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Showing posts with label long beach state. Show all posts
Showing posts with label long beach state. Show all posts
THE MONSON STORY: FIRE A COACH AND WATCH HIM REACH THE TOURNAMENT
THE MONSON STORY: FIRE A COACH AND WATCH HIM REACH THE TOURNAMENT
There’s no better revenge against a dismissive university than by winning the Big West tournament, which is how Monson and Long Beach State responded to his dismissal as March Madness continues
Before Dan Monson, none of us could pronounce Gonzaga without blanks, blurs and stutters. He was the original mid-major coach who proved he could reach the Elite Eight at a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Wash. The year was 1999.
If he stayed, he would be Mark Few today. He left for Minnesota, and for the last quarter-century, America’s elite young coach couldn’t stop crashing. He cleaned up a repulsive academic scandal and resigned under pressure in 2006, escaping to Long Beach State, which decided to call itself “The Beach.” For 17 years, he went 275-272 and entered the season with one NCAA tournament appearance in 2012. Last Monday, Monson was fired by athletic director Bobby Smitheran, who suggested a rampant revision of a program whose best-known recent player is Bryon Russell. You remember him as the Utah guard, pushed slightly by Michael Jordan before a wrist-suspended jumper led to his sixth NBA title.
“A change in leadership creates an opportunity to re-envision the future of our storied men’s basketball program,” Smitheran said. “We are committed to finding the right person for the job — one that can harness the incredible energy of this community, build meaningful connections and elevate this program to the next level.”
Little did he know that the right person for the job was … Dan Monson.
In an industry that doesn’t care how a man once performed, he and his team accepted the news and flung themselves into the Big West tournament near Las Vegas. The Beach, or 49ers, kept playing games and kept winning. Saturday night, they needed a victory over UC Davis. Many of the seats were empty. A dude named Roxy was broadcasting the game on ESPN2. Would a program with a canned coach somehow save the man for more March Madness?
Call it sex on the Beach. Monson carries on, with resumes floating around the country, when college basketball burns coaches in flames. His advantage is a berth in the big tournament, which should remind lost souls that he can coach a team. At 62, he still wants a gig with another program, and why the hell not after a 74-70 victory? And you think the AD should have waited until after the season was over?
“God has blessed me with a great career and these kids have been awesome to coach. When Jim Harbaugh says who's got it better than him, somebody needs to tell him Dan Monson,” he said as his players celebrated in the stands.
Why not simply accept the grace and move on? His celebrated pal, Few, seemed to suggest as much in a text. “I got the '99 run at Gonzaga, but, as Mark Few texted me ‘Why don't we have a run in the first year and a run in the last?’ But I don't think this is my last year,” he said. “I love coaching. I love teams. I need a new challenge. It's life. It's onto the next chapter.”
Can Long Beach State, which has dealt with leakage in a 20-year-old campus pyramid, do any better with someone else? UCLA, coached by Mick Cronin, didn’t make the tournament. Nor did USC, which lost to Monson this season despite the presence of Bronny James. Stanford fired its coach. California went 13-19. Yet here is Monson, who better make sure he still has insurance, ready to keep winning and making money. A few days earlier, he said it was “time for a new voice.”
Maybe it’s him. “Being in it is one thing. Winning it is another and we're happy,” Monson said. “We feel like we deserve it, but we're not done. We didn't come here to get to the championship game. We came here to go to the NCAA tournament. These kids have been awesome to coach. They’re great people.”
His players felt horrible that he’ll lose employment. In hindsight, maybe Smitheran spurred a big rally. “It was a silent moment for everyone when we heard. The guys became motivated,” said Lassina Traore, who scored 25 points. “We know that firing him is not his fault. We lost the games. The leaders agreed, we had to have his back. We weren’t going to let him down.”
Said Traore’s brother, Aboubacar, who had seven points and 13 rebounds: “The main thing was, we were helping the coach. For us, it would be really bad for him to leave without winning a championship. He has been a great mentor for us. He could have easily said, all right. But he wanted to do his job to the end. He still wants to win. So we’re gonna do the same thing because he’s not giving up.”
Not once did Monson rip the school. He was filled with class. “What a great week. What a great week,” he said. “What a privilege to have a team that has the kind of character to figure out a way to win three straight days. We said we were in Vegas. We said we were in a heavyweight fight. I am so proud of them and I’m lucky to ride with these guys. I’ve been to the NCAA tournament. My wife says she’s never had drugs in her life, but it’s got to be a similar feeling. It’s a high I’m expecting these guys to enjoy. It’s a team that can win games in this tournament. We’ll find out.”
Wisely, someone asked Monson how he’d like to be remembered. “He did it the right way on and off the court,” he said. “It’s not just about wins and losses. It’s doing it with principle. It’s a tough business. I’m OK with whatever other people do, but I have to look in that mirror. I tell parents to trust me with your young man. In four to five years, I’ll give you a grown man. I’m proud of all that.”
Stanford works. Vanderbilt works. Why not Louisville, which needs a cleanser?
With another victory or two, consider it a massive job promotion for a man who deserves much better.
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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.
Long Beach State: 2023-24 Big West Men's Basketball Champions
Long Beach State entered the 2024 Big West men’s tournament a bit adrift. The once-proud Beach finished the regular season 17-14; they’d lost their last five games and an early victory over Michigan had proven misleading.
They responded by parting ways with coach Dan Monson—a veteran of the coaching ranks who helped mold Gonzaga into a proto-national power in the late 1990s. He would be allowed to coach his team in the conference tournament but would not return in 2025.
How did he respond? By leading Long Beach State to the NCAA tournament.
On Saturday, the Beach edged UC Davis 74-70 in the Big West tournament title game to complete an improbable conference tournament run in a year chock-full of them.
To make the moment even more special, Monson’s 90-year-old father Don—a decorated former coach of Idaho and Oregon—was in attendance.
The younger Monson discussed what the moment meant to him after the game.
On Sunday, Monson and Long Beach State will hear their names called for the Big Dance for the first time since 2012.
What a week.
How Long Beach State prepared for Bronny James' debut and won
ByMyron Medcalf 
Sunday, December 10, 2023 8:14PM
Long Beach State tried to stay cool.
The Beach were about to play the biggest college basketball game of the weekend, thanks to Bronny James, who was set to make his Division I debut for USC five months after suffering cardiac arrest during a workout in July.
The lines outside Galen Center -- where the school announced a sellout on Friday once the freshman star's debut was announced -- snaked down the street. Tickets on the secondary market had sold for hundreds -- and in some cases, thousands -- of dollars. LeBron James, Bronny's dad, was rumored to be attending. Still, the Beach believed they had settled down by the time tipoff approached.
As the national anthem echoed through the speakers in the arena, however, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar entered the building, and the entire roster turned their heads.
"LeBron is about 6-foot-9, 240 pounds. ... Of course we all noticed him," LBSU junior Jadon Jones, who finished with 18 points and eight rebounds after LBSU upset USC 84-79, told ESPN. "The crowd erupted as soon as his face was on the jumbotron. We saw Rich Paul there."
When Bronny entered Sunday's game early in the first half, the crowd cheered. The USC fans rose to their feet whenever he touched the ball. And they roared after his chase-down block on Jones. He followed the play with an assist to Vincent Iwuchukwu, his USC teammate who had also suffered cardiac arrest in 2022 during a team workout.
And just like that, the Trojans fed off the energy and entered halftime with a double-digit lead.
Facing Bronny & Co. in that building was going to be more difficult than Long Beach State had imagined.
"We just didn't fight early in the game," said longtime LBSU head coach Dan Monson.
Nearly 72 hours earlier, Monson forgot he was in a room full of Gen Z kids. He told his players that they weren't "the Washington Generals."
He was, of course, referring to the old nemesis of the Harlem Globetrotters, the flashy assembly known for its trick shots and dribbling maneuvers in the 1960s and 1970s. The Generals rarely won when the two teams played. Monson's point was that Long Beach State had a chance against the Trojans.
There was just one problem.
"None of them knew what I was talking about," Monson said.
But he also reminded them that Sunday's game could be memorable.
"There are a lot of games that come and go and you're not going to remember them," he said he told his team. "This is one of those games, for good or bad, you're going to remember the rest of your life because of the circumstances. You have to play with emotion, but you can't be emotional."
When he tried to revive the Washington Generals metaphor again at halftime, his team finally seemed to get it, and returned for the second half with renewed energy. Then Bronny made his first shot: a 3-pointer from the wing with 13:10 to go in the game.
All the talk about staying focused and poised seemed to disappear with the crowd on fire.
As the Beach looked around the arena and heard the noise, they realized they had entered an environment unlike anything they had seen in the past.
"I had to call a timeout," Monson said. "I had to settle that down a little bit. When he hit that 3-pointer, the crowd was at a decibel level few arenas will get to this year."
As play continued, though, he also noticed a strange change come over his team's opponent.
In the first half, the Bronny hype had driven the Trojans and fueled an emotional charge. In the second half, however, they began to show signs of fatigue. Maybe the pregame pageantry had been a lot for USC, too, he wondered.
Just like that, the game started swinging in LBSU's favor, and regulation ended with USC -- a 13.5-point favorite entering the game -- heading to overtime with the Beach, a stunning reversal.
"Our first thing was just to stay calm," Jones said about his team's comeback.
The Beach understood the crowd would be large and the atmosphere would reflect the moment. At the same time, they weren't really worried about Bronny, who finished the game with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists and 1 block in 17 minutes off the bench. The Beach figured it would take time for him to adjust in his first college game. Veteran Boogie Ellis and freshman Isaiah Collier, the projected No. 1 pick in ESPN's latest NBA mock draft, were the bigger threats.
"To be honest, Bronny wasn't our biggest priority in the scout," Jones said. "He's a good young player. But he's still a freshman in his first game."
Ellis and Collier tried to carry their team through overtime, but the game ended with Long Beach State pulling off the upset and winning its first game at USC since 1987.
Monson didn't focus on the result as he went through the handshake line. The game, he said, was a celebration of Bronny's recovery more than anything else.
"I told Bronny after the game, 'Congratulations,'" he said. "What he's been through is way bigger than this game. To see him back out there and his proud dad there and his mom, that's way more important than anything else."
Once they finished celebrating the victory, the Beach showered, got dressed and hopped onto their team bus for the 40-minute ride back to campus, thinking about the way they had played spoiler on Bronny's big night, and how they could use the win to fuel success the rest of the season.
"They got ahead of us quickly," Jones said. "But we were able to calm the storm."
How a book spurred Long Beach State’s transformation into a volleyball powerhouse
How a book spurred Long Beach State’s transformation into a volleyball powerhouse
BY THUC NHI NGUYEN
MAY 3, 2022 5 AM PT
Long Beach State’s national championship trophies greet everyone who enters the school’s volleyball offices in Walter Pyramid. Alan Knipe, who has helped the men’s volleyball team put three gleaming prizes on the table a few feet away from his office door, may soon need to clear some more space.
Three years removed from back-to-back national championships, Long Beach State is on the cusp of another successful chapter. The top seed in the NCAA tournament at Pauley Pavilion this week, the Beach (20-5) begins the quest for its third national title in five years Thursday in the semifinals against UCLA or Pepperdine, which play in Tuesday’s quarterfinal.
After winning one NCAA championship in the first 47 years of its program, Long Beach State is now a perennial power. Beach won back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019, ending a 27-year NCAA title drought for the program on the back of a vaunted senior class that included All-Americans TJ DeFalco, Kyle Ensing and Josh Tuaniga.
In the COVID-19 pandemic’s twisted reality, Long Beach State’s coronation as a men’s volleyball powerhouse feels like a lifetime ago. Two pandemic-interrupted seasons following the last title make it feel like the roster changed over in an instant, Knipe said. But changing from a veteran-laden team to a squad with just one senior hasn’t dampened expectations for the Beach.
