Men's Basketball

Ben Braun

University of Califonia head coach


Hired by University of California, Berkley, September 1996

University of Wisconsin, '75

Ben Braun's Odds
COACHING EXPERIENCE
1996-2003 — California, Head Coach
1985-96 — Eastern Michigan, Head Coach
1977-85 — Siena Heights, Head Coach

COACHING HONORS
1982 Michigan NAIA Coach of the Year
1988 MAC Coach of the Year
1991 MAC Coach of the Year
1996 MAC Coach of the Year
1997 Pac-10 Coach of the Year

EDUCATION
University of Wisconsin, B.A. 1975

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse

COACHING HISTORY

1977-85 — Siena Heights

• Michigan NAIA Coach of the Year.

1974-79 — Eastern Michigan

• MAC Champions (1988, 1991, 1996).
• NCAA Tournament (1988, 1996).
• NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 (1991).
• NIT Tournament 3rd Place (1995).
• MAC Coach of the Year (1988, 1991, 1996).

1979-81 — California

• NCAA Sweet 16 (1997)
• NIT Champions (1999)
• NIT Quarterfinals (2000)
• NCAA 1st Round (2001)
• NCAA 2nd Round (2002)

COLLEGIATE COACHING RECORD
Siena Heights
1977-78      8-21 (.276)
1978-79      24-6 (.800)
1979-80      21-11 (.656)
1980-81      22-11 (.667)
1981-82      19-13 (.594)
1982-83      21-12 (.636)
1983-84      15-14 (.517)
1984-85      18-15 (.545)

Eastern Michigan
1985-86      5-10 (.333)
1986-87      14-15 (.483)
1987-88      22-8 (.733)
1988-89      17-12 (.586)
1989-90      19-13 (.594)
1990-91      26-7 (.788)
1991-92      9-22 (.290)
1992-93      13-17 (.433)
1993-94      15-12 (.556)
1994-95      20-10 (.667)
1995-96      25-6 (.846)

California
1996-97      23-9 (.719)
1997-98      12-15 (.444)
1998-99      22-11 (.667)
1999-2000   18-15 (.545)
2000-01      20-11 (.645)
2001-02      23-9 (.719)

California 6 Years    118-70 (.628)
EMU 11 Years        185-132 (.584)
Siena Heights 8 Years  148-103 (.590)
CAREER 25 Years   451-305 (.597)
BIOGRAPHY:

In just six seasons directing Cal basketball, Ben Braun has already established himself as one of the most successful coaches in school history.

And although the list of accomplishments seems to grow by the day, Braun is more concerned with building a program that has earned respect and admiration both in the Bay Area and across the country.

• Lost to KU early in the 2002-03 season.
As a result of his success, Braun has twice been rewarded with contract extensions, one in 1997 that runs until 2005 and in March of 2001 that lasts through the 2008-09 season.

ÒWhen a University makes a commitment to you, I think the proper thing to do is to make the commitment back to the University,Ó said Braun, who has compiled a 118-70 with the Bears and a 451-305 mark in 25 seasons overall. ÒI feel very proud to say IÕm here for the long haul and to make that commitment back to the University of California.Ó

Generally regarded as one of college basketballÕs top teachers and strategists, Braun brought his energetic style of coaching to Cal in September 1996. He has guided the Bears to five postseason playoff berths in six years Ð a feat unmatched by any other basketball coach in school history Ð including an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 1997 and a National Invitation Tournament championship in 1999. Two of his players Ð Ed Gray in 1997 and Sean Lampley in 2001 Ð have been honored as Pac-10 Player of the Year, and Braun himself was voted the Õ97 Pac-10 Coach of the Year.

A long shot who's getting very little mention, Braun nonetheless is considered one of the bright minds in the business. It would be a remarkable long shot to get him to leave sunny California where he is wildly popular for rejuvenating Cal basketball.
ÒI really believe that Cal is a dream job,Ó Braun said. ÒThis is a place that IÕm going to choose to call my home, most likely for the rest of my career. To be able to work in an environment and area you enjoy living, to be at a University that youÕre proud of, to be able to work with quality young men and an outstanding coaching staff, I donÕt think I could ask for anything more.Ó

During his initial season at Cal in 1996-97, Braun took a team that was predicted to finish in the conferenceÕs lower half, molded it into one that tied for second in the league and reached the regional semifinals with tournament victories over Princeton and Villanova. In addition, the 23-9 overall mark gave Braun a school record for most wins by a Bear coach in his first year with the program.

Braun followed up his first season with the Bears with another upper division finish in the Pac-10, guiding a team that lost its top seven players from the year before to a tie for fifth place in the league. Cal ended the 1997-98 season with a 12-15 overall record.

In 1998-99, BraunÕs Bears became the first team ever at Cal to beat three Top 10 schools in the same season, defeating North Carolina, UCLA and Arizona during the course of the year. Then, after earning a bid to the NIT, the Bears went on a 5-0 run to capture the title Ð CalÕs first postseason tournament championship since the Bears won the 1959 NCAA crown. Cal finished the 1998-99 campaign with a 22-11 record.

A year later, Braun took a freshman-dominated squad back to the postseason as the Bears reached the quarterfinals of the NIT. On Jan. 15, he picked up his 400th career victory with a 71-65 win at Oregon State.

In 2000-01, the Bears returned to the NCAA Tournament, finishing with a 20-11 record, and Lampley Ð BraunÕs first recruit at Cal Ð became the schoolÕs all-time leading scorer late in his senior campaign.

This past year, the Bears again won 23 games and tied for second in the Pac-10 race. Cal reached the semifinals of the conference tournament by defeating UCLA in the opening round and earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA playoffs, where the Bears topped Penn before falling to Pittsburgh.

Although just 48 years of age, Braun already has 25 years of experience as a head coach, including 11 highly successful years at Eastern Michigan, where he guided the Eagles to four postseason berths, including three NCAA appearances. During his tenure there, Braun accumulated a record of 185-132, averaging almost 18 wins per season, and was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year three times.


• * KU clobbers Cal - Kansas 80, California 67 (12-29-03)
• * Cal coach wanted do-over (12-29-03)
In addition, Braun coached at Siena Heights College for eight years, taking the NAIA school to a 148-103 record and five postseason tournaments.

Under BraunÕs direction, his players have proven equally successful both on the court and in the classroom.

ÒIt is important that our players be academically sound as well as athletically motivated,Ó said Braun. ÒWe donÕt want one dimensional players in our program. Our goals go beyond championships. We want to be the best in everything we do. As long as our players put forth maximum effort, theyÕre bound to experience success.Ó

Nowhere was that more evident than with the 2001 Pac-10 All-Academic team. Three Bears Ð Morgan Lingle, Dennis Gates and Ryan Forehan-Kelly Ð were first team selections, while Donte Smith was an honorable mention pick, giving Cal more than twice as many academic members as any other school in the conference. In 2002, both Gates and Smith repeated on the Pac-10 All-Academic unit.

Braun began his career as an assistant coach at Park High School in Racine, Wis. Within two years, he accepted the head coaching job at Siena Heights. After an 8-21 debut season in 1977-78, his teams posted a 140-82 record over the next seven years, including four 20-win campaigns. His squads qualified for National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) postseason tournaments five times. During his time at Siena Heights, he not only coached, but taught English and Physical Education classes at the school. In the summer of 1999, Braun was inducted into the first class of the Siena Heights Athletic Hall of Fame.

Braun accepted the position of associate head coach at Eastern Michigan prior to the start of the 1985-86 season, but midway through the year, on Jan. 15, 1986, he was elevated to interim head coach. Success came quickly, as within two years he had the Eagles in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.

In 1989, Braun served as head coach of the U.S. menÕs basketball team at the Maccabiah Games. He took an internationally inexperienced squad into the championship round before bowing to the host Israeli team in the final.

During his career, Braun has coached 11 players who have gone on to play in the NBA, including Grant Long (EMU) of the Detroit Pistons. At Cal, he has coached Ed Gray, who was a first round draft pick of the Atlanta Hawks, center Michael Stewart (Toronto Raptors), forward Sean Marks (Miami Heat), center Francisco Elson (a 1999 second round pick by the Denver Nuggets) and forward Sean Lampley (a 2001 second round selection by the Chicago Bulls). Tony Gonzalez, now an All-Pro tight end for the NFLÕs Kansas City Chiefs, also played basketball for Braun in 1996-97.

A native of Chicago, Braun graduated from New Trier High School, where he starred in both basketball and baseball. He went on to play one year of basketball at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse before he transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned a teaching degree in English in June of 1975 with a minor in African-American Studies. Five years later, he earned his masterÕs degree in guidance and counseling from Siena Heights.

—Courtesy of University of California