On Friday night, when the Long Beach State men’s basketball team took on No. 11 North Carolina, the record for attendance at the Walter Pyramid was shattered.
Nearly 7,000 people showed up for the game, which broke the previous record by more than 1,000. Those numbers look good on their own, but when comparing them to the average attendance of schools that LBSU hopes to compete against, they really aren’t that impressive.
Southern California and UCLA see crowds between 6,000 and 13,000 on a game-by-game basis depending on the matchup and the success of its teams. UCLA’s remodeled Pauley Pavilion and return to the national top 25 has seen it earn crowds as large as 13,513 so far.
LBSU can’t be reasonably measured up against USC and UCLA though, as its athletics budget and national prominence pale in comparison. Many more similarities can be found between The Beach and San Diego State, a fellow Cal State University.
SDSU, which will be joining the Big West Conference next year, consistently sells out its Viejas Arena for an average attendance of 12,414. The Aztecs even attracted a crowd of 11,613 for an exhibition game against Point Loma Nazarene in 2011. Those crowds didn’t show up until midway through 2010, however, when SDSU opened its season with 20 straight wins and made its way into the top 10 of the national rankings.
Head coach Dan Monson hasn’t gotten his 49ers to the top 10 or even the top 25 yet, but his recent success suggests that a place in the national rankings may not be far off. The prominence of LBSU basketball has grown incredibly since its NCAA tournament run last year, as its uniforms, floor and locker rooms have earned recognition from ESPN and Yahoo! Sports.
The on-court product has improved as well, as Monson may have gotten the 49ers some staying power after riding Casper Ware and company to a Big West title last year. LBSU was the preseason favorite to win the conference and advance to the NCAA tournament once again this season.
Consecutive trips to the Big Dance would put LBSU in the national eye again and potentially have a hugely positive impact on recruiting. Monson has done a good job taking his own guys and making them contenders, but he hasn’t had much success keeping local talent in the area.
This year, Long Beach Poly has one of the best high school basketball teams in the country. Seniors Roshcon Prince and Jordan Bell are each top 100 recruits according to Rivals.com, but neither plans to make the Pyramid his home in the future. Prince recently committed to USC, and Bell just gave his verbal to Oregon. LBSU didn’t last long in their college searches, as it had little luck standing out from Pac-12 schools and SDSU.
In fact, the only local recruits Monson has signed at all recently are Kyle Richardson and Shelton Boykin, a four-star forward out of Poly who struggled academically and had to transfer to Antelope Valley College.
The reason LBSU hasn’t been able to reel in local talent can largely be blamed on its lack of flashiness and big-time look. The Pyramid has become an iconic building for the university but not much more. As a venue that seats around 7,000 spectators with extra bleachers set up, it doesn’t have the capacity to host a major program. That isn’t a problem yet though, as a fair amount of the fans in attendance Friday night were wearing the powder blue of UNC.
One thing the Pyramid does have is a fancy locker room setup. Renovated over the summer, the locker rooms now feature film rooms and kitchens in addition to upgraded bathrooms and locker areas. Monson said earlier in the year that the locker rooms would now play an essential role in recruiting, whereas in the past he had tried to avoid them entirely.
The new locker rooms, unique floor design and recent success are all signs of a program that’s about to break through to the next level. In a few years time, LBSU may have to change its goals from making the NCAA tournament to advancing to the sweet 16 or elite eight.
SDSU can attribute its ascension to the upper tier of SoCal basketball programs to the opening of the Viejas Arena in 2009. LBSU is doing what it can to make the Pyramid a more attractive place to play, and more consistent success from the basketball team would create a domino affect of good things for the athletics department.
More success leads to more school spirit, which leads to more attendance. More attendance leads to more money, which leads to more upgrades. More upgrades lead to better recruiting, which leads to more competitive teams across all sports.
This is the process that began when LBSU hired Monson in 2007, and 49er fans are finally beginning to see its payoff five years later. One can only imagine what the payoff will be if Monson sticks around for five more.