M in steals nationally in 12 of the last 15 seasons. During the 2004-05 season, Braswell's teams ranked second nationally at eleven steals per game, and have averaged 8.7 spg in his 15 years (3,629 steals in 418 games). The fortunes of the men's basketball team at Cal State Northridge improved greatly on April 30, 1996, the day it hired Bobby Braswell, a 1985 graduate of CSUN, to pilot its men's basketball program. Braswell is just the fourth head coach of the Matador men's basketball program in its 53-year history. Braswell's team in 2000-01 is regarded as the best team in school history. The Matadors captured a school record 22 wins, captured the Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament titles, became the first team in school history to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament history (Division I) and captured the hearts of the Northridge community and the surrounding areas. On Mar. 10, 2001, Cal State Northridge gained an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament with a 73-58 victory over Eastern Washington in the Big Sky Tournament title game. "That was our goal at the start of the year, to win the Big Sky Championship and to make it to the NCAA Tournament," said Braswell. "On Selection Sunday, when we heard our name being called (Cal State Northridge), what a special moment it was for our program. That was big news not only in the Northridge community, but across all of Southern California and the nation. The media coverage was beyond belief. The Matadors enjoyed front page coverage." During the 2000-01 season, history was made as the Matadors walked into storied Pauley Pavilion and upset the 15th-ranked UCLA Bruins 78-74. The win marked Northridge's first-ever victory over UCLA and its first-ever upset of a nationally ranked team. For his efforts in leading Cal State Northridge to a championship season in 2000-01, Braswell was named Big Sky Coach of the Year. A year (1999-00) earlier, CSUN finished with a 20-10 record and Braswell became one of the hottest young coaches in America with back-to-back 20-win seasons. Wins at Fresno State and Oregon turned some heads, but they were only the beginning of what this young Division I program would accomplish. Braswell recorded a milestone victory during the 2002-03 season when he became the fastest coach in Northridge history to win 100 games with a 64-61 win at San Diego on Dec. 4, 2002. He won his 100th victory in his 181st contest. There was a new standard for which Matador basketball teams were measured after Braswell guided CSUN to its first back-to-back 20-win seasons in 21 years (1977-78 and 1978-79) and posted threestraight winning seasons (1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01) for the first time since the 1984-85 squad accomplished that feat. Prior to Braswell's arrival, the Matadors had never had a winning season in NCAA Division I competition (six seasons). Braswell's teams qualified for the Big Sky Conference Tournament all five years under his guidance, reaching the finals three times. The 1998-99 Matadors posted the first winning
season in over a decade as CSUN finished the year with a 17-12 record. Cal State Northridge finished the season ranked ninth in the country in scoring at 82.0 points per game. Braswell earned his first collegiate win on Nov. 27, 1996, with a 77-57 victory at home over Cal State Dominguez Hills. His first win came just one day after the death of his father, James Braswell, Jr. Braswell later earned his first victory over an NCAA Division I opponent at Pepperdine on Dec. 19, 1996, by beating the Waves 68-57. He later won his sixth game of the season (beat Eastern Washington 77-66 on Jan. 4, 1997) on the same day that his brother, Victor Braswell, passed away. Throughout his many years at Cal State Northridge, many outstanding players have worn the uniform of Cal State Northridge. Braswell says he is proud he has been able to coach them as players, and then see them mature as productive citizens in the community after they have graduated from Cal State Northridge. "The former players, I'm proud to say, still come around, and I am happy with their experience here at Northridge," said Braswell. "They speak fondly of the good times and the opportunities that Northridge has provided. Several players are currently playing professionally and some have moved onto great professional careers away from playing basketball. I am extremely proud of them all. No championship will mean more to me than to know my guys are happy and doing well in life." Braswell has an extensive background