Basketball
7-5
(0-1 ACC)
Cal Bears Basketball Coaching Staff
Last Game
San Diego State
Loss
50-71
Dec 21, 2024
SAP Center
Next Game
Pittsburgh
Jan 1
Pittsburgh, PA
ACC Network
Mark Madsen
Head Coach
Mark Madsen, a two-time NBA champion with East Bay roots and a proven track record as both a college and professional coach, has been named the 19th head coach in California men's basketball history.
After a decorated playing career which included a trip to the NCAA Final Four at Stanford and two NBA titles while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Madsen is considered a rising star in the coaching ranks, having most recently led Utah Valley to the semifinals of the 2023 NIT. Madsen was named the 2023 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and led the Wolverines to a pair of conference titles during his four seasons at the helm. Madsen has been well-recognized for his efforts during the 2022-23 campaign as he was named District Coach of the Year by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and a finalist for the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year award, which is presented annually to the top Division I mid-major coach in college basketball.
Madsen spent six seasons as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers (2013-19) prior to leading Utah Valley. During his time on the Los Angeles bench, he coached NBA superstars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, among others. He also played alongside some of the NBA's greatest players, including Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Kevin Garnett. Following three seasons played with the Lakers (2000-03), Madsen played six further seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"I am extremely grateful to Chancellor Christ and Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton for their belief in me, and for the tremendous opportunity to lead Cal's men's basketball team back to its winning tradition," Madsen said. "Having grown up in the area, I have always admired Cal as an institution and as an athletic program, with so many of my teachers, coaches and friends impressive Cal graduates. We will win with young men who have elite academic and athletic talent and who will represent Cal with pride. Hannah and I and our children are excited to return to the Bay Area and join the Cal community and I cannot wait to get started. Go Bears!"
Madsen's first coaching position came as an assistant coach for the Utah Flash of the NBA Development League during the 2009-10 season. He later returned to his alma mater to earn an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2012 and spent the 2012-13 season as an assistant coach for the Cardinal, working in recruiting, opponent game planning and player development.
A 2019 Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Madsen earned All-America honors twice while helping lead the Cardinal to four NCAA Tournament appearances – including the 1998 Final Four – in as many seasons played from 1996-2000. He averaged 10.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in his Stanford career and ranks fourth in field goal percentage (.587) and sixth in rebounds (857) in program history. Madsen earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Stanford in 2000.
Madsen earned the nickname "Mad Dog" for his aggressive style of play during his early playing days at San Ramon Valley High School in Danville and at Stanford. He served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Spain. Madsen and his wife, Hannah, have two sons, William and Leroy, one daughter, Alexandria and a child who is due any day.
Adam Mazarei
Associate Head Coach
Adam Mazarei, a proven leader and skill developer who played an instrumental role in a turnaround at Vanderbilt and spent six successful seasons at the NBA level, joined the California men’s basketball program as an associate head coach in April 2023.
Mazarei, a native of Thousand Oaks, California, returned to the West Coast after four seasons (2019-23) on staff at Vanderbilt under head coach Jerry Stackhouse, the final year in which he was an associate head coach. His impact at Vanderbilt was swift, as he oversaw team skill development and scouting while assisting with practice planning, player development, recruiting and academics. The Commodores made consecutive NIT quarterfinal appearances in 2021-22 and 2022-23 as part of the program’s first winning seasons since 2016-17, and their 22 wins in 2022-23 were their most in more than a decade.
In Mazarei’s first season in Nashville, sophomore guard Aaron Nesmith, who led the nation in made 3-pointers prior to his injury, and junior guard Saben Lee, who bounced onto the national scene with three 30-point games and an All-SEC selection, were both selected in the 2020 NBA Draft. Nesmith was a lottery pick at 14th overall (Boston) and Lee was 37th overall (Detriot). Under Mazarei’s watch, Scotty Pippen Jr. earned first-team All-SEC accolades and set the school scoring record for a sophomore as he finished second in the SEC with 20.8 points per game in 2020-21 before signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In six seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies (2013-19) – three as an assistant coach and three as a player development assistant – the organization made the NBA playoffs four times, including a 55-win campaign in 2014-15 en route to the second round. Mazarei quickly climbed the ladder in Memphis, going from player development coach to advanced scout to NBA personnel scout, all while maintaining his player development duties. As a personnel scout he worked closely with the front office, which included NBA executive Ed Stefanski, to identify potential free agents and prepare new signees in their transition to the team.
