Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Meet Air Force In Opener
11/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Beach Begins Season On The Road
49ers Tangle With Air Force In Opener
November 7, 2006
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OVERALL RECORD: 0-0 BIG WEST RECORD: 0-0 |
CBE Classic Tuesday, November 14, 5 pm Air Force vs. Long Beach State Maples Pavilion (7,233), Stanford, CA Internet Radio: www.longbeachstate.com |
PROBABLE STARTERS |
| LONG BEACH STATE (0-0) |
| F-2-Louis Darby (6-5, Sr., 6.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg) |
| C-21-Mark Dawson (6-9, Sr., 5.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg) |
| G-1-Kejuan Johnson (6-4, Sr., 11.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg) |
| G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10, Sr., 8.8 ppg, 3.3 apg) |
| G-55-Aaron Nixon (6-2, Sr., 14.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg) |
THE RECORDS
·49ers Coming Off 18-12 Season
Long Beach State begins its regular season on November 14 as they take on Air Force in the opening round of the CBE Classic at Stanford. The 49ers are coming off an 18-12 campaign and a third place Big West finish (9-5). Long Beach State advanced to the championship game of the Big West Tournament in 2006. Air Force was 24-7 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Illinois, 78-69. Stanford finished at 16-14 last year. The Cardinal were invited to the NIT where they defeated Virginia (65-49) before losing at Missouri State (76-67). San Jose State was 6-25 last season and lost to Utah State (76-69) at the WAC Tournament.
THE COACH
·16-7 Last Two Seasons In February And March
Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 39-75 (.342) in four years as the head coach at Long Beach State. Overall, Reynolds is 149-110 (.575) entering his ninth year as a collegiate head coach.
THE SERIES
·49ers Leads Air Force Series, 2-0
·49ers Trail Stanford Series, 3-0
·49ers Lead San Jose State Series, 42-18
The 49ers lead in their series with the Air Force Academy by a 2-0 count. The last meeting was on November 21, 2000 in Long Beach, an 84-77 49er triumph. On December 8, 1999 the 49ers won at Air Force, 67-66. The 49ers trail in their series with Stanford by a 3-0 margin. The last meeting was on December 15, 2001 in Palo Alto, a 94-77 Cardinal victory. The 49ers are 0-2 all-time at Stanford. Long Beach leads its series with San Jose State by a 42-18 margin. The Spartans defeated the 49ers 69-56 last year in Long Beach, snapping a 10-game 49er win streak over the Spartans.
CBE CLASSIC
·49ers Take On Air Force
The 49ers kick off their season at the College Basketball Experience (CBE) Classic on Tuesday and Wednesday at Stanford. Long Beach takes on the Air Force Academy in its opening game. The second game of the Stanford Regional will feature San Jose State and Stanford. Other regional sites include: Marquette (Maine, Detroit, Idaho State, Marquette), Duke (Columbia, Duke, Georgia Southern UC Davis) and Texas Tech (Akron, Arkansas-Little Rock, Gardner-Webb, Texas Tech). The four regional winners advance to Kansas City on November 20-21 for the CBE Classic Championship at Municipal Auditorium. The Duke Region winner faces the Stanford Region winner at KC, while the Texas Tech and Marquette winners face off in the other semi-final. The CBE Classic is sponsored by the Gazelle Group.
49ERS DEFEAT CHAPMAN
·Four Players Score In Double Digits
The 49ers won their lone exhibition game, defeating Chapman 95-61 on November 4 at the Walter Pyramid. Aaron Nixon led four 49ers in double digits with a game-high 24 points. Sterling Byrd added 16 points, Louis Darby 14 and Kejuan Johnson 12. Long Beach shot an impressive .600 (39-65) from the field and forced 29 Panther turnovers. The 49ers committed just 12 turnovers and recorded 18 assists and 19 steals. Kevin Houston had a team-best seven assists with no turnovers, while adding three steals. Darby had five steals and Nixon four. In the rebounding department, Mark Dawson led the way with six boards. Fifteen players saw action in the game, 14 of the 15 playing at least four minutes. Chapman shot .447 (21-47) from the field and out-rebounded the 49ers 29-26. Josh Flynn-Brown led Chapman with 18 points and five rebounds.
MEDIA DAY ON OCT. 25
·Beach Picked To Win Big West
The annual Big West Conference Media Day was held on October 25 at the Irvine Hilton, the 49ers were picked to win the 2007 Big West Championship. In the media poll, the 49ers received 18 out of 20 first place votes. In the coaches poll, the 49ers received three first place votes and tied Pacific with 45 points. Individually, Kejuan Johnson and Aaron Nixon were both named by the media to the pre-season all-conference squad.
AIR FORCE FACTS
·Falcons Coming Off A 24-7 Season
The Falcons of the Air Force Academy return four starters from last year's 24-7 squad. Plus, the Falcons return Nick Welch, the Mountain West co-Player of the Year in 2004, who sat out last year due to injury. Welch averaged 12.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 2004-05. Forward Jacob Burtuschi was Air Force's second-leading scorer last year averaging 12.4 points per game. He also had a team-best 6.1 rebounds per contest. Forward Dan Nwaelele averaged 11.8 points per outing and guard Matt McCraw checked in at 10.8. As a team the Falcons averaged 64.2 points per game, but led the nation in scoring defense at 54.7 points per outing.
THE BEACH ON TV
·First TV Game On Nov. 15 At CBE Classic
The 49ers will be on television a total of eight times during the regular season, with the opportunity of six more telecasts making the airwaves. The first televised game will be on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at the CBE Classic. The consolation and championship games from the Stanford Regional will be aired on ESPNU.
49ERS RANKED IN MID-MAJOR POLL
·Beach Checks In At No. 23
The 49ers are ranked No. 23 in the country in the pre-season Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, released on November 6. Long Beach received 128 votes and is the only Big West team in the rankings. Pacific received 103 votes and stands at No. 27. Cal State Fullerton received one vote. Creighton, Gonzaga, Hofstra, Southern Illinois and Wichita State are the top five squads. The Mid-Major Poll is sponsored by The College Insider (www.collegeinsider.com).
NUMBER ONE IN SCORING
·83.3 ppg Led Nation Last Season
The 49ers led the nation last season in scoring, averaging 83.3 points per game. Long Beach scored 80 or more points 16 times, 90 or more points 10 times and broke the 100-point barrier three times (108 vs. San Francisco State and Manhattan, 101 vs. CS Northridge). The 83.3 point per game average was an increase of 22.6 points per game (60.7 ppg during 2004-05 season). The 83.3 points per game was not a school-record though as the 49ers averaged 90.1 points per game during the 1972-73 campaign. Ironically, Long Beach did not lead the nation in scoring that season. Oral Roberts led the nation at 97.3 points per game. The 49ers were sixth at 90.1 ppg.
OFFENSE vs. DEFENSE
·Which Will Prevail?
Long Beach State led the nation last year in scoring at 83.3 points per game. Air Force led the nation last year in scoring defense at 54.7 points allowed per game. Will the age old phrase, "offense sells tickets, defense wins championships" be answered?
THREE-POINT RECORDS
·21st In Nation In Three's Per Game
Last year the 49ers averaged 8.53 made three's per game, a mark which ranked No. 21 in the nation. Long Beach set a school-record for made and attempted three's last season, going 256 of 721. The 256 made three's shattered the previous school-record of 200 set during the 1992-93 campaign. Jibril Hodges, a senior last season, also set a school-record by knocking down 87 three's. Long Beach set a single game school-record as well as they hit 17 three-pointers against UC Irvine at the Big West Tournament.
SENIORITIS
·Eight Seniors On Roster
The 2006-07 roster is packed with experience. There are eight seniors on the roster in Sterling Byrd, Louis Darby, Mark Dawson, Dominic Freeman, Kevin Houston, Kejuan Johnson, Aaron Nixon and Dominique Ricks.
DON'T FORGET THE YOUNG GUYS
·Six Freshmen On Roster
There are eight seniors on the roster this year, but, there are also four true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen, giving the 49ers a solid base for the future. Andrew Fleming and Arturas Lazdauskas both redshirted last season and are expected to make big contributions this year. Tim Island, Chris Peys, Darnell Porter and Lane Whitney are true freshmen. Island is the lone scholarship player right now, as Peys, Porter and Whitney are walk-ons.
LOCAL FLAVOR
·Only Two Players Out-of-State
Of the 17 players on the 2006-07 roster, five are from Long Beach, two from Compton and seven other are from Southern California or the surrounding communities. Only Aaron Nixon (Cleveland, OH), Mark Dawson (Jersey City, NJ) and Arturas Lazdauskas (Kaunas, Lithuania) are from out of the state. Lazdauskas could be considered a local boy though as his family moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2001 where he attended Hollywood High School.
2006 BIG WEST TOURNAMENT
·First Appearance In Title Game Since 1995
The 49ers reached the championship game of the 2006 Big West Tournament for the first time since 1995. The 49ers knocked off CS Fullerton (94-91) and UC Irvine (75-73) to reach its first title game in 11 years. The 49ers have been inthe finals seven times and have a 3-4 record, winning titles in 1977, 1993 and 1995.
