Good News!

The Cardinal lost the Pac 10 regular season Championship game last night! Yeah!

They had the chance to tie UCLA for a share of the Pac 10 title, having lost three and UCLA having lost only two. If they had won, they would have possibly tied UCLA for a share of the title with a win over USC.

As for our five, we played well against SC, took them to OT, and promptly folded like a card table. SC went on a ten point run to end what could have been a dramatic finish to what I thought was going to be Ben Braun's last season...

until I read this.

I can not figure out of this is a trial balloon, a statement that he is gone, or just a sop to the fans that she is thinking about it, and maybe next year, she is going to make a move.

The first thing she says is that there is no pressure from Boosters to fire Braun.

Second, she says that he needs to coach better - that we should have a better record.

Third, she says that we are THIS CLOSE to being there as a NCAA tournament team and a regular contender for the Pac 10 title.

Forth, she says that there is not way that someone can wear out their welcome just by being there too long.

Fifth, she says that she will evaluate the attendance figures separately from the coaching evaluation.

Sixth, she says that she is Braun's biggest cheerleader and that he is a great representative of the University.

So - basic addition and subtraction - regardless of the other issues (cost to fire, cost to hire, problems with the SAHPC) it seems like there is not going to be a change in the Head basketball coach this year. The Coach has three years left on his contract. My guess is that it will not be extended, that there will be another chance given, and that Braun has clear guidelines for next year - like make the Tournament or you are done.

Here is where it gets interesting. The question arises - do you want to to play for a lame duck, or do you want to go pro? I am sure that Anderson declares for the draft, like Hardin did last year, with the expectation that he comes back. But if he gets any real interest, I could see how he may leave. And if he does, Braun has no shot next year. So we have wasted a year on a mediocre program. And possibly, we could see the dark side of Ben Braun when he sees it all slipping away late in the season. So that should be interesting.