Once promoted to assistant coach ahead of the 2016-17 NBA season, he was responsible for the Grizzlies guards and young talent, including Mike Conley, Andrew Harrison and Dillon Brooks. His tenure in Memphis also included work with Tony Allen, who earned NBA first-team all-defense honors as well as James Johnson, JaMychal Green, Ed Davis and Nick Calathes.
Prior to arriving in Memphis, Mazarei spent three years (2010-13) at Moorpark College (Calif.) as an assistant and associate head coach. He also served as a player development coach at the IMPACT Basketball Academy in Las Vegas from 2019-13, where he prepared pre-draftees for the NBA combine and team workouts, including Terrence Ross (Washington), Jamaal Franklin (San Diego State), Phil Pressey (Missouri), Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga) and Tony Wroten (Washington).
Mazarei’s coaching career began at the grassroots level in 2006 when he founded Kings Basketball Academy, a Southern California-based youth program that helped develop 44 collegiate athletes, including national champion point guard Kihei Clark (Virginia), Riley Battin (Utah), Wes Slajchert (Dartmouth) and Clark Slajchert (Penn) among others.
Mazarei received his master’s degree in athletic administration and coaching from Concordia in 2013 and earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Redlands (Calif.) in 2006, where he starred at point guard and led the SCIAC in assists per game and paced all NCAA divisions in assist-to-turnover ratio (5:1) as a senior.
Amorrow Morgan
Assistant Coach
Amorrow Morgan, an up-and-coming star in the coaching ranks with 10-plus years of collegiate coaching experience, joined the California men’s basketball program as an assistant coach on Mark Madsen’s staff ahead of the 2023-24 season. His hire was formally announced on April 20, 2023.
Morgan arrives in Bear Territory following two seasons spent at Loyola Chicago (2021-23), where he helped the Ramblers win 35 total games, reach the 2022 NCAA Tournament and capture the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title. Morgan’s previous stints include South Alabama and Nicholls State, among others.
Morgan was instrumental in the development of 2022 MVC Defensive Player of the Year and All-MVC first-team selection Lucas Williamson, as well as five other all-conference honorees in his two seasons with the Ramblers. In three seasons (2018-21) on staff at South Alabama – the latter two in which he held the title of associate head coach – Morgan aided the Jaguars in winning 54 games, including a 20-win season in 2019-20.
Prior to his time at South Alabama, Morgan was an assistant coach at Nicholls State, where he helped the Colonels to a share of the 2017-18 Southland Conference title and their most wins (21) since 1995. He played a key role in Roddy Peters earning the Southland Conference’s Newcomer of the Year award. Morgan’s coaching career started at the University of Illinois-Springfield in 2013-14 before he moved on to Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, where he helped guide the Saints to a 25-6 record, the Red River Conference regular-season crown and a trip to the NAIA round of 16. Before heading to Nicholls State, Morgan enjoyed a two-year term as an assistant at Henderson State.
Morgan is a 2012 graduate of Idaho State, where he earned a degree in sport management and was a two-time All-Big Sky guard. He was one of just 19 players in Idaho State history to earn multiple all-conference honors and was a three-year team captain before moving onto a three-year professional playing career in Europe, which included a season as the top scorer for the SC Itzehoe Eagles in Germany. He also has a master’s degree in public administration from Illinois-Springfield.
Morgan is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, and is married to the former Michelle Bailey.
Matt Scherbenske
Assistant Coach
Matt Scherbenske, a renowned recruiter who previously spent three seasons on Mike Montgomery’s staff at California, returned to Berkeley as an assistant coach under Mark Madsen ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. His hire was formally announced on April 17, 2023.
Scherbenske spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons at Texas Tech, where he served as the Red Raiders’ Director of Recruiting. His efforts on the recruiting trail landed Texas Tech the top-rated transfer class and 18th-ranked overall recruiting class nationally in 2022, per 247 Sports. The Red Raiders reached the 2021 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and won 43 combined games in Scherbenske’s two years in Lubbock.
Prior to Texas Tech, Scherbenske spent six seasons (2015-21) playing a pivotal role in turning around Central Arkansas' program. He was the Bears' associate head coach in 2020-21 after five seasons as an assistant coach. Scherbenske helped UCA set a program Division I record with 18 wins and win its first postseason game in the CBI first round in 2017-18. The Bears' 2018 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the Southland Conference according to 247 Sports, while 247 Sports also tabbed Scherbenske as the 57th best recruiter nationally the same season.