AARON NIXON
·Pre-Season 1st Team All-Big West
·24 Points vs. Chapman In Exhibition Game
Selected first team pre-season all-conference by the media at the 2006 Big West Basketball Media Day in October. Nixon has earned numerous pre-season accolades thus far, as he was selected as the Big West Player of the Year by Lindy's College Basketball Magazine and is a pre-season first team all-league pick by Athlon, Lindy's, Street & Smith and USA Today. In the November 4th exhibition game vs. Chapman, Nixon led the 49ers with 24 points in 23 minutes of actioni. Last year Nixon led the 49ers in scoring at 14.7 points per game. He also added 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per outing. At the Big West Tournament he averaged 25.3 points per game in the three outings, earning All-Tournament honors. Nixon hit double digits in scoring 23 times, including a career-best 33 points at UC Davis. He had 31 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against CS Fullerton in the Big West Quarterfinals. Nixon broke his jaw during a pick-up game in late September and is schedule to have the wiring from his mouth removed this week.
KEJUAN JOHNSON
·Averaged 11.5 Points Per Game Last Year
·12 Points, 4 Assists vs. Chapman
Johnson is rated by Lindy's College Basketball Magazine the No. 23 point guard in the country. Johnson was selected by the media a pre-season first team all-conference pick at Media Day and is predicted by Lindy's and Street & Smith to be a first team all-league selection in 2007. In Saturday's exhibition contest Johnson had 12 points and four assists. Johnson played in 23 games last year and averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He was selected second team All-Big West. Johnson shot an impressive .453 (34-75) from three-point range during the season and hit double digits in scoring 16 times. He had a career-high 20 points in the victory at CS Northridge. Johnson had 14 games last year where he registered three or more assists.
LOUIS DARBY
·8.7 Points Per Game In Big West Games
·14 Points, 5 Steals vs. Chapman
Fifth-year senior Louis Darby (Pacoima) is ready for a big senior campaign. In Saturday's exhibition game against Chapman, Darby had 14 points and five steals in 20 minutes. He was seven-of-eight from the field and also dished out two assists. Darby averaged 6.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game last year in 29 games, but in Big West Conference games he averaged 8.7 points per outing. Darby hit double digits in scoring eight times last year, seven of those coming against Big West teams. He had a season-high 15 points in the home win over Cal Poly and 14 points in the win at CS Northridge. Darby shot .802 (65-81) from the free throw line and is a career .792 (160-202) free throw shooter. Each season his field goal percentage has increased from .397 in 2003-04 to .421 in 2004-05 to a personal-best .467 (56-120) last year.
KEVIN HOUSTON
·Needs Nine More Assists To Move Into Top 10
·Seven Assists, No Turnovers vs. Chapman
Houston (Highland) had a strong junior campaign, but is ready to go out on top as a senior. After averaging 8.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last year, Houston is a crucial part of the 49ers offensive gameplan. Saturday vs. Chapman, Houston had six points, seven assists and three steals and did not commit a turnover in 22 minutes of action. A true point guard who can score, Houston currently has accumulated 284 career assists at Long Beach State. He needs just nine more to move into the No. 10 spot on the 49er career chart. Houston hit double digits in scoring 13 times last year, including a season-high 17 points against Manhattan and Pepperdine. He had 12 games where he registered four or more assists and he led the team with his 98 assists. Houston also led the 49ers with 36 steals. He shot a personal-best .460 (91-198) from the field last year and has improved his overall field goal percentage each season.
MARK DAWSON
·Career-High 19 Rebounds Against UCR
·Team-High Six Rebounds vs. Chapman
Dawson (Jersey City, NJ), who came on strong at the end of the season for the 49ers, will be an intregal part of the team's success. In Saturday's exhibition, he had a team-high six rebounds and added four points in 16 minutes. Dawson concluded last year averaging 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive .591 (65-110) from the field. In Big West games he averaged 5.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per outing while shooting .635 (33-52). Dawson led the team with 36 blocked shots, a mark which ranks No. 7 on the 49er single season chart. He had a career-high 16 points and six blocked shots in the overtime win at UC Davis and recorded 10 points and a career-best 19 rebounds at home against UC Riverside. Against Pacific in the Big West Tournament Championship game he had 15 rebounds, and seven points.
DOMINIQUE RICKS
·Third On Team In Offensive Rebounding
Ricks (Anaheim) will be counted on to be a force in the middle this year for the 49ers. Saturday vs. Chapman he had four points in 13 minutes of action. Ricks, Mark Dawson, Travon Free and Andrew Fleming will all see time in the post. Ricks played in all 30 games last season, averaging 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He had a career-high 18 points and 10 rebounds at Sacramento State and finished the season shooting .574 (54-94) from the field. His 54 total offensive rebounds were third on the team last season.
