The Long Beach State men’s basketball team kicked off their highly anticipated 2009-2010 season with an exhibition win over D-II Alaska-Anchorage. In a 86-65 victory for the supremely athletic and talented team that built a hefty first half lead and then nonchalantly traded baskets with the Seawolves the rest of the way.
Sophomore guard Larry Anderson led the 49ers with 18 points in an efficient effort, shooting 5-8 from the field and 6-8 from the free throw line along with 7 assists, 5 steals and just one turnover. Sophomore point guard Casper Ware added 16 points and 6 assists (though he committed 5 turnovers). All five starters scored in double figures for Long Beach.
The 49ers were far more athletic than the Seawolves, and showed it early by breezing to easy scores around the basket. Head coach Dan Monson said that he was pleased with the first fifteen minutes of his team’s performance, but not what followed.
“If they want to grow into a team that can win a league championship, we’ve got to grow into a team that can maintain a lead,” he said after the game. “Trading baskets just drives you crazy as a coach because they showed you in the first half that it doesn’t have to be that way.”
Long Beach shot 52.6% from the field, but also committed 19 turnovers and were outrebounded by the smaller Seawolves, 36-34.
“We were just getting complacent as far as being up,” said Anderson. “It was obvious that the first fifteen minutes we had a lot of steals and things. We just need to avoid getting complacent.”
Anderson and Ware were singled out by coach Monson as two players that performed well in the opener. He also mentioned being pleased with the defense and rebounding of freshman forward Kyle Richardson, and that junior guard Greg Plater will score more in the future than his 8-point effort on 3-7 shooting.
Monson was not as high on the defense of his other post players, however. Senior Andrew Fleming had three blocks in just nine minutes of playing time, but Monson says he expects more of the center. He also pointed out foul trouble that Phelps and senior Arturas Lazdauskas ezperienced.
“Between them they had ten fouls in 20 minutes,” he said. “That’s going to happen because they’re playing the five-spot [center] at six-foot-seven.”
The 49ers were indeed weak on the inside once Alaska Anchorage penetrated past the first line of the defense. In the second half especially, the Seawolves were surprisingly effective near the basket.
Long Beach sometimes employed a half- or full-court press that left Phelps or Lazdauskas to defend the basket, and while it achieved some measure of success by creating steals or throwing the Seawolves out of their offensive rhythm, it also left them vulnerable to attack at times. This, coupled with a hungry defense that was sometimes overeager for steals or blocked shots allowed Alaska Anchorage to penetrate and create shots for themselves.
Monson said that the somewhat sloppy defense may have had something to do with the team’s excitement in their first home game.
“Yeah, I guess,” he said, when asked. “But I am not going to make excuses for those guys.”
Even without all the kinks yet worked out, the 49er defense was effective in applying on-ball pressure and filling the Seawolves’ passing lanes. Long Beach racked up 14 steals, many of which led to fastbreak opportunities – where the 49ers excel.
Richardson sparked some of those opportunities with a nose for the ball and good instincts. Where fellow forward Phelps too often attempted to outleap his opponent for rebounds, Richardson put himself in good position and twice fired rifle outlet passes that sparked transition.
Near the end of the first half, Richardson stole the ball from a driving Seawolf and lofted a perfect lead pass down the court to a streaking Greg Plater for a layup. Coach Monson said that Richardson played well in his first outing.
“That’s something I’ve been doing since high school,” Richardson said of the outlet passes. “I was just excited to get out there and play finally. I was nervous at first but once I got out there I settled down.”
The freshman is not yet a polished product. Monson mentioned that in perfect circumstances, he would have liked to have redshirted Richardson to continue his development.
Those rough edges were shown on back-to-back plays in the second half, when Richardson missed a jump hook and was called for a foul on the rebound, and on the following possession was called for traveling during a spin move. He’s not refined, but he’ll surely have chances to contribute this season.
Everyone has a chance to contribute on this 49er team. The flexing motion offense allows players to improvise as they see opportunities to fire or isolate a teammate. Long Beach State ran very few set plays, although a high screen and roll from the left side once resulted in a nice pass from Casper Ware to a rolling T.J. Robinson for a dunk, and then a Larry Anderson three-pointer off space from a Kyle Richardson screen. This offense will have plenty of success just by moving the ball and capitalizing on their size and speed advantages, but they also showed an ability to execute in a halfcourt set when necessary.
Even though the game was just a season-opening exhibition, there will be plenty for the coaching staff to take away from the performance as the 49ers prepare for a Tuesday night date at Pepperdine.