in coaching and recruiting. He served as the top assistant at the University of Oregon for four seasons (1992-93 to 1995-96). An accomplished recruiter, Braswell honed his coaching skills and was highly involved in all aspects of the Oregon program while serving as the recruiting coordinator. On the strength of the talent that Braswell recruited for the Ducks, Oregon compiled a 19-9 overall record (1994-95) and made the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 34 years. Oregon compiled its second-consecutive winning season in 199596 with a 17-13 overall record, the first back-to-back winning seasons at Oregon since 1986-87 and 198788 when the Ducks posted identical records of 16-14. Prior to his arrival at Oregon, Braswell spent three seasons as an assistant at Long Beach State (198990 to 1991-92). He helped the 49ers advance to two postseason appearances in the National Invitational Tournament. Due in part to his recruiting efforts, the 49ers advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years, posting a 22-10 record in 199293. Long Beach State compiled a 52-38 mark during Braswell's three seasons with the 49ers, including a 23-9 record in 1989-90. Braswell got his start in the high school ranks before earning his first coaching stint at the collegiate level as an assistant at Long Beach. As the head coach of Cleveland High School in Los Angeles (1985-86 to 1988-89), Braswell won two Valley League titles and was twice named Coach of the Year. In his first two seasons, he guided unheralded teams to the City Section championship game. His
2011-12 MEN’S BASKETBALL MEDIA GUIDE
9
NORTHRIDGE MATADORS
HEAD COACH BOBBY BRASWELL
BOBBY BRASWELL, WHO IS ENTERING HIS 16TH season as the men's head basketball coach at Cal State Northridge, definitely has the program headed in the right direction. Enthusiasm for the Matador basketball program reached record highs three years ago (2008-09) when the Matadors captured the Big West Conference regular season title, captured the Big West Tournament crown, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. “I don’t even know if I have the words to really say how proud I was of the Matador team of 200809,” said Braswell. “This group showed a lot of heart, a lot of tenacity. This team will go down as one of the greatest in school history.” Four years ago (2007-08), the Matadors chalked up a 20-win season (20-10), the third time during Braswell's tenure that the Matadors finished the year with 20 wins or more. Cal State Northridge also captured its first Big West regular season title - shared or outright - with a 12-4 mark. The 12 wins tied the Big West school record (12-6 in 2004-05). Attendance at The Matadome has increased dramatically in recent years. Twelve of the largest crowds since the 2007-08 seasons have watched a Cal State Northridge game. Because of the team's success in recent years, CSUN was on television 29 times. That included games on CBS, ESPNU and Fox Sports Prime Ticket. In 2007-08 and 2008-09, Braswell earned Big West Coach of the Year honors. Braswell has coached 430 games in his 15 previous seasons at Cal State Northridge, and has produced a record of 230-220 (.511). Braswell has guided Cal State Northridge to postseason play in each of his previous 15 seasons, reaching the conference tournament championship game on six occasions. Braswell's teams have always played a tough non-conference schedule, allowing Northridge to have one of the toughest strength of schedules in its respective conferences (Big West and Big Sky) during the past 15 seasons. The list of top foes have included UCLA, USC, Washington, California, Memphis, Illinois, Notre Dame, Iowa, UNLV, Ohio State, Purdue, Tennessee, New Mexico, Virginia Tech, DePaul and BYU. This year, the schedule is tough with the likes of Pac-10 power Washington and USC. Three years ago, under Braswell’s direction, the Matadors prided themselves on tough defense and a productive offense. In 2008-09, under Braswell’s direction, the Matadors were #1 in scoring (73.6 ppg), rebounding (37.1 rpg), field goal percentage defense (.419), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.327), rebound margin (+3.4) and steals (8.94 spg). Four years ago, the Matadors were #1 in field goal percentage defense (.419), rebounding (37.1 rpg), defensive rebounds (25.5), blocked shots (3.2 bpg), steals (9.2 spg, #15 in the nation) and 3-point field goal percentage (.307), and #2 in scoring (78.0 ppg), offensive rebounds (11.6 opg), assists (15.2 apg), and scoring margin (+6.9). Braswell's teams have been ranked in the Top 25