Less than 24 hours after Mark Madsen and his wife, Hannah, welcomed their fourth child into the world, the two-time NBA champion and 2022-23 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year was introduced into a new family himself.

Welcome to a new era of California men's basketball.

"The history of Cal basketball is winning; and winning at a high, high level," said Madsen, who was introduced as the 19th head coach in Cal men's basketball history at a press conference at Haas Pavilion on Monday. "The NCAA Championship, multiple Sweet 16s, repeated NCAA Tournaments – I'm going to do everything in my power and we will restore Cal basketball to that level of play."

Madsen – known for his infectious positivity and relentless energy both as a player and a coach over the past two-and-a-half decades – produced an aura of excitement during every portion of his introductory press conference. He expressed his plans for an aggressive approach to the transfer portal, pursuing both national and international talent while putting a "chain link fence" around the state of California. He emphasized his desire for the Golden Bears to establish an exciting, fast-paced brand of basketball that their supporters will be eager to view in person.

The development of his student-athletes – utilizing world-class resources such as the Cameron Institute – will be a "hallmark" of his team as it strives for excellence both on the court and in the classrooms of the top public university in the world. Cal will be a national, compliant leader in the burgeoning world of name, image and likeness, Madsen said.

Madsen ticked many of the boxes demonstrating why he is the right person for the job, and did so with pronounced support from Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton.

"I think it's a critical moment for our athletic department and our basketball program," Knowlton said. "We did an exhaustive search. We were looking for someone that can develop young men on and off the court, who could recruit at the elite level, was a skillful tactician, could connect with our alums and our fan base, and could represent Cal in all ways possible. One name kept coming to the surface over and over again, and that was Mark Madsen…today is a great day for Cal basketball."

Madsen joins the Bears on the heels of a successful stint at the helm of the Utah Valley men's basketball program. His fourth and final year with the Wolverines came to an end last week in the NIT Final Four, after he was named the WAC Coach of the Year and led the school to an all-time record 28 wins.

Madsen's stellar and unique resume, which extends well beyond his recent coaching success, was recounted with warm fondness. He referenced his strong Bay Area ties and network of connections, ranging from his days as a San Ramon Valley High School standout to his many years working in the NBA. He gave significant breath to his time as a first-round NBA draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers, remembering the bruising practices that put him "out of commission" after being stuck with the unenviable task of guarding NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal. He recalled the determined drive towards perfecting fundamentals that he witnessed firsthand from his former teammate and friend Kobe Bryant – a work ethic he plans to instill in the Bears.

As far as coaching mentors go, he has perhaps the best living example available on his recent call list.

"I talked to Phil Jackson last week," Madsen said. "I feel very fortunate to have played for not only great coaches, but great people. Phil is someone who cares deeply about basketball, but he also cares deeply about people. He gave me some advice. He talked about some things that were important, but then he talked about how he was doing personally. He asked me about how I was doing personally. I think sometimes that's lost. There's a human side to this game. Basketball's not just about putting the ball in the basket. It's not just about Xs and Os. It's about people. Phil was a master of that."

Madsen's understanding of the human element of the game will be hugely beneficial to him and the Bears. It's an element that Knowlton understands as well, as evidenced not only by his hiring decision, but his gifting of a Cal onesie for Madsen's newborn daughter, Anastasia, during the introduction.

"Our new coach is an educator and a leader. He is a wonderful, principled human being. He's a family man who loves his players and wins the right way," Knowlton said. "For us, that's exactly in accordance with what we expect and in line with the values of the University of California, Berkeley."

In hiring Madsen, Cal welcomed a family man who aligns with the athletic department's mission to provide strong attention and care for the student-athlete experience.

"In a team, you get to know each other so intimately well. You build deep bonds. My message [to the team] this morning was really a message of, 'Hey we're going to create a family environment.' I'm going to try and treat them as my own children," Madsen said. "I told the guys we're going to win, but every player needs to be the best version of themselves. They have to be willing to put in the work to win and we're going to do everything we can to create a family atmosphere for our players. I think that's hugely important."

Madsen's myriad of big-name drops never seemed to lose steam. He told stories from his time playing alongside the likes of NBA All-Star Latrell Sprewell and for coaches Flip Saunders and Hall of Famer Kevin McHale on the Minnesota Timberwolves. He gave more than one shout-out to Leon Powe, the former Cal star and NBA champion who was in the audience Monday.

And, on more than one occasion, he addressed the big, red elephant in the room.

"It was my first visit to Cal as a recruited athlete. I went over to Harmon Gym and watched Jason Kidd practice. Lamond Murray was on the team. I was blown away by the talent on the team," Madsen said. "I was in heaven… [The coaching staff] took me to the football game and I was just enjoying myself. Somebody walked up the stairs across the aisle and the entire crowd just started yelling at this person. The chant was simple: "Take off that red shirt!"

Madsen, who was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019 for his time as both a player and an assistant coach, let it be known that the love he has for his alma mater is not what's important at this moment. His focus now is solely on building Cal back into a championship program, and he couldn't be more thrilled to get to work.

"Each time I talked to Jim, I got more and more excited about the job," Madsen said. "Having grown up here, I truly believe that Cal is a sleeping giant in terms of men's basketball. This is a program that can be a nationally ranked program year in and year out. My excitement is in the tradition of the past."