Cal Talking to Nation’s No. 1 Basketball Prospect for 2026

Apparently five-star prospect Brandon McCoy Jr. is at least listening to Golden Bears’ recruiting pitch

Brandon McCoy Jr. / Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader /

This report comes under the heading: Cal willing to shoot for the stars.

Virtually every big-name college basketball program is or will be recruiting Brandon McCoy Jr., a five-star 6-foot-4 combo guard from St. John Bosco High School in Belflower, California.  It suggests Cal is a long shot to land McCoy, rated the nation’s No. 1 or No. 2 prospect in the class of 2026, depending in which service you choose.

However, Cal reportedly is making a concerted effort to recruit McCoy, who is at least listening to what coach Mark Madsen is selling.  And the mere fact that Cal is willing to challenge the basketball bluebloods for McCoy’s services indicates Madsen is not afraid to battle the big boys in recruiting battles. A lot of past Cal coaches would not have attempted to recruit a player of McCoy’s stature.

Here is what McCoy recently told Rivals about his recruitment:

“Cal, USC, Kentucky, Duke and Baylor are the ones that I have really been talking to the most,” he said.

Dreaming Golden Bears fans might even put some significance in the fact that McCoy mentioned Cal first.  But the recruitment of McCoy, who is entering his junior high school season, has not started in earnest.

What is McCoy looking for in a college?

“It’s about coaching for me,” he told Rivals. “I need to find a caring coach that is going to make sure I do well when you commit to a college. It's supposed to be a family. That’s why it’s important to find a staff that trusts me and loves me.”

He said he’s looking for teams “that play hard all the time and pride themselves on defense.”

The fact that Madsen turned Jaylon Tyson into a first-round NBA draft pick has to give the Cal coach some credibility among elite recruits.

Rankings can change for players that have just finished their sophomore year of high school, but as of now Rivals and On3 rank McCoy as the nation’s No. 1 prospect in the class of 2026, while ESPN and 247 Sports place him at No. 2.

Kansas, Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, UCLA, Louisville, Michigan, Washington, Oregon are among the other schools who reportedly have offered McCoy.

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