Mark Madsen didn’t bring in Jake Wilkins because of the name. He brought him in because of the upside.
That distinction matters for a Cal team looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, and it explains why Wilkins has become such a compelling addition for the Bears. Yes, he carries one of the most recognizable surnames in basketball.
Yes, the nickname “Baby Highlight” has followed him for years, a reference to his father, NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, the iconic “Human Highlight Film.” But Cal’s interest goes well beyond the family tree.
Wilkins arrives from Georgia as a former four-star recruit with SEC experience and a frame that jumps off the page at 6-foot-9. He’s already shown the kind of athletic burst that made him a prized high school prospect, even if the production at Georgia was modest. As a freshman, he played in 32 games and averaged 4.9 points in a little more than 10 minutes per outing.
Those numbers don’t tell the whole story. In limited minutes, Wilkins flashed the tools that make coaches dream about what comes next: lift around the rim, length on defense and the kind of raw explosiveness that can change a game in a hurry. What he hasn’t fully put together yet is the consistency.
That’s exactly the kind of player Madsen has been targeting since taking over at Cal in 2023. At his introductory press conference, he made the program’s direction plain, saying that “player development will be a hallmark of what we do here.”
Wilkins fits that idea cleanly. The offensive polish still has room to grow, but the physical gifts are already there, and Cal is banking on turning those gifts into something bigger. In a new setting, with a bigger runway, he gets the opportunity that every young player wants.
Madsen made that belief public when Wilkins signed in April.
“Jake is one of the most exciting players in the portal,” Madsen said in an official press release. “His combination of length, athleticism and skill make him a force on both ends of the floor. He has one of the highest ceilings of any player in college basketball.”
For Cal, that’s the real story here: not the last name, but the ceiling.
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