With a mixture of returners and newcomers, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team has the same mindset it has had over the last couple of years — win and compete.
“Our expectations haven’t changed here,” LBSU head coach Dan Monson said. “We feel like our program is at a level where we should compete for a Big West Championship every year, we should win the Big West Tournament every year and we should go to the NCAA Tournament every year.”
Last season, the 49ers fell short of expectations, losing to Hawai’I 64-60 in the Big West Tournament final. After the loss, the team didn’t make the NCAA Tournament, but received an invite to the National Invitation Tournament.
In the first round of the NIT, LBSU lost 107-102 to the University of Washington in Seattle March 15.
Over the summer, the 49ers lost their top scorer guard Nick Faust, who graduated last spring. Along with Faust, the team will also be without A.J. Spencer and Travis Hammonds.
Even with the departure of two of the team’s top three scorers, LBSU is confident they will compete for the Big West title and make a push to the NCAA tournament.
Leading Monson’s 49ers this year is junior point guard Justin Bibbins, who was voted to the Big West media preseason All-Conference team and will be leaned on to lead the offense.
Last season, Bibbins dished out 164 assists – the third-highest single-season total in school history. Monson saw a change in Bibbins’ studying of the game his sophomore year that led to his success after a shaky freshman year.
“[His transition has] been difficult,” Monson said. “It took him a full year to understand exactly what he could do at his size at this level and what he couldn’t. He initially lost some confidence and played sparing minutes and that kind of sets you back, but he’s a very astute player of the game and he really figured it out quickly.”
Bibbins, who is expected to continue improving, is joined by Levin and Loyola Marymount transfer Evan Payne, who is expected to make an immediate impact after he averaged 16.7 points per game as a two-year starter for the Lions.
Monson also mentioned that this year’s team has a lot of players with the same attributes, which will help the team’s depth from starters and reserve players.
“What’s impressed me is the parity in our players,” Monson said. “There’s not a lot of difference between one player and the other. We’ve got a lot of balance – I don’t know how good, but our depth is very balanced and so, I think that’s a strength of ours that we’re going to utilize. “
While the team has a lot of returners, Monson knows with new faces and returners the team will take some time to build chemistry.
“Just because you return a lot of players, doesn’t mean you’re going to be good,” Monson said. “Every year chemistry is a trust, one guy change your chemistry so you know it’s always an building process and we’re still in the midst of that.”
The 49ers will be back at Walter Pyramid to take on Cal State Los Angeles Friday at 7 p.m.