A key contributor last year after joining the Long Beach State men’s basketball team midseason, sophomore guard Travis Hammonds is finding his comfort zone after early season struggles.
Head coach Dan Monson suspended Hammonds before a Nov. 18 game at Xavier for “personal reasons,” as Monson put it. He refused to give further comment on the situation other than saying Hammonds has had a difficult couple of months.
After missing the next five games, Hammonds returned to the team in a Dec. 3 68-57 home win against Nevada. Hammonds played 17 minutes off the bench, scoring eight points and grabbing three rebounds.
“I know how Travis can play,” senior guard Tyler Lamb said of Hammonds in the postgame press conference.
“I know he’s not him yet,” Lamb said. “He’s getting back in the flow, but he gave us a lot off the bench today in the time that he did play. I know he’s just going to keep getting more comfortable and get back to the old Travis. That’s going to help us a lot.”
Slowly but surely Hammonds has worked his way back into Monson’s rotation. His best game of the season was last Saturday night in the 64-58 win at Cal State Northridge. Hammonds scored a team-leading 16 points in just 17 minutes off the bench.
Hammonds said it felt good to finally have a big game.
“Just [making] better decisions,” Hammonds said, elaborating on being Monson’s “doghouse” and gaining the coaching staff’s trust. “Just being on the same page as coach [Monson] and the rest of the coaching staff. I got back on track and I’m just doing what they tell me to do.”
Hammonds said coming off the bench really is not that big a change for him because it is what he did for most of last year. He declined to comment on the circumstances of his suspension, but did say he has to be better off the court to be effective on the court.
“For me personally, I have my head back on straight. I’m getting back in the flow. Now I feel better and lighter on my feet.”
The 49ers will need Hammonds’ productivity off the bench as they get deeper into Big West Conference play. Monson likes to play as many as 11 guys a game, and he still mixes up his starting frontcourt frequently. With inexperienced freshmen guards Justin Bibbins and Deontae North battling inconsistency, Hammonds’ reliability will be big a factor in the team’s success.
“He’s done well,” Monson said. “He’s found a role. He gives us a lot of depth and versatility. He can play multiple positions and he can play against multiple types of teams. He can stretch teams with his jump shot. His inside presence for his size is kind of an odd size matchup inside for people [to handle]. [He] gives us a different dimension. It’s good to have him back.”