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Cal Basketball

Cal Basketball Rebuilds its Roster

April 11, 2025
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With the roster close to being complete (complete?), we take a look at the roster as currently comprised.

Returners:

Andrej Stojakovic - Junior Wing - 6’6, 200, 17.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.8 assists, 1.2 bpg

Advanced Metric Comments:   Elite shot blocker for a wing, rarely fouls, draws fouls at a high rate, an elite FT shooter.   

Comments:  Capable of being the top scorer in the ACC.  A plus athlete with great body control and a solid handle.   Flirted at times with being a defensive stopper but was plagued by inconsistency.  Needs to establish a better three point shot and improve his assist to turnover ratio

Rytis Petraitis - Senior Combo Forward - 6’7, 210, 8.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals

Advanced Metric Comments:   Solid Offensive efficiency, near elite offensive rebounder and steals, elite at getting to FT line

Comments:  The versatile hustling Petraitis fought through a shoulder injury and struggled to shoot as well as he had at Air Force.   A healthy Rytis could easily be a double digit scorer.

Lee Dort - Junior PF/C - 6’10, 245, 3.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.1 bpg

Advanced Metric Indicators:   Top 10 post defensive rating nationally, elite level rebounder, near elite shot blocker.   

Comments:  Big, strong and very athletic, Dort was a strong defensive and rebounding presence for Cal in 24-25.   Needs to improve his hands, his court awareness, avoiding fouling and become a more efficient scorer.

DJ Campbell - Senior Combo Guard - 6’2, 205, 7.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.6 assists

Advanced Metric Indicators:   Inefficient scorer, poor assist to TO ratio, good at avoiding fouling on defense.  

Comments:  Tough, physical guard who had moments with his midrange game and plus defense.  Has to improve his outside shot and his overall shot selection

Spencer Mahoney - RS Sophomore Stretch PF - 6’9, 230, 1.5ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.2 assists

Advanced Metric Indicators:  (Limited Minutes) Well below average offensive player, poor assist to TO ratio

Comments:  Good length and strength player with a sweet looking jumper.  Slow footed and very limited athletically.  All about his jump shot, if he can make threes, he may be able to contribute

Transfers:

John Camden - Senior Combo Forward - 6’8, 220, 16.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 assists, 

Advanced Metric Indicators:   Elite offensive player, 42% from three, very low TO rate, rarely fouls, below average rebounder, 42% from three

Comments:   One of the best offensive stretch fours in the game.  Great release and range on his jump shot, can use the bounce to beat overplaying defenders, good athlete, average defender

Recruiting Resume:  Top 125 National Player with offers from Florida, Indiana, Texas A&M, etc

Milos Illic - Senior PF/Center - 6’10, 235, 14.4, 7.5 rpg, 3.0 assists

Advanced Metric Indicators:   Good shooter, efficient scorer, near elite rebounder, elite post passer, 33% from three

Comments:  Skilled and productive big man both facing the basket and in the post, gifted passer and rebounder.  Not super physical, defense is a question mark.

Recruiting Resume:  Unrated international player

Dai Dai Ames - Junior Combo Guard - 6’1, 185, 8.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.4 assists

Advanced Metric Indicators:   Very good shooter, particularly from three and the FT line, a plus steal percentage, subpar rebounder and less than ideal assist to TO ratio.   40% from three

Comments:  Became a starter the back third of the season for Virginia and excelled.  15+ ppg as a starter, strong and quick with a knack for scoring

Recruiting Resume:  Consensus top 65 player, offers from Michigan State, Illinois, LSU, etc

Justin Pippen - Sophomore Point Guard - 6’3, 180, 1.6 ppg, .6 rpg, .7 assists

Advanced Metric Indicators:  (Limited Minutes) Inefficient shooter save for FTs.  Solid assist and rebound percentages, a plus defender

Comments:  A late bloomer in HS, has good length, excellent instincts and vision and very good form on his jump shot.

Recruiting Resume:  Top 75 player nationally, offers from Georgia Tech, Michigan, Stanford, and Texas A&M

Nolan Dorsey - Senior Shooting Guard - 6’5, 205, 9.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.2 assists

Advanced Metric Indicators:  Solid efficiency on offense, plus rebounder and near elite steal rate.  36% from three

Comments:  Rangy wing who plays very hard.  Average athlete.  Outstanding defender, decent spot up shooter, with a a limited offensive skill set.  

Recruiting Resume:  Unranked, only low major offers

Sammie Yeanea - RS Freshman PF/C - 6’9, 245, Redshirted at GCU in 24-25

Comments:  Effectively a third HS recruit as Yeanea is only 18 years old.   Great combination of athleticism and size.   Raw but promising skill set including a good face up jumper with range to three

HS Resume:  Top 100 National Player with offers from Kansas, Florida, Houston, Alabama, et al

High School Recruits:

Jovani Ruff:  6’5, 185 Shooting Guard - Long Beach Poly’s all time leading scorer.  Top 125 National Recruit with offers from Kansas, UCLA, Oregon, USC, LSU, etc

Comments:  Long, rangy shooting guard with a refined mid range game.  Good, not great athlete.  Unorthodox release on his jumper, a knack for scoring

Semetri (TT) Carr:  6’, 170 Point Guard - All Bay Area performer, Top 200 National Recruit with offers from Washington, San Diego State, and Stanford

Comments:  Athletic lead guard who can score.  Very good form and release on his jump shot, good not great handle, can use both hands with solid court awareness

What’s potentially improved against last years roster?

