California men’s basketball has added a familiar face to a new role within the staff with the hiring of Matt Bradley as director of player development for the upcoming 2026-27 season, head coach Mark Madsen has announced.
“Our players have great respect for Matt as a leader with an outstanding basketball IQ,” Madsen said. “His work ethic and love of the game shows in all that he does, and he has also been a winner as a player. He will play a key role in the growth of our Bears.”
A native of San Bernardino, Bradley served as a graduate assistant for Cal last season, marking the return of a talented Golden Bear to Haas Pavilion. Bradley played three seasons at Cal, earning All-Pac-12 Second Team honors twice and ranking No. 10 all-time in career 3-pointers made with 156. He closed out his time at Cal with 1,289 points scored before transferring to San Diego State for his senior season. After college, Bradley worked with K-12 youth as a teacher, mentor and sports trainer and also played basketball overseas in Germany before taking on his graduate assistant role with Cal men’s basketball for 2025-26.
“I’m excited to be back at Cal and to work with student-athletes who were once in my shoes,” Bradley said. “I’m dedicated to helping prepare our players to compete and win under Coach Madsen, while working closely with the staff to support the program in every way possible.”
Cal is coming off a strong 2025-26 campaign in which the Bears recorded the most wins in a season (22) since 2016 and their first postseason win since 2014. Last season’s squad also notched eight games with 90-plus points scored and had five players ranked in top-100 national statistical categories.