“People don’t come here to play for second, right?” junior middle blocker Shane Holdaway said.
The championship repeat was the culmination of a rebuilding process that began in 2013 when Knipe returned from a three-season hiatus. After coaching the U.S. national team during the London Olympics, Knipe felt like a new a new coach.
The only person to be involved in all three of Long Beach State’s national titles, Knipe is as familiar as anyone with the program. He starred on the 1991 national championship as a player, moved to the bench as an assistant and took over the program in 2001. Spending almost all of his adult life in the same place made it difficult to make radical changes from within, Knipe said. The national team opportunity brought a fresh perspective.
One of the first things Knipe did to establish a new culture of trust, open communication and accountability was assign team reading, handing out copies of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” a book that identifies things that plague even successful teams and how to address potential problems.
A junior on that team, assistant coach McKay Smith looked at the assignment with a skeptical eye. It only took a few pages for him to commit to turning the page on Long Beach State’s culture.
The book addressed how teammates can communicate, trust and confront conflicts together, setting a foundation for players and coaches who could then use valuable practice time to focus on on-court performance. The reading exercise has expanded to include different books for each class, including Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers” and “Legacy,” which focuses on the All Blacks, New Zealand’s national rugby team.
“Our culture is by design,” Knipe said. “We work at it. We build it. We talk about it.”
Each year, players present their takeaways from their books to the team. While the books can stay the same, Smith, who is in his fourth year as an assistant, notices how each group’s impressions change. It reminds the coaching staff of how important it is to embrace the current chapter of the program’s success without comparing it to seasons past.
“We’re not trying to be the 2019 team or the 2021 team or the 2023 team,” Knipe said. “We’re only trying to be the 2022 team.”
Knipe tries not to get ahead of himself when looking at the trajectory of his program, although he could be forgiven if he’s caught smiling at the prospect of building on the success of this year’s underclassmen. Setter Aiden Knipe, a redshirt sophomore, is playing in his first full season after the pandemic altered the beginning of his college career. The head coach’s son is third in the country in assists per set with 11.08.
Big West freshman of the year Alex Nikolov leads the Beach attack with 4.6 kills and 5.56 points per set, which rank third and second in the country, respectively. The son of former Bulgarian national team captain Vladimir Nikolov, Alex is, by his head coach’s estimation, a “generational volleyball player in college volleyball.”
While the talented 6-foot-8 outside hitter had opportunities to play professionally in Europe immediately after high school, Nikolov was interested in the unique combination of academics and athletics offered in the United States. He hadn’t heard of Long Beach State until about two years ago. He quickly learned that, despite its lack of international name recognition, it was a force in men’s volleyball.
The 18-year-old intends to keep Long Beach State at the top in the coming years.
“I came here to win four national championships,” Nikolov said with a smile.
Long Beach State: 2019 NCAA Men's Volleyball National Champions
It was a night they’ll be talking about for a long time. Inside their home arena, the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team became the first program in school history to win back-to-back NCAA championships, taking down Hawaii in the Pyramid in a battle of the two best teams in the nation. Hawaii took the first set before Long Beach rallied to win it, 23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-23.
With the two best teams in the country on the floor, a huge crowd, and a second NCAA trophy, it was an epic end to what has been a truly golden chapter in the school’s athletic history. The senior class led by TJ DeFalco, Josh Tuaniga, and Kyle Ensing will graduate having played in four Final Fours, won back-to-back national titles and set a new school record for consecutive home wins at 42.
“They did it the right way, they were very unselfish, they worked hard, and they brought their teammates along,” said Long Beach State coach Alan Knipe.
After the nets had been cut down, after the trophy had been passed around, after hundreds of hugs and pictures, that senior trio joined Knipe for the postgame press conference. It was a rare grouping of historic talent: DeFalco a two-time National Player of the Year (and MVP of this year’s NCAA Tournament), Tuaniga last year’s National Player of the Year, and Ensing this year’s Big West Player of the Year. All three will be headed to Anaheim shortly to join the USA National Team and begin preparations for this summer and the 2020 Olympics next year.
Hawaii head coach Charlie Wade said twice earlier in the week that he thought this year’s Long Beach State team was one of the best–if not the best–in the history of the sport.
“These guys have moved the mark like no other group has,” said Knipe. “Final Fours, national championships, player of the year awards. More importantly, they energized volleyball across the country. This group will go down as the group that moved the mark the farthest.”
When the evening began, it didn’t seem like it would end in tears of joy for Long Beach. Hawaii came out driving hard, pounding aggressive serves and taking advantage of a Long Beach State side that seemed tense in front of their home crowd. Long Beach fell behind big in the first set but rallied to make it close at the end. Then Long Beach won the second set thanks in part to back-to-back aces from Tuaniga; it looked like another five-set thriller (which would have been their sixth in a row) was in order. When Hawaii took a 5-0 lead in the third set, however, it was time to dig deep or pack it in.
“We talk about grit every day,” said Tuaniga. “We had to buckle down and execute.”
That’s exactly what they did. The Long Beach State serves found their targets and took Hawaii out of system, and the Beach’s Big Three took over. DeFalco finished with 20 kills on .516 hitting, four assists, three aces, five digs, and three blocks. Tuaniga guided Long Beach to a .427 attack with 43 assists, three aces, five digs, and three blocks. Ensing had 13 kills, three digs, and three blocks.
All three of them had major starpower moments. Ensing had critical kills late in sets, Tuaniga and DeFalco both had back-to-back aces, and everyone stepped up late in each frame. Knipe had told the media on Friday that the winner would be whoever could execute when it was 23-23, and he was right. A Hawaii service error and a block from Tuaniga and Nick Amado sealed the second set; a hitting error and a kill from DeFalco sealed the third; and two kills from DeFalco put it away in the fourth.
Knipe doesn’t like to compare teams across generations because of the major evolution the sport has gone through.
“But I’ll say this, I’ve been around this game for a long time, and I just know for all the teams I’ve been around, I’d like to suit up this team against any of them and see how it works out,” he said.