Shooting:   This is, on paper, a far better shooting team.  Dorsey made 47 threes last year at 36%+ which would have made him Cal’s top marksmen (tied with JOJ while making 2x the number of threes); Camden was among the nation’s leaders in three pointers made at 42%, Ames made 39% of his attempts from three, Illic, a post player, made 21 threes at a 33% clip whilst Pippen, Carr and Yeanea all come in with reputations as very strong shooters for their positions.  

Perimeter Defense:  Reputationally and based on film, the team meaningfully improved on the perimeter with defense.   Dorsey was the Defensive POY in his conference last season with an elite steal rate and good length.  Advanced metrics suggest he would have been Cal’s best perimeter defender last season.  Ditto for Dai Dai Ames who had strong advanced defensive metrics on the perimeter.   Pippen was viewed by Michigan’s staff as a near term stopper with his length, athleticism and tenacity.  

Passing/Sharing the Ball:  The assist rate for the new group of transfers is materially higher than the players they are replacing.   Illic is elite with his post passing, Camden is a plus passer on the baseline as well.  Dai Dai’s assist rate is very solid and while Dorsey’s wasn’t great it was better than either Wilkinson or Stojakovic in comparison.  Of the younger players, Pippen and Carr have reputations as very good passers.    

How does this group compare in terms of athleticism to last years?

There’s only one potential elite athlete in the incoming group and that’s PF/C Sammie Yeanea.  Where the team improved is the depth of plus athletes - Ames, Pippen, Carr and Ruff are all in that category.  Camden is likely an average ACC level athlete for his position whilst Dorsey and Illic look to have sufficient athleticism.   Thus the floor rises compared to last year based on who is likely to get minutes in 25-26  vs the 24-25 season but the ceiling likely falls as Wilkinson, JOJ and Omot were all plus to elite athletes for their size/position. 

What are the question marks for this roster heading into the Summer?

First and most importantly is the question of whether Cal has enough true two way players.  Ames and Stojakovic have that potential and with some projection so does Pippen.  Dort would need to make a meaningful jump in his offensive game whilst Camden will need to improve his defense prowess to qualify.   The youngsters beyond Pippen have the upside to do so.  Yeanay was very much a dynamic two way player in HS, Ruff has the length, and athleticism to be a strong defender as well.   Secondly, can the team replace Sissoko’s rebounding and defense in the post?   Metrics suggest the Bears will be an improved rebounding team as Dort gets more minutes (he was top 10 nationally in rebound %), Illic is a near elite rebounder and Dorsey for his position was also a near elite rebounder.   Defense may be tougher as Illic, while solid, was not at Mady’s level and there are unknowns with Yeanay’s youth and Camden’s ability to play quality post defense.

Any other meaningful observations and questions?

Who other than Andrej can consistently create their own shot?   Ostensibly Ames can as well as Camden and Illic.  TBD with the youngsters.   How much potential NBA talent is there on this roster?  Perhaps more than is obvious, a lot depends on Pippen, Yeanea and the two HS players who seemingly have high ceilings.  Andrej and Dort have the potential and Camden may get a look as a speciliast if he can improve his defense.

Discussion from...

Cal Basketball Rebuilds its Roster

16,305 Views | 71 Replies | Last: 29 days ago by Bjorn91
Johnfox
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2:57p, 4/13/25
Yeanay is still committed??
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HKBear97!
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8:51p, 4/13/25
Competitive roster...if we were playing in the Mountain West. Will withhold final judgement until post OOC and early conference play, but on paper this does not strike me as a competitive ACC roster. Will tune in for year three and see if Madsen and company improve.
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stu
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In reply to HKBear97! • 9:16p, 4/13/25
HKBear97! said:
Competitive roster...if we were playing in the Mountain West. Will withhold final judgement until post OOC and early conference play, but on paper this does not strike me as a competitive ACC roster. Will tune in for year three and see if Madsen and company improve.
IMHO we have quite a few players who have been or could be very good mid major players. Plus Petraitis and Ames, who have been solid high major players. Plus Stojakovic, who is a high major star. Plus a few high upside players who could break out. If we can escape serious injuries I expect our floor to be at or a little above this season's performance and our ceiling to be competitive in the ACC (maybe .500 in conference).
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PenBear
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10:00p, 4/13/25
Really hope MM pick up some more proven players at the P4 level. At least try to match the portal gets from last year. Right now this is not trending up. Does anyone know if there are any more first tier players out there not committed yet who we still have a chance at?
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HoopDreams
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10:24p, 4/13/25
Not sure how many high level, experienced players are left in the portal, but I expect more movements as the window is still open, players can move if coaches leave, and I think grads can transfer anytime

However I think there will be many teams that have a hole to fill so the NIL amounts will be very high

Now that we signed Camden, I think our biggest need is an experienced 1, but that is a position of need for lots of programs, and I don't think anyone less than an experienced junior will help us
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Caleast
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5:25a, 4/14/25
How many more open roster spots do we have open at this point?
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brevity
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In reply to Caleast • 8:54a, 4/14/25
Caleast said:
How many more open roster spots do we have open at this point?

