Cal made an intriguing point guard addition when Grand Canyon graduate transfer Jovan Blacksher Jr. announced on Instagram Tuesday that he had committed to Cal.
The 5-foot-11 Blacksher had been a star in the Western Athletic Conference before suffering a serious knee injury. In the 2020-21 season, he was a second-team all-WAC selection, and in 2021-22, he was a first-team all-conference selection. He was the WAC Preseason Player of the Year in 2022-23, but suffered a torn ACL in January 2023 that ended his 2022-23 season and limited his effectiveness and playing time last season.
Cal head coach Mark Madsen saw Blacksher firsthand when he was fully healthy because Madsen was the head coach of WAC member Utah Valley from 2020 to 2023. Now Madsen hopes Blacksher can return to being the dominant player which was two years ago. .
Blacksher recently received a medical redshirt, making him eligible to play a sixth season of college basketball, and he elected to play that final season at Cal.
Source: Grand Canyon’s Jovan Blacksher received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA and will receive an additional year of eligibility for the 2024-25 season.
-Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 18, 2024
The addition of Blacksher leaves Cal with one scholarship available.
He averaged double figures in scoring in his three healthy seasons at Grand Canyon.
Blacksher averaged 10.6 points and 3.6 assists while shooting 26.7% from three-point range in 30 games as a freshman in 2019-20, then improved to 12.0 points, 5.4 assists and 32.3% three-point accuracy in 2020-21 when he was a second-team all-WAC selection and led Grand Canyon to a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Blacksher was a first-team all-WAC selection the following season when he averaged 15.8 points, 4.0 assists and shot 39.4% from long range for Grand Canyon, which finished 23-8 that season.
His 2022-23 season began with him being named the WAC Preseason Player of the Year, but ended after just 12 games when he suffered the ACL injury in January. He was still recovering from that injury last season, when he came off the bench and averaged just 15.4 minutes, 4.8 points and 1.5 assists. But he shot 41.9% from beyond the three-point line in the 26 games he played in 2023-24.
He showed flashes of his old self in the WAC tournament championship game, scoring 14 points and making 2 of 3 3-pointers against Texas-Arlington. Here he makes a three-pointer and then draws an offensive foul from the opponent.
𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐇 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒. 🗣️@ytnunahead Making winning plays! pic.twitter.com/VoHm77OLEF
— Grand Canyon Men’s Basketball (@GCU_MBB) March 17, 2024
Blacksher was a minor factor in Grand Canyon’s two NCAA tournament games this season, scoring four points in 21 minutes in the Lopes’ win over Saint Mary’s in the first round, and going scoreless in 22 minutes of court time in the second round loss. to Alabama, finishing the Grand Canyon season with a 30-5 record.
Blacksher posted a video on Twitter in March talking about the 2023-24 season and his recovery:
“ 𝘾𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙮.” 🗣️🎥
Inside Jovan’s career at GCU and his path back to the court this season. pic.twitter.com/xVvI2Nhvt7
— Grand Canyon Men’s Basketball (@GCU_MBB) March 6, 2024
That was before it was granted a sixth season.
During his five seasons at GCU, Blacksher played in 123 games and started 98 of those games.
He played six games against Utah Valley when Madsen was Utah Valley’s head coach. Grand Canyon beat Utah Valley twice in Blacksher’s last healthy season in 2021-22, tallying 15 points and five assists in a 68-57 win and 23 points and six assists in Lopes’ 79-69 win over UVU and Madsen.
Here he makes a behind-the-back pass for a layup against Utah Valley.
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