At Big West Conference Media Day, league coaches continually used one word: “parity.”
In a conference where traditionally just one team has a real shot at an NCAA tournament bid, coaches are going out of their way to schedule tough non-conference opponents in an effort to boost their school’s national recognition and make their team ready for league competition.
Long Beach State is no exception. The 49ers open with two very tough opponents on the road traveling to BYU and Wisconsin. They also travel to Syracuse and Oregon and host Temple before playing even one Big West game.
Other schools in the conference will take on some big-time programs, as well. CS Fullerton plays Wake Forest and LSU, UC Irvine opens up at Southern California and CS Northridge plays at Stanford.
The Big West was 0-11 against the Pac-10 last season.
The biggest non-conference game by far takes place in Santa Barbara where the Gauchos host unanimous preseason No. 1 North Carolina in a rematch of a UNC blowout win last year in Chapel Hill.
School (2007-2008 Records – Overall, Big West)
No. 8 Long Beach State (6-25, 3-13)
With the departure of Larry Reynolds and nearly all of the talent from Long Beach’s run to the NCAA tournament in 2006-07, new coach Dan Monson and the 49ers had a very rough go of it last season.
The one bright spot was the emergence of Donovan Morris. The transfer guard from Fresno State led the league in scoring and is the only first-team All-Big West selection to return from last season.
The one-man wrecking crew averaged 21.2 points per game but could be even more effective with a better team around him that demands more defensive attention elsewhere.
This year’s squad looks to be a much more balanced group and the freshman recruiting class has a ton of promise.
Point guard Casper Ware is “one of the two or three strongest guards I have ever played with,” according to Morris and he joins Maurice Clady and Greg Plater, a Big West freshman team selection a year ago, in the 49er backcourt.
Also in the mix is Colorado State transfer Stephan Gilling. The sharp shooter sat out last season after transferring but has great range.
Where LBSU could really thrive is at the forward position. Three new, big and athletic freshmen look to light up the Walter Pyramid.
Led by Larry Anderson, a 6-foot-6-inch Long Beach native, the 49ers are going to take on another dimension this season. Eugene Phelps and T.J. Robinson should be able to play inside and out, score and most importantly rebound. Along with Anderson, the tremendous trio should make some serious noise the next four years in the Big West.
Senior forward Cornel Williams will probably get the nod early on as Monson eases in the young guys and he provides a steady leadership and outside touch. Junior forward Arturas Lazdauskas got some valuable playing time last season and should be a solid contributor off the bench.
Down low, 6-foot-10-inch senior Brian Freeman and 7-footer Andrew Fleming provide the size in the middle. Mike Vantrimpont, listed as a 7-foot freshman center, joins the 49ers after two years of playing overseas in France.
Sound off: Head coach Dan Monson on last year’s struggles and building on them … “I think last year — and this sounds funny to say — I was hoping we could win more games than that but I wasn’t disappointed in where our program was … I think guys learned what I expected of them and they gave that effort every night. The expectations I have, the guys are meeting those right now.”
The rest of the Big West, in order of preseason coaches’ poll ranking:
No. 1 CS Northridge (20-10, 12-4)
Northridge was easily the pick du jour at Media Day. Coming off another 20-win season, the Matadors bring back a trio of talented players.
Tremaine Townsend led the conference in rebounding and blocked shots last year while Cabrillo grad Deon Tresvant was named the Best Sixth Man in the league and drained almost three 3-pointers per game.
Both were second-team all-league selections last season and were picked as preseason first-team performers. Josh Jenkins, the conference leader in assists, returns to an experienced team that features five seniors and eight juniors who are hungry after falling short last spring.
Sound off: Head coach Bobby Braswell on LBSU … “By the end of the year, Long Beach State was playing as well as anybody and they could beat anybody. I think that they are gonna be a whole lot better than last year.”
No. 2 UC Santa Barbara (23-9, 12-4)
The Gauchos had a tremendous season in 2007-08. Led by great 3-point shooting and a stingy defense that was tops in the league, UC Santa Barbara won a school record 23 games.
The Gauchos fell to Mississippi in the opening game of the NIT.
Sixth-year senior Chris Devine has tallied over 1,000 points in his career at Santa Barbara and the three time All-Big West honoree is the leader of the team. Junior guard James Powell scored over 12 points per game last year.
There will be some strong competition for playing time between some of the younger guys including transfers and freshman.
Sound off: Head coach Bob Williams on his team’s outside shooting … “We are concerned with perimeter shooting. We were one of the better perimeter-shooting teams in the country last year … With the 3-point line being moved back, we really have two guys that are very good shooters in Jordan [Weiner] and James [Powell] and then we have some capable shooters but the 3-ball won’t be as big a part of our game.”
