In the fall, head coach Dan Monson called this year’s Long Beach State basketball team one of the deepest in school history – and with good reason.
Along with all-conference point guard Mike Caffey and returning starters Tyler Lamb and David Samuels, LBSU’s incoming freshmen were considered so good that several players from last year’s team transferred for fear of not getting enough playing time.
The 49ers also welcomed Florida Gulf Coast transfer Eric McKnight, who was an integral part of the Eagles’ run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2013.
None of that potential materialized – at least not yet. The Big West Tournament is the last chance for the 49ers’ individual talent to translate to on-court success. Really though, this is the only part of the year that matters in regards to the ultimate goal: reaching the NCAA Tournament.
To get there, the 49ers will have to play to their talent level, something they have struggled with all season. We know Caffey and Samuels are going to show up, but who else? Lately it has been sophomore forward Travis Hammonds, who Monson had penciled in as one of his starters in the offseason.
The emergence of Hammonds, not just as a scoring threat, but also a defensive stopper gives the 49ers an element they have been missing all season. Hammonds’ playing time has slowly crept up in the last few games, and he’s a threat to score in the paint and from the outside.
The bright spot of a mostly average defense has been the play of its wing defenders. Lamb is the defensive stopper in charge of guarding the opposing team’s best scorer.
Caffey, Hammonds and freshman guard Justin Bibbins are rarely beat off the dribble and do a good job of keeping opposing guards out of the paint.
One of LBSU’s biggest weaknesses has been its rebounding. The 49ers are the second worst rebounding team in the Big West, just ahead of UC Davis. Samuels is a consistent rebounder, and Lamb and Hammonds have proven to be effective on the boards when they want to.
The 49ers don’t have to be great on the boards, they just have to be average, or at least not outright awful. Rebounding well will allow LBSU to get the ball to Caffey in transition and its impressive collection of outside shooters.
Guards McKay LaSalle and Branford Jones are reliable outside shooters, and it will be up to Caffey to find them. If LBSU’s shooters can consistently make shots and pull the defense away from the paint, it will give Caffey enough space to get to score at the rim or get fouled.
There’s also the issue of playing too many guys. Monson, who has not been shy about using his bench during the season, will have to shorten his bench considerably when the 49ers play Hawaii. Monson cannot afford to leave a struggling player on the court and hope that he figures it out.
It may seem harsh, but elimination games are completely different from the regular season. This is not the game to give equal playing time to everybody.
For as up-and-down as the men’s season has been, the women’s side enjoyed a remarkable run of consistency due in large part to the contributions of players who will no longer be a factor this season.
Injuries to top scorer Raven Benton and leading-rebounder Devin Hudson will keep them for the rest of the year, and the 49ers haven’t adjusted well in their absence. LBSU was just 2-3 since Benton and Hudson went down.
The lack of available players for head coach Jody Wynn has forced her to play starters for longer minutes, leading to fatigue earlier in the game and eventually running out of gas in the fourth quarter.
Senior guards Hallie Meneses, Alex Sanchez and Lauren Spargo can make up for Benton’s offensive production, but Hudson’s injury has been killer in terms of clearing the boards. In their three losses without Hudson, the 49ers were outrebounded 42-28, 44-27 and 50-31.
Fortunately for LBSU, sophomore forward Madison Montgomery grabbed 11 rebounds in the 76-66 win against CSUN on March 7. If Montgomery can give the 49ers enough inside presence, LBSU has the three-point shooting to beat anybody.