Oregon State Interest Not Likely the Last for Braswell

NORTHRIDGE — Bobby Braswell learned Friday he will not be the next men’s basketball coach at Oregon State.

But how long will he remain coach at Cal State Northridge?

Braswell finished second to Ritchie McKay of Colorado State, who was hired to replace Eddie Payne as the Beavers’ coach.

Braswell, 37, who in four seasons at Northridge has built a reputation as a coach with a promising future, said he was pleased to have been courted by a Pacific 10 Conference school for the second year in a row.

“I was flattered from the very beginning, but I have a great job here,” Braswell said. “It wasn’t me out pursuing another job, I had to listen to them. This one just wasn’t a good fit.”

Braswell has one year left on a contract that pays him $96,000. The Matadors, who were 20-10 this season and came within seconds of reaching the NCAA tournament, should remain among the Big Sky’s best teams next season before moving to the Big West Conference in 2001.

Dick Dull, Northridge athletic director, said he intends to meet with Braswell in the off-season to discuss an extension.

But Braswell might not be finished listening to prospective employers.

Cal State Fullerton also approached Northridge for permission to talk to Braswell about its coaching vacancy. Last season, Braswell was a finalist for the Washington State job and expressed interest in a possible opening at Long Beach State, where he was an assistant from 1989-91.

Other overtures are likely to come. Braswell said he is not interested in Fullerton. He declined comment whether he has been contacted by other schools.

“My heart is with these young men and I’ve been committed from the first day I walked on this campus,” Braswell said. “Had [Oregon State] made an official offer, that was not going to be a guarantee that I would leave. There are a lot of things I need to consider--the well-being of my family and my commitment to these players.

“It would have been an interesting decision to have made. I’m kind of relieved.”

Dull said no other schools have contacted him regarding Braswell. But he expects that to change.

“I would expect Bobby to be on a lot of people’s short lists,” Dull said. “He’s a very popular and very attractive coach for a number of reasons. I wouldn’t be pleased to lose him.”

Braswell, an assistant at Oregon from 1992-95, was among five finalists at Oregon State. McKay, who is 61-52 in four seasons as a head coach at Colorado and Portland State, was the choice of athletic director Mitch Barnhart.