The Cal and Stanford men’s basketball programs received good news on Friday.
Mark Madsen reaffirmed his commitment to Cal as speculation swirled that he would be a top candidate to take over at BYU from Mark Pope, who left to replace John Calipari at Kentucky.
And Stanford’s 7-foot-1 center Maxime Raynaud withdrew his name from the transfer portal, giving the Cardinal a huge piece as new coach Kyle Smith aims to rebuild the program.
In a post on X/Twitter account, Madsen said he and his wife, Hannah, “want to thank every single member of the Cal community for your unconditional love and support this year. We have felt welcomed and embraced. Gratitude would be an understatement. We love Cal and the Bay Area. We are excited and fully committed for the future here at Cal.”
Madsen led Cal to a 13-19 record last season, his first in Berkeley, and signed an extension last month through 2030.
The Bears went 3-29 in 2022-23.
Before arriving at Cal, Madsen coached four seasons at Utah Valley, finishing 70-51. He won 48 games over his final two seasons.
In his X/Twitter post on Friday, Madsen added, “Over the coming weeks, you will continue to see outstanding student-athletes committing and signing to Cal. We are building something special. We will win. We will continue to send players to the NBA.
“‘The Haas of Pain’ will be in full effect with rabid students and fans.”
Madsen’s alma mater, Stanford, also received good news when Raynaud, the Pac-12’s most improved player this past season, decided to stay put. The San Francisco Chronicle was the first to report Raynaud’s decision, which Stanford announced on Friday morning.
Stanford forward Maxime Raynaud announced that he will stay on The Farm next season. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Raynaud averaged a team-leading 15.5 points and 9.6 rebounds in 2023-24.
“I’ve had time to reflect since the season ended, and I’ve come to the realization that there is no better place for me to continue my basketball journey than here at Stanford,” Raynaud said in a statement released by the university. “I am excited to play for Kyle Smith, to earn my degree from Stanford, and to lead this team on The Farm.”
