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Dickey: Cal won't succeed until Braun's gone
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Observers rate Cal's Ben Braun as the ninth best coach in the Pac-10.
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Coaching does make a difference. The Cal women’s basketball team, coached by Joanne Boyle, is first in the Pac-10 Conference with an 8-0 record (17-2 overall). Meanwhile, the men’s team, coached by Ben Braun, has sunk to ninth.
So at a recent boosters meeting, Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour was asked when she would hire a men’s coach who was the equivalent of Boyle.
Braun is reportedly still there because some alumni who donate heavily to the school’s athletic program support him. Can’t fault Barbour. These alums are important to the drive for improvements to Memorial Stadium. A successful football team brings in substantially more revenue than basketball.
The Bears’ decline has been accelerated by the improvement in conference coaching; coaches such as Ben Howland at UCLA, Herb Sendek at Arizona State and Tim Floyd at Southern Cal have significantly upgraded those programs.
The Bears are significantly outcoached in most games. One example: When coaches such as Howland, Sendek and Tony Bennett at Washington State call a timeout, their teams come back on the floor with a specific play which works. When Braun calls a timeout, his players come back on the floor looking confused.
Knowledgeable observers rate Braun as the ninth coach in the conference, mirroring his team’s status. Only Oregon State’s Jay John (who was fired on Monday) is worse — and only because he wasn’t able to recruit. When their talent has been equal, John outcoached Braun in games between the two teams.
The coaching difference is especially obvious when Cal plays UCLA. Howland’s team plays a ferocious, ballhawking defense for 40 minutes. The Bears play that way only in spurts.
In the Jan. 5 game at Berkeley, the Bears played tough defense for about 10 minutes early in the second half, making steals, batting away shots and passes and made a nice run to get back into the game.
Then, Braun switched to a zone defense! The Bruins knocked down a three and got back in control of the game.
Braun’s teams used to be known for a tight defense and sluggish offense. They’re running more this season, but they can still be shut down by good defensive teams like UCLA and Washington State because they don’t know how to penetrate inside and often wind up firing off-balance three-pointers.
Meanwhile, their defense has declined precipitously, yielding far too many offensive rebounds and three-pointers.
A big part of that is the failure of DeVon Hardin to advance much beyond his potential. Harden blocks shots but his poor defensive technique causes him to get in foul trouble early. He has no offensive game. It’s almost as if he’s never been coached.
Worst of all, Braun continues to point a finger of blame at his players, instead of taking personal responsibility. He spotlighted Hardin’s inconsistent play a couple of weeks ago. After the loss to Arizona on Saturday, Braun talked of a sequence when Jerome Randle had the ball stolen and then committed a foul on the other end.
“That was a poor decision,” he said. “Jerome is human and I know he’d like to have that one back, but it’s hard to put this on one person.”
But, of course, he did.
As the crowds continue to dwindle at Haas Pavilion, it’s hard to escape the reality of what’s happening. But until the alums with deep pockets acknowledge that reality, the necessary change won’t be made.
Glenn Dickey has been covering Bay Area sports since 1963 and also writes on www.GlennDickey.com.
E-mail him at glenndickey@hotmail.com.
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Phil in Lafayette said:
There's no doubt Braun needs to go. He has not recruited nearly as well as some of the other PAC 10 coaches, he's lost players to transfers, some have quit and almost all the good ones go pro ASAP. What he's not done is keep a cohesive unit together and made it improve from one year to the next. In fact, his best players have seemed not to progress. Devon Hardin being a case in point. With Devon, his draft prospects were better after being hurt last year than they are now coming off a lacklustre year where he was outplayed by almost every other center in the league. Now, the question is: Who does Cal hire? Randy Bennett of St. Mary's or, if possible, Mike Montgomery are my two favorite choices.
7 agree | 3 disagree
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Sam in Reno said:
I hope you are right on this. The basketball program is in a shambles. Braun is a bully and so stuck in his ways that he refuses to see what is going on with his own team. Cal players always look nervous and tentative on the floor. They are constantly looking at Braun for approval.No one looks like they are enjoying the game. They almost look relieved when they loose a lead. The constant transfers and defections from the program indicate how unpopular Braun is with players. I hope Sandy pulls the trigger this week.
9 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Cal played better this year when Devon Hardin did not play. We beat both Washington schools on the road without him, and lost to both of them with him. But for a horrible non-call at the end of the game, we also beat UCLA without him. Why? A large part of the reason is that Braun has never utilized his big men well. Another reason is that Hardin often does not hustle. Perhaps he's lost interest.
7 agree | 2 disagree
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Sam in Reno said:
Anyone who watches Cal basketball can see what is happening. In the recent loss to WSU Cal, did not play defense and did not play offense. On defense they failed to fight through screens and did not block out on the boards. On offense they stood aroud the perimeter waiting to take three point shots.This team clearly has given up on Braun. It is about time the school did too. Sandy pull the trigger, it is time for a change.
30 agree | 24 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
It could be worse. Sandy Barbour could have inherited the mess, which is the USF mens basketball program. Sincerely, Porter L. Baymon
22 agree | 25 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This is incredibly coincidental. I was just sharing with a friend how I'm planning on dropping my season tickets which I've had for 13 years because the seats are cheaper and better if you show up on game day. Besides, the quality is bad enough now that you don't actually want to show up on any given game day any more. Sorry Ben. Time is up. It was fun while it lasted.
