The University of California is finally cutting ties with embattled coach, Ben Braun.
His inability to make the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years, eighth place at best finish in the Pac 10 three of the last four years, and continual underachievement with marquee talent has attributed to his departure from the program that he took over amid NCAA investigations 12 years ago.
The bad news for Cal is that they will lose a great recruiter. The good news is that they'll now have the opportunity to hire a coach with more success at maximizing player potential.
It's not like Cal hasn't been able to recruit top-flight players. We are talking about the Alma mater of Jason Kidd and Tony Gonzalez. That all alone is a very capable recruiting tool.
Braun has four former Cal players in the NBA right now; Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Sean Marks, Francisco Elson, and Leon Powe. He leaves a roster with possible future NBA players DeVon Hardin, Ryan Anderson, Patrick Christopher, Jordan Wilkes, and Jerome Randle.
The question remains, would they be better served by a different coach? Sandy Barbour and the fans of Cal basketball agree they can.
There are plenty of candidates available for the position. Former UCLA coach and current ESPN analyst Steve Lavin has been mentioned as a possible candidate along with former Stanford and Golden State Warriors coach Mike Montgomery.
It's been reported that athletic director Sandy Barbour will be looking for a disciplinarian. This may give former Warriors and Sacramento Kings coach Eric Musselman a leg up on the competition. Musselman has been known to have run-ins with his players, but coaching in the pros is a completely different animal than the college ranks. Much can be said about holding a young man's education and possible pro career in your hands compared to having to co-exist with an already selfish millionaire who's made his claim to NBA stardom.
Other possible candidates mentioned include St. Mary's coach Randy Bennett, UNLV coach Lon Krueger, and Arizona assistant Kevin O'Neill.
Barbour is keeping her short list confidential for the time being, but Cal will have to move quickly in order to keep some sort of continuity in the program. She has employed the firm of Eastman & Beaudine, Inc. to aid in the search for the next coach, and will keep the rest of the coaching staff on until a new coach can be found.
The obvious choices are either Lavin or Montgomery, both with Pac 10 experience and success, although any of the coaches mentioned would be considered an upgrade over Braun. Requirements for the job are a clean program and a winning program.
If Cal gets the right man for the job, you could see the program lifted to heights not seen since Jason Kidd and Tony Gonzalez donned the yale blue and golden yellow uniforms.
15 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Ian Zymarakis about 1 year ago
I think Montgomery would be a great fit at a school like Indiana. Cal isn't a top tier team currently because of the fact that kids rather go to Stanford, UCLA or USC. Even ASU or U of A are more appealing then Cal is. Also, Cal Berkley has the ugliest student body of any campus in the Pac 10 conference.
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Rob Calonge about 1 year ago
LOL!! I wouldn't put the Cal student body up against the likes of USC, UCLA or either of the Arizona schools, but Stanford?!?! The Oregons or Washingtons also probably would come in behind Cal. I would rank Cal as fifth or sixth as far as student's bodies go. LOL!!
As far as Montgomery goes, I can't see any college program that he wouldn't make better. Don't forget that HE put Stanford on the map. With that under his belt, I can't see him not being able to succeed anywhere in the college ranks.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Abdur-Rahim only played one season at Cal under Todd Bozeman.
Braun frankly hasn't attracted enough talent overall, and most Cal fans think that was part of his undoing. He even managed to sign players such as Kennedy Winston (got out of his NLI and signed with Alabama) and Julian Sensley (didn't meet NCAA qualification then bounced around with Fresno State, San Francisco, and Iona named as destinations before finally landing at Hawaii).
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Cal has been underacheiving for quite some time. Barbour should have pulled the trigger on Braun 2-3 seasons ago instead of rewarding him with a long-term contract. The only one that should be taking the blame right now is the athletic director. Shame on her for not doing the right thing sooner.
Yes, Braun was a pretty good recruiter. But he rarely (if ever) developed players beyond the god-given physical talent. That's not the mark of a good coach by any measure.
As a Cal fan, I'm glad Ben's gone. I'd love to see Montgomery. The program needs leadership and discipline.
To me, Lavin has a similar M.O. to Bran: great recruiter and poor developer of talent. We don't need a repeat of that for another 12 years.
Anonymous Cal Fan
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Out of the coaches mentioned, I have to say that Musselman is probably the best.
Montgomery was a Stanford coach, that probably won't fly at CAL. Also when Montgomery got the Warriors coaching job after Musselman, the Warriors got worse. At the NBA level, Musselman is a better coach. If Musselman had been able to keep Gilbert Arenas on the Warriors things would be a lot different although I like how the Baron Davis/Stephen Jackson/Don Nelson Warriors are working out.
Lavin would be good if their only ambition was to get to the tournament fairly regularly and make the sweet sixteen once in a blue moon.
Also, for the record, Stanford does have a better looking student body.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Musselman sucks donkey dong
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Ian Zymarakis about 1 year ago
ok fair, Stanford and the oregon and washington schools might rank behind. But I think Oregon and UW might have better looking girls. OSU definitely isn't that great.... I will agree with you for the most part on the student body
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
"pale blue" ?
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Rob Calonge about 1 year ago
Editors! It was originally 'yale' blue. I fixed it.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
1999 Playmate of the Year: Oregon State student
2006 Playmate of the Year: Oregon State student.
Yeah, ugly student body.
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Ian Zymarakis about 1 year ago
wow, 2 girls that didn't even attend the school at the same time.... that isn't saying much, especially when ASU has a way better looking student body then OSU and anybody will agree
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kyle b about 1 year ago
To claim that Cal has some significant basketball tradition is a bit of a stretch. Also, Kruger has turned down Michigan and Indiana in successive years -- what makes you think he would say yes to Cal? Bennett or Montgomery are much more likely options.
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Lew Wright about 1 year ago
Montgomery fits the mold Barbour has stated she's looking for. He knows the Pac-10 and was awesome at Stanford. Lives in the area. Still a relatively young guy. Great recruiter. Available. Am I missing something?
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Rob Calonge about 1 year ago
I didn't want to say it, but I'm thinking exactly what you're thinking Lew.
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Lew Wright about 1 year ago
Though it's tough to compete against a coach as good as Montgomery, he'd be a welcome addition to the Pac-10. Or would that be welcome back? At any rate, I got to know him a little bit while his son was attending LMU. Every chance he got, he was there to support John. What a fine individual, too. He was always gracious to any fan who would approach him in the stands, though he was there to watch John play basketball. That's the sort of guy he is and would clearly bring a high level of professionalism to Cal. But come on Rob, we have enough trouble recruiting kids to come to Pullman. Can you imagine the advantage Cal would have when Mike Montgomery visits parents to discuss the future of their son as a Bear. Ridiculous.
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