Commitment To Excellence

BERKELEY – The California men's basketball program reached new academic heights as it posted a program-record Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 100 percent in the latest data released by the NCAA on Thursday morning. The perfect GSR mark – paired with a multi-year Academic Progress Rate score of 1,000 from the most recent report – demonstrates a full-team effort that has led to an upward trajectory in recent years.
 
The GSR is based on a six-year cohort, meaning that the latest report includes men's basketball student-athletes who received athletic scholarships, enrolled at Cal as freshmen or incoming transfers from 2011-14, and completed their degree within six years.
 
In data released just five years ago, the Cal men's basketball program owned a 40 percent GSR. Since then, the program has seen year-by-year percentage increases of 10 (50% in 2010-11), six (56% in 2011-12), eight (64% in 2012-13), 22 (86% in 2013-14) and 14 (100% in 2014-15).
 

"I am proud of the young men in our men's basketball program who have taken such tremendous strides to reach this perfect GSR mark," Cal Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton said. "To climb 60 percent in a four-year span is a testament not only to our student-athletes' determination in the classroom, but to the entire group of coaches and staff who have dedicated time and effort into this accomplishment. To earn a degree from the No. 1 public university in the world is a life-changing feat and we congratulate the men's basketball student-athletes who have done so."
 
The men's basketball program's 100 percent GSR played a key role in Cal Athletics posting a record-high GSR (89 percent) for the fifth consecutive year. Seven Cal teams achieved 100 percent and 13 programs finished at or above the 90-percent mark.
 
"This is a great accomplishment for our program," Cal men's basketball head coach Mark Fox said. "This news reflects the commitment of everyone that's involved in Cal's educational process, and most importantly the efforts of the student-athletes who have come through our program."
 
Fox's focus on the academic success of his student-athletes is well known; every senior who played for Fox during his nine-year tenure (2010-18) at Georgia graduated. Since Fox's arrival in Bear Territory ahead of the 2019-20 season, Cal has earned the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award – achieved by teams with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher – in two consecutive years. The Bears have also earned a consistent slew of individual academic accolades in that span, highlighted by senior Andre Kelly (NABC Honors Court), junior guard Joel Brown (CoSIDA Academic All-District Team) and most recently junior forward Kuany Kuany (Cal Athletic Study Center Scholar-Athlete of the Week), among others.
 
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