Staying close to home had been rumored to be a big part of the decision-making process throughout the second recruitment for Stanford forward Andrej Stojakovic. Saturday, he announced that he will not be moving far when his sophomore season begins.
The Sacramento native will join his former rival to continue his career after the 6-foot-7, 190-pound transfer made his commitment to Cal public Saturday morning after a late push from Kentucky and North Carolina.
Stojakovic had planned to visit Kentucky this weekend, but that was called off in favor of announcing his pledge to make the move across the Bay and join Mark Madsen's program.
The addition of Stojakovic, a former top-50 recruit and McDonald's All-American, is arguably the most significant one yet under Madsen. It is rivaled only by the commitment the Bears picked up last year when they were able to pull in Jaylon Tyson from Texas Tech.
Stojakovic is the most decorated newcomer to the program under the new staff after earning plenty of recognition as one of the top recruits in the country as a member of the 2023 class.
Rivals ranked Stojakovic as the No. 41 prospect in his class, and he earned offers from high major programs from across the country when all was said and done. He eventually narrowed his choices down to UCLA, Oregon, Texas and Stanford before ultimately sticking with the option close to home.
As a freshman under Jerod Haase. Stojakovic had to go through some ups and downs but eventually played in 32 games and averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in his first collegiate season.
Stojakovic started 10 games during his freshman season but only four of those starts came during conference play. Still, the former Jesuit High School star showcased his ability to score at different points throughout the season.
He finished in double figures in nine games, including scoring 10 points against Cal in the first meeting between the Bears and Cardinal late in the season.
Stojakovic's best performance came in a February meeting with USC as the new Cal wing scored 20 points and made eight of his 12 shot attempts, including four 3-pointers, to go along with six rebounds.
His addition should help the Bears overcome the loss of Tyson, who decided to enter the NBA draft after the season with one year of remaining eligibility on the table.
Stojakovic also becomes the centerpiece of the rebuild process for Madsen, who has had to replace several players since the end of the season.
Stojakovic gives the Bears their seventh scholarship addition since the end of the season, and he is the sixth transfer to join the program this spring.
