Stanford transfer Andrej Stojakovic, a 2023 McDonald’s All American and the son of NBA legend Peja Stojakovic, has committed to Mark Madsen and the California Golden Bears, he tells 247Sports.
The 6-foot-7 small forward was expected to take a visit to Kentucky this weekend but decided he knew where he wanted to be and that was in Berkley, choosing California over the Wildcats and North Carolina.
“Just the consistency that coach Madsen and his staff have showed,” he said of why he chose California. “The transparency of what their gameplan is, their development plan for them to achieve my dream and obviously they want to win so the consistency of their recruitment and how much they have enjoyed talking to me and my family, I just appreciate them for that just as much.”
California was the only visit that Stojakovic took and the only one he realized that he needed to realize it was the choice for him.
He quickly developed a relationship with Madsen and the staff but their pitch also was a big selling point.
“I think allowing me to showcase what I can do,” said Stojakovic of their vision for him. “He used Jaylon Tyson as an example and how he used Tyson and allowed him to play freely unlike how he played at Texas Tech and Texas. Just bringing that up and the biggest thing for me is learning through my mistakes and playing, just being able to play freely was the main pitch.”
Stojakovic, like his father, can drill shots from three but the former McDonald’s All American is a skilled scorer with upside to be tapped into.
“Hopefully something new, something that will allow us to win games, a mixture of fundamentals and flair,” he said of what he will bring to California. “I will bring myself, bring my character on and off the court. I will be the nicest guy off the court and be an ultimate competitor on the court.”
