Cal Basketball: Andrej Stojakovic, Mady Sissoko Push Bears' Signing List to Seven

Stojakovic showed great potential as a freshman at Stanford; Sissoko is a grad transfer from Michigan State.

Andrej Stojakovic / Photo by Robert Edwards, USA Today

On the heels of signing five new players the previous two days, Cal basketball officially welcomed two more of the nine transfers who had committed over the past month.

Wing Andrej Stojakovic, a former McDonald’s All-American and the son of retired NBA star Peja Stojakovic, comes to Cal from Stanford with three years of eligibility remaining.

And 6-foot-9, 250-pound Mady Sissoko, who played in six NCAA tournament games at Michigan State, arrives as a graduate transfer.

All nine of the newcomers will play for the Golden Bears beginning next season.

Stojakovic, a 6-foot-7, 190-pounder, was a five-star prospect at Jesuit High School in the Sacramento area. He averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman this past season at Stanford.

Here are Cal coach Mark Madsen’s first public comments about Stojakovic: 

“Andrej is a tremendous basketball player whose ceiling is limitless. He is one of the most fluid and natural basketball players I have seen. Andrej’s shot-making prowess and ability to attack the rim will put constant pressure on defenses.  He is a phenomenal rebounder who will mix it up in the paint. Andrej is a dynamic playmaker and a great teammate. Our Cal Family is going to love seeing Andrej play in Blue and Gold.”

Stojakovic, who started 10 times last season, scored a season-high 20 points against USC. In high school, he was a Jersey Mike’s Naismith All-American and Nike Hoop Summit participant with the World Team during his prep career and the third-ranked player in the state of California.

Sissoko played in 121 career games for Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, averaging 5.5 rebounds and shooting 59 percent from the field in 18.0 minutes as a junior and senior.

Here’s what Madsen had to say about Sissoko:  

“Our basketball program is immediately better in every way with Mady on the roster. He knows what it takes to win consistently at a high level, and he’s going to impact in countless ways on the court. Mady is a ferocious defender and is polished and poised on the offensive end. Our Cal Family is going to love getting to know Mady this upcoming season and I can’t wait to get to work with him.”

Sissoko played on Michigan State teams that posted a four-year record of 79-54 and played in the NCAA tournament every season. A native of Bafoulabe, Mali in West Africa, Sissoko came to the U.S. in 2016 and played at Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah before enrolling at Michigan State.

Forwards Joshua Ola-Joseph of Minnesota, Lee Dort of Vanderbilt and Rytis Petraitis of Air Force signed with the Bears on Wednesday after forward BJ Omot from North Dakota and guard DeJuan “DJ” Campbell of Western Carolina inked paperwork on Tuesday.

The two other players who have committed to Cal but are yet to sign are point guard Christian Tucker of Texas-San Antonio and forward Jeff Nwankwo of Cowley Community College in Kansas.