Bears Add Guard Michael Cooper from Transfer Portal

Mark Madsen has done it again.

Cal has added Wright State transfer guard Michael Cooper, Bear Insider has learned, who is coming off a very impressive freshman campaign. On3’s Joe Tipton broke the news.

Cooper, 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, averaged 13.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists through 31 games in the 2025-26 season. He made 50 percent of two-point attempts, 35.6 percent of 3-point tries and 80.5 percent of free throws.

He helped lead the Raiders to an NCAA Tournament berth, earning spots on the Horizon League’s All-Freshman Team and All-Tournament Team. Cooper finished with 15 games of 15-plus points and five 20-point games, and seven games of four-plus assists.

One of his better performances, ironically, came in Berkeley, when Cooper efficiently posted 17 points, four rebounds and four assists in a competitive 77-67 Cal win on Nov. 6 at Haas Pavilion.

Madsen and the Bears liked what they saw in their matchup with the Indiana native.

Cooper, with no relation to the Los Angeles Lakers great and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer but sharing the same name, joins Georgia transfer forward Jake Wilkins — the son of fellow Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins — as the latest player to join Cal through the NCAA transfer portal.

Cal still has work to do, though.

With the Bears’ previous backcourt, consisting of Justin Pippen and Dai Dai Ames, transferring to Ohio State and Tennessee, respectively, and other key players moving on or running out of eligibility, Madsen will continue to attack the portal.

Keep up with this thread for the latest on Cal men’s basketball’s roster construction.