The scene afterwards was hard to conceive of. The players were on the floor they practice on five days a week, a floor they’d won 42 matches on dating back to 2017, and suddenly there was an NCAA trophy. Suddenly they were cutting down the net at center court of their home court, and their athletic director Andy Fee was tearfully hugging Knipe just a few seconds’ jog from both of their offices. The banner that will be raised next season will go up directly over where they were celebrating the win.
“Winning back to back national championships especially in our senior year is one of the most exciting times of our lives,” said Ensing. “Winning it here has been a blessing.”
While all the players celebrated with their families, that celebration carried a joyous surprise for DeFalco: all six of his siblings made the trip to Long Beach to see him play in the final game of his college career.
“For me living here and being here somewhat on my own for the majority of college and then to look up and see my literal entire family was very special to me, I didn’t know they were all going to be here,” he said. “Something like that just makes it that much more special.”
Asked about the future of the program and who the leaders on next year’s team would be, Knipe politely declined to comment. “To get too much into that wouldn’t be fair to these guys and this moment and what they’ve accomplished,” he said.
What they’ve done, of course, is to win, and then win again.
After the Pyramid had been closed down and the garish blue NCAA floor pulled up, the team pulled off on a bus to do something no team in the history of the school had done before: carry on an NCAA championship winning tradition. Just like last year, Long Beach State went to EJ Malloy’s near campus to celebrate, as city councilman Daryl Supernaw and others poured into the pub to take pictures with the team and the trophy.
Knipe lifted a glass and offered a champagne toast to his assistant coaches, players, and fans, and ended it with a message that gives some idea as to his plans for the future, both for Saturday night (and Sunday morning), and for 2020.
“Congratulations to all of you and the entire LB nation,” he said. “Let’s have a great night, let’s be safe, and let’s do it again!”
Baby Baby - 2019 NCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship
#NCAAMVB #GoBeach #LBNation #LBNation2030
From the Long Beach Gazette...
Long Beach State Takes Title!
Posted: Friday, February 25, 2011 5:59 am
The City of Champions added another banner to its collection on Thursday night, as the 49er men’s basketball team won the Big West regular season crown. A 61-55 win over Cal Poly clinched the title, which guarantees the 49ers at least a bid in the NIT tournament, although obviously their sights are set much higher.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for three years,” said junior Casper Ware, with celebrating students packing the floor around him, and his teammates ascending a latter to cut down the net. “It’s amazing.”
The 49ers picked up their seventh straight win in impressive, gutty fashion, in a game that featured 19 lead changes and a Cal Poly team that proved itself a cut above the rest of Long Beach’s chase pack. “That’s how you expect to have to win a league title,” said head coach Dan Monson after the game. “It’s going to be hard.”
Ware led the 49ers with abandon, as always, with a game-high 25 points and a 5-10 performance from beyond the arc. He opened the game by knocking down three straight, giving Long Beach a 9-8 lead. The 49ers led by as many as seven at one point, but Cal Poly narrowed it to 31-28 at halftime.
The second half was an arm-wrestling match, with both teams playing hard, and the lead switching sides with almost every possession. With 4:31 remaining, the Mustangs got a three from Shawn Lewis to give them the lead, 50-48. But Ware, as usual, put the team on his shoulders and knocked down his career high-tying fifth three of the night, to give his team the lead for the final time. Greg Plater knocked down another three to give them some room, and then Long Beach made smart plays and hit their free throws down the stretch to seal it.
Fittingly, it was Ware who made the last pair. “Casper is the best player in this league today,” said Monson. “He was cramping in both calves at the end of the game, and he wanted no part of coming out. He’s a winner.”
Big man Edis Dervisevic, who put in 17 crucial minutes of hard defensive play, went a step further. “He’s the best point guard on the west coast,” said the New York native. Dervisevic’s story was indicative of the grind-it-out, passionate play the 49ers displayed on Thursday.
At one point, he grabbed his shoulder in the game, wincing and grimacing. He got his arms up to fulfill his responsibilities on that defensive possession, and then hustled down on offense. He revealed after the game that his shoulder had slipped partially out of its socket—when he took a bump from a Mustang in the post, it was knocked back in. “He kind of helped me out with that,” said a grinning Dervisevic, who said the shoulder felt fine.
Larry Anderson backed up Ware with 14 points, two steals, and two assists, and was very active on offense and defense in the second half. As the crowd and his teammates celebrated, Plater continued to look stoic, even with the clipped net hanging around his neck. “I’m just focused on what lies ahead,” he said, referring to the Big West Tournament. “We’re not finished yet.”
In fact, they’re not even finished with the regular season—the 49ers host UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at 5:05pm, on Senior Night at the Pyramid.
Quick hits, January 8, 2010
What is going on with Beach Hoops? Looks like we are slumping again. Both the men and women lost to Fullerton. That's not even the worst that has happened to our guys. We can't even beat an NAIA team like Cal Baptist in men's volleyball. For a team like Long Beach State to lose to Cal Baptist? That is embarrassing, everybody. Doesn't matter if we defeated the hosts later on. To lose to a team that competes three levels below is simply unforgivable.
Come on Andy Read, get your players to show up against the doormats!
Aside from that, the men's ice hockey team won over Portland State.
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The words to Yea Alabama were fulfilled in the Crimson Tide's 37-21 victory over the Texas Longhorns. So the likes of Mack Brown can suck it.
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Lakewood's wrestling team also disapppointed last night, dropping a 43-19 stinker to Millikan. Enjoy this victory while you can Rams; we're gonna look to exact payback on you the next time we meet.
Come on Andy Read, get your players to show up against the doormats!
Aside from that, the men's ice hockey team won over Portland State.
---
The words to Yea Alabama were fulfilled in the Crimson Tide's 37-21 victory over the Texas Longhorns. So the likes of Mack Brown can suck it.
---
Lakewood's wrestling team also disapppointed last night, dropping a 43-19 stinker to Millikan. Enjoy this victory while you can Rams; we're gonna look to exact payback on you the next time we meet.
