Tarkanian’s Son a Candidate for Northridge Job

NORTHRIDGE — George Tarkanian, son of Fresno State Coach Jerry Tarkanian, is among the five people who have told The Times they plan to apply for the vacant basketball coaching job at Cal State Northridge.

Tarkanian, a successful coach at Chaffey College, joins a group of three Division I assistants and a Division II head coach in the quest for the job.

Interim Athletic Director Paul Bubb, who will name a search committee today, said his office has been flooded with phone calls since he announced last Wednesday that Pete Cassidy’s contract will not be renewed.

The assistants who have told The Times they are interested are Bobby Braswell of Oregon, Bobby Castagna of UC Santa Barbara and Jack Fertig of Fresno State.

Leighton McCrary, coach at Division II Grand Canyon, also said he will apply.

Mike Miller, coach at L.A. City College, said he is interested in the job but hasn’t decided whether to apply because he is concerned that recruiting could be a problem if a new coach is hired too late in April. The NCAA signing period begins April 10.

Northridge expects to hire a coach by mid-April.

Tarkanian, 32, was an assistant at Antelope Valley College, Riverside City College, University of San Diego and Pomona-Pitzer before taking over at Chaffey.

Braswell, 33, coached at Cleveland High and was an assistant at Long Beach State before spending the past four years at Oregon.

Castagna, 43, coached at Chatsworth High, Mission College and Valley College. He has been a Division I assistant at Fresno State, Baylor and the past seven seasons at Santa Barbara.

Fertig, 47, is listed as the coordinator of basketball at Fresno State. He also has been an assistant at USC, Vermont, Washington State, Robert Morris, Western Carolina, Tennessee and Toledo.

McCrary, 44, was the top assistant at Arkansas State for six seasons before spending the past six at Grand Canyon--which beat Northridge the past two seasons.