Head coach Dan Monson said Monday that he is still searching for a player to replace starting guard A.J. Spencer, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during a pick-up game last week.
The senior guard will redshirt his senior season after starting 28 games last year for the 49ers. Spencer averaged just over nine points per game in his first year at Long Beach State after transferring from Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, KS in 2013.
“[Spencer has] had a year of experience in his system, and he knew exactly what we wanted from our expectations of him,” Monson said. “So it’s going to be a blow, but that’s what happens in athletics. There’s foul trouble, there’s fatigue, there’s injuries…and we have to fight through that, and somebody has to step up.”
Spencer’s backcourt mate and fellow senior guard Tyler Lamb will potentially be playing with another player this season.
“A.J.’s played a year here and is also a guy that knows [how to play] multiple positions,” Lamb said. “He’s a leader on and off the court, so we’re definitely going to miss his presence.”
Despite the loss of one his top guards, Monson expressed confidence in Spencer’s replacements. He mentioned that senior guard McKay LaSalle and sophomore guard Branford Jones, among others, will see more playing time.
“I think the good news is this is probably one of the deeper teams we’ve had,” Monson said. “We have some different options. It’s still too early to see who that’ll be. I think Travis [Hammonds] is ready to step in.”
Lamb said he thought not having Spencer could help the freshmen learn faster.
“I think that will definitely get the new guys, the freshmen, ready that much quicker,” Lamb said. “Even though A.J.’s not here to help and teach them, I think they’ll get that game experience…which will ultimately make them pretty much ready for the season faster.”
Monson said the team has no choice but to move on without Spencer, noting that injuries are a part of college athletics.
“Very rarely do you go through a year where you don’t have somebody want a transfer or ineligible or gets hurt or whatever the case may be,” Monson said. “You’ve got to have other guys step up, and that’s part of being a good team. For us to be a good team, we have to do it without A.J. because he’s not coming back this year.”