ALL'S WELL THANKS TO BRASWELL COACH HAS BEEN A SAVIOR AT CSUN.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

DAYTON, Ohio - Bobby Braswell walked into the Northridge gym and couldn't help but smile. Gone were the television cameras and the raucous crowd that filled the place last weekend when Cal State Northridge beat Eastern Washington to earn its first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

However, the image will remain in his mind - the crowd storming the court and then serenading him with heartfelt cheers as he cut down the last string on the basketball net, the whoops and hollers, the countless hugs, the congratulations, the tears of joy.

Braswell created that scene. In five years, he's taken a lifeless program and instilled determination, character, self-confidence and boundless enthusiasm. And, perhaps most significantly, he's taking CSUN to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

Enjoy it. He might not be around long.

``I knew he was going to get them competitive,'' said Tennessee coach Jerry Green, who hired Braswell as an assistant when he took over the Oregon program in 1992. ``He's a big-time basketball coach. There'll be some bright athletic director out there. He'll be at a huge university either by taking over a program that's scoffed at or where a coach retired and the program is in good shape.

``He'll be at a big-time level.''

Braswell is expected to receive coaching offers after the season. He already rebuilt one mid-major program. Athletic directors with bigger budgets and glitzy arenas must be imagining what he could accomplish with more resources.

And Braswell is as marketable now as he'll ever be. CSUN (22-9) gained national attention when it beat UCLA at Pauley Pavilion and it plays Kansas (24-6) in its first-ever NCAA Tournament game Friday in Dayton, Ohio. Imagine how high Braswell's stock would rise if CSUN beats Kansas.

He's already a candidate at UNLV and one source says he's interested. And more jobs will become available as coaches are fired in the coming weeks.

Braswell, flattered by the attention, won't discuss his future. He'd rather focus on the NCAA Tournament or the gym - with all 1,600 seats - where his creation started and blossommed.

``The most gratifying thing of all was when I walked into the gym (Monday) and the banners were down,'' Braswell said. ``The signs were down. It was back to our cozy, little gym. I appreciate it a lot more. I was able to look at it and say, 'God has been so good and I've been so blessed to have this team and to have accomplished what we accomplished the last couple of years.' ''

It's not only what he's acomplished but how he accomplished it.

He has been unable to lure marquee players to CSUN because it has neither the tradition nor state-of-the-art facilities of major programs. Instead, he sold hard-working role players on his ideas and system and turned them into winners.

And many outsiders have taken notice.

``The job Bobby Braswell has done is remarkable for many reasons,'' UCLA coach Steve Lavin said. ``Northridge was a Division II program with a limited budget. To build it into a program and have teams that could compete against Pac-10 schools. Last year, they beat Oregon and this year they beat UCLA.''

Braswell not only must make do with inferior facilities. He also pulls in a low salary - about $140,000 a year - compared to the half million or more he could command in a major program.

Athletic director Dick Dull knows it will be difficult to keep Braswell.

``We have not talked specifically about it,'' Dull said. ``He signed a long-term contract (four years) with us last year. I certainly know he enjoys and is committed to this institution. Hopefully, he'll be here. I wouldn't be surprised if a number of people come after him. They have the last two years. He'll be on a lot of people's short list.

``This institution simply will not be able to win a financial battle with the real big guys out there.''

When Braswell accepted the CSUN job in 1995, some thought he was committing professional suicide. Obviously, they were wrong.

He is 85-62 in five seasons in Northridge and has won 20 games in each of the past two seasons after taking over a program that finished 7-20 in 1995-96. As a result, he was courted by Long Beach State, Colorado State and Oregon the past two years and more courtship is on its way.

His players aren't the least bit surprised.

``I came here for him,'' said senior Brian Heinle, who played high school ball in Oregon. ``I didn't come here for this school. I didn't come here for this gym. I didn't come here for the Big Sky Conference or anything like that.

``I came here because I knew I'd become a better player and a better person.''

His players, even seniors who are leaving, can't imagine Matadors basketball without him. Heinle said he lost sleep the past few years when Braswell became a candidate for other jobs.

``I'll be sad (if he leaves),'' Carr said. ``I'll probably be the saddest person in the world.''

Braswell, a disciplinarian, is businesslike on the court and a father figure off it. His peers believe that formula can work anywhere.

