Long Beach Hires Cleveland High Coach

Cleveland High basketball Coach Bob Braswell has been hired as an assistant at Cal State Long Beach and will start July 1, according to 49er Coach Joe Harrington.

In Braswell’s four years as varsity coach, Cleveland made the playoffs four times and twice advanced to the City Section 4-A Division final. Last season, the team spent several weeks ranked No. 1 in the state and sent four players to Division I schools.

“I’ve gotten to know a lot of coaches since I came to California,” said Harrington, who will begin his third season at Long Beach in the fall. “Bob is definitely one of the best in the area.”

Braswell, 27, a graduate of Cleveland and Cal State Northridge, fills one of two full-time assistantships. His duties will focus on recruiting and working with guards, Harrington said. Braswell replaces former Laker guard Butch Carter, who is now an assistant at Dayton University.

Citing his close ties with students and players at Cleveland, Braswell last season turned down an identical offer from Long Beach. This time, Braswell was one of approximately 50 coaches to apply for the position and one of 10 to be interviewed, Harrington said.