Cal Basketball: Ben Braun Has High Hopes for Bears Under New Coach Mark Madsen

The former Cal coach was doing TV analyst work at Haas Pavilion for Madsen's debut game.

Ben Braun's first season as coach at Cal, back in 1996-97, was Mark Madsen's freshman year at Stanford.

Cal beat the Cardinal in their first meeting that season, but Braun never got the best of Stanford with Madsen again in seven more meetings.

Braun, who now does TV analyst work for the Pac-12 Network, was at Haas Pavilion on Monday night as the Bears christened the Madsen coaching era with a season-opening game against St, Thomas of Minnesota.

Braun, talking in the video above, is convinced the same ferocious approach to the game that Madsen displayed at Stanford - and then as a two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers - will make him a success coaching the Bears.

Madsen inherits a program that has suffered through six consecutive losing seasons, including an all-time worst 3-29 campaign a year ago.

He kept the best of Cal's players from a year ago and brought in four Division I transfers, who Braun said will help transform the Bears.

Tipoff is 6 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.

Cover photo of former Cal coach Ben Braun

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo