Ben Braun

College coach infobox


Name = Ben Braun
Sport = Basketball
| ImageWidth =
Caption =
DateOfBirth =
Birthplace = flagicon|United States Chicago, Illinois
DateOfDeath =
Deathplace =
College = Rice
Title = Head coach
Awards = MAC Coach of the Year (1988, 1991, 1996)
Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1997)
Championships = MAC Tournament Championship (1988, 1991, 1996)
MAC Regular Season Championship (1988, 1991, 1996)
NIT Championship (1999)
CurrentRecord =
OverallRecord = 535-373 (.589)
Player = *
Years = 1972–1975
Team = Wisconsin
Position =
Coach = *
CoachYears = 1977–1985
1985–1986
1986–1996
1996–2008
2008-present
CoachTeams = Siena Heights
Eastern Michigan (asst.)
Eastern Michigan
California
Rice
CollegeHOFID =
BBallHOF =

Ben Braun is the men's college basketball coach at Rice University. He previously spent 12 years with the California Golden Bears program.

Coaching History

After graduating from Wisconsin in 1975, Braun began his career as an assistant coach at Park High School in Racine, Wisconsin. After two years of coaching high school basketball, he accepted the head coaching job at Siena Heights University. Braun coached Siena Heights for eight years taking the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school to a 148-103 record and five postseason tournaments.

Prior to the 1985-86 season, Braun took on the position of associate head coach at Eastern Michigan. Midway through the year, on Jan. 15, 1986, he was elevated to interim head coach. Within two years his Eagles were in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. During his 11 years at Eastern Michigan, he guided the Eagles to four postseason berths, including three NCAA appearances. Braun accumulated a record of 185-132 and was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year three times.

Braun replaced Todd Bozeman as the head coach at Cal prior to the 1996-1997 season. Expectations were low as Golden Bears were predicted to finish in the bottom half of the conference. However, the team finished tied for second in the conference and reached the NCAA Sweet 16. The team finished the season 23-9 and gave Braun a school record for most wins by a Bear coach in his first year with the program. Ben Braun went on to win the Pac-10 Coach of the Year - the first Cal coach to ever receive the award.

In the 1998-1999 season, Braun's club defeated North Carolina, UCLA, and Arizona during the course of the year to become the first team ever at Cal to beat three Top 10 schools in the same season. Then after entering the NIT, the Bears, led by Geno Carlisle, won five consecutive postseason games to capture the NIT title - Cal's first postseason tournament championship since the Bears won the 1959 NCAA title. Cal finished the 1998-99 campaign with a 22-11 record.

In 2000-01, the Bears returned to the NCAA Tournament, finishing with a 20-11 record, and Sean Lampley - Braun's first recruit at Cal after NCAA sanctions were lifted from Bozeman's tenure - became the school's all-time leading scorer late in his senior campaign, finishing with 1,776 points.

In 2001-02, the Bears again went 23-9 and tied for second in the Pac-10 stadings. Cal earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA playoffs, where the Bears toppled Penn before falling to Pittsburgh in the second round.

In 2002-03, Cal again reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament behind All-Pac-10 forwards Joe Shipp and Amit Tamir. Shipp ended his career with the No. 3 position on the Bears' all-time scoring list, while teammate Brian Wethers finished in the No. 15 position.

In 2005-06, Cal defeated USC and Oregon to reach the Pac-10 Tournament final for the first time ever. Leon Powe and the Bears then earned a No. 7 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament and finished the year with a 20-11 mark. On Nov. 21, 2005, Cal defeated Long Beach State, 88-69, to give Braun his 500th career win.

During his tenure at Cal, Braun has directed the Bears to more postseason appearances and more postseason victories than any coach in school history. He finished the 2006-07 campaign with a 202-138 record with the Bears and a 29-year career mark of 535-373. He ranks second to Nibs Price (1925-54, 449-294) in both tenure and wins at Cal, while his Cal winning percentage (.606) is the best at the school since Hall of Famer Pete Newell guided the Bears to a 119-44 mark from 1955-60.

