Cal Basketball: Mark Madsen Ready to Make Haas an East Bay Destination

With Oakland's three pro teams gone or leaving, Cal's new coach sees an opportunity.

The Raiders are in Vegas, the Warriors crossed the Bay Bridge to San Francisco and the A’s say they’re also leaving town.

New Cal basketball coach Mark Madsen, who grew up in the East Bay community of Danville, certainly isn’t celebrating the defection of teams from our backyard.

But he sees an opportunity for the Golden Bears.

“That’s not a knock on anybody, it’s just the reality of the landscape,” he said of the exodus of the three pro franchises during our Friday morning interview. “We want Haas Pavilion to be the premier destination in terms of sports in the East Bay. And reaching over to Sacramento and reaching to Modesto and reaching to Vacaville.

“This is a funnel, and we’re bringing everyone here to Berkeley, to Haas Pavilion and it’s going to be a great experience and we’re going to win a lot of games.”

Madsen believes if he builds it — or rather, rebuilds the Golden Bears — they will come.

By the time Cal staggered to the end of the Mark Fox era last season, home attendance at Haas Pavilion plummeted to an all-time low of 2,155 fans per game.

This is what’s important to recognize: You don’t have to go back to the Jason Kidd years of three decades past to find a season where Cal fans support their program.

Just seven years ago, in 2015-16, the Bears averaged 10,183 for their home games, third-best in the Pac-12.

Madsen hasn’t slowed down since being hired in early April. He says he can only keep track of the date because his wife Hannah delivered their fourth child, Anastasia Ruth Madsen, on April 2 and he was in Berkeley the next day.

Exuding energy and optimism, as always, Madsen says he feels a buzz for the program that has him encouraged. “It’s been a fantastic reaction,” he said, noting that he often is greeted by shouts of “Go Bears!” from folks he sees in different public settings.

Just this week he swapped text messages with a BART conductor, and the online exchange may have earned the Bears another ticket-buyer.

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Madsen was a Stanford senior All-American in 1999-2000, the year Cal opened revamped Haas Pavilion, which was nearly doubled in size from cozy Harmon Gym.

Madsen had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the third-ranked Cardinal’s 81-70 victory but Stanford had to overcome a sellout crowd of 12,172 to get out with a victory.

“The energy is already here,” Madsen said.

There has been no time for hand-wringing over last season’s 3-29 record.

“Last year is water under the bridge,” he said. “Certainly what I see this spring is a very strong focus on getting better, a strong focus on what can be done to not just have a good season next, not just to improve the win total. But to have a great season.

“Will we have ups and downs? Yes, 100 percent.’ Are we going to go 31-0? Probably not. But we’re going to shoot for it, we’re going to strive for it, we’re going to prepare for it and we are ready to fight and learn and grow.”

Madsen reiterated without details his confidence the Bears will soon announce plans to build a long-awaited, on-campus practice facility.

"It is a process and it will take some time,” he said. “But it is absolutely coming. We are going to get to the point where that will never be able to be used against us in recruiting.”

Madsen said the Bears’ 2023-24 schedule is coming together but was not ready to share any opponents or dates. A department spokesperson said he anticipates the non-conference slate should be available by July.

“We want to have a strong non-conference schedule,” Madsen said. “We want to play against really good teams because by playing against the best it brings our our best. You can’t play the worst teams and expect the best outcome.”

Cover photo of Haas Pavilion during better days courtesy of Cal Athletics 

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo