Coach Is Real Father Figure for Holmes

Carl Holmes has come a long way under the wing of Bobby Braswell and he still has a ways to go.

Holmes, a 6-1 junior guard from Eugene, Ore., enters his third season with the Cal State Northridge men’s basketball team as one of the team’s seasoned leaders.

Holmes, Big Sky Conference freshman of the year two seasons ago, knows the Matadors’ coach as well as any player. Holmes is a nephew of Braswell, who became his legal guardian when he was 14 while Braswell was an assistant at Oregon.

“I’ve been living with him ever since,” Holmes said.

Holmes, who averaged 6.1 points a game last season, reflected on his relationship with Braswell on Wednesday while the Matadors gathered for team pictures.

Northridge, 17-12 last season and tied for third in the Big Sky at 9-7, opens the season Nov. 19 against USC at the Sports Arena.

As a freshman, Holmes said, he was teased by teammates about his relationship with the coach.

“I played well and quieted all the critics,” Holmes said.

Yet, throughout his tenure at Northridge, Holmes has seen things pretty much the way his teammates have.

“He expects a lot from us,” Holmes said of Braswell. “I’ve been playing here for two years now, so he expects a lot from me in a leadership role. I just come out and do the job he wants me to do.”

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Optimism abounds at the start of any season. But to a man, the Matadors seem united about one thing: this year’s team is united.

“I don’t know how I know, but I can see it in practice,” Holmes said. “Everyone is running on the floor and no one has an attitude. I am very excited about this team.”

Ditto guard Markus Carr, among a nucleus of seven returning players.

“I really feel like the guys want to win,” Carr said. “We’ve never been this much of a team.”

Attitude wasn’t a problem last season. But it could have been better, Braswell said.

“There was a little bit of selfishness and that probably hurt us,” Braswell said. “Sometimes, some people’s loyalties are not what they need to be. This year’s team cares about Northridge.”

Braswell stopped short of mentioning names, but he might have been referring to Greg Minor and Rico Harris. Braswell was forced to discipline both players last season for violating team rules.

Harris wound up leaving the team. Minor played out the season and declared himself eligible for the NBA draft.

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Fox Sports Net Northwest will televise seven Big Sky men’s basketball games and three Big Sky women games between Jan. 7 and March 11.

The Northridge men’s and women’s teams each will be featured in one telecast on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain.

The men’s game Feb. 18 at Montana State and the women’s game Jan. 21 at Montana will be televised.

FSN Northwest will telecast the Big Sky men’s championship game on March 10 and the women’s game on March 11.