in the team periods and the staff had him move all the way out to 48 yards at one point. He looked confident, and overall he has been solid through the spring when given his opportunities.

• There were a good number of recruits on campus for the practice, but only a couple of them were able to stay on the field for the entirety of practice. Two of the most notable ones were Houston offensive line transfer Cam'Ron Johnson and Armijo HS defensive lineman Jericho Johnson. Both of them spent ample time around the staff and Johnson was right in the mix on the sideline with the defense for most of the practice. You can see photos of both players below.

Cal is closing in on the end of second-to-last week of spring practice with Saturday being the final practice of the week. Friday, the team regrouped for its second day of work since spring break, and it was a day dominated by the defense. There were some big early bright spots for the offense but most of the day belonged to Peter Sirmon's group.

Here's a rundown of some top takeaways from what I saw from the Golden Bears during Friday's practice under some rainy skies.

• The biggest takeaway from the day was the lack touchdowns from the offense. A couple days after reaching the end zone a ton, the offense was mostly bottled up although the group was shorthanded without the services of Jaydn Ott (undisclosed) and Byron Cardwell (right leg injury). That meant Ashton Stredick handled most of the first-team duties, and he is also only recently returning from an injury. As much as the offense didn't have the full allotment of players, it was as much about what the defense was able to do than what the offense wasn't.

There were four interceptions on the day overall for the Bears' defense with three of them coming in the team periods. Isaiah Young picked off Fernando Mendoza in the 7-on-7 portion of practice before Mendoza was picked off again in the first team period by Cam Sidney on a ball thrown to the left side. Young got Mendoza again late in practice as the team began the third team period. Sam Jackson V was intercepted by Jackson Sirmon after trying to make a difficult throw with Myles Williams applying pressure.

• Those big plays were definitely important for the defense, but it was more about the overall approach and success that made an impact for Peter Sirmon's group today. There was not a ton of room for the backs to make any kind of plays in the ground game, and there was consistent pressure from all over the field making it difficult for the offense to truly ever be settled or comfortable. The theme for the secondary continues to be the pass breakups and deflections. That again continued today with four pass breakups by my count with Matthew Littlejohn and Dejuan Butler both having one during the first team period followed by a great one from Butler again on a pass down the field to Trond Grizzell. Kaylin Moore had one late in the practice during the final team period as well.

• Up front there was plenty of pressure being applied from different spots on the field and it led to several passes thrown out of bounds. Kaleb Higgins and Moso'oipala Tuitele combined for a sack of Mendoza during the first team period. Ethan Saunders had a tackle for loss in the second team period taking down Aidan Lee, who was working at running back with so many players out at the position today as well.

• Saunders was the most impressive player of the practice in my view as he also applied pressure to Jackson late in the third team period forcing a throwaway. During the one-on-one portion of practice, Saunders earned big wins as well. He worked alongside Ricky Correia with the first unit early in today's practice with David Reese and Myles Jernigan on either side of them.

• There were a couple different combinations used with that first group to start off the team portion of practice with Blake Antzoulatos earning the nod alongside Sirmon at inside linebacker to start practice before Sergio Allen came in to replace him. Allen held that spot during Wednesday's practice. Safety Miles Williams was also used in the first unit on defense to start Friday's practice taking the place of Raymond Woodie III, who eventually checked back in a little later in the period.

• Lu-Magia Hearns III is another player on defense who I thought put together a strong showing. He came through with some good pressure to open the second team period forcing a throw out of bounds by Mendoza. Later in the same period he made a nice hit on Lee to held him to no gain on a rushing attempt.

• It wasn't all bad for the offense on Friday as that side of the ball was the clear winner of the one-on-one portion of practice with several big catches across the board. You can watch highlights of that entire session in the video below.

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• It was a bit of a rough day for the quarterbacks. There were some definite bright spots at times with both Jackson and Mendoza having some significant passes. Still, the big play eluded the offense and the quarterbacks in today's practice. Jackson did find tight end Jack Endries, who was able to get an extended look with the first unit, for about a 20-yard connection over the middle to open up the second team period. Jackson again linked up with Endries for another connection later in the drive. Overall, Jackson's best work again came on the ground as his ability to pull the ball and run has proved to be a success for the offense at really any time. He didn't break any huge runs on the day but did manage to move the chains on more than one occasion with his feet.

Mendoza was inconsistent throughout the practice but closed strong with a couple passes of close to 20 yards during the final team period with King and Grizzell being the recipients of those throws.

