Cal Basketball Transfer Review: Who’s In and Who’s Out

Mark Madsen is replacing nearly his entire Cal roster, and he may not be done yet

Nov 10, 2022; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; North Dakota Fighting Hawks forward B.J. Omot (20) attempts a / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Cal’s basketball program under Mark Madsen has made a number of roster moves since the end of the 2023-24 season and there are likely to be more moves. Let’s review the players from this past season who are gone and the players who are coming to Cal for next season by way of the transfer portal or recruitment.

WHO IS OUT:

Jaylon Tyson: Entered 2024 NBA draft

2023-24 role: Starter

Notes: 6-foot-7 guard/forward. All-Pac-12 selection. Might be a first-round NBA draft pick. Averaged 19.6 points, 8.6 rebounds. Bears main playmaker.

Jalen Celestine: Entered transfer portal

2023-24 role: Starter

Notes: 6-foot-7 guard/forward. Cal’s best perimeter shooter, hitting 44.0% of his three-point shots, second-best in the Pac-12. Averaged 8.7 points, 3.2 rebounds. Could conceivably withdraw from portal.

Fardaws Aimaq: No more college eligibility

2023-24 Role: Starter

Notes: 6-foot-11 center. Pac-12’s leading rebounder at 11.0 boards per game. Averaged 14.5 points per game.

Jalen Cone: No more college eligibility

2023-24 Role: Starter

Notes: 5-foot-11 guard. Streaky shooter who was great when he was hot, but had some long dry spells. Averaged 13.4 points and made 31.9% of his three-point shots.

Keonte Kennedy: No more college eligibility

2022-23 role: Starter

Notes: 6-foot-5 guard. Cal’s best defensive player, who had an unorthodox shot, but made 31.0% of his three-pointers while averaging 9.3 points.

Grant Newell: Entered transfer portal

2023-24 role: Sixth man

Notes: 6-foot-9 forward. A starter in 2022-23 as a freshman. Newell made 11 starts in 2023-24 but came off the bench when everyone was healthy. Averaged 21 minutes and 5.5 points this past season.

Devin Askew: Entered transfer portal

2023-24 role: Starter limited to six games because of injury

Notes: 6-foot-3 guard. Cal’s leading scorer in 2022-23. Injury-plagued career at Cal. Began 2023-24 as the Bears starting point guard, but played only six games due to injury.

Rodney Brown Jr.: Entered transfer portal, committed to Virginia Tech

2023-24 role: Averaged 14.1 minutes off the bench, played in every game.

Notes: Showed courage and potential as a freshman this past season, when he averaged 14.1 minutes and 3.5 points while shooting 39.7% from long range. Cal will see him next season when Cal joins ACC.

ND Okofor: Entered transfer portal

2023-24: Limited to nine games (no starts) because of injury

Notes: 6-foot-9 forward. Physical inside presence who did not get a chance to progress because of injuries. Averaged 7.9 minutes, 1.9 points, 1.7 rebounds in his nine games in 2023-24. Started two games, averaged 21 minutes as a freshman in 2022-23.

Monty Bowser: Entered transfer portal

2023-24 role: Started four games, played in six others.

Notes: 6-foot-7 forward. Averaged 11.2 minutes, 0.3 points. Started eight games in 2022-23 as a sophomore.

Wrenn Robinson: Entered transfer portal

2023-24 Role: Seldom Played

Notes: 6-foot-2 guard. Walk-on. Played in 10 games for a total of 24 minutes.

Gus Larson: Entered transfer portal

2023-24 role: Reserve center

Notes: 6-foot-10 forward/center. Walk-on. Played in 28 games, averaged 7.0 minutes, 1.4 points and was 4-for-9 on three-pointers.

WHO IS IN

Christian Tucker: Transfer from Texas-San Antonio

2023-24 role: Starter as a senior

Notes: 6-foot-3 point guard.  Averaged 11.3 points, 5.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals as a junior last season. UTSA finished 11-21 overall, 5-13 in American Athletic Conference.

Lee Dort: Transfer from Vanderbilt

2023-24 role: Played one game off the bench as a sophomore

Notes: 6-foot-10 center. Recorded one point and two rebounds in seven minutes in his only game before being suspended following  an arrest for felony aggravated assault. The charges reportedly were scheduled to be dropped after he completed a program. As a freshman in 2022-23, Dort averaged 6.5 minutes, 1.7 points, 2.1 rebounds in 17 games played.

B.J. Omot: Transfer from the University of North Dakota

2023-24 role: Starter named to all-Summit League first team as a junior

Notes: 6-foot-8 forward. Averaged 16.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and averaged 18.1 points over the final 14 games. Was the team’s leading scorer as a freshman in 2022-23, averaging 12.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in 33 starts. The highest rated transfer that committed to Cal this year.

Joshua Ola-Joseph: Transfer from University of Minnesota

2023-24 role: Started 19 games as a sophomore

Notes: 6-foot-7 forward. Started 23 games as a freshman and started 19 games as a sophomore before coming off the bench in 10 others. Averaged 7.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 2023-24. His playing time decreased significantly late in the season as a he dealt with concussion issues.

DJ Campbell: Transfer from Western Carolina

2023-24 role: Started 29 of 32 games played as a sophomore

Notes: 6-foot-2 guard. Played on the wing. Excellent three-point shooter, making 41.0% from long range. Averaged 11.6 points, 1.5 assists.

Jeff Nwankwo: Junior college transfer from Cowley College

2023-24 role: Starter named NJCAA first-team junior college All-American as a sophomore

Notes: Began his college career as a football player at Tulane before switching to basketball in junior college. Averaged 18.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and made 37 percent of his three-pointers in 2023-24.

Jeremiah Wilkinson: Incoming freshman from Powder Springs, Georgia

2023-24 role: Played at The Skill Factory Prep in Atlanta

Notes: 6-foot-1 guard. Three-star recruit. Played his junior season at McEachern High School. Originally committed to Mississippi State before signing with Cal. Former Cal stars Jaylen Brown and Shareef Abdur-Rahim both came from the Atlanta area.

Kevin Armstrong II: Incoming walk-on freshman from Minneapolis

2023-24 role: Played at the Breck School in Minneapolis

Notes: Averaged 16.4 points and 10.8 rebounds for a team that was the Minnesota Class AA state champion

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