STERLING BYRD
·Shot .400 From Three-Point Range
·16 Points vs. Chapman
Byrd (Compton) averaged 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game last season for the 49ers. In Saturday's exhibition game he had 16 points in 19 minutes, hitting seven-of-nine shots from the field and two-of-three from three-point range. He also added three rebounds, two on the offensive glass. Byrd shot an impressive .400 (20-50) from three-point range last season. He recorded a career-high 13 points in the win over San Francisco State and 12 points against LMU, where he was a perfect 4-4 from three-point range. A transfer from Yavapai College in Arizona, Byrd is expected to put up some big numbers this season for the 49ers.
DOMINIC FREEMAN
·Coach Reynolds Tabs Freeman As "Mr. Versatile"
Freeman (Long Beach) was a walk-on to the 49er program last year and appeared in 15 games. He averaged 0.8 points and 1.0 rebounds per game. Freeman hit five-of-seven shots from the field for the year (.714) and had five points in the opener at UNLV, his season-high. In the win at CS Northridge he had two points and four rebounds. Saturday night he had two points and two rebounds in six minutes vs. Chapma. Freeman is a workhorse down low for the 49ers and has been titled "Mr. Versatile" by the coaching staff because he can play a lot of positions for the team.
TRAVON FREE
·Has Missed The Past 41 Games Due To Injury
Free (Compton) sat out last year, and missed the final 11 games of the 2004-05 season, due to knee injuries. He tore the meniscus in his right knee in January of 2005 and has not played a game since January 29, 2005 where he had five points and seven rebounds against Utah State. Free will be counted on to put in significant minutes in the post. In Saturday's exhibition game vs. Chapman, he played four minutes, finishing with one rebound and a blocked shot. In 2004-05 he averaged 3.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17 games, including grabbing a career-high 19 rebounds at UCSB.
Artis Gant
·Career-Best 10 Points Vs. San Francisco State
·Seven Points, Three Assists vs. Chapman
Gant (Altadena) heads into his sophomore year with more experience under his belt. Gant appeared in 16 games last season, averaging 1.3 points and 0.3 rebounds per game. In Saturday's exhibtion game vs. Chapman he had seven points, three assists and three steals in 21 minutes, with just one turnover. He had a career-best 10 points in the win over San Francisco State, while also adding four assists in 19 minutes of action. A point guard, Gant will see several minutes on the court this year in a back-up role.
Arturas Lazdauskas
·All-League Selection At Hollywood HS
Lazdauskas (Kaunas, Lithuania) redshirted last year for the 49ers. After prepping at Hollywood High School, he briefly attended a prep school in Mendenhall, MS last year before returning home after Hurricane Katrina. Lazdauskas is still awaiting final clearance to practice andplay due to an eligibility issue. Lazdauskas averaged 15.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game his senior year in high school and was a first team all-league pick. At 6-7 he can go inside, but he is also a strong perimeter shooter who is very skilled.
Andrew Fleming
·Awarded A Scholarship This Past Spring
·Six Points vs. Chapman
Fleming (Cypress) redshirted last season for the 49ers out of Cypress High School. With just three years of basketball experience, Fleming's game is still growing. Saturday night he played eight minutes in the exhibtion game vs. Chapman finishing with six poitns, three rebounds and a blocked shot. Awarded a scholarship this past spring, after being a walk-on last year, Fleming will see minutes on the court in the post. As a senior at Cypress HS he averaged eight points and 10 rebounds per game.
TIM ISLAND
·Averaged 22.0 ppg As A Senior In High School
·Freshman Plays Eight Minutes On Saturday
A true freshman out of San Diego and University High School, Island comes to the 49ers via prep school. Saturday night he played eight minutes against Chapman, garnering one rebound. As a senior at University, Island averaged 22.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game while shooting .580 from the field. He was a first team CIF Division II selection as well. Island is an accurate three-point shooter and will be used this year beyond the arc in the 49ers offensive scheme.
Chris Peys
·Sharp-shooter Out Of Long Beach Poly HS
Peys (Long Beach) is a walk-on this season who prepped at Long Beach Poly High School. An excellent three-point shooter, Peys attended Worcester Academy Prep School last year and averaged 11.0 points per game. Saturday night in the the exhibition game he played nine minutes, but did not score. As a senior at Poly he averaged 7.2 points per outing and led the team with 38 three's.
Darnell Porter
·A Two-Time "Dream Team" Selection
Porter (Long Beach) is a walk-on out of Millikan High School in Long Beach. Porter played four minutes on Saturday vs. Chapman and was 0-1 from the field. Last year at Millikan he averaged 20.3 points per game and was a first team All-Moore League and second team All-CIF selection. Porter was a McDonald's All-America nominee as a senior and was named to the Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Dream Team" twice.
LANE WHITNEY
·Local Product Out Of Millikan HS
Whitney (Long Beach) is another local product out of Millikan High School. Whitney played two minutes on Saturday vs. Chapman, but did not score. As a senior last season Whitney averaged 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as the Rams finished in second place in the Moore League. A first team all-league pick, Whitney was named to the Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Dream Team".