No. 3 Pacific (21-10, 11-5)
Coming off a strong season, Pacific looks to build on its success behind two strong returners. Anthony Brown is a force in the paint, where he can score and rebound.
Picked as a first-team preseason all-conference player, Brown has been named to the All-Big West team each of the past two seasons.
On the wing, guard Chad Troyer averaged nearly 13 points a game for the Tigers last year. Like many other Big West contenders, Pacific’s biggest weakness may be their lack of size.
Sound off: Coach Bob Thomason on his team’s chances … “We were 21-10 last year with no shooters, so on paper it looks really good … If Chad [Troyer] makes every damn shot this year we’ll be in good shape!”
No. 4 CS Fullerton (24-9, 12-4, Big West Tournament champions)
There is Josh Akognon and then there is a whole lot of uncertainty for the Titans. The MVP of last year’s Big West Tournament topped his performance in Anaheim by pouring in 31 against Wisconsin in the Big Dance.
Guard Marcio Lassiter is the only other returner and the two should make a tough backcourt for the orange and blue. In the frontcourt, Fullerton will be relying heavily on youth and inexperience.
Sound off: Guard Josh Akognon on the NBA and his individual effort … “If we’re losing, then that looks bad on me. The motivation for me is winning and knowing they want to see me elevate my team to victory is going to keep me focused on the team aspect.”
No. 5 UC Davis (9-22, 2-14)
UC Davis was the only team to miss out on Big West Tournament play last season but they did win a pair of conference games after making the leap to Division I.
Playing without any seniors this year, the Aggies now have five and are paced by last year’s Big West Freshman of the Year Mark Payne.
Payne was picked as Collegeinsider.com’s Mid-Major Freshman of the Year and looks to build on a great first season.
Sound off: Head coach Gary Stewart on how he sees the Big
West shaping up … “Very much like the 405 freeway at 5 pm. Everbody’s jammed up there and you got to navigate through a little bit of traffic. If your automobile runs smoothly you get to an off-ramp and that’s going to be the winner.”
T-6 Cal Poly (12-18, 7-9)
Poly comes into the new season looking to blend seven newcomers with seven returners. While the Mustangs return most of their scoring from last year, including Lorenzo Keeler and Trae Clark, they aren’t very big.
The roster doesn’t list anyone taller than 6-feet-8-inches. Titus Shelton, a 6-foot7-inch senior, is the closest thing Poly has to a center.
Sound off: Forward John Manley, sixth-year senior, on overcoming injuries … “Reward to be able to still play after the doctor said I would probably never be able to play again. That’s the enjoyable thing, beating the odds and a lot of the doubters.”
T-6 UC Irvine (18-16, 9-7)
UCI returns three starters from last year’s squad but must replace its top two scorers. A late season run propelled the Anteaters all the way to the conference title game.
Michael Hunter is the top returning scorer while Kevin Bland rebounds the ball well inside. New recruits include three players 6-feet-8-inches or taller, and junior college-transfer Darren Moore. The ex-Citrus College player redshirted last season.
Sound off: Head coach Pat Douglass on the significance of the Black and Blue Rivalry with LBSU and scouting reports … “It means a free dinner at Duke’s, that’s what it means … We have smart guys, but if you can’t memorize the goddamn scouting report then we are at a disadvantage.”
No. 9 UC Riverside (9-21, 4-12)
The Highlanders return four of five starters from last year’s team but the most important thing for them may be the stability on the bench.
Second-year head coach Jim Woolridge is energized and has a whopping 10 new players on his roster this season.
Guards Aaron Scott and Sean Cunningham will be relied on to score some points, while Christian Soto looks to control the paint.
Sound off: Woolridge on the Big West and LBSU … “There’s some ebb and flow in our league, like Long Beach won it a couple of years ago. They’re gonna be back and they’ll be a program to be reckoned with.”
13 games last season were decided by 6 points or less. LBSU was 2-11 in those games. This team isn’t necessarily more experienced especially as a group but I think they are much deeper and more talented.
The other key is how they can play on the road where they face a stiff test this weekend. They were 1-17 away from the Pyramid last year.
i remember us playing a lot of tight games last season that could have went either way. i hope one year of added experience will help this team make great strides this season.
This is great for the Rainmaker. Ranked 8th in the polls with no pressure to win the big one…and with everything on the likes of Northridge, Santa Babara and the others ahead of us, the is a great way to have him work his magic and pull off a surprise or two.