From Andy Katz...
Monday, October 26, 2009
Once-fired Monson: 'I enjoy life again'
There is a chance, albeit a small one, that Long Beach State could meet Minnesota in next month's 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif.
If it occurs -- likely in a consolation game, since the schools are on opposite sides of the bracket -- then there should be an acknowledgment of how much Dan Monson helped put Minnesota in the position it is today. Tubby Smith, one of the best hires an athletic director has pulled off in the last decade, has put the Golden Gophers in the mix as a regular NCAA tournament team for years to come. But Monson shouldn't be forgotten.
The Gophers needed cleansing after the Clem Haskins academic scandal vacated the 1997 Final Four. After leading Gonzaga to the 1999 Elite Eight, the fresh-faced Monson was hired to bring some sort of normalcy back to Minneapolis. He did that.
He lasted seven-plus seasons with the Gophers, but only one NCAA tournament appearance ultimately led to his dismissal in November 2006.
Early-season firings aren't and shouldn't be the norm in college basketball, as they are in the NBA. But the four-month break was actually just enough time for Monson to decompress before the Long Beach State job opened.
Initially, his wife, Darci, cried when Long Beach called. A Northwest native, she wasn't enamored with moving to Southern California and the possible headaches of raising four children in the area. But that has quickly subsided. The family couldn't be in a better place or space.
"I enjoy going to work every day; that's the main thing that's different now," Monson said. "I don't care about the money or the league. I enjoy life again."
Two seasons after the firing, Monson is enjoying a renaissance at Long Beach State. He has pulled off a turnaround of this once-proud program, one that can claim success stories on the court under Jerry Tarkanian, Lute Olson and Seth Greenberg.
The 49ers were coming off NCAA probation that vacated the 2005-06 season, and one year later, Larry Reynolds led the program to the NCAA tournament out of the Big West. Monson went 6-25 in the first year with a depleted roster, but then last season went 15-15 and improved the conference record from 3-13 to 10-6, just one game behind first-place Cal State Northridge. LBSU lost a share of the title on a buzzer-beater by UC Santa Barbara in the regular-season finale.
This season, the 49ers should be right in the mix for the Big West title with Northridge, UCSB and UC Riverside. Among the four starters returning is Larry Anderson, who became the first Big West freshman in 35 years to earn first-team all-league honors. From 6-25 to title contention, life is good again for Dan Monson.
"He's happy and content and at peace," said former Monson assistant Mark Few, who is entering his 11th season as head coach at Gonzaga. "He's in a good place. He loves it there."
Monson's life had become so draining at Minnesota. When he first arrived in Minneapolis, Monson would gloat about what the Gophers had in a conference like the Big Ten, according to his friends. The amenities were cool at the time. But the pressure to produce now, rather than later, was not.
"I don't know if I ever felt [at peace] at Minnesota," Monson said. "Those eight years were very difficult, between the probation and all the adjustments. I don't know if I ever got into a comfortable routine."
The environment he is in at Long Beach State has much more of a Gonzaga-like feel. The Zags dominate Spokane, Wash. That's not the case in the Long Beach area near Los Angeles, with so many other interests permeating the sports and social scene. But there is still a community-like feel on campus that he missed.
Recruiting has also been much more of a joy, with the roster dominated by Californians (11). Monson spends more time at home with his wife and four children. Monson said the number of days he's at home isn't even comparable to when he was at Minnesota or Gonzaga, which does have to recruit outside the Northwest quite a bit.
"I left Minnesota feeling like I wish I would have won more, but I did what they wanted me to do, which was clean it up," Monson said. "I helped stabilize the program and run it the right way. We went to the NCAA tournament the first year off probation. We weren't a total disaster on the court. The academics and the recruiting were a solid base, but it needed a bump. Tubby has given that to them.
"I don't have a beef with the University of Minnesota at all. They gave me a lot of money, made me a better person for sure, and a lot better coach, since I had to deal with a lot of different situations there. I wouldn't trade any of what I learned about myself those eight years."
The Big West has searched for an identity since UNLV departed for the WAC (and later the Mountain West). Becoming an all-California league has helped narrow the focus, but it still could use a school like Gonzaga, a program that separates itself by garnering national publicity and becomes a barometer for the rest.
Long Beach State certainly has the history, the facility and the recruiting base to become that school. The rest of the league may challenge that statement, but the 49ers might have the first crack at distancing themselves.
"You've got to have that marquee team," Monson said. "Gonzaga lifted the other schools up to where the others are trying to match it."
Monson referenced Pacific's run from 2003 to 2006, when the Tigers were a regular in the NCAA tournament, even winning first-round NCAA games in 2004 and '05. The 2005 team went 18-0 in the Big West.
"If a league like this gets a couple of teams in the tournament, it can separate itself from the rest of the mid-majors," Monson said.
To do that, the coaching staffs need to stay somewhat intact. Pacific's Bob Thomason arrived in 1988. UC Irvine's Pat Douglass took over in 1997. UC Santa Barbara's Bob Williams got his gig in 1998. Cal State Northridge's Bobby Braswell, who earned the league's automatic berth last season, started with the Matadors in 1996.
"These are good jobs in great locations," Monson said. "I was ready again after 90 straight days going to the bus stop, ready mentally to take a head job again. And doing that for three months made me appreciate this job, made me appreciate what I have here. This is a great set up for me."
• The ACC media projected Duke and North Carolina in a dead heat for first place. That's a fair guess, as neither team is expected to dominate. Both could challenge for the national title, but both are flawed -- Duke in speed and quickness and Carolina in the experience of its guards.
But the rest of the poll is clearly debatable. Clemson was picked third, followed by Georgia Tech, Maryland, Wake Forest, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Miami, Virginia and NC State.
