The 2024-25 Cal Bears basketball team continues to improve their squad this offseason as Cal adds Air Force transfer Rytis Petraitis.
Petraitis averaged 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game last season.
Mark Madsen is heading into his second season as Cal’s head coach has been cooking in the transfer portal this offseason. A day earlier, the Bears landed a four-star recruit from a year ago, Andrej Stojakovic.
Cal is loading up their team with high-end talent going into their first year in the ACC next season.
What the Cal Bears Are Getting
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Rytis Petraitis is a versatile six-foot-seven-inch forward who was very productive in his two seasons playing for the Air Force Falcons.
Air Force struggled to get wins in a good Mountain West Conference, but Petraitis was not the reason for that. He led the Falcons in points, assists, and rebounds per game, racking up 15.7 points, 3.7 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game.
The Mountain West as a conference is no slouch so I believe Petraitis will be able to have success in the new revamped ACC.
With an improving Cal roster, Petraitis won’t have to do as much heavy lifting for Cal as he had to for Air Force.
Cal Bears on the Rise
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Just a year ago, the California Golden Bears basketball program was in the mud. They were coming off a disastrous 3-29 2022-23 season, where they parted ways with former head coach Mark Fox.
Insert Mark Madsen as head coach, and the Bears were off and running.
Cal finished last season 13-19 and 9-11 in Pac-12 play. A few of Cal’s losses were in OT or on buzzer-beaters so they could have very easily been a .500 team, just a year removed from being arguably the worst team in the country.
With the transfer portal how it is now, a team rebuild can happen a lot quicker than in years past. And Madsen is proving this in front of our eyes with the Cal Bears.
The Cal Bears Are Owning the Transfer Portal
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Rytis Petraitis joins a loaded 2024 transfer class going to Berkeley for the upcoming season.
Just a day ago, former Stanford Cardinal and four-star recruit Andrej Stojakovic committed to Cal.
Stojakovic didn’t get too much playing time in his lone year at Stanford as a freshman, and with a coaching change, he decided it was best to move to a different school. He has tremendous upside, and Cal should be pumped about what he can become.
Another big addition through the transfer portal for the Bears is North Dakota forward B.J. Omot. Omot averaged 16.7 points in his sophomore season last year and will be another big-time scorer for the Bears.
With pickups Petraitis, Stojakovic, Omot, and Mark Madsen at the helm, the Cal Bears could be a sneaky 20-win team next year and snap their eight-year NCAA tournament drought.
About the Author
Cory is an Oregon Duck alumni and has been following college basketball closely for years. He has attended over 30 games across the country this season alone. Follow Cory on X @cory_pappas1 for more breaking stories.
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