Cal inked its lone previous 2024 commit Jeremiah Wilkinson to a National Letter of Intent Wednesday, the first day of the fall signing period for basketball prospects. The three-star recruit from Atlanta gave the Bears his commitment back in August after taking an official visit to the school.
A 6-foot-1 guard, the McEachern High senior gives the Bears another playmaker on the perimeter lining up with what head coach Mark Madsen wants to do as he begins his tenure leading the program.
“We’re very excited to have Jeremiah join the Cal family next year,” Madsen said in a statement released by the program Wednesday. “He’s an explosive and dynamic scoring guard with great vision who will make an impact for us as we transition to the ACC next season. It was evident early in the recruiting process that Jeremiah is aligned with our program’s core values. Jeremiah is going to be an outstanding player here at Cal, and we can’t wait to have him wearing the Blue and Gold!”
Wilkinson had a handful of other high-major offers to choose from when he picked the Bears with programs such as Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Florida all were in pursuit at one point in addition to mid-major schools such as Tulsa and Butler.
The newest Bears signee was once committed to Mississippi State but ultimately decided to open up his recruitment allowing Cal's coaching staff to make a move. Assistant coach Amorrow Morgan had recruited Wilkinson while at Loyola Chicago leading to a connection between Wilkinson and the Bears.
Once he was able to get on campus, the three-star prospect fully came to understand the vision under Madsen pushing him to make his college choice.
"They definitely run a pro-style system, an NBA-style system, so if that's your goal and where you're trying to get to in life, you gotta go do it as early as possible," Wilkinson told Golden Bear Report after his commitment. "His coaching style all around, whether it's workouts or the way he coaches in game, is super pro style, super NBA style.
"They play in space, that's really what I like and is somewhere I can really help the team. I just feel the way they coach really compliments me as a player."
He also pointed to the "family feel" in Berkeley that swayed his mind in the decision.