A few certainties from my vantage point: Clemson, with its questionable perimeter shooting, won't finish third, and the experience and productivity returning at BC will prevent the Eagles from finishing ninth. Both are NCAA tournament teams in my mind, and so are Maryland, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and likely Florida State. Yes, that's a possible eight teams in contention for bids out of the ACC, which is unlikely. But the balance in this league could lead to a banner season. I'm not sold yet on whether Virginia Tech or Miami can get there.
• Stats from intrasquad scrimmages don't mean much in the big picture, but they're still worth sharing.
USC desperately needs North Carolina transfer Alex Stepheson to be a major force this season. His numbers were solid in the Trojans' Gold and Cardinal scrimmage Sunday night: 13 points in 20 minutes and five boards. Leonard Washington played even though he's academically ineligible this semester. Clearly, Washington needs work -- he went 1-of-11 from the field.
If Wisconsin is going to keep its NCAA tournament streak going (11 straight appearances), Jon Leuer will need to be effective. He wasn't during Sunday's scrimmage, going 2-of-12. Trevon Hughes could be this team's stud, and he did have three steals. But he also had three turnovers and four assists.
Renardo Sidney hasn't been cleared by the NCAA's eligibility center to compete in games, but he can practice and be involved in scrimmages for Mississippi State. He certainly tantalized the Bulldogs staff with 19 points and seven boards in a 7-of-16 outing (3-of-7 on 3s, too) in 31 minutes during a Saturday afternoon scrimmage. All-America shot-blocker Jarvis Varnado was on the same side as Sidney and scored 22, making seven of 10 shots, nailing all eight free throws and blocking five shots. That was according to the box score. But the press release reported he scored 33 points. That probably tells you all you need to know about scrimmages. Either way, the Bulldogs will take a big night from Varnado. The bigger concern would be Ravern Johnson's going 2-of-13 and missing all eight 3s he attempted.
• Washington is trying to reach out to Gonzaga with a proposal to play a series in Seattle every year at Key Arena, with UW assistant athletic director Richard Kilwien saying the game would bring in $300,000 per school in the 50-50 ticket split. But the Zags' argument is that they already play a game in Seattle every season for their fans in the western part of the state. Gonzaga wants a true home-and-home series to resume with the start of the series back in Spokane -- and the Zags aren't budging. Kilwien and the rest of the Huskies aren't either, saying that they're not interested in a home-and-home series. So the stalemate continues, and the series won't continue. Gonzaga does have a true home-and-home with Washington's Pac-10 rival, Washington State.
Once-fired Monson: 'I enjoy life again'
There is a chance, albeit a small one, that Long Beach State could meet Minnesota in next month's 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif.
If it occurs -- likely in a consolation game, since the schools are on opposite sides of the bracket -- then there should be an acknowledgment of how much Dan Monson helped put Minnesota in the position it is today. Tubby Smith, one of the best hires an athletic director has pulled off in the last decade, has put the Golden Gophers in the mix as a regular NCAA tournament team for years to come. But Monson shouldn't be forgotten.
The Gophers needed cleansing after the Clem Haskins academic scandal vacated the 1997 Final Four. After leading Gonzaga to the 1999 Elite Eight, the fresh-faced Monson was hired to bring some sort of normalcy back to Minneapolis. He did that.
He lasted seven-plus seasons with the Gophers, but only one NCAA tournament appearance ultimately led to his dismissal in November 2006.
Early-season firings aren't and shouldn't be the norm in college basketball, as they are in the NBA. But the four-month break was actually just enough time for Monson to decompress before the Long Beach State job opened.
Initially, his wife, Darci, cried when Long Beach called. A Northwest native, she wasn't enamored with moving to Southern California and the possible headaches of raising four children in the area. But that has quickly subsided. The family couldn't be in a better place or space.
 | |
| Dan Monson has quickly turned it around at Long Beach State. |
"I enjoy going to work every day; that's the main thing that's different now," Monson said. "I don't care about the money or the league. I enjoy life again."
Two seasons after the firing, Monson is enjoying a renaissance at Long Beach State. He has pulled off a turnaround of this once-proud program, one that can claim success stories on the court under Jerry Tarkanian, Lute Olson and Seth Greenberg.
The 49ers were coming off NCAA probation that vacated the 2005-06 season, and one year later, Larry Reynolds led the program to the NCAA tournament out of the Big West. Monson went 6-25 in the first year with a depleted roster, but then last season went 15-15 and improved the conference record from 3-13 to 10-6, just one game behind first-place Cal State Northridge. LBSU lost a share of the title on a buzzer-beater by UC Santa Barbara in the regular-season finale.
This season, the 49ers should be right in the mix for the Big West title with Northridge, UCSB and UC Riverside. Among the four starters returning is Larry Anderson, who became the first Big West freshman in 35 years to earn first-team all-league honors. From 6-25 to title contention, life is good again for Dan Monson.
"He's happy and content and at peace," said former Monson assistant Mark Few, who is entering his 11th season as head coach at Gonzaga. "He's in a good place. He loves it there."
Monson's life had become so draining at Minnesota. When he first arrived in Minneapolis, Monson would gloat about what the Gophers had in a conference like the Big Ten, according to his friends. The amenities were cool at the time. But the pressure to produce now, rather than later, was not.
"I don't know if I ever felt [at peace] at Minnesota," Monson said. "Those eight years were very difficult, between the probation and all the adjustments. I don't know if I ever got into a comfortable routine."
The environment he is in at Long Beach State has much more of a Gonzaga-like feel. The Zags dominate Spokane, Wash. That's not the case in the Long Beach area near Los Angeles, with so many other interests permeating the sports and social scene. But there is still a community-like feel on campus that he missed.
Recruiting has also been much more of a joy, with the roster dominated by Californians (11). Monson spends more time at home with his wife and four children. Monson said the number of days he's at home isn't even comparable to when he was at Minnesota or Gonzaga, which does have to recruit outside the Northwest quite a bit.
"I left Minnesota feeling like I wish I would have won more, but I did what they wanted me to do, which was clean it up," Monson said. "I helped stabilize the program and run it the right way. We went to the NCAA tournament the first year off probation. We weren't a total disaster on the court. The academics and the recruiting were a solid base, but it needed a bump. Tubby has given that to them.