Scherbenske's original stint in Berkeley was a three-year span (2011-14) in which the Golden Bears won 66 games and made three postseason appearances – including two NCAA Tournament berths – under Montgomery. After spending the 2011-12 season as a graduate assistant at Cal, Scherbenske accepted the Director of Basketball Operations title at The Citadel, only to quickly return to Berkeley when Montgomery hired him back as the Bears' Video Coordinator ahead of the 2012-13 campaign. Scherbenske assisted in the development of Cal standouts and NBA Draft picks Allen Crabbe and Jabari Bird.
After earning his undergraduate degree in business management from Kentucky in 2010, Scherbenske interned with NBA skill trainers Mike Procopio and Tim Grover and helped work out a multitude of NBA stars including Kevin Durant, Dwayne Wade, Anthony Davis and Gilbert Arenas. He served as the head coach at Christ Prep Academy (Lenexa, Kansas) in 2010-11 and was also an assistant coach for the AAU KC RUN GMC squad.
Scherbenske played two seasons at Kentucky (2007-09) after transferring from Oral Roberts following his freshman season (2006-07). While at Kentucky, Scherbenske made the SEC All-Academic Team and played with more than 10 NBA draft picks. He played one prep season at perennial powerhouse Oak Hill Academy prior to arriving at Oral Roberts.
Scherbenske is a native of Lexington, Kentucky.
Jarred Jackson
Assistant Coach
Jarred Jackson, a talented on-court player developer who spent three seasons helping Mark Madsen elevate the Utah Valley program to new heights, joined the Golden Bears as an assistant coach ahead of the 2023-24 season. He was formally announced as a member of Madsen’s Cal staff on May 9, 2023.
Jackson arrived in Berkeley following one season spent on the Coastal Carolina women’s basketball staff in 2022-23. Prior to his time with the Chanticleers, Jackson helped Madsen take Utah Valley from an 11-19 mark in their first season in 2019-20 to a 20-12 record in 2021-22.
The 2021-22 season – Jackson’s third on staff at Utah Valley – saw the Wolverines finish their home slate with an impressive 11-2 record, including a 72-65 overtime win over 12th-ranked crosstown rival BYU. Utah Valley also upset Pac-12 foe Washington on the road that season.
In his second year at Utah Valley in 2020-21, Jackson helped the Wolverines to a history-making season as they won the Western Athletic Conference regular-season title. It was only the second WAC title in Utah Valley history and the first since 2013-14. The Wolverines were one of the most unselfish teams in the nation in 2020-21, ranking 11th nationally with 16.8 assists per game.
Utah Valley broke the program’s single-season team blocks record with an impressive 157 rejections in Jackson’s first season in 2019-20. Emmanuel Olojakpoke broke the single-season individual Utah Valley blocks record with 81 blocks and set the Wolverines’ single-season field goal percentage mark at 69.1%.
A total of five Utah Valley players earned All-WAC honors during Jackson’s time in Orem including Cal signee Fardaws Aimaq, who was the 2021 WAC Player of the Year and two-time WAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022.
Jackson was the UT Arlington men’s basketball director of operations in 2018-19 after serving as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech in 2017-18, helping the Red Raiders reach the NCAA Tournament’s Elite 8. He joined the Lander University staff as an assistant coach in 2015 and helped the Bearcats to a Peach Belt Conference title and an NCAA Division II Tournament appearance for the first time in nine years.
Prior to Lander, Jackson served as the boys' basketball associate head coach and head junior varsity coach at West High School under Mike Matheson. His team reached the playoffs in two of his three seasons at WHS. During his tenure at WHS, Jackson coached, developed and mentored six all-region performers.
A two-time All-PBC selection and three-time team captain during his playing career at Lander, Jackson scored 1,388 points and made 214 three-pointers. He led the Bearcats to the 2007 PBC Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth.
Jackson earned a bachelor's degree in sociology with a minor in African-American studies from Lander in 2007. He went on to earn his master's degree in sports management and administration from Liberty University. He also earned an associate’s degree in logistics, material and supply chain management from the Community College of the Air Force.
He is married to former TyJha Corbin of Columbia, South Carolina. The couple has one son, Jace.
Ken Moses
Assistant Coach
Ken Moses, who helped Mark Madsen lead Utah Valley to new heights last season, has joined the newly appointed California men's basketball head coach's staff as an assistant coach.
In Moses' one season on Madsen's staff at Utah Valley, the Wolverines won a program-record 28 games and the outright 2022-23 Western Athletic Conference regular season title while advancing to the NIT Final Four. Moses is the latest addition to a standout staff being assembled by Madsen in Berkeley, which already includes associate head coach Adam Mazarei and fellow assistants Amorrow Morgan and Matt Scherbenske.