35 agree | 24 disagree
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Sam in Reno said:
Well said Glenn. Braun should have been fired several years ago. I do not know what the "wealthy alumni supporters" see in him. Perhaps he kisses their _ss very well. His teams constantly underwhelm me with their play. Sometimes it appears they merely go through the motions because Ben said so. It is time for a change.
33 agree | 30 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Guys such as Omar Wilkes and Shantay Legans sum up Braun's legacy. Players simply don't like him. Does the name Donte Smith ring a bell? This was a true talent who rarely played after his freshman year, reportedly due to a rift between he and Braun. Recruiting Leon Powe saved his job, but the increased ticket prices that accompanied the heralded player's arrival never payed dividends for fans. We enjoyed a couple of great regular seasons with Shipp, Whethers, Hughes, etc. but have endured losing campaigns with far more talent. Our non-conference record is impressive only if you don't consider our competition. Alaska, Jackson State, and Nicholls State don't really prepare players for our PAC-10 opponents. I agree with Dickey, Braun should go.
20 agree | 12 disagree
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Golden Bear said:
My son and I have been to a couple of father/son Hoops camps at Cal. I supported Braun during those years not for his coaching but because of the excellent people on his staff. Alas, they are all gone as of 2 years ago. What impressed me during the hours spent at camp was how the players of demonstrated that they did not respect Braun. This cycle continues every year and we see too many players regress (Midgely his senior season and most of our Fwds & Centers) Sandy, out with BB and ask Mike Montgomery to PLEASE come to Cal. Bleeding & Blue, Golden Bear
44 agree | 14 disagree
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not me said:
I rarely agree with Dickey, but I do on this. Braun is a very good defensive coach but possibly the worst offensive coach in the nation. (Sorry Rick Majerus, I think Braun could have gotten StL down to to 15 points.) So many players do not improve offensively during their time at Cal, and some even regressed (Amit Tamir comes to mind). He's basically the terrible step brother of Ben Howland. I'd hire him to coach my team's defense, but not as a head coach.
41 agree | 13 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Highway robbery. How Ben gets paid as much as he does with this kind of product & results is borderline criminal. Run with it while you can Ben because no serious D-1A program will not hire you & it's the mid majors if not worse in your future. If you had any semblance of integrity you would restructure your contract or resign instead of sticking it '$$$' to a school that has more than fairly compensated for your poor results. Your closed environment, near media black out, avg to poor grad rates, transfers, & cup cake OOC schedules, do not hide the visible tragedy that has become Cal men's hoops coach fraud. The empty seats & apathy grows. Just to remind Ben, we don't like you & haven't for a long time. The day you leave Cal will be a happy one for Cal hoop fans.
54 agree | 15 disagree
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Phil in Lafayette said:
Right now the problem is that Braun doesn't get good players to perform. What's worse lies ahead. Given his growing reputation as a petty dictator, the pipeline of good players will soon run dry. Then we'll have poor players being coached badly.
47 agree | 16 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
more than one grumble of "braun must go" was heard after saturdays loss to AZ.. 11 years of this dude... i wanted him gone ages ago.. the thing is he has done just enough right to keep his job.. NIT champs, some good recruiting.. but i think and hope his fate is sealled... probably was on Saturday.. this team had a chance to make some noise this year and surprise opponents.. Braun has coached himself out of a job.. i hope.. can anyone explain why Boykin was on the bench the final minutes against AZ?? that killed me.. a gamer of a player standing aside as cheerleader while useless Vierneisel does nothing on court.. out with thee Ben!!!
41 agree | 16 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Great article, yet so obvious. Braun is even worse than the Oregon State coach fired today, how telling. He has absolutely no idea how to run an offense and this has been going on for years. His constant excuses are beyond tiresome. Calling Braun mediocre is an overstatement, he is awful and nobody who knows basketball will tell you anything different. As a Cal alumnus, I refuse to support the hoops program until Braun is gone.
42 agree | 16 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Notice how Omar's "great opportunities" never happened. That was Ben's cover story for why Omar left. Omar left the team without using his last year of eligibility and even left his kid brother behind because he hated playing for Braun. That is how the team feels about Ben -- it's so bad that some just don't even want to play for him anymore. And after being quiet and protecting him in their comments --now Ben calls them out in the press? You can be sure, every player on the team would be thrilled if Ben got fired.
18 agree | 16 disagree
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John, Lafayette said:
It's a shame too, because there is a huge reservoir of support for Cal basketball. There is no comparison with what they are paying this guy and his overall record.
44 agree | 18 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
When you look up "mediocrity" in the dictionary......you see a little stencil photo of Ben Braun. Seriously though, Cal's record has consistently been in the mid to low range of the Pac10 for YEARS.
44 agree | 22 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Player developement does not happen under Braun. DeVon Hardin is the same player he was as a freshman. He takes delight in blocking shots into the fifteenth row when he should be spoiling the shot and starting a fastbreak in the opposite direction. He has no offenseive game except the dunk( which he occasionally misses).The thing that really holds Cal back is the lack of a point guard. Ayinde Ubaka filled that role nicely, it is a tribute to Ayinde that he put up with Braun for four years.There is no point guard on the current roster who can get the ball into the talented sing men like Anderson and Christopher.
45 agree | 15 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Glenn, I could not agree more. Braun should have been fired several years ago. I realize he runs a clean program and has personally donated to the school, but he is not getting the job done. He has good players but they consistently underperform. He also has a large number of players who leave the program. It was not surprising to me that Omar Wilkes decided not to play his last year. The players look confused and aprehensive on the floor. It is time for a change.
52 agree | 16 disagree
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