The BYU basketball team has had a rough few weeks since the postseason started. The Cougars had a good first year in the Big 12 and got into the tournament as a six seed, but they were upset in the first round against Duquesne. Then this week, head coach Mark Pope left the program to be the new head coach at Kentucky. BYU needs a new coach, and there were some rumors about Cal basketball head coach Mark Madsen potentially taking the job. However, Madsen recently shut those rumors down.

This past season was the first year for Mark Madsen with Cal basketball. Before he was with the Golden Bears, he spent the previous four seasons with Utah Valley basketball in the WAC. Madsen had a lot of success with Utah Valley as he won two regular season championships and he won WAC Coach of the Year in 2023.

Year one with Cal was a tough one for Madsen, but that was to be expected. The Golden Bears struggled in the years leading up to the Madsen era, and it's going to take some time to get them to where he wants them to be. Cal finished 13-19 overall 9-11 in Pac-12 conference play.

After Mark Pope left BYU, the rumors began that Mark Madsen is a potential candidate for the Cougars head coaching vacancy. However, it doesn't sound like he is interested in leaving Cal.

“On behalf of myself and Hannah, we want to thank every single member of the Cal community for your unconditional love and support this year,” Madsen said in a tweet. “We have felt welcomed and embraced. Gratitude would be an understatement. We love Cal and the Bay Area. We are excited and fully committed for the future here at Cal. Over the coming weeks, you will continue to see outstanding student-athletes committing and signing to Cal. We are building something special. We will win. We will continue to send players to the NBA. “The Haas of Pain” will be in full effect with rabid students and fans. To Cal Bear alums—-Let's continue to build more NIL opportunities across each and every sport at Cal. As we move to the ACC let's support the ‘California Legends Collective.' Let's become a national leader in NIL. Cal is a world class institution with world class athletics. An honor to be part of the community. Mark & Hannah #GoBears.”

Mark Madsen is committed to Cal

California Golden Bears head coach Mark Madsen reacts in the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center.
© Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Madsen clearly wants to build something special with the Cal basketball team. It's been awhile since we've seen a major Cal sport on the big stage, but Madsen clearly has a plan to get his program there. Golden Bears fans should be excited for what the future holds with him running the ship.

As for BYU, the coaching search goes on. The Cougars just had a very solid season in one of the better conferences in college basketball, so they should be able to find some good candidates that are interested for the job. Unfortunately for the Cougars, it doesn't seem like Mark Madsen is one of them.