"Ken was a pivotal piece of our success at Utah Valley last season and brings a winning pedigree to Berkeley," Madsen said. "Ken is a brilliant tactician, and I've seen firsthand the type of individual and leader that he is. I have no doubt he'll enrich our student-athletes' experiences while helping lead our program into the future. I'm excited to have him with me at Cal."
Before joining Madsen at Utah Valley, Moses was part of two of Montana State's ' most successful seasons this century. Moses helped the Bobcats to a 27-8 record, Big Sky Conference Tournament and regular season titles and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2021-22. It was just the second time in MSU history and the first time in 26 years that the program won both the Big Sky regular season and tournament titles in the same season. The season prior in 2020-21, MSU's 13-10 record was its best by winning percentage in two decades.
Moses spent the 2019-20 season at Southern Illinois as the Salukis' Director of Operations. In his lone season on staff at SIU, Moses helped the Salukis turn into one of the nation's best underdog stories. SIU, which was picked last in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, won 16 games and 10 conference games – the best-ever for a team picked last in its preseason poll.
Prior to SIU, Moses worked two years at NJCAA Division I Missouri State University West Plains (2017-19). The Grizzlies were 45-21 during his two seasons and won the 2018 Region XVI Championship. He coached two All-Americans at West Plains and six players who earned All-Region recognition – including one Region Player of the Year – as the Grizzlies won 68% of their games.
"I'm grateful to continue my coaching career alongside Coach Madsen," Moses said. "It's an honor to work with a coach who does things the right way. Coach Madsen is a great leader, teacher and mentor. I'm excited for the brand of basketball that we're going to bring to Berkeley"
Moses also served a combined four years as a graduate assistant and assistant coach at NCAA Division II Nebraska-Kearney (2013-17). Moses coached one All-American, six all-conference players and one player of the year with the Lopes as the program went 74-44 in his tenure.
A native of Honolulu and 2010 graduate of Colorado State University Pueblo, Moses began his coaching career as an assistant for three seasons at his alma mater from 2010-13. The former ThunderWolves guard was a four-year letter winner at CSU Pueblo (2006-10) and a team captain as a senior.
Barry Parsons
Associate Athletic Trainer
Barry Parsons is in his 18th season as an Associate Athletic Trainer overseeing the sports medicine needs of the California men’s basketball program.
Parsons, who also works with the nationally-ranked men’s rowing program at Cal, came to Berkeley in the fall of 2004 after five years as an assistant athletic trainer at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. At Wofford, he assisted with the Terriers’ football and men’s basketball programs.
He also has experience working with the National Football League, assisting with the Carolina Panthers during training camp for five seasons.
Parsons was an Academic All-American as a wide receiver at Garden City Community College in Kansas, before he transferred to Kansas State, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 1999. He later earned his master’s degree in education from Converse College in South Carolina. During his time at Kansas State, Parsons served as a student athletic trainer for several of the Wildcats’ athletic programs.
Sebastian Hernandez
Assistant Athletic Performance Coach
Sebastian Hernandez is in his first year as the athletic performance coach for the California men’s basketball and women’s tennis programs. He arrived in Berkeley in April 2023, following two seasons spent in the same role - strength & conditioning - at Utah Valley, where he worked with Cal men’s basketball head coach Mark Madsen.
The Wolverines’ men’s basketball team experienced immense success during Hernandez’s two years (2021-22, 2022-23) in Orem, winning 48 total games including a program-record 28 in 2022-23, along with an outright Western Athletic Conference regular-season title and NIT Final Four berth the same season.
Hernandez spent four seasons at his alma mater, Florida State, working as the assistant strength & conditioning coach for the Seminoles’ women’s basketball program. The FSU women finished all four seasons ranked in the top 25 nationally and reached four consecutive NCAA Tournaments (2017-20).
Hernandez served as a strength & conditioning intern at Miami (FL) in 2017, where he aided in the supervision and implementation of S&C for the Hurricanes’ men’s and women’s basketball programs. He was the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Freedom Christian Academy (Fayetteville, NC) for three years from 2014-16.
Hernandez is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He earned his undergraduate degree in sport management from Florida State in 2019 and later received his master’s in exercise science from Concordia University Chicago in 2020.
Hernandez, his wife Stephanie, and their son Kai are natives of Miami, FL and currently reside in the Bay Area.
David Ford
Director, Operations & Player Development
Dave Ford is in his fourth overall season with the California men’s basketball program in 2022-23, and his second year as the Golden Bears’ Director of Operations and Player Development. He held the role of Coordinator of Operations in his first two seasons spent in Berkeley following stints with high-level programs including USA Basketball, Texas and Villanova.
