DALLAS — California coach Ben Braun has been here before.
The 10th-year coach is making his seventh postseason appearance, the most by a Golden Bears coach, and it is the fifth time he has taken his squad to the NCAA Tournament — the other appearances coming in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2003.
He said it is a gratifying experience because of the people involved in helping his program become successful.
“I think we can be proud at Cal. We’re building something, and I think for the most part we’ve maintained that; I just feel good for the people who make this trip,” Braun said. “I feel good for the support people that have helped our program-that are out there fighting for us.”
As the Atlanta regional’s seventh seed, Cal tips off at 7:20 p.m. Eastern Standard Time tonight against 10th-seeded N.C. State in a first-round NCAA Tournament game in Dallas.
It is the Bears’ first NCAA appearance since 2003, when they edged the Wolfpack 76-74 in a first-round overtime contest at Oklahoma City’s Ford Center.
The only player on State’s current roster to play in that game was senior guard Cameron Bennerman, who played 14 minutes and scored two points. Redshirt senior forward Ilian Evtimov sat out the entire 2003 season with a torn ACL.
Braun said being in the NCAA Tournament is something he thrives on.
“It’s fun to be back. I see some of the same people that were back at the last time we were in the NCAA Tournament. You meet some of the same people,” Braun said at yesterday’s press conference. “You sit through some of the same meetings. You never get tired of these meetings, by the way.”
Cal redshirt sophomore Leon Powe averaged 20.7 points per game and 10 rebounds per game during the season and scored a career-high 41 points in last Friday’s 91-87 double-overtime PAC-10 semifinal victory against Oregon.
After missing the postseason his freshman year and sitting out last season with an injury, the All-PAC-10 selection and dominant big man is in new territory.
“I’m like a little kid in a candy store right now — just looking around and seeing new things,” Powe said. “I’m just going to go out there and play my game. I’m not going to try to do too much, not get over-excited.”
Bennerman said he didn’t know much about the Bears as a team, but he indicated he understood the challenge Powe would bring for State.
“We know that our big men are going to have a task on their hands,” Bennerman said.
Braun said his team works its offense through the inside presence provided by Powe, but, more importantly, he said the Bears’ offense flows from their defense.
“We start playing on the defensive end. When we’ve had success this year, we’ve played well defensively,” Braun said.
Junior guard Ayinde Ubaka and senior guard Richard Midgley, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the teams’ 2003 matchup, led the Cal backcourt this season with 14.8 points per game and 8.8 points per game, respectively.
Midgley spoke of that winning shot as a fond memory and looked ahead to tonight’s game.
“Obviously for me it was a real good memory — hitting the winning shot in that game,” Midgley said. “I’m really excited that our team is back here again.”
