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Welcome to our California Golden Bears fan site, created by fans for fans! You might recognize us from our previous work at CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com. Since March 2020, this website has been our new home for all things Golden Bears.

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Cal MBB Roster Update: Mantas Kocanas commits

1 week ago | writeforcalifornia.com | Nick Kranz

OK, let’s get to the news first. Per Jeff Goodman as announced on Monday, Cal has a new basketball player!We’ll get to what Mantas Kocanas brings to Cal shortly, but let’s quickly check in on the status of Cal’s 2025-26 roster more generally.
The two paths to NCAA reform

2 weeks ago | writeforcalifornia.com | Nick Kranz

After an offseason spent watching richer programs pluck the best players off of the rosters of both Cal football and men’s basketball, it’s probably fair to say that most Cal fans aren’t exactly huge fans of the current status quo in college sports.
Cal WBB transfer portal update and roster outlook

3 weeks ago | writeforcalifornia.com | Nick Kranz

Mjracle Sheppard is the biggest transfer addition so far for Charmin Smith and the Bears via @calwbball on twitterAs Cal WBB surprised fans with a resurgent 2024-25 campaign that ended in an unexpected-in-October NCAA tournament selection, we knew that the end of the year would result in a major roster makeover. The Bears exceeded expectations in part because the team was full of 4th, 5th, or even 6th year players.
No.4 Cal Women's Water Polo at NCAA Championships this weekend

4 weeks ago | writeforcalifornia.com | Ruey Yen

In case you missed it, Cal Rugby found success in Indianapolis last Saturday when they won the D1A National Championship Final!This weekend, it will be Cal Women’s Water Polo’s turn for glory in “The Crossroad of America”. No.4 Cal is looking to replicate and surpass their 2024 season when the Golden Bears made the NCAA Championship Final for only the second time in program history. Write For California is a reader-supported publication.
Cal Athletics inexplicably self-reports minor NCAA violations, earns one year probation for football

1 month ago | writeforcalifornia.com | Avinash Kunnath

(Note: The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Write for California staff)At this point, the NCAA is a dinosaur with regard to enforcing the wild west of college athletics. Unless you do something truly egregious, like pull a Connor Stallions, it is very difficult to get hit with NCAA violations. You’d have to be maliciously compliant and cooperate with the governing body of college athletics.
Cal football fans shatter their $1 million fundraising goal, close in on $2 million

1 month ago | writeforcalifornia.com | Avinash Kunnath

One of Ron Rivera’s first acts as Cal general manager was to quell a donor revolt by leading a donation drive to raise a million dollars for the football team to support their ongoing transfer portal efforts. Cal fans and donors quickly shattered that goal last week, raising half a million and getting a matching half a million. He isn’t stopping at the initial goal.
Spring Transfer Portal Update

1 month ago | writeforcalifornia.com | Nick Kranz

Back in February when the winter transfer portal carousel was calming down, I put together a summary of comings and goings, with the naïve hope that Cal’s spring activity would be much more muted. So much for that. When we looked at the portal back in February, for the most part Cal had positionally replaced what they had lost to graduation/portal departures. This time around . . . not so much. Let’s get this over with.
National Championship No.29 for Cal Rugby in 15s!

1 month ago | writeforcalifornia.com | Ruey Yen

The top spot in collegiate men’s rugby is again a Bear Territory!In an eventful (and entertaining, particularly given the result) high-scoring contest, California Golden Bears (15-1) emerged victorious at the end of 80 minutes. Write For California is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Cal’s 55-38 triumph over Life (14-2) is the highest-scoring national championship match in D1A history.
Cal Rugby takes on Life for 15s National Championship on Saturday (4 pm PT)

1 month ago | writeforcalifornia.com | Ruey Yen

The best Cal side since the pandemic is ready to break the uncharacteristic drought for the storied Rugby program. Cal Rugby is seeking its 29th rugby 15s (34th overall, including Rugby 7s) national title on Saturday in Indianapolis, Indiana. In Cal’s way is Life, a school and the obstacle that got the better of the Golden Bears at this stage of the D1A Championship back in 2018 and 2019.
Is there a path forward for Cal MBB?

1 month ago | writeforcalifornia.com | Nick Kranz

In 2023-24, Mark Madsen had no choice but to recruit nearly an entirely new roster. In the subsequent season a shallow roster showed occasional flashes but struggled to gel for half a season and ended up below .500. In 2024-25, Mark Madsen had no choice but to recruit nearly an entirely new roster. In the subsequent season a mismatched roster showed occasional flashes but never gelled defensively and ended up below .500.