He arrived in Bear Territory following a graduate assistantship with the Longhorns, where he helped contribute to the 2019 NIT Champion program. While in Austin, Ford oversaw player schedules, used SportsCode for scouting, recruiting and analytical purposes and contributed to the @TexasMBB social media accounts. As a participant at the 2018 Manager Games, he helped steer the Longhorn manager staff to a national runner-up finish at the Final Four in San Antonio.
As an undergraduate, Ford was a four-year student manager for the 2016 National Champion Villanova Wildcats. He orchestrated all team management and equipment operations for home and road contests, and managed equipment for players and staff year-round. Ford also helped co-found the annual Big East Manager Tournament in New York City in March 2015.
Beyond the collegiate basketball landscape, Ford served as a team manager and video coordinator for USA Basketball each summer from 2013-16, supporting the team in locations including the Czech Repbulic, Greece and Spain. He obtained, cut, edited and presented game and scout film and prepared scouting reports for the three-time FIBA World Champion squad. In June 2018, Ford returned with USA Basketball as a manager and operations assistant for the team’s trips to Mexico and Cuba.
Ford played club basketball at Villanova and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in business in May 2017 before moving to Texas, where he completed his Master of Education in Sports Management in May 2019.
Austin Chambers
Director, Scouting & Video Operations
Austin Chambers is in his second season with the California men’s basketball program in 2022-23. He serves as the Director of Scouting and Video Operations for the Golden Bears.
Chambers arrived in Bear Territory after one season spent as an assistant coach at the University of Texas, Permian Basin (UTPB). Despite playing one of the most difficult schedules in the country, Chambers and the Falcons pulled off two major upsets, knocking off the No. 11 team in the nation in back-to-back games. The Falcons used suffocating defense in a 75-65 win at St. Edward's before upsetting Dallas Baptist 99-97 in overtime in their very next game. Chambers helped the development of Jordan Horn and Trevion Lamar who went on to earn All-Lone Star Conference Second Team honors after the season.
Prior to joining the Falcons, Chambers had the unique experience of working inside the NBA Orlando Bubble during the summer of 2020. He worked with multiple teams and players throughout that experience and his duties included game setup, game breakdown, assisting with player development sessions and assisting the equipment managers of the playing teams.
Chambers served as a graduate assistant for two seasons at Texas under Shaka Smart before working in the bubble. Those two years featured a NIT Championship and a top-three finish in the Big 12 Conference. During his time at Texas, he helped with player development, recruiting and opponent scouting.
Chambers, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, got his start in college basketball coaching at the University of Louisville under Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino and David Padgett as a student manager. The three years spent at Louisville included three straight 20-plus win seasons and an NCAA Tournament Berth. Chambers helped the program with individual player development and opponent scouting. His time included working with multiple players that went onto the NBA including, Donovan Mitchell, Damion Lee, Deng Adel, and Jordan Nwora.
Chambers graduated from the Louisville in 2018 with a bachelor’s in business marketing and graduated from Texas in 2020 with a master’s in sports management.
He and his wife, Julia, reside in the Bay Area.
CK Hicks
Director, Creative Content
Christopher “CK” Hicks is the Director of Creative Content for the California men’s basketball program, having served in the role for two years since originally arriving in Berkeley ahead of the 2021-22 season. In collaboration with Cal Athletics’ Creative Services team, Hicks oversees all areas of visual communications within Cal men’s basketball, including social media, photo and video content.
Hicks spent the previous two years (July 2019-June 2021) in a Digital Media Fellowship with the UC Davis athletics department, assisting in coverage of the Aggies’ 25 varsity sports.
Hicks earned his undergraduate degree from San José State in 2018 and resides in Davis.
Ella Kirschke
Director, Business Operations
Ella Kirschke is in her first year as the Director of Business Operations for the California men's basketball program. Kirschke joined the Golden Bears ahead of the 2022-23 season, and serves in a crucial role with oversight of the team's day-to-day operations, including managing travel itineraries, team meals and budgetary needs.
Kirschke graduated from UCLA (May 2022), where she was a four-year member of the Bruins' swimming & diving program. A two-time scholar All-American and Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll selection, Kirschke finished her UCLA swimming career among the program's top-8 finishers in the 200 free (1:46.15, sixth), 200 IM (1:57.69, fifth), and 400 IM (4:11.53, fifth). She was a 2021 NCAA qualifier and secured nine individual event wins throughout her collegiate career.