Good question. Assuming that no one who has declared for the transfer portal withdraws and returns, here are the 12 scholarship players on the 2025-2026 roster as of right now:

Last year of eligibility

6-8 forward John Camden
6-2 guard DJ Campbell
6-5 guard Nolan Dorsey
6-10 post Milos Ilic
6-7 forward Rytis Petraitis

2 years of eligibility

6-1 guard Dai Dai Ames
6-10 forward Lee Dort
6-7 guard Andrej Stojakovic

3 years of eligibility

6-9 forward Spencer Mahoney
6-3 guard Justin Pippen

4 years of eligibility

6-0 guard Semetri Carr
6-5 guard Jovani Ruff

I'm not including Grand Canyon transfer Sammie Yeanay because that announcement seems to be have been premature and/or retracted.

I'm less clear on the non-scholarship players who contribute to the new 15-player roster limit. From what I can tell, the following have not graduated and have not entered the transfer portal.

Kevin Armstrong II
BJ Fisher
Jayden Karapetian
Jack McCloskey
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oskidunker
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11:17a, 4/14/25
No great loss
Bring back It’s It’s to Haas Pavillion!
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RedlessWardrobe
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In reply to brevity • 1:17p, 4/14/25
brevity said:
Caleast said:
How many more open roster spots do we have open at this point?

Good question. Assuming that no one who has declared for the transfer portal withdraws and returns, here are the 12 scholarship players on the 2025-2026 roster as of right now:

Last year of eligibility

6-8 forward John Camden
6-2 guard DJ Campbell
6-5 guard Nolan Dorsey
6-10 post Milos Ilic
6-7 forward Rytis Petraitis

2 years of eligibility

6-1 guard Dai Dai Ames
6-10 forward Lee Dort
6-7 guard Andrej Stojakovic

3 years of eligibility

6-9 forward Spencer Mahoney
6-3 guard Justin Pippen

4 years of eligibility

6-0 guard Semetri Carr
6-5 guard Jovani Ruff

I'm not including Grand Canyon transfer Sammie Yeanay because that announcement seems to be have been premature and/or retracted.

I'm less clear on the non-scholarship players who contribute to the new 15-player roster limit. From what I can tell, the following have not graduated and have not entered the transfer portal.

Kevin Armstrong II
BJ Fisher
Jayden Karapetian
Jack McCloskey
Just verifying, so since Dort only played on game as a sophomore that gives him an additional year even though he's a senior, correct?
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brevity
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In reply to RedlessWardrobe • 1:26p, 4/14/25
RedlessWardrobe said:
Just verifying, so since Dort only played on game as a sophomore that gives him an additional year even though he's a senior, correct?

I think so. One of the references I used is Andrew Parrish's 2024-25 Scholarship Tracker, a Google Spreadsheet which shows Lee Dort as a redshirt junior with 3 years of eligibility left (including last year). It stands to reason that he'll be a redshirt senior this fall with 2 years of eligibility.

In the past, I've organized these rosters in terms of remaining eligibility so that I didn't get caught up in the COVID, super senior, grad student, redshirtedness of it all. Most of those designations are about to be gone, but it still makes more sense to me.
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calfanz
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In reply to HKBear97! • 4:03p, 4/14/25
HKBear97! said:
Competitive roster...if we were playing in the Mountain West. Will withhold final judgement until post OOC and early conference play, but on paper this does not strike me as a competitive ACC roster. Will tune in for year three and see if Madsen and company improve.
If we are top 4 Mountain West (before realignment) we would be at least on the bubble.
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barsad
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In reply to RedlessWardrobe • 5:29p, 4/14/25
RedlessWardrobe said:
brevity said:
Caleast said:
How many more open roster spots do we have open at this point?

Good question. Assuming that no one who has declared for the transfer portal withdraws and returns, here are the 12 scholarship players on the 2025-2026 roster as of right now:

Last year of eligibility

6-8 forward John Camden
6-2 guard DJ Campbell
6-5 guard Nolan Dorsey
6-10 post Milos Ilic
6-7 forward Rytis Petraitis

2 years of eligibility

6-1 guard Dai Dai Ames
6-10 forward Lee Dort
6-7 guard Andrej Stojakovic

3 years of eligibility

6-9 forward Spencer Mahoney
6-3 guard Justin Pippen

4 years of eligibility

6-0 guard Semetri Carr
6-5 guard Jovani Ruff

I'm not including Grand Canyon transfer Sammie Yeanay because that announcement seems to be have been premature and/or retracted.

I'm less clear on the non-scholarship players who contribute to the new 15-player roster limit. From what I can tell, the following have not graduated and have not entered the transfer portal.

Kevin Armstrong II
BJ Fisher
Jayden Karapetian
Jack McCloskey
Just verifying, so since Dort only played on game as a sophomore that gives him an additional year even though he's a senior, correct?


You left out Pavlovic, Curtis and Yeanay (misspelled in the article above), which brings my count to the full 15.
Standing roster post with links here.
https://bearinsider.com/forums/3/topics/126727/replies/2484396

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brevity
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In reply to barsad • 6:05p, 4/14/25
brevity said:
I'm not including Grand Canyon transfer Sammie Yeanay because that announcement seems to be have been premature and/or retracted.

barsad said:
You left out Pavlovic, Curtis and Yeanay (misspelled in the article above), which brings my count to the full 15.
Standing roster post with links here.
https://bearinsider.com/forums/3/topics/126727/replies/2484396

Sorry, but your standing roster may need updating.

I explained why I left out Yeanay above. If it still happens, fine, but it's possible that Coach Madsen added John Camden instead.

I left off Pavlovic and Curtis because both have entered the transfer portal. Verbal Commits says Vladimir Pavlovic transferred April 12, while Devin Curtis transferred April 13.
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oskidunker
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In reply to brevity • 6:28p, 4/14/25
brevity said:
brevity said:
I'm not including Grand Canyon transfer Sammie Yeanay because that announcement seems to be have been premature and/or retracted.

barsad said:
You left out Pavlovic, Curtis and Yeanay (misspelled in the article above), which brings my count to the full 15.
Standing roster post with links here.
https://bearinsider.com/forums/3/topics/126727/replies/2484396

Sorry, but your standing roster may need updating.

No big loss.

I explained why I left out Yeanay above. If it still happens, fine, but it's possible that Coach Madsen added John Camden instead.

I left off Pavlovic and Curtis because both have entered the transfer portal. Verbal Commits says Vladimir Pavlovic transferred April 12, while Devin Curtis transferred April 13.
Bring back It’s It’s to Haas Pavillion!
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PenBear
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6:52p, 4/14/25
When you add new scholarship players, the walkons are the ones removed from the team. Usually when the season starts, they will have tryouts to fill out any open spots (unless you are a preferred walkon). I wouldn't worry about any scholarship players being dumped or denied entry because they reached the 15 players limit. I counted 8 walkons last year many of them won't be around next year.
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brevity
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In reply to brevity • 12:11a, 4/15/25
brevity said:
I'm not including Grand Canyon transfer Sammie Yeanay because that announcement seems to be have been premature and/or retracted.

brevity said:
I explained why I left out Yeanay above. If it still happens, fine, but it's possible that Coach Madsen added John Camden instead.

Looks like this is finally happening: Sammie Yeanay to Cal, as posted here and here.



That means 13 scholarship players.

Last year of eligibility

6-8 forward John Camden
6-2 guard DJ Campbell
6-5 guard Nolan Dorsey
6-10 post Milos Ilic
6-7 forward Rytis Petraitis

2 years of eligibility

6-1 guard Dai Dai Ames
6-10 forward Lee Dort
6-7 guard Andrej Stojakovic

3 years of eligibility

6-9 forward Spencer Mahoney
6-3 guard Justin Pippen
6-8 forward Sammie Yeanay

4 years of eligibility

6-0 guard Semetri Carr
6-5 guard Jovani Ruff

This SI article says Yeanay played 5 games his freshman season, none after December 19, so he may have 4 years of eligibility rather than 3? I have no idea.
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Caleast
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3:49a, 4/15/25
Thanks "brevity" very informative.
On paper looks more promising than last year.
But building a new team every year with 8-10 new players is a challenge for any Coach.
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RedlessWardrobe
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5:48a, 4/15/25
Based on the current projection, at least we go into this year with 5 players that played last year, 4 with significant minutes and one other that saw some action (Mahoney.) That's five more than the zero we went in with last year.
It's a start.
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calbearinamaze
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In reply to brevity • 7:06a, 4/15/25
brevity said:


brevity said:
I explained why I left out Yeanay above. If it still happens, fine, but it's possible that Coach Madsen added John Camden instead.

Looks like this is finally happening: Sammie Yeanay to Cal, as posted here and here.


That means 13 scholarship players.

Last year of eligibility

6-8 forward John Camden
6-2 guard DJ Campbell
6-5 guard Nolan Dorsey
6-10 post Milos Ilic
6-7 forward Rytis Petraitis

2 years of eligibility

6-1 guard Dai Dai Ames
6-10 forward Lee Dort
6-7 guard Andrej Stojakovic

3 years of eligibility

6-9 forward Spencer Mahoney
6-3 guard Justin Pippen
6-8 forward Sammie Yeanay

4 years of eligibility

6-0 guard Semetri Carr
6-5 guard Jovani Ruff

This SI article says Yeanay played 5 games his freshman season, none after December 19, so he may have 4 years of eligibility rather than 3? I have no idea.
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HKBear97!
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In reply to Caleast • 8:08a, 4/15/25
Caleast said:
Thanks "brevity" very informative.
On paper looks more promising than last year.
But building a new team every year with 8-10 new players is a challenge for any Coach.
On paper, I disagree. Aside from Dai Dai Ames, none of these players had any impact at the power conference level and based on the feedback from those who watched Ames last season, they were not terribly impressed. The ACC, even though not as strong as expected last year, is a far cry from the Patriot, Colonial, and Coastal leagues.
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Oakbear
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8:31a, 4/15/25
must admit that under NIL, seems silly to show years of eligibility

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Civil Bear
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In reply to HKBear97! • 9:21a, 4/15/25
HKBear97! said:
Caleast said:
Thanks "brevity" very informative.
On paper looks more promising than last year.
But building a new team every year with 8-10 new players is a challenge for any Coach.
On paper, I disagree. Aside from Dai Dai Ames, none of these players had any impact at the power conference level and based on the feedback from those who watched Ames last season, they were not terribly impressed. The ACC, even though not as strong as expected last year, is a far cry from the Patriot, Colonial, and Coastal leagues.
How does this compare going into last season?

FWIW, Ames was a pretty efficient offensive player, particularly in ACC play (.514 fg%, .392 3pt%, 1.5:1 A/TO, averaged over 15ppg the second half of ACC play).
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brevity
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In reply to Oakbear • 9:39a, 4/15/25
Oakbear said:
must admit that under NIL, seems silly to show years of eligibility


I see it the other way. Years of eligibility means years you can get paid.

What seems silly under NIL are these designations of freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior.
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stu
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In reply to HKBear97! • 10:13a, 4/15/25
HKBear97! said:
Caleast said:
Thanks "brevity" very informative.
On paper looks more promising than last year.
But building a new team every year with 8-10 new players is a challenge for any Coach.
On paper, I disagree. Aside from Dai Dai Ames, none of these players had any impact at the power conference level and based on the feedback from those who watched Ames last season, they were not terribly impressed. The ACC, even though not as strong as expected last year, is a far cry from the Patriot, Colonial, and Coastal leagues.
I'm expecting improvement from our returning players. Stojakovic and Dort are young and have considerable talent. Petraitis is coming off an injury. Campbell and Mahoney maybe not so much. All of them will benefit from having played a year together.

All of our new players except Ames could be described as flyers. If a few of them work out as well as our previous flyers then we should be fine.
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Basketball Bear
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In reply to stu • 11:15a, 4/15/25
I will agree with you stu on all points. I also would add that we have five holdover players from last season as you stated and that is a big deal. If we again do that again next year or improve I feel we are starting to build something. We already know we will be losing 5 of our 13 players next year so that leaves us with 8. I f we can hold on to 4-5 that will start to build an understanding of the system and playing together. I see lots of potential of growth with this team. AS made a big jump in his first year here, Dort will do better and I see him as a projected starter. If not, someone has really jumped up in playing ability and that would be great! The 5 returning guys this year will make a big difference.
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parentswerebears
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12:36p, 4/15/25
Gotta disagree on Camden. Not a flyer. He has proven himself against P4 teams before.
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RedlessWardrobe
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1:16p, 4/15/25
This is complete speculation but I'm thinking that four of the five starters at the beginning of the season (but not necessarily getting the most minutes) will be, Ames (ACC experience), AS (no brainer), Camden (6-8 who can shoot, has experience, Dort (he's now our first big man.)

The fifth spot could go to 5 or 6 guys. I'm guessing that MM will use Rytis to come off the bench, because his energy might work better as an early substitute. Again, this is all speculation.
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Big C
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In reply to brevity • 1:56p, 4/15/25
brevity said:
Oakbear said:
must admit that under NIL, seems silly to show years of eligibility


I see it the other way. Years of eligibility means years you can get paid.

What seems silly under NIL are these designations of freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior.

This might be just me, but I am currently categorizing recruits into "just one year of eligibility left" and "more than one year left". With the current landscape, I don't see any point in looking farther into the future than two years.
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HKBear97!
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In reply to Civil Bear • 3:07p, 4/15/25
Civil Bear said:
HKBear97! said:
Caleast said:
Thanks "brevity" very informative.
On paper looks more promising than last year.
But building a new team every year with 8-10 new players is a challenge for any Coach.
On paper, I disagree. Aside from Dai Dai Ames, none of these players had any impact at the power conference level and based on the feedback from those who watched Ames last season, they were not terribly impressed. The ACC, even though not as strong as expected last year, is a far cry from the Patriot, Colonial, and Coastal leagues.
How does this compare going into last season?

FWIW, Ames was a pretty efficient offensive player, particularly in ACC play (.514 fg%, .392 3pt%, 1.5:1 A/TO, averaged over 15ppg the second half of ACC play).
Last year Cal brought in good power five players in Stojakovic and Sissoko that produced. And while they didn't pan out, Dort and JOJ played meaningful roles on their previous teams. Who exactly from the non-power five leagues came in and impressed? Blacksher, Omot, Campbell, Tucker? Petraitis may have been the only one that made that step up. Obviously Wilkinson had an incredible year, but can we expect that to happen again this year with the two freshmen?

Last year Cal finished 15th in an 18 team league with a roster that basically had three ACC-level players in Stojakovic, Wilkinson, and Sissoko. This year it's Stojakovic and maybe Ames?
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Civil Bear
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In reply to HKBear97! • 4:08p, 4/15/25
HKBear97! said:
Civil Bear said:
HKBear97! said:
Caleast said:
Thanks "brevity" very informative.
On paper looks more promising than last year.
But building a new team every year with 8-10 new players is a challenge for any Coach.
On paper, I disagree. Aside from Dai Dai Ames, none of these players had any impact at the power conference level and based on the feedback from those who watched Ames last season, they were not terribly impressed. The ACC, even though not as strong as expected last year, is a far cry from the Patriot, Colonial, and Coastal leagues.
How does this compare going into last season?

FWIW, Ames was a pretty efficient offensive player, particularly in ACC play (.514 fg%, .392 3pt%, 1.5:1 A/TO, averaged over 15ppg the second half of ACC play).
Last year Cal brought in good power five players in Stojakovic and Sissoko that produced. And while they didn't pan out, Dort and JOJ played meaningful roles on their previous teams. Who exactly from the non-power five leagues came in and impressed? Blacksher, Omot, Campbell, Tucker? Petraitis may have been the only one that made that step up. Obviously Wilkinson had an incredible year, but can we expect that to happen again this year with the two freshmen?

Last year Cal finished 15th in an 18 team league with a roster that basically had three ACC-level players in Stojakovic, Wilkinson, and Sissoko. This year it's Stojakovic and maybe Ames?
I guess it depends on what impact means.
  • Stojakovic was a reserve for the 'furds with pretty dreadful offensive numbers. Ames had much better numbers at Virginia last year. Now we have them both going into next season.
  • Dort only played in a few games at Vandy. His prospects are looking much better going into next season than they were a year ago.
  • JOJ fared better at Minnesota than he did at Cal.

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ManBearLion123
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In reply to HKBear97! • 4:27p, 4/15/25
HKBear97! said:
Civil Bear said:
HKBear97! said:
Caleast said:
Thanks "brevity" very informative.
On paper looks more promising than last year.
But building a new team every year with 8-10 new players is a challenge for any Coach.
On paper, I disagree. Aside from Dai Dai Ames, none of these players had any impact at the power conference level and based on the feedback from those who watched Ames last season, they were not terribly impressed. The ACC, even though not as strong as expected last year, is a far cry from the Patriot, Colonial, and Coastal leagues.
How does this compare going into last season?

FWIW, Ames was a pretty efficient offensive player, particularly in ACC play (.514 fg%, .392 3pt%, 1.5:1 A/TO, averaged over 15ppg the second half of ACC play).
Last year Cal brought in good power five players in Stojakovic and Sissoko that produced. And while they didn't pan out, Dort and JOJ played meaningful roles on their previous teams. Who exactly from the non-power five leagues came in and impressed? Blacksher, Omot, Campbell, Tucker? Petraitis may have been the only one that made that step up. Obviously Wilkinson had an incredible year, but can we expect that to happen again this year with the two freshmen?

Last year Cal finished 15th in an 18 team league with a roster that basically had three ACC-level players in Stojakovic, Wilkinson, and Sissoko. This year it's Stojakovic and maybe Ames?
I was a bit critical of our transfer class this offseason earlier on (especially after Okereke and Hall fell through) but I'm actually quite happy with how everything turned out, especially given our NIL limitations.

Overall, I think our roster will be much improved next year.

Going into last season, the closest to "sure things" as P4 contributors were all fairly unproven or had low ceilings. Sissoko got pretty limited minutes and usage at Michigan State, JOJ was a known quantity as a guy who could occasionally score in bursts but didn't provide much beyond that, and Andrej was pretty much all potential still following an underwhelming freshman year at Stanford.

Going into next year, we already know that Andrej, Rytis and Ames can perform well at the ACC level. All of them have performed better in the ACC than any of last year's transfers had at the P4 level. Andrej is a certified star with a ton of untapped upside left, and Ames has plenty more upside as well.

Beyond the three listed above, I'm confident that we'll get at least 3 ACC level contributors out of Camden, Pippen, Ilic, Dort, Ruff, Dorsey, Carr and Yeanay.

The question that will determine our upside next year is whether the contributors who emerge will be just serviceable role players, or if we'll get at least a couple high-impact starters out of the bunch. The potential is certainly there for that to be a possibility.
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HKBear97!
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In reply to Civil Bear • 6:08p, 4/15/25
Civil Bear said:
HKBear97! said:
Civil Bear said:
HKBear97! said:
Caleast said:
Thanks "brevity" very informative.
On paper looks more promising than last year.
But building a new team every year with 8-10 new players is a challenge for any Coach.
On paper, I disagree. Aside from Dai Dai Ames, none of these players had any impact at the power conference level and based on the feedback from those who watched Ames last season, they were not terribly impressed. The ACC, even though not as strong as expected last year, is a far cry from the Patriot, Colonial, and Coastal leagues.
How does this compare going into last season?

FWIW, Ames was a pretty efficient offensive player, particularly in ACC play (.514 fg%, .392 3pt%, 1.5:1 A/TO, averaged over 15ppg the second half of ACC play).
Last year Cal brought in good power five players in Stojakovic and Sissoko that produced. And while they didn't pan out, Dort and JOJ played meaningful roles on their previous teams. Who exactly from the non-power five leagues came in and impressed? Blacksher, Omot, Campbell, Tucker? Petraitis may have been the only one that made that step up. Obviously Wilkinson had an incredible year, but can we expect that to happen again this year with the two freshmen?

Last year Cal finished 15th in an 18 team league with a roster that basically had three ACC-level players in Stojakovic, Wilkinson, and Sissoko. This year it's Stojakovic and maybe Ames?
I guess it depends on what impact means.
  • Stojakovic was a reserve for the 'furds with pretty dreadful offensive numbers. Ames had much better numbers at Virginia last year. Now we have them both going into next season.
  • Dort only played in a few games at Vandy. His prospects are looking much better going into next season than they were a year ago.
  • JOJ fared better at Minnesota than he did at Cal.

