Richard Midgley Officially Named Cal Basketball GM

Cal made official what was reported on Monday by announcing on Tuesday that former Cal player Richard Midgley has been named deputy general manager for the Bears men's basketball team.

It's unclear why the term "deputy" was added to Midgley's title, because it appears he has the same role that a general manager would have. His responsibilities for the basketball program are similar to to those that Ron Rivera has as general manager of the Bears' football program.

Cal's announcement states that Midgley will serve as chief operating officer for Cal men's basketball and will be in charge of all off-court operation. That will include strategic planning and roster management as well as supervising NIL, transfer portal movement and financial management. He will also be involved in fund-raising and alumni relations.

He comes to Cal after serving as a scout for the Brooklyn Nets for the last seven years and was a scout and financial advisor for the Atlanta Hawks before that. That experience should help Midgley identify talent when it comes to transfer portal moves and recruiting of high school players.

Most high-level college basketball programs have a general manager these days because of the increasing movement through the transfer portal and the payment of players through NIL and revenue-sharing deals.

Cal head coach Mark Madsen has been asking for Cal to hire a general manager for basketball, and now he has one.

"This deputy GM position allows our coaching staff to focus on player development, in-game strategy and on-court coaching," said Cal co-directors of athletics Jenny Simon-O'Neill and Jay Larson in a statement provided by the school. "Not only does Richard know Cal, he knows the basketball landscape at every level and will be a crucial part of this program's upward trajectory."

Midgley was a guard who started in all four of his seasons at Cal from 2002 through 20026. He averaged 10.2 points over his Cal career, and he hit a game-winning shot in the 2003 NCAA tournament when he made a three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left in overtime of a two-point victory over North Carolina State.

Cal is coming off a 22-12 season, but four of the starters of that team are gone. Two starters (Dai Dai Ames and Justin Pippen) transferred out and two other starters (John Camden and Chris Bell) ran out of college eligibility. Lee Dort will be the only returning starter, but Madsen has added five transfers.

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