 "Photo: Tracy McDannald | Daily 49er")
Long Beach State men's basketball coach Dan Monson signed a three-year contract extension Sept. 14 to keep him at The Beach though the end of the 2015-16 season.
Before the fall semester, three of Monson's offseason recruits — including highly touted freshman Jacob Thomas — were deemed academically ineligible. Only Thomas remains on the roster.
The Daily 49er sat down with Monson to get his take on the team's new recruits, how the rest of the players have improved and what went into his decision to sign the extension.
Daily 49er: Nick Shepherd is the only freshman recruit this year. What type of player is he?
Dan Monson: Nick is our future. He's got the whole package as far as athleticism because he's tall at 6-foot- 8, he can run, he's got good timing and he's long. We have to teach him some skill and raise his basketball skills, but certainly you can't teach the things that he knows how to do. We have to get him stronger also.
49er: Do you expect him to get much playing time this year?
Monson: We don't have anybody like him, as far as at his size, being as athletic as he is. I think he can change shots, he can play inside and I think he is athletic enough to go outside and guard people on the perimeter.
He really gives us a whole new dimension as a player.
As far as playing time, he is going to be behind some pretty good guys who have established themselves with T.J. Robinson and Eugene Phelps, and then we bring in a junior college player Edis Dervisevic who will also be in there vying for time.
It's still kind of too early to know exactly how he is going to be in the mix for this season, but his future with the program is very bright.
49er: Aside from Shepherd, there are some junior college transfers coming in. Tell me about them.
Monson: First off, you bring junior college kids in to have them contribute immediately. We have Dervisevic who is going to be very key to this team. He is a 6-8, 250-pound inside player who gives us more size and depth and bulk inside.
He is different from Phelps and Robinson in that he is a pass-first guy who makes other players around him better. He can step out and shoot open jumpers and stretch the defense. He is just a different type of player — he isn't as good of an athlete as those two — but he understands the game of basketball and has a high basketball IQ.
We also have Corey Jackson coming in as a combo guard who can come in and give us more depth in the backcourt. He gives us another shooter, besides Greg Plater, who can stretch defenses and make shots.
Then, Tristan Wilson was a junior college kid that we brought in last year but had microfracture surgery so he didn't play. He's healthy now and gives us another small forward besides Larry Anderson. He's a strong player who plays hard and is good at getting to the basket.
Those three are going to be an integral part to the season.
49er: The team finished last season on a good run by playing well in the Big West Conference Tournament, but fell short in the championship game. How can they keep that level of play heading into this season?
Monson: You finish second two years in a row and, hopefully, that's a huge motivation for your guys. They finished second as freshmen and thought that, with everyone coming back, it would be easier than it was. I think last year humbled them a little bit.
Hopefully they have worked extremely hard this offseason to change.
49er: In what areas is the team looking to improve upon this year?
Monson: I think the biggest area we need to improve upon is maturity. We need to try and be more mature and consistent. Last year, we had some games where we were the best team in the league and then we would turn around a week later and lose to the bottom team in the league. You can't do that if you're going to try and win league.
You have to be able to take care of business every game. Hopefully our guys are a little more mature, a year older and understand what it takes to be more consistent on a game basis.
49er: What major improvements have you seen in your players over the summer? Is anyone standing out so far?
Monson: The biggest thing is that they have gotten stronger.
They have committed themselves to the weight room, which is something that they've done on their own. Robinson is 10 pounds heavier and stronger; Phelps has worked hard in the weight room and Anderson added 10 pounds.
Our guys have spent a lot of time working on their jump shot. Hopefully we should see an improvement in those two areas this season.
49er: As far as the contract extension, do you think it will help when potential recruits see you will be around for the next few years?
Monson: I think for players to make a four-year commitment to a university they want to know what the commitment is in return for their side. Players are very skeptical these days about signing and not knowing the coach's future. Certainly that is a component of recruiting but it's not the end all.
We have a great university to sell here and a great facility. Recruiting is an on-going process and it certainly takes one excuse out of the bag for players not to come here.
49er: What factors led to you deciding to accept the extension?
Monson: My family and I love it here and we felt fortunate and honored that they would ask us to extend the contract.
When you have been through this for 20 years like I have, you find that these jobs are about relationships and these relationships are based off two different people. It doesn't matter that we loved it here and wanted to stay here if the administration doesn't feel the same way.
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