Stojakovic played in 32 games for Stanford his freshman year, starting 10 of them. Averaged 7.8 points per game. Ames played in 31 games, starting 26 of them and averaged 8.7 points per game. Not sure I would say there's an appreciable difference coming in. Ames freshman year at KSU he played in 31 games, 16 as a starter, averaged 5.2 points. Will Ames make the same leap Stojakovic did? We'll see. Dort played in more games as a freshman, so at least was somewhat in the rotation. Wasn't he injured his second year? Either way, need him to make a big step up this year. Looking at the stats, JOJ actually had about the same stat line as he did at Minnesota surprisingly.
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In reply to ManBearLion123 • 6:13p, 4/15/25
ManBearLion123 said:
HKBear97! said:
Civil Bear said:
HKBear97! said:
Caleast said:
Thanks "brevity" very informative.
On paper looks more promising than last year.
But building a new team every year with 8-10 new players is a challenge for any Coach.
On paper, I disagree. Aside from Dai Dai Ames, none of these players had any impact at the power conference level and based on the feedback from those who watched Ames last season, they were not terribly impressed. The ACC, even though not as strong as expected last year, is a far cry from the Patriot, Colonial, and Coastal leagues.
How does this compare going into last season?

FWIW, Ames was a pretty efficient offensive player, particularly in ACC play (.514 fg%, .392 3pt%, 1.5:1 A/TO, averaged over 15ppg the second half of ACC play).
Last year Cal brought in good power five players in Stojakovic and Sissoko that produced. And while they didn't pan out, Dort and JOJ played meaningful roles on their previous teams. Who exactly from the non-power five leagues came in and impressed? Blacksher, Omot, Campbell, Tucker? Petraitis may have been the only one that made that step up. Obviously Wilkinson had an incredible year, but can we expect that to happen again this year with the two freshmen?

Last year Cal finished 15th in an 18 team league with a roster that basically had three ACC-level players in Stojakovic, Wilkinson, and Sissoko. This year it's Stojakovic and maybe Ames?
I was a bit critical of our transfer class this offseason earlier on (especially after Okereke and Hall fell through) but I'm actually quite happy with how everything turned out, especially given our NIL limitations.

Overall, I think our roster will be much improved next year.

Going into last season, the closest to "sure things" as P4 contributors were all fairly unproven or had low ceilings. Sissoko got pretty limited minutes and usage at Michigan State, JOJ was a known quantity as a guy who could occasionally score in bursts but didn't provide much beyond that, and Andrej was pretty much all potential still following an underwhelming freshman year at Stanford.

Going into next year, we already know that Andrej, Rytis and Ames can perform well at the ACC level. All of them have performed better in the ACC than any of last year's transfers had at the P4 level. Andrej is a certified star with a ton of untapped upside left, and Ames has plenty more upside as well.

Beyond the three listed above, I'm confident that we'll get at least 3 ACC level contributors out of Camden, Pippen, Ilic, Dort, Ruff, Dorsey, Carr and Yeanay.

The question that will determine our upside next year is whether the contributors who emerge will be just serviceable role players, or if we'll get at least a couple high-impact starters out of the bunch. The potential is certainly there for that to be a possibility.
So you think it will be "much improved"? Wow. Honestly, I will be shocked if this team eclipses 14 wins next year unless the OOC and ACC are absolute cupcakes. We would also have to see a massive improvement in the coaching schemes both offensively and defensively.
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ManBearLion123
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In reply to HKBear97! • 6:39p, 4/15/25
HKBear97! said:
ManBearLion123 said:
HKBear97! said:
Civil Bear said:
HKBear97! said:
Caleast said:
Thanks "brevity" very informative.
On paper looks more promising than last year.
But building a new team every year with 8-10 new players is a challenge for any Coach.
On paper, I disagree. Aside from Dai Dai Ames, none of these players had any impact at the power conference level and based on the feedback from those who watched Ames last season, they were not terribly impressed. The ACC, even though not as strong as expected last year, is a far cry from the Patriot, Colonial, and Coastal leagues.
How does this compare going into last season?

FWIW, Ames was a pretty efficient offensive player, particularly in ACC play (.514 fg%, .392 3pt%, 1.5:1 A/TO, averaged over 15ppg the second half of ACC play).
Last year Cal brought in good power five players in Stojakovic and Sissoko that produced. And while they didn't pan out, Dort and JOJ played meaningful roles on their previous teams. Who exactly from the non-power five leagues came in and impressed? Blacksher, Omot, Campbell, Tucker? Petraitis may have been the only one that made that step up. Obviously Wilkinson had an incredible year, but can we expect that to happen again this year with the two freshmen?

Last year Cal finished 15th in an 18 team league with a roster that basically had three ACC-level players in Stojakovic, Wilkinson, and Sissoko. This year it's Stojakovic and maybe Ames?
I was a bit critical of our transfer class this offseason earlier on (especially after Okereke and Hall fell through) but I'm actually quite happy with how everything turned out, especially given our NIL limitations.

