California is another program that hasn’t exactly been making positive national headlines in basketball in recent memory, though Mark Madsen does have them trending in a positive direction. The Golden Bears are fresh off their 2nd season as members of the ACC and took a big step forward, tying for 9th in the league while finishing the year 22-12 with an NIT bid.
Fresh faces
There’s going to be a new look to the lineup this season with plenty of departures. Double-digit scorers Chris Bell and John Camden are both out of eligibility while Justin Pippen transferred to Ohio State and Dai Dai Ames opted for Tennessee. The most notable returning player is starting forward Lee Dort in what should be his final season but there’s plenty of young pieces further down the depth chart back as well like Semetri Carr or Mantas Kocanas.
Madsen and company have replenished the roster with a trio of 3-star freshman and a list of interesting transfer additions. In the frontcourt, Jake Wilkins is an interesting piece with great potential after his last season at Georgia while Amier Ali from Mississippi State has playmaking ability. Michael Cooper averaged 13 points a game as a freshman at Wright State, while Nojus Indrusaitis neared double-figures in the conference at Pittsburgh as a sophomore.
Big time player incoming
Instead, it’s Jordan Ross who gets our significant focus today for what he brings to Berkeley. A 6-3 point guard out of Pleasant Grove, Utah, he began his career with a pair of seasons at Saint Mary’s before transferring to Georgia last offseason. With the Bulldogs he started most of their games at the point, averaging 6.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists a game and is looking to take another step forward into year four.
Ross is the veteran addition to California’s roster and the only new player who has at least three seasons of college ball under his belt. While his numbers might not jump off the page, his experience and leadership is important on a team filled with young players. The Golden Bears are leaning on several people to really develop in the months ahead and certainly need a competent point guard leading that charge.
It’s hard to look at this roster and piece together just what the rotation will be, as Madsen and his staff has quite the task ahead of them. Dort looks like a sure thing in the frontcourt and Ross almost certainly becomes the leader at the point. Hoping to build on a 22-win season, California is certainly hoping that those two can continue emerging while this lineup finds it’s scoring from some of these new pieces.
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