Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Sign Seven-Footer Mike Vantrimpont
7/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 3, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. - Long Beach State Head Men's Basketball Coach Dan Monson announced that Mike Vantrimpont has signed a Financial Aid Agreement to attend Long Beach State in the fall. Vantrimpont (C, 7-0, 225, Fr., Manhattan Beach, Calif.) graduated from Westchester High School in 2006 and has spent the past two years playing in France for one of the countries Junior teams.
Vantrimpont played two years on the junior team of Elan Bearnais Pau-Orthez in Pau, France. Pau-Orthez captured the 2008 "Trophy of the Future" Championship this past June, finishing with a 26-5 record. The Trophy of the Future Championship features the top eight junior teams in France, who then compete in a single elimination tournament. Vantrimpont averaged six points, four rebounds and five blocked shots per game this past season as a reserve. His first year at Pau-Orthez, the squad finished second at the junior championships.
"We are excited to add Mike to our program for this year, and also add a big man into our recruiting class," said Monson. "Mike has only played organized basketball for four years, and we feel