Ben Braun--From one Old Blue to Another--10/15/97

For those of you who don't know it, I'm an "Old Blue"... a Bear (with a capital "B").... To the newest "OB", Ben Braun, all the rest of us Old Blues want to say "thank you".

Thank you for staying when you could have left.

Thank you for making, and then keeping your commitment to your players.

Thanks for considering the larger Berkeley community.

Thanks for becoming a part of the University.

Thanks from those many alums who have invested their time, energy and money in things Cal, not to mention those who have underwritten the construction and conversion Harmon Gym into Haas Pavilion, which may soon be the finest basketball palace on the west coast (sorry Pauley fans).

Thank you from all of us who had to endure Jelani Gardner.

Thank you from all of us who saw Kidd leave early.

Thank you from those who only got to see Shareef for one year before he left.

Thank you from those of us who were ashamed by the Lou Campenelli mess.

Thank you from those of us who, like you, will have to endure the "no-post-season play" sanctions, and the sickening legacy of stupidity left by Todd Bozeman.

Thank you to those of us who had to listen to that "other" Cal coach in that "other sport" (yeah, that guy named Mariucci), who left after saying he would stay "for the duration."

Thanks for not going when you could have.

Thanks for staying.

Sean Marks thanks you. Geno Carlisle and Thomas Kilgore thank you.

And Ray Young, Tony Bland and Dan Gadzuric will thank you. (They might not be certain yet, but they'll thank you someday).

For those who don't know the details, Braun ended up yesterday agreeing to a contract extension that is now eight years in length, through the 2004-2005 season at Cal. For a 43 year old coach, if he stays, that should be through the balance of his coaching career. He was the "top pick" on Michigan AD Goss' list to replace the fired Steve Fisher. Only thing was that Braun never let Goss make the offer. Instead, he re-upped with Cal.

I went to the Bay Area today (10/15/97)--not to pay homage (well, just a little) but because I was there on other business, and while in Berkeley, I had the opportunity to speak with a few very well placed sources, and to scope out the local print media (in a way that you just can't do by looking at the "Internet versions" of some of the local papers). All agree that had Braun left, it would have been a devastating blow to a program already hit hard, so hard that had Braun left, the program might not have recovered for 5-7 years, no matter who might have come in to replace Braun. As they say, timing is everything. He goes, the place is ruined; he stays, all's right at Harmon/Haas. The timing is significant. Ray Young made his visit over the last weekend at Cal. Braun needed to send a message: To the Cal players and to the potential recruits, he needed to stay.

My sources say that Ray Young's visit last weekend went very well, and that this sends very strong signals to Tony Bland and Dan Gadzuric (6-11) , who are also being sought pretty heavily. Gadzuric would be essential to replace senior Sean Marks, who himself figured prominently in Braun's decision to stay at Berkeley.

Braun was interviewed by Gary Peterson of the Contra Costa Times and told him that he never gave Michigan a chance to really push him, and that he cut off communication with Michigan AD Goss before they could even make him an offer. Or as Cal AD Kasser said "Why let someone else make an offer first. Often when that happens, and you're trying to react, it's too late. We had to move quickly."

Braun was reported to have told Peterson that he wanted to show his players his level of commitment. As Peterson noted when Sean Marks told Braun that he would stay, and not transfer even though he could have played at any D-1 school of his choice (he is 6-10 with lots of experience after all), and thus agreed to forego his senior year of post season play so that he could show his commitment to the team and the program, that meant a lot to Braun.

Braun told the assembled press conference at Cal on Tuesday about his commitment to Marks: "Now I can look him in the eye." Braun is 5-10.

"I really believe that Cal is a dream job. Our values have always been in place here I don't want to be anywhere where the bottom line is only winning games," said Braun.

Marks showed up to the gym yesterday wearing a Michigan jersey. Everybody laughed. Ha ha. Very funny. Marks said,"One of the main reasons I stayed was because of coach Braun. If he had left, yeah, it would have hurt. This shows he's committed to the team. In return, I know a lot of guys who are ready to go throw the ball around and start practicing." Practice doesn't start until Saturday.

The Bears this year return only three players from last year. Braun's got six new guys. Thomas Kilgore, a transfer who Braun personally brought out from Central Michigan, said that if Braun had left, he'd have been out of there: "Myself, I would have gone home. I would have gone to Michigan. It says a lot about him, about his sincerity and the compassion he has for players. It should work well with this team and with recruiting."

Likewise, Freshman Sean Lampley said he didn't know what he'd have done either. Geno Carlisle, a transfer from Northwestern likely would have left too.

In short, if Braun had left, most of the team would have gone. Recruiting: in the dumper. Rebuilding: a shambles.

Braun stays, everyone stays, everyone comes to Cal. That simple. As assistant coach Scott Beeten said, "I just sent out nine letters today to recruits, and every one of them is on Cal's stationery". As Jeff Faraudo of the San Mateo County Times noted, "Now he won't have to mail out those change-of-address cards."

The local press was literally glowing about Braun, his decision, and what it means for Cal this year and for the building of the program. However, my favorite line was from the Examiner, by columnist Tim Keown, who led off with this:

"WHEN IT comes to shock value, ``Coach Stays'' doesn't have quite the impact of ``Coach Indicted,'' but in Berkeley no movement is good movement. "

Keown's article is terrific. As he noted, here's what Braun decided not to be when he told Michigan "no" and Cal "yes":

"He decided he didn't want to be America's Janitor, hopping around the country like a walking Superfund site, cleaning up all the toxic programs in big-time college basketball.

"He decided he didn't want to be Larry Brown, treading through life with his nose in the air, sniffing for better offers and more exposure to soothe whatever insecurities bubble beneath the surface.

" He decided he didn't want a reputation for bailing on programs at the worst possible time, thereby receiving unmitigated scorn and hatred from a lot of people who would have done the same damned thing. "

The Contra Costa Times ran this headline: "Braun: This is my home."

Gary Peterson had this: "It has come to this---Cal called a press conference Tuesday to announce that one of its coaches was sticking around".

As Braun said at his press conference, "I really feel that Cal is the dream job. I'm working with quality young men, and I can't ask for any more. You know, I graduated from Wisconsin. And, yes, it's nice to go back and visit. but sometimes you hold a place to be a little more special than it is. I didn't allow myself to speculate what it would be like in Michigan. My mind did wander, but my thoughts about here in Berkeley superseded. I've put roots down and it's not a pleasant feeling to dig them back up."

Braun, Lavin, Montgomery. Maybe even Bibby. A generation of Pac 10 coaches with some staying power, some sincerity, a bit of integrity.

Thanks again Ben. Thanks for not going when you had the chance. Thanks for staying.

----Cal '76 Old Blue. Roll on.

 

 

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