After six months of waiting, tracking commitments, checking the schedule, and counting days, Long Beach State basketball fans will finally get a chance to see this year’s ‘Niners, in their first practice this evening at 5pm, in the Walter Pyramid.
After finishing last season with a 15-15 record a year after winning six games, and with four returning starters, three who were true freshmen last year, expectations are high for the 49ers. The team will practice five times over the weekend with a pair of practices on both Saturday and Sunday.
Sophomore Larry Anderson highlights the eight returning lettermen for The Beach. Last year Anderson became the first freshman to earn first-team All-Big West Conference honors since Clifton Pondexter did it following the 1973-74 season. Anderson finished the year averaging 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists while making 54.6 percent of his field goal attempts.
Anderson, the reigning Big West Freshman of the Year and an all-freshmen team pick, is joined on the 49ers roster by two other all-freshmen team members from last year, T.J. Robinson and Casper Ware. Robinson led the Big West in field goal percentage making 59.7 percent of his field goals while averaging 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Ware averaged 9.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals and finished with a LBSU freshman record 122 assists.
Senior Stephan Gilling is the fourth returning starter. Gilling, an honorable mention All-Big West Conference pick last season, led The Beach making 83 3-pointers, the second most all-time in a season at LBSU. He averaged 11.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
Long Beach State also returns four players who helped the team coming off the bench to a second-place finish in the Big West last season. Sophomore Eugene Phelps, seniors Arturas Lazdauskas and Andrew Fleming, and junior Greg Plater were each instrumental in the team’s success in 2008-09 and should play bigger roles this year. Brandon Nevens, who missed last year with an injury, and Mike Vantrimpont, who redshirted, will also push for playing time.
Six new players join the team as well with junior college transfers Lin Chang, Tristan Wilson and Sean Starkey bringing experience to the team, while freshmen Kyle Richardson, Jules Montgomery and Jerramy King add youth to the roster.
Dan Monson’s team opens what could be the toughest non-conference schedule in the country on Saturday, November 14 against Alaska Anchorage. After the opener the 49ers face, among others, nationally-ranked Notre Dame, West Virginia, Texas, Kentucky and Duke. The conference season opens Jan. 2 at UC Riverside.
If, in the meantime, you’re too hyped up to wait for the first practice: click here to download an LBSU men’s basketball wallpaper, to help pass the time at work!
From LBSU reports