"I don't have a beef with the University of Minnesota at all. They gave me a lot of money, made me a better person for sure, and a lot better coach, since I had to deal with a lot of different situations there. I wouldn't trade any of what I learned about myself those eight years."
The Big West has searched for an identity since UNLV departed for the WAC (and later the Mountain West). Becoming an all-California league has helped narrow the focus, but it still could use a school like Gonzaga, a program that separates itself by garnering national publicity and becomes a barometer for the rest.
Long Beach State certainly has the history, the facility and the recruiting base to become that school. The rest of the league may challenge that statement, but the 49ers might have the first crack at distancing themselves.
"You've got to have that marquee team," Monson said. "Gonzaga lifted the other schools up to where the others are trying to match it."
Monson referenced Pacific's run from 2003 to 2006, when the Tigers were a regular in the NCAA tournament, even winning first-round NCAA games in 2004 and '05. The 2005 team went 18-0 in the Big West.
"If a league like this gets a couple of teams in the tournament, it can separate itself from the rest of the mid-majors," Monson said.
To do that, the coaching staffs need to stay somewhat intact. Pacific's Bob Thomason arrived in 1988. UC Irvine's Pat Douglass took over in 1997. UC Santa Barbara's Bob Williams got his gig in 1998. Cal State Northridge's Bobby Braswell, who earned the league's automatic berth last season, started with the Matadors in 1996.
"These are good jobs in great locations," Monson said. "I was ready again after 90 straight days going to the bus stop, ready mentally to take a head job again. And doing that for three months made me appreciate this job, made me appreciate what I have here. This is a great set up for me."
• The ACC media projected Duke and North Carolina in a dead heat for first place. That's a fair guess, as neither team is expected to dominate. Both could challenge for the national title, but both are flawed -- Duke in speed and quickness and Carolina in the experience of its guards.
But the rest of the poll is clearly debatable. Clemson was picked third, followed by Georgia Tech, Maryland, Wake Forest, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Miami, Virginia and NC State.
A few certainties from my vantage point: Clemson, with its questionable perimeter shooting, won't finish third, and the experience and productivity returning at BC will prevent the Eagles from finishing ninth. Both are NCAA tournament teams in my mind, and so are Maryland, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and likely Florida State. Yes, that's a possible eight teams in contention for bids out of the ACC, which is unlikely. But the balance in this league could lead to a banner season. I'm not sold yet on whether Virginia Tech or Miami can get there.
• Stats from intrasquad scrimmages don't mean much in the big picture, but they're still worth sharing.
USC desperately needs North Carolina transfer Alex Stepheson to be a major force this season. His numbers were solid in the Trojans' Gold and Cardinal scrimmage Sunday night: 13 points in 20 minutes and five boards. Leonard Washington played even though he's academically ineligible this semester. Clearly, Washington needs work -- he went 1-of-11 from the field.
If Wisconsin is going to keep its NCAA tournament streak going (11 straight appearances), Jon Leuer will need to be effective. He wasn't during Sunday's scrimmage, going 2-of-12. Trevon Hughes could be this team's stud, and he did have three steals. But he also had three turnovers and four assists.
Renardo Sidney hasn't been cleared by the NCAA's eligibility center to compete in games, but he can practice and be involved in scrimmages for Mississippi State. He certainly tantalized the Bulldogs staff with 19 points and seven boards in a 7-of-16 outing (3-of-7 on 3s, too) in 31 minutes during a Saturday afternoon scrimmage. All-America shot-blocker Jarvis Varnado was on the same side as Sidney and scored 22, making seven of 10 shots, nailing all eight free throws and blocking five shots. That was according to the box score. But the press release reported he scored 33 points. That probably tells you all you need to know about scrimmages. Either way, the Bulldogs will take a big night from Varnado. The bigger concern would be Ravern Johnson's going 2-of-13 and missing all eight 3s he attempted.
• Washington is trying to reach out to Gonzaga with a proposal to play a series in Seattle every year at Key Arena, with UW assistant athletic director Richard Kilwien saying the game would bring in $300,000 per school in the 50-50 ticket split. But the Zags' argument is that they already play a game in Seattle every season for their fans in the western part of the state. Gonzaga wants a true home-and-home series to resume with the start of the series back in Spokane -- and the Zags aren't budging. Kilwien and the rest of the Huskies aren't either, saying that they're not interested in a home-and-home series. So the stalemate continues, and the series won't continue. Gonzaga does have a true home-and-home with Washington's Pac-10 rival, Washington State.
Quick hits, September 20, 2009
Today is my father's and sister's birthdays, respectively. As if I fucking care...my dad took away the FiOS modem. He doesn't need any presents from me.
---
Hawaii's defensive secondary is crap, and our receivers have just as crappy hands of butter. Nuff said after choking 34-33 to UNLV.
---
Long Beach State's women's soccer team fails to impress today against San Diego State. Ugh. It seems my favorite teams are choking against the Mountain West. But they weren't the only ones who disappointed.
USC football...lost.
Cal Poly football...lost.
Harvard football...lost.
AFC Wimbledon...drew with a red.
Long Beach City College football...blown apart.
Some good things did happen.
Melbourne Victory...won.
LA Galaxy...won.
Quebec Capitales (one of the few Canadian baseball teams I follow)...won the Can-Am League.
Long Beach State women's volleyball...defeated UCLA. Not very often that happens.
My high school...defeated Mayfair fair and square. See some of my deviations for that action.
The Angels rebounded today after losing yesterday.
And Azusa Nakano and Ui Hirasawa qualified for the ISML after advancing to the quarters of Anizone Saimoe.
Still though...Hawaii's defense is crap. The onus is them to prove me otherwise. The wanks...
---
I never want to talk about yesterday. That day sucked.
---
I am bored. And hungry. Thank god for the Beach.
---
Hawaii's defensive secondary is crap, and our receivers have just as crappy hands of butter. Nuff said after choking 34-33 to UNLV.
