OREM—Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen has announced that he is departing UVU to become the men's basketball head coach at the University of California. Associate head coach Todd Phillips will serve as the program's interim head coach while a national search will be conducted for the program's next head coach. 
 
"Mark Madsen has taken our program to unprecedented never-seen-before heights," said Utah Valley athletic director Dr. Jared Sumsion. "I appreciate how much he cared about our student-athletes and we thank him for his service to our program. We wish him and his family the very best in his new role at Cal."
 
In his four seasons at Utah Valley, Madsen compiled an impressive 70-51 (.578) record while also amassing 48 wins over the last two seasons. He also put together a 39-25 record in WAC play and won a pair of conference titles. 
 
Madsen led UVU to its most successful season in UVU history this past year, guiding the Wolverines to a 28-9 overall record and a 15-3 mark in WAC play. He led UVU to non-conference road wins at Oregon, BYU, New Mexico, and Colorado. He also led UVU to a historic 74-68 win at home over Cincinnati in the quarterfinals of the NIT to send the Wolverines to their first-ever NIT semifinal appearance.
 
Utah Valley's 28 wins this past season are the most wins ever recorded in a single season, surpassing the previous record of 25 set during the 2018-19 season. Madsen earned 2023 WAC Coach of the Year honors after claiming his second WAC regular season title in the past three seasons. Madsen led the Wolverines to back-to-back 20-win seasons (2021-22, 2022-23). His team hit the 20-win mark faster than any team in UVU history.
 
Madsen led Utah Valley to just its second NIT appearance in program history where he guided the team to a 3-1 record and a trip to the NIT semifinals in Las Vegas. He led the Wolverines to a 2-1 record against crosstown rival BYU during his four seasons at UVU, including wins over the Cougars in back-to-back seasons (2021-22, 2022-23). He knocked off a Pac-12 team three straight times on the road with wins at Washington (2021-22), at Oregon (2022-23), and at Colorado (2022-23).

Madsen was named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year award this season, which is presented annually to the top Division I mid-major coach in college basketball.
 
Under his guidance, Fardaws Aimaq became the first player in UVU history to win both a WAC Player of the Year award and WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season. Aimaq would go on to win back-to-back WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Aziz Bandaogo became the first player in program history to earn both a WAC Defensive Player of the Year award and a WAC Newcomer of the Year honor in the same season. For the first time in program history, three players earned First Team All-WAC honors with Trey Woodbury, Le'Tre Darthard, and Bandaogo all receiving the honor this past season.
 
Utah Valley will immediately begin a national search for its next head coach. 

Mark Madsen at UVU

• Compiled a 70-51 record in four seasons at UVU, including a 39-25 record in WAC play.
   
• Led the Wolverines to a school-record 28 wins in 2022-23, breaking the previous mark of 25 set during the 2018-19 season.
   
• Named WAC Coach of the Year (2022-23).
   
• 2022-23 WAC regular season championship with an impressive 15-3 league record.
   
• Named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year Award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major coach in the country.
   
• Aziz Bandaogo named WAC Defensive Player of the Year and WAC Newcomer of the Year (2022-23).
   
• Trey Woodbury, Aziz Bandaogo, and Le'Tre Darthard become first trio in UVU history to earn All-WAC First Team honors.
   
• Trey Woodbury, Le'Tre Darthard, and Aziz Bandaogo earn All-District honors.
   
• Compiles a 3-1 national postseason record with a trip to the NIT semifinals (2022-23).
   
• Back-to-back 20-win seasons (2021-22, 2022-23).
   
• Fastest team to 20 wins (through 25 games) in school history.
   
• Highest KenPom rating (64) and NCAA Net rating (74) in program history (2022-23).
   
• Madsen led his team to a 20-win season in 2021-22, finishing with a 20-12 overall record. His team finished its home slate with an impressive 11-2 record at home, which included a 72-65 overtime win over 12th-ranked crosstown rival BYU. The win over BYU marked the team's first win over a nationally ranked opponent. Madsen has led the Wolverines to a 19-6 record at home over the past two seasons.
   
• Madsen's team also upset Pac-12 foe Washington on the road in Seattle during the 2021-22 season. The win marked UVU's third win over a team from a Power 6 conference.
   
• Utah Valley won the SoCal Challenge championship during the 2021-22 campaign, defeating both Idaho and Nicholls State to claim the championship skimboard trophy in San Juan Capistrano, California.
   
• Madsen's team went an impressive 9-3 in non-conference play last season, including wins over Pepperdine, Long Beach State, Idaho, Nicholls State, Denver, No. 12 BYU, and Washington.
   
• Led Utah Valley to a WAC regular season title in 2020-21 after going 9-4 in WAC play. The WAC championship was only the second WAC title in UVU history and the team's first since the 2013-14 season.
   
• Under Madsen's guidence, Fardaws Aimaq earned back-to-back WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was also named the WAC Player of the Year during the 2020-21 season. Aimaq also earned First Team All-WAC honors and WAC All-Defensive team honors in back-to-back seasons. Aimaq led the nation in rebounding during the 2020-21 season, becoming the first player in 40 years to average at least 15.0 rebounds a game. Aimaq's 27 double-doubles during the 2021- 22 season tied Pascal Siakam for the WAC single season record in category and ranked third in the nation. Aimaq came up just three rebounds shy of Paul Millsap's all-time WAC single season rebounds record. Aimaq's 27 double-doubles during the 2021-22 season tied him for the fifth-most double-doubles in NCAA history with Siakam, Oscar Robertson, Lew Alcindor, Artis Gilmore, and Bill Walton.