Former Stanford and Golden State Warriors coach Mike Montgomery has agreed to replace Ben Braun at rival California, according to the school, which will announce the hiring Saturday at a 1 p.m. ET news conference.
Braun was fired as coach last Wednesday after 12 years at Cal.
Montgomery led Stanford to the 1998 Final Four and helped resurrect the Cardinal into a national program.
The move to Stanford's chief rival comes as a surprise given Montgomery's former and current links to the Cardinal. His former assistant, Trent Johnson, replaced Montgomery at Stanford. Most recently, Montgomery has been working as an assistant to Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby, as well as working in television for Fox Sports Net.
Montgomery compiled a 393-167 record with 12 NCAA tournament appearances in his 18 seasons at Stanford, making him the school's winningest men's basketball coach.
He left Stanford in 2004 to coach in the NBA, where he compiled a 68-96 record in two seasons with the Warriors.
Cal's top player, All-Pac 10 forward Ryan Anderson, announced on Thursday he was declaring for the NBA draft, but will not sign with an agent in order to preserve his college eligibility, if he changes his mind.
Andy Katz is a senior writer for ESPN.com.