After quite a few seasons of mediocrity and disappointment, former NBA player Mark Madsen has been tasked with building the Cal Golden Bears basketball team back up again. Madsen has done well on the recruiting trail for the class of 2025, having secured the commitment of 4-star wing Jovani Ruff. Madsen was at it again with the commitment of local prospect Semetri Carr for Cal's second recruit in the class of 2025 as per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.

Semetri Carr is considered a three-star recruit and will join Cal for the 2025-26 season. He is currently entering his senior year of high school basketball at nearby Archbishop Riordan High School. He chose Cal over offers from other Division 1 schools such as Creighton, New Mexico, San Francisco, Washington, Cal State Northridge, San Diego, San Diego State, Sacramento State, San Jose State, Seattle, SMU, UNLV, USC, Washington State and Wichita State.

Carr told On3 that his decision came down to a combination of basketball and academics.

“I chose Cal because it checked all of my boxes in terms of basketball, education and location. The basketball program is a top-notch program and aligns with my goals on the court,” Carr said. “The academic opportunities and resources at Cal are great and offer the kind of education I'm looking for, and I'm honored to represent the Bay.”

Mark Madsen hoping to rebuild Cal basketball

Last season was Mark Madsen's first year at the helm of the Golden Bears basketball program. He inherited a team that had not posted a winning season since 2016-17.

In his first season as head coach, Cal finished with an overall record of 13-19 and 9-11 in Pac-12 Conference play. Cal will be competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for the 2024-25 season following the dissolution of the Pac-12. The Golden Bears have not been to the NCAA Tournament the 2015-16 season.

To help with his rebuilding efforts, Madsen turned to the transfer portal this offseason. The Bears lost seven players to the transfer portal, but added several players of their own via the portal.

Among the newcomers for Cal this upcoming season are former Washington State forward Spencer Mahoney, former Michigan State center Mady Sissoko, former Minnesota forward Josh Ola-Joseph, former Stanford wing Andrej Stojakovic, former Vanderbilt center Lee Dort, former UTSA guard Christian Tucker, former North Dakota wing BJ Omot and former Western Carolina point guard DJ Campbell.

Back in March, Madsen signed a two-year contract extension as head coach of Cal.