Latest news with #AndrejStojaković
San Francisco Chronicle
16-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Chase Center to host return of Cal-UCLA basketball rivalry in 2025 Empire Classic
Cal basketball lost a rival when UCLA joined the Big Ten Conference ahead of the 2024-25 season. For a year, the decades-long clash dating to 1959 went dormant. Come Nov. 25 at Chase Center, the men's teams will face off once more. The 2025 Empire Classic includes Cal, UCLA, Sacramento State and Presbyterian, with six games being held over the course of nine days, culminating in a finale featuring Cal and UCLA at the Golden State Warriors' and Valkyries' home arena. Having lost 12 of their past 13 matchups, the Bears trail 147-104 in a series that dates to 1921, according to Cal's records. The Bears — who haven't finished at or above .500 since 2016-17 — lost a few four-star transfers, per 247Sports, this past offseason, including leading scorer Andrej Stojaković. But head coach Mark Madsen also rebuilt his roster via five incoming four-star transfers: guards Nolan Dorsey (Campbell), Dai Dai Ames (Virginia) and Justin Pippen (Michigan), the son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen, as well as forwards Chris Bell (Syracuse) and John Camden (Delaware). Madsen has also brought former blue-chip high school recruit Sammie Yeanay (Grand Canyon) into the fold as he aims to deliver a winning record in his third season at the helm. UCLA has made the NCAA Tournament four of its past five seasons under head coach Mick Cronin. 'We're thrilled to renew the Cal-UCLA rivalry on such a big stage as part of the Empire Classic,' Madsen said in a news release. 'Anytime you have these two schools and programs meet, it brings great energy — and to do it in Chase Center, right here in the Bay Area, makes it even more special.' Cal will also play host to Sacramento State, the buzzworthy mid-major program led by retired NBA guard Mike Bibby, on Nov. 21 at Haas Pavilion. The Hornets have garnered national attention for their recent push to be more competitive in athletics, especially in basketball. NBA icon Shaquille O'Neal, whose son, Shaqir, transferred to Sacramento State from Florida A&M in April, agreed to become the school's basketball general manager weeks later.
San Francisco Chronicle
28-04-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cal basketball leading scorer Andrej Stojaković transfers to Illinois
Andrej Stojaković, Cal basketball's leading scorer last season, plans to transfer to Illinois, he announced via X on Monday. Stojaković, the son of former three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojaković, averaged 17.9 points per game in his lone season with the Bears. He is a four-star transfer who ranks as the No. 35 overall transfer and the No. 6 small forward, according to 247Sports. Illinois will be the third school in as many years for Stojaković, who has two years of eligibility remaining. As a true freshman at Stanford, the 6-foot-7 Jesuit-Sacramento alum started 10 of his 32 games played and averaged 7.8 points. Stojaković was a five-star high school recruit on the 247Sports Composite, which had him ranked as the No. 25 player nationally in the 2023 class. Even with Stojaković being an ACC All-Tournament first-team selection who was also named an all-conference honorable mention, Cal ended its debut season in the ACC with a 14-19 record, including a 6-14 conference mark. The Bears haven't finished a campaign at or above .500 since 2016-17. Illinois finished 22-13 this season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Illini have won 20-plus games in each of the past six season and have played in five straight NCAA Tournaments. Stojaković leaves Berkeley as one of three outgoing four-star transfers, the others being 6-foot-1 combo guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (Georgia) and 6-foot-8 forward BJ Omot.
USA Today
28-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cal transfer Andrej Stojaković, son of former NBA all-star Peja, commits to Illinois
Cal transfer Andrej Stojaković, son of former NBA all-star Peja, commits to Illinois Show Caption Hide Caption Duke, Auburn, Houston players talk NCAA age limit before Final Four Men's Final Four players weigh in on if college basketball should have an age limit One of the biggest names in the transfer portal is headed to Illinois. Cal guard Andrej Stojaković, one of the top scorers in the ACC last season and the son of former NBA all-star Peja Stojaković, has committed to the Fighting Illini, he announced Monday. Stojaković chose Illinois over North Carolina and Stanford, his other two finalists. As a sophomore last season, the 6-foot-7 Stojaković averaged 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for a Cal team that finished 14-19. He had a sizable role in the Golden Bears' offense, averaging 13.9 shots per game, though he shot just 42.7% overall and 31.8% from 3-point range. He ended the year on a tear, averaging 29 points per game and shooting 47.1% from beyond the arc in Cal's final three games. REQUIRED READING: Auburn basketball transfer Chad Baker-Mazara commits to USC Stojaković, a McDonald's All-American who began his career at Stanford, is rated as the No. 35 player in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. The commitment from Stojaković continues what has been a busy offseason for coach Brad Underwood's program. Though it lost guard Tre White and Morez Johnson Jr. to the portal, Illinois has landed commitments from a pair of Serbian prospects, both of whom were playing professionally overseas — forward David Mirkovic and guard Mihailo Petrovic. Though Stojaković was born in California while his father was playing for the Sacramento Kings, he's of Serbian descent. The Illini also added Croatian big man Zvonimir Ivisic from the portal from Arkansas, reuniting him with his brother Tomislav, the team's second-leading scorer last season. It will make Illinois perhaps the most internationally influenced roster in major college basketball next season, a fact that isn't lost on Underwood. After Stojaković's commitment, the ninth-year Illinois coach posted a computer-generated picture on social media of himself in an orange tracksuit and a cap crouching down in front of a Soviet-era khrushchevka apartment building. With the addition of Stojaković, the Illini could very well have a roster that will earn them a preseason top-25 ranking come fall. "I think the main reasons were pretty clear to my inner circle as a basketball fit," Stojaković said to ESPN. "Coach Underwood has been very aggressive recruiting me from the start and constantly reiterating how much I'm wanted and needed as a basketball player there. They really believe I'm the missing piece to what they think is a national championship team."