Two days after losing to Ohio State in the 2008 National Invitation Tournament, Braun was fired as head coach of the Golden Bears on March 26, 2008. [cite web| url=http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news;_ylt=AtTrC_dXw1GmW66XV1G2_mkA07YF?slug=ap-california-braunfired&prov=ap&type=lgns| title=Cal coach Ben Braun fired after 12 seasons| date=2008-03-26| accessdate=2008-03-26| publisher=Yahoo! Sports] He is now the head men's coach at Rice, replacing Willis Wilson.

Head coaching record

CBB Yearly Record Start
type=coach
conference=
postseason=
poll=noCBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Siena Heights
startyear=1977
conference=NAIA
endyear=1985|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1977–1978
name = Siena Heights
overall = 8-21
conference =
confstanding =
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1978–1979
name = Siena Heights
overall = 24-6
conference =
confstanding =
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1979–1980
name = Siena Heights
overall = 21-11
conference =
confstanding =
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1980–1981
name = Siena Heights
overall = 22-11
conference =
confstanding =
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1981–1982
name = Siena Heights
overall = 19-13
conference =
confstanding =
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1982–1983
name = Siena Heights
overall = 21-12
conference =
confstanding =
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1983–1984
name = Siena Heights
overall = 15-14
conference =
confstanding =
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1984–1985
name = Siena Heights
overall = 18-15
conference =
confstanding =
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Siena Heights
overall = 148-103
confrecord = CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Eastern Michigan
startyear=1986
conference=Mid-American Conference
endyear=1996|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1985–1986
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 5-10
conference = 4-10
confstanding = T-9th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1986–1987
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 14-15
conference = 8-8
confstanding = 4th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1987–1988
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 22-8
conference = 14-2
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA 1st Round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1988–1989
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 17-12
conference = 8-8
confstanding = 4th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1989–1990
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 19-13
conference = 8-8
confstanding = 5th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1990–1991
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 26-7
conference = 13-3
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA Sweet 16
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1991–1992
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 9-22
conference = 4-12
confstanding = 8th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1992–1993
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 13-17
conference = 8-10
confstanding = 6th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1993–1994
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 15-12
conference = 10-8
confstanding = T-5th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1994–1995
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 20-10
conference = 12-6
confstanding = 3rd
postseason = NIT 1st Round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1995–1996
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 25-6
conference = 14-4
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA 2nd Round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Eastern Michigan
overall = 185-132
confrecord = 103-79CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=California
startyear=1996
conference=Pacific Ten Conference
endyear=|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1996–1997
name = California
overall = 23-9
conference = 12-6
confstanding = T-2nd
postseason = NCAA Sweet 16
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1997–1998
name = California
overall = 12-15
conference = 8-10
confstanding = T-5th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1998–1999
name = California
overall = 22-11
conference = 8-10
confstanding = T-5th
postseason = NIT Champions
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1999–2000
name = California
overall = 18-15
conference = 7-11
confstanding = 7th
postseason = NIT Quarterfinals
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2000–2001
name = California
overall = 20-11
conference = 11-7
confstanding = T-4th
postseason = NCAA 1st Round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2001–2002
name = California
overall = 23-9
conference = 12-6
confstanding = T-2nd
postseason = NCAA 2nd Round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2002–2003
name = California
overall = 22-9
conference = 13-5
confstanding = 3rd
postseason = NCAA 2nd Round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2003–2004
name = California
overall = 13-15
conference = 9-9
confstanding = T-4th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2004–2005
name = California
overall = 13-16
conference = 6-12
confstanding = T-8th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2005–2006
name = California
overall = 20–11
conference = 12-6
confstanding = 3rd
postseason = NCAA 1st Round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2006–2007
name = California
overall = 16-15
conference = 6-12
confstanding = 9th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2007–2008
name = California
overall = 17-16
conference = 6-12
confstanding = 9th
postseason = NIT 2nd round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = California
overall = 219-152
confrecord = 110-106Fact|date=August 2008|CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Rice
startyear=2008
conference=Conference USA
endyear=|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2008–2009
name = Rice
overall = 0-0
conference = 0-0
confstanding =
postseason =
ranking =
ranking2 = |CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Rice
overall = 0-0
confrecord = 0-0CBB Yearly Record End
overall=552-389

Personal life

He is a alumnus of New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois He and his wife, Jessica, are expecting their first child (as of April 2008).

References