Two weeks ago, after learning that transfer guard Jaylon Tyson's eligibility waiver had been denied by the NCAA, Cal basketball coach Mark Madsen was resolute that the appeal would be granted.

Why?

"I've been looking at it for months. I believe it's extremely important for Jaylon Tyson to be granted this second waiver -- not only for himself but for every other student-athlete that finds himself in a situation like this in the future ... because of what Jaylon experienced in previous situations," Madsen said then.

Madsen was right -- Cal got the official word Thursday that Tyson is immediately eligible to play in the Bears' second game of the season Friday night, at Haas Pavilion against Pacific.

As a refresher, Tyson started his collegiate career at Texas and transferred mid-season in Dec. 2021 to Texas Tech. As a two-time transfer (but not yet a graduate transfer), he had to petition for a waiver for immediate eligibility as he transferred to Cal in May.

His reasoning for requesting the waiver was that he was racially discriminated against by Texas Tech coach Mark Adams, who resigned after last season and is now an assistant coach at East Carolina.

“Last year, I was racially discriminated against on multiple occasions. I was called a slave, and that Mark Adams was my master,” Tyson told Sports Illustrated. “When he said that I kind of froze and went down a dark path in my life that I had never [experienced] before. It was very embarrassing for me and my family to have to go through this process.”

The NCAA initially questioned the timing of the transfer as Tyson didn't enter the transfer portal until April 16, while Adams resigned March 9. Per Sports Illustrated, Adams said he agreed to meet the new coach before making his final decision.

That's why Madsen felt strongly that denying the waiver would set a bad precedent and why he was confident the situation would ultimately be corrected, as it was Thursday.

Madsen released a short statement to address the news.

“We are very thankful that the NCAA has approved Jaylon Tyson’s waiver for immediate eligibility. We are excited that he will be back on the court Friday night playing the game he loves," he said.

So what impact does this have on the court for Cal?

As a sophomore last season, the 6-foot-7, 215-pound guard averaged 10.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field (127 for 263) and 40.2 percent from 3-point range (43-for-107).

He is expected to be one of Cal's statistical leaders this year.

"His size, his versatility, his rebounding, his scoring. With his abilities that he has, you can't really teach -- you can't teach 6-7, 220, just a bull. You can't teach that," said forward Fardaws Aimaq, who played with Tyson at Texas Tech last season.

Said guard Jalen Cone: "He plays a huge role on our team, just like a lot of guys. ... He definitely brings a lot to the table."

It will be interesting to see who Tyson ultimately replaces in the starting lineup.

Veteran Jalen Celestine started in his place in the season opener Monday against St. Thomas (Minnesota) and answered with a career-high 21 points, but he could also prove to be best utilized as a spark off the bench.

Cone and Devin Askew were the other starting guards in the opener, while Aimag and Grant Newell started at forward and both made a major impact before cramps limted Newell to 16 minutes (8 points on 3-of-3 shooting).

"Jaylon Tyson's a leader. He's great on both sides of the ball. He's someone who will get after his teammates and hold them accountable. Jaylon is a tremendous basketball player in terms of instinct, in terms of talent, shooting ability, rebounding, Jaylon Tyson's a great passer. So he has just been fantastic," Madsen said. "... He's got the intangibles. He's in phenomenal shape. We did our conditioning test a month ago, he was right at the front with one other player. He's just been the epitome of professionalism since he's been here at Cal."

And now everybody else will get to see what he can do for the Bears as well.