Ben Braun
Ben Braun (born November 25, 1953)
Teams coached: Eastern Michigan Eagles, California Golden Bears, Rice Owls
Current conference: Missouri Valley Conference (MVC)
Eastern Michigan record: 185-132 (.584)
California record: 219-154 (.587)
Rice record: 63-128 (.330)
Overall record^: 615-517 (.543)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 8 (1988, 1991, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 2 (1991, 1997)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 0
- NIT Championships: 1 (1999)
- NIT Appearances: 4 (1995, 1999, 2000, 2008)
- CIT Appearances: 1 (2012)
- MAC Regular Season Champion: 3 (1988, 1991, 1996)
- MAC Tournament Champion: 3 (1988, 1991, 1996)
Awards:
- Pac-12 Coach of the Year: 1 (1997)
- MAC Coach of the Year: 3 (1988, 1991, 1996)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2008-2014 | Rice |
| 1996-2008 | California |
| 1986-1996 | Eastern Michigan |
| 1985-1986 | Eastern Michigan (assoc. HC) |
| 1977-1985 | Siena Heights |
Ben Braun Facts
- Benjamin Abraham Braun
- Born November 25, 1953
- Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
- Alma Mater: University of Wisconsin (BA, 1975) / Siena Heights University (MA, 1980)
- Raised in a Jewish family, attending New Trier HS in Winnetka, IL; father is Academy Award-nominee film producer Zev Braun
- Played three seasons at Wisconsin under head coach John Powless; spent two years as a high school assistant in Racine, WI after graduation
- Spent eight years as the head coach at NAIA Siena Heights University in Adrian, MI, going 148-103 overall during that time; Braun was inducted into the Siena Heights Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999
- Became the associate head coach to Jim Boyce at Eastern Michigan in 1985, then took over as head coach a year later
- Won just five games in year one but had the team in the NCAA Tournament by year three following MAC regular season and Tournament titles
- Would win the MAC regular season and MAC Tournament in 1988, 1991 and 1996; was also named the MAC COY each of those seasons
- His 1990-91 EMU squad finished 26-7 and made a run to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen
- Took over the Cal program in 1996, leading the Bears to the Sweet Sixteen in year one and winning the NIT title in 1999
- Won 219 games, went to five NCAA Tournaments and three NITs in twelve seasons as the Cal head coach
- Fired in 2008 after losing in the NIT second round; left with more postseason appearances and wins than any coach in program history
- Coached the Rice Owls for six seasons from 2008 to 2014, improving the team to 17-15 in his fourth season but ultimately resigning in 2014 following two straight single-digit win seasons
- Along with his wife, Jessica, has one son and one daughter
Ben Braun Coaching Tree
- Gus Argenal (Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State East Bay)
- Keith Dambrot (Duquesne, Akron, Central Michigan)
- Dennis Gates (Missouri, Cleveland State)
- Stan Heath (Eastern Michigan, Lakeland Magic, South Florida, Arkansas, Kent State)
- Billy Kennedy (Texas A&M, Murray State, SE Louisiana, Centenary)
- Shantay Legans (Portland, Eastern Washington)
- George Nessman (San Jose State)
- Joe Pasternack (UC Santa Barbara, New Orleans)
- Alex Pribble (Idaho, Saint Martin’s WA)
- Charles Ramsey (Eastern Michigan)
- Al Sandifer (Siena Heights)
- Damon Stoudamire (Pacific)
- Carl Thomas (Cleary)
- Gary Waters (Cleveland State, Rutgers, Kent State)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the NCAA Division I and NAIA levels
