Northridge Interviews Nearly Over

Interviews for Cal State Northridge’s basketball coaching position are scheduled to conclude Friday. A coach is expected to be selected next week. A look at the five finalists:

BOBBY BRASWELL

* Age: 33.

* Rank by CSUN selection committee: Tie for second.

* Current position: Assistant at Oregon.

* Background: Braswell attended Northridge before beginning his coaching career at Cleveland High, where he posted an 84-14 record with two City Section championships in four seasons. He sent 16 players to Division I programs, including Adonis Jordan to Kansas, Lucious Harris to Long Beach State and Trevor Wilson to UCLA. Braswell then moved to Long Beach State, where he was an assistant for three seasons. During his time, the 49ers advanced to the National Invitation Tournament twice. He has been at Oregon for the past four seasons, leading the Ducks’ recruiting efforts. Oregon was 16-13 last season, 9-9 in the Pacific-10 Conference.

PERCY CARR

* Age not available.

* Rank by CSUN selection committee: Fourth.

* Current Position: Coach at San Jose City College.

* Background: Carr began his career as a high school coach in Fresno. In 21 seasons at San Jose City, Carr’s teams have won 20 or more games 12 times. His program has produced 77 players who went on to four-year schools and nine all-state players. Last season San Jose City went 27-5, losing in the second round of the State playoffs. Last season, Carr coached forwards Torraye Braggs and Terrill Woods, both blue-chip recruits. Braggs was all-state the past two years and is being recruited by Pac-10 schools. The Jaguars also featured 6-foot-10 Steve Pienkowski, who signed with UC Santa Barbara.

BOBBY CASTAGNA

* Age: 43.

* Rank by CSUN selection committee: Tie for second.

* Current Position: Assistant at UC Santa Barbara.

* Background: Castagna played at Northridge in the mid-1970s for Pete Cassidy, the man he hopes to replace. Castagna’s first coaching assignment was as an assistant at Chatsworth High. Two years later, he became an assistant at Mission College. He then went to Valley College, where he was an assistant for two years before being promoted to head coach in 1982. His three years in that position are his only head-coaching experience at any level. Castagna left Valley to become an assistant at Fresno State in 1985. Three years later, he moved to a similar position at Baylor, where he stayed for one season. Since 1989, he has been at Santa Barbara, where he has been the recruiting coordinator and has specialized in working with guards.

MIKE MILLER

* Age: 31.

* Rank by CSUN selection committee: First.

* Current Position: Coach at Los Angeles City College.

* Background: Miller attended Glendale College and Cal State Los Angeles for his undergraduate work and earned his master’s degree at Azusa Pacific. His first coaching assignment, at age 22 in 1987, was at Cathedral High. In two seasons, he led Cathedral to a 43-11 record. In the next two seasons, he led Ribet Academy to a 58-5 record, including a state title in 1991. He then took his only assistant coaching position, at Cal State San Bernardino. One year later he moved to L.A. City, where he has led the Cubs to a 102-30 record in four seasons. Miller’s teams have produced nine Division I players--including Northridge guards Derek and Keith Higgins--with three more expected to sign this spring.

JOE O’BRIEN

* Age: 41.

* Rank by CSUN selection committee: Fifth.

* Last Position: Coach at Lincoln (Ill.) College.

* Background: O’Brien won 100 games in five seasons at Lincoln, a private two-year school, before resigning a year ago because the school was reducing its basketball funding. After being rejected for other coaching jobs, O’Brien has been selling insurance for about seven months. After playing at Monmouth (Ill.) College--where he was a teammate of Northridge Athletic Director Paul Bubb--O’Brien began his coaching career in Louisiana. He spent four years as an assistant and head coach at three high schools. He moved to Southeastern Louisiana, where he was an assistant for two seasons. O’Brien spent the next five seasons as an assistant at Central Missouri State. After accepting the job at Lincoln, he went 13-19 in his first season, but 87-36 in his last four. His teams produced 12 Division I players and eight who went to other four-year programs.

Contributing: Mike Hiserman.