Michigan State basketball: Mady Sissoko has officially found a new home

Cal feels like a good spot for Mady as its entering the ACC next season with the Pac-12 folding and the Golden Bears are coming off a 13-19 campaign under first-year head coach Mark Madsen who knows bigs.

Madsen actually spent about a decade in the NBA as a power forward/center before retiring and going the coaching route. He turned Utah Valley into a winner, going 48-21 over his last two seasons there before getting hired by Cal. His first year at Cal wasn’t ideal, but he has a massive rebuild on his hands. Mady could bring that veteran leadership to the locker room that the Golden Bears need.

Sissoko’s Michigan State career wasn’t exactly perfect as he averaged just 5.4 minutes as a freshman and only 4.5 as a sophomore before seeing those numbers quadruple in 2022-23. Tom Izzo trusted him to be the team’s center and although he had little experience, he stepped up to the plate and averaged 5.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He regressed slightly in 2023-24 as a senior and both sides felt like it was time to part ways.

Izzo told the media that he was planning on helping Mady land wherever he wanted and teams like Cal and San Diego State were heavily involved. He left the Spartans on good terms and is now heading to one of the programs he felt comfortable with.

Cal is getting one of the best human beings out there and Michigan State basketball fans will undoubtedly be rooting for him next season and beyond.