Mark Pope speaks to fans and media after being named Kentucky men's NCAA college basketball head coach in Lexington, Ky., Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/James Crisp)
Former McDonald’s All-American Andrej Stojakovic transfers to California
Stanford transfer Andrej Stojakovic, a 2023 McDonald’s All-American and the son of NBA legend Peja Stojakovic, has committed to Mark Madsen and the California Golden Bears, he tells 247Sports.
Stojakovic is the No. 51 overall ranked player in the 2024 247Sports College basketball transfer portal rankings. He is the No. 9 ranked small forward.
The 6-foot-7 small forward was expected to visit Kentucky this weekend but didn’t go through with the visit. He knew where he wanted to go. Stojakovic chose Cal over the Wildcats and North Carolina.
“Just the consistency that coach Madsen and his staff have showed,” Stojakovic said when asked why he chose Cal. “The transparency of what their gameplan is and their development plan to help me achieve my dream. And then obviously they want to win. So the consistency of their recruitment and how much they have enjoyed talking to me and my family, I just appreciate them for that just as much.”
California was the only visit that Stojakovic took and the only one he realized that he needed. Cal was the choice for him. Stojakovic quickly developed a relationship with Madsen and the staff but their pitch also was a big selling point.
“I think allowing me to showcase what I can do,” Stojakovic said about Madsen’s vision for him. “He used Jaylon Tyson as an example. How he used Tyson and allowed him to play freely unlike how he played at Texas Tech and Texas. The biggest thing for me is learning through my mistakes and playing, just being able to play freely was the main pitch.”