Eastern Washington coach Ray Giacoletti, a former Washington assistant, has known Braswell for years. When Northridge beat Eastern Washington to earn the Big Sky's automatic bid to the tournament on Saturday, Giacoletti was happy for his friend because he knew how hard Braswell worked for five years.

Giacoletti has no doubt Braswell is ready for the next step.

``I remember when I saw him at (the Big Sky) media day in Salt Lake City,'' he said. ``He was smooth and articulate. After his success last year, I thought, 'Oh boy. If I was an (athletic director) sitting in the room, I'd be impressed.' ''

Associate head coach Mike Johnson isn't convinced Braswell will leave.

Johnson, who's been at CSUN since 1991, said he and Braswell have discussed the challenges that lay ahead with a young team - including the move the Big West Conference.

``I'd be really surprised if he goes somewhere,'' Johnson said. ``I just know Bobby pretty well. He's a Valley guy. He's a loyal dog. And his mother is so close. He's loyal to his church. There's a lot of factors. It's not money.

``People like coach (Braswell) have a strong faith. They're told throughout the Bible that's it's not about money. It's about happiness and working toward next year.''

Those associated with the program certainly hope Johnson is right. To many, CSUN basketball wouldn't be CSUN basketball without Braswell.

CSUN (22-9) vs. Kansas (24-6)

Friday

TV: Ch. 2, 4:40 p.m.

Matador of the future?

Potential candidates to replace Bobby Braswell as head coach at CSUN, plus commentary:

--Mike Johnson, associate head coach, Cal State Northridge: Matadors wouldn't miss a beat with Johnson, an extremely hard worker who deserves a lot of credit for the recent success. His time has come.

--Jamie Dixon, associate head coach, University of Pittsburgh: Grew up in the San Fernando Valley and retains extensive area contacts. Regarded as an excellent recruiter, skillfull tactician and communicator.

--Randy Bennett, assistant coach, Saint Louis University: Followed former Pepperdine boss Lorenzo Romar to Saint Louis. Before Pepperdine, Bennett was an longtime assistant at San Diego, working under Brad Holland and Hank Egan. Knows the West Coast well.

--Silvey Dominguez, assistant coach, USC: Considered the backbone of the Trojans' staff, an expert recruiter and defensive coach who has helped Henry Bibby raise USC's talent base to national level.

--Gib Arnold, assistant coach, Pepperdine: Well-respected young assistant in charge of recruiting under Jan van Breda Kolff. Also worked under van Breda Kolff at Vanderbilt and was an assistant at Loyola Marymount.

--Marty Wilson, assistant coach, UCSB: Credited with helping the Gauchos amass two of their top recruiting classes the past two seasons. Played at Simi Valley High and Pepperdine, where he later became an assistant coach and then interim head coach in 1996. A hard worker who knows the area well.

--Remy McCarthy, head coach, Moorpark College: Took the Musketeers to the state semifinals this year and has been coaching in the area for years. A hustler who knows where to find talent and put it together. Players love him.

--Tony Fuller, assistant coach, Stanford University: Seems to have matured since quitting as head coach at Pepperdine midway through the 1995-96 season. Was a head coach at San Diego State and one of Jim Harrick's top assistants at UCLA.

--Andre Chevalier, head coach, Cleveland High of Reseda: Was an assistant under Braswell before going back this year to Cleveland, where he was a star player and head coach. Played at Northridge. Relates well to players and knows the area.

--Bob Hawking, head coach, Anaheim High and former head coach at Cal State Fullerton: Left struggling Fullerton at the end of last season after six seasons. Was also an assistant at Fullerton, UC Davis and Pepperdine. Prior to that, he was the head coach at Simi Valley High, leading the Pioneers to the 1988 CIF championship.

- Vincent Bonsignore

BY THE NUMBERS

Bobby Braswell's coaching record in his five seasons at Cal State Northridge:

Year Big Sky Overall

1996-97 8-8* 14-15

1997-98 7-9 12-16

1998-99 9-7 17-12

1999-2000 10-6* 20-10

2000-01 13-3# 22-9

*-Advanced to final of Big Sky tournament

#-Won Big Sky tournament, earned automatic berth to NCAA Tournament

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 2 boxes

Photo: (1 -- color) Cal State Northridge coach Bobby Braswell will weigh his future sometime soon.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

(2) JOHNSON

(3) ARNOLD

Box: (1) Matador of the future? (see text)

(2) BY THE NUMBERS (see text)