Jackson also finished his day with some positive plays in the final team period as he found Jeremiah Hunter on a rollout play to the left side for about a 15-yard gain before hitting Mavin Anderson on a crossing route for about 20 yards.

• Along the offensive line, the groups remain the same with Ender Aguilar still working at left guard. I thought Brayden Rohme had the best performance of the group as he had some good wins in the one-one-one and pass pro portions of practice but was also really solid in keeping pressure off the quarterback on his side of the field during the team periods.

Post-practice interviews

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From the SF Chronicle, it seems like Jim Knowlton managed to botch another investigation into a abusive coach...(although to be fair, Mike Williams sorta f-d this up also...)

Players say UC Berkeley mishandled bullying claims against women’s soccer coach

There were a ton of interviews to do today as we were given Michael Luckhurst and Raymond Woodie III after they each had strong performances today. And because of the odd number of practices this week, we also were given Justin Wilcox for a second time along with Jake Spavital. Plus I had previously requested interviews with tight ends J.T. Byrne and Jack Endries plus TE coach Tim Plough. You can listen to all those interviews plus see the OL/DL one-one-ones from today in the videos below. I'll have my takeaways from today's practice posted in just a little bit.

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Another follow-up story from our interviews Monday ...


The question just kept coming Monday as Mark Madsen was formally introduced as Cal's new basketball coach.

Athletic director Jim Knowlton joked about it in introducing Madsen, saying he was still trying to determine where the former NBA player had gone to college. ESPN/Pac-12 Network personality Roxy Bernstein joked that he'd never seen Madsen look so good, wearing the blue and gold.

Yes, the coach now tapped to revive Cal basketball started his rise in the sport at rival Stanford, where he helped lead the Cardinal to the Final Four in 1998.

Every time that rather interesting component of all of this came up Monday, Madsen had his stock answer ready.

COLUMN: New Cal coach Mark Madsen embracing, setting the highest of expectations

"I can't tell you how excited I am to dive in here at Cal," Madsen said in response to Bernstein. "I love my alma mater, I had a great experience there, but it's about building Cal and getting Cal back to where Cal belongs basketball-wise. Just couldn't be more excited about it."

And when it came up again in the subsequent press conference with media ...

"I would say this. I love my alma mater, I love where I went to school, I love every experience that I had. My excitement is for Cal," Madsen said. "My excitement is for building this into a championship program."

But what about when he takes his Cal team on the road to Stanford's Maples Pavilion next season?

"I absolutely understand the question," Madsen said. "I would say this -- of course probably the night before I'm going to have some emotions going back to a place where I spent time. But the season, the number of games for us next year, hopefully we're playing 38 games. So that's two games out of 38. As you guys get to know me you'll see that when I dive into something I give full commitment. Absolute full commitment, full excitement. And guys, I'm incredibly excited about this opportunity here -- about this opportunity.

"For a lot of reasons. Just, I see the potential. It's exciting for me to -- when it's all said and done I grew up with a lot of Cal grads as my high school teachers, some of my high school teammates went to Cal. ... It's really fun and exciting for me to be here."

In fact, Madsen tried to preempt the subject altogether in his opening statements Monday, explaining his own ties to Cal while growing up in nearby Danville.

As he shared, his first recruiting visit was to Berkeley.

"I want to turn the clock back to 1992. I was a young player in high school trying to find my way. I had never played a minute of varsity basketball, so John Raynor, my head coach [at San Ramon Valley HS], he kind of entrusted me to his assistant, Jim Barrons, who played here under Pete Newell in the program. So somehow, Jim was able to get me on an official visit to Cal. It was my first visit as a recruited athlete," Madsen said, telling the story. "I went over to Harmon Gym and I watched Jason Kidd practice. Lamond Murray was on the team, Monty Buckley was on the team. I was blown away at the talent level of the basketball team. I was in heaven. Lou Campanelli was the coach, I went into his office, I'd barely played any high school basketball, but they treated me incredibly well.

"Then they took me to the football game and I was just enjoying myself, and at some point somebody walked up the stairs and was walking across the aisleway and the entire crowd just started yelling at this person, and the chant was simple -- 'Take off that red shirt.' Later there was a coaching change and my recruitment dropped off, as sometimes happens in the recruiting process, but that was my first introduction to Cal. ... I was surrounded in a lot of ways with Cal graduates and people affiliated with Cal."

Now, Madsen is the fresh source of optimism for Cal basketball fans that their program can be returned to those previous heights.