---
Long Beach State's women's soccer team fails to impress today against San Diego State. Ugh. It seems my favorite teams are choking against the Mountain West. But they weren't the only ones who disappointed.
USC football...lost.
Cal Poly football...lost.
Harvard football...lost.
AFC Wimbledon...drew with a red.
Long Beach City College football...blown apart.
Some good things did happen.
Melbourne Victory...won.
LA Galaxy...won.
Quebec Capitales (one of the few Canadian baseball teams I follow)...won the Can-Am League.
Long Beach State women's volleyball...defeated UCLA. Not very often that happens.
My high school...defeated Mayfair fair and square. See some of my deviations for that action.
The Angels rebounded today after losing yesterday.
And Azusa Nakano and Ui Hirasawa qualified for the ISML after advancing to the quarters of Anizone Saimoe.
Still though...Hawaii's defense is crap. The onus is them to prove me otherwise. The wanks...
---
I never want to talk about yesterday. That day sucked.
---
I am bored. And hungry. Thank god for the Beach.
It is finished.
This was the news I wanted to hear.
My ROP instructor, Maria Marasigan, asked, "If you got a Bachelor's Degree, why are you here?"
I simply said, "I'm just here for the certification."
She then said, "So, your parents must be rich."
I plainly responded, "No, they are in the hole."
The class erupted in laughter.
Dear Jo-Ryan Salazar:
Congratulations from CSULB!
It is my pleasure to notify you that your degree has been posted to your official university record.
Degree: Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration - Management Information Systems
Term: Fall 2007
Your diploma or certificate will be printed with your name of record (your name used in attendance during your enrollment at CSULB).To change your name, an official request must be submitted to Enrollment Services with the appropriate documentation. If the name change is made after diplomas are ordered, you will need to pay the duplicate diploma fee to reorder your diploma.
You will be notified by e-mail when your diploma or certificate is available for pickup, usually 2-3 weeks from now. Written authorization is required if you would like someone else to pick up your diploma. The authorized individual must bring identification. Students no longer in the area may request, in writing, that the diploma be mailed, however the University cannot assume any responsibility for any loss or damage to diplomas due to mailing.
You can view your unofficial transcripts, including your degree posting, on your MyCSULB account. Official transcripts are available for a prepaid fee of $4.00 and may be ordered on campus at Enrollment Services, BH 101, or via mail to the address below. Please include a written request with your name, student identification number, dates of attendance, birth date, fee and address where transcripts should be mailed. Degree verification for employment purposes can be obtained through the National Student Clearinghouse. They can be contacted at:
Web: www.degreeverify.com
Phone: 703-742-4200
Remember to keep your address and e-mail address updated on My.CSULB. Once you separate from CSULB you will no longer have access to your CSULB e-mail account. Be sure to update your e-mail address so that you will continue receiving important information regarding your diploma.
Enrollment Services wishes you every success in the future!
P.S. Please be sure to update us with any address or e-mail changes on MyCSULB so we can keep in touch.
My ROP instructor, Maria Marasigan, asked, "If you got a Bachelor's Degree, why are you here?"
I simply said, "I'm just here for the certification."
She then said, "So, your parents must be rich."
I plainly responded, "No, they are in the hole."
The class erupted in laughter.
More chats with the Duke
And then I forwarded Mr. Andrews' rebuttal on the accusations (I'll bet all the money in the world that covering your arse any which way is nomatch for coming clean and acknowledging the mess you put yourself in, and doing something about it) and Duke gave me this:
Now this is an example of a nice counter-rebuttal. This is what's so great about this guy. Duke Rescola is a methodical newspaper editor and seasoned journalist. How does the man do it? Nothing special: just research on the issue, and then converting the bits and pieces into an article that has a lot of meat to it, and little fat. It's credible, and there is no fact-twisting.
I could tell that when I talked to him last night, Mark was in a corner, and he knew that, in the back of his mind, they had a point. That's why he wanted to make a wager with me on the legitimacy of the Daily 49er's findings. In the end, it's about leading by example, taking the initiative, going out of your comfort zone, and being transparent when giving your constitutents what they want.
I wonder if Mr. Andrews went through the Leadership Academy before running for President last year. In any case, this has to be a really severe blow to any hopes of him running for reelection.
The type of ad hominem, simple-minded name calling you just forwarded [from Mrk Andrews] is evidence enough of the lack or respect our current leadership has for fellow students, no matter what they're major or career track. We'll editorialize the good with the bad deeds our elected officials provide, equally.
[I'm] just waiting to see the type of leadership that creates more of the former. This campus deserves good, active and visible leadership, for a change. Effective leaders don't wait for others' permission or directives from on high to lead; They take initiative and actually lead. The kicker is that many in the campus community and beyond truly read and consume this viable CSULB publication. A lot more transparency than our elected leaders offer.Think about this budget's implications to 35,000 plus students at our campus, Jo Ryan. Don't you think they deserve to know what their student government is doing to represent them on issues that will have a potential lifelong impact, i.e. need for student loans, long-term debt, etc.? Think how these tuition increases planned through 2011 and longer will effect minorities, low-income, and disabled students and their families, who will not be able to get here.
If I am a "whiner," I whine for a larger population; something our leadership should be doing.
Now this is an example of a nice counter-rebuttal. This is what's so great about this guy. Duke Rescola is a methodical newspaper editor and seasoned journalist. How does the man do it? Nothing special: just research on the issue, and then converting the bits and pieces into an article that has a lot of meat to it, and little fat. It's credible, and there is no fact-twisting.
I could tell that when I talked to him last night, Mark was in a corner, and he knew that, in the back of his mind, they had a point. That's why he wanted to make a wager with me on the legitimacy of the Daily 49er's findings. In the end, it's about leading by example, taking the initiative, going out of your comfort zone, and being transparent when giving your constitutents what they want.
I wonder if Mr. Andrews went through the Leadership Academy before running for President last year. In any case, this has to be a really severe blow to any hopes of him running for reelection.
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