Overall, I think our roster will be much improved next year.

Going into last season, the closest to "sure things" as P4 contributors were all fairly unproven or had low ceilings. Sissoko got pretty limited minutes and usage at Michigan State, JOJ was a known quantity as a guy who could occasionally score in bursts but didn't provide much beyond that, and Andrej was pretty much all potential still following an underwhelming freshman year at Stanford.

Going into next year, we already know that Andrej, Rytis and Ames can perform well at the ACC level. All of them have performed better in the ACC than any of last year's transfers had at the P4 level. Andrej is a certified star with a ton of untapped upside left, and Ames has plenty more upside as well.

Beyond the three listed above, I'm confident that we'll get at least 3 ACC level contributors out of Camden, Pippen, Ilic, Dort, Ruff, Dorsey, Carr and Yeanay.

The question that will determine our upside next year is whether the contributors who emerge will be just serviceable role players, or if we'll get at least a couple high-impact starters out of the bunch. The potential is certainly there for that to be a possibility.
So you think it will be "much improved"? Wow. Honestly, I will be shocked if this team eclipses 14 wins next year unless the OOC and ACC are absolute cupcakes. We would also have to see a massive improvement in the coaching schemes both offensively and defensively.


Maybe "much improved" is overstating things, but I think we'll definitely have an improved roster. The level to which it's improved depends on how guys like Camden transition to the ACC and whether a couple of our upside guys like Pippen and Yeanay can take big leaps and contribute.

It's also important to note that the ACC will be much better next season, so an improved roster won't necessarily translate to a better W/L record.

After the Camden addition though, I think there is enough talent on the roster that you can squint and see a relatively competitive team.
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HKBear97!
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In reply to ManBearLion123 • 6:52p, 4/15/25
ManBearLion123 said:
HKBear97! said:
ManBearLion123 said:
HKBear97! said:
Civil Bear said:
HKBear97! said:
Caleast said:
Thanks "brevity" very informative.
On paper looks more promising than last year.
But building a new team every year with 8-10 new players is a challenge for any Coach.
On paper, I disagree. Aside from Dai Dai Ames, none of these players had any impact at the power conference level and based on the feedback from those who watched Ames last season, they were not terribly impressed. The ACC, even though not as strong as expected last year, is a far cry from the Patriot, Colonial, and Coastal leagues.
How does this compare going into last season?

FWIW, Ames was a pretty efficient offensive player, particularly in ACC play (.514 fg%, .392 3pt%, 1.5:1 A/TO, averaged over 15ppg the second half of ACC play).
Last year Cal brought in good power five players in Stojakovic and Sissoko that produced. And while they didn't pan out, Dort and JOJ played meaningful roles on their previous teams. Who exactly from the non-power five leagues came in and impressed? Blacksher, Omot, Campbell, Tucker? Petraitis may have been the only one that made that step up. Obviously Wilkinson had an incredible year, but can we expect that to happen again this year with the two freshmen?

Last year Cal finished 15th in an 18 team league with a roster that basically had three ACC-level players in Stojakovic, Wilkinson, and Sissoko. This year it's Stojakovic and maybe Ames?
I was a bit critical of our transfer class this offseason earlier on (especially after Okereke and Hall fell through) but I'm actually quite happy with how everything turned out, especially given our NIL limitations.

Overall, I think our roster will be much improved next year.

Going into last season, the closest to "sure things" as P4 contributors were all fairly unproven or had low ceilings. Sissoko got pretty limited minutes and usage at Michigan State, JOJ was a known quantity as a guy who could occasionally score in bursts but didn't provide much beyond that, and Andrej was pretty much all potential still following an underwhelming freshman year at Stanford.

Going into next year, we already know that Andrej, Rytis and Ames can perform well at the ACC level. All of them have performed better in the ACC than any of last year's transfers had at the P4 level. Andrej is a certified star with a ton of untapped upside left, and Ames has plenty more upside as well.

Beyond the three listed above, I'm confident that we'll get at least 3 ACC level contributors out of Camden, Pippen, Ilic, Dort, Ruff, Dorsey, Carr and Yeanay.

The question that will determine our upside next year is whether the contributors who emerge will be just serviceable role players, or if we'll get at least a couple high-impact starters out of the bunch. The potential is certainly there for that to be a possibility.
So you think it will be "much improved"? Wow. Honestly, I will be shocked if this team eclipses 14 wins next year unless the OOC and ACC are absolute cupcakes. We would also have to see a massive improvement in the coaching schemes both offensively and defensively.


Maybe "much improved" is overstating things, but I think we'll definitely have an improved roster. The level to which it's improved depends on how guys like Camden transition to the ACC and whether a couple of our upside guys like Pippen and Yeanay can take big leaps and contribute.

It's also important to note that the ACC will be much better next season, so an improved roster won't necessarily translate to a better W/L record.

After the Camden addition though, I think there is enough talent on the roster that you can squint and see a relatively competitive team.


So the addition of Camden, a guy who never started a game or even really scored in his one year at Memphis and two years at Virginia Tech prior to playing for a Delaware team that finished 12 out of 14 teams in the CAA is an improvement? Love the optimism, but no amount of squinting will convince me this team is improved or will even sniff a winning record this season.
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