Hall of Fame Induction Video
Interview
Ben Braun - Eastern Michigan (Men's Basketball Head Coach)
From 1985 to 1996, Braun served as the head coach of the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team before moving on to lead the University of California-Berkeley's program. During his 10 and a half seasons at EMU, he guided the team through the most successful decade in its NCAA Division I history, becoming the program’s all-time winningest coach with a 185-132 record.
A three-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year (1987-88, 1990-91, 1995-96), he led EMU to three MAC regular season and tournament championships, resulting in three NCAA Tournament appearances (1987-88, 1990-91, 1995-96), including a “Sweet 16” run in 1990-91. His leadership also secured EMU’s first-ever National Invitation Tournament (NIT) berth in 1994-95. Beyond his collegiate success, he was selected as the head coach of the United States team at the 1989 Maccabiah Games in Israel, where he guided the team to a silver medal.
Prior to EMU, he built a strong reputation at Siena Heights College, amassing a 148-103 record over eight seasons and becoming the winningest coach among all four-year Michigan colleges at the time. His success earned him NAIA Michigan Coach of the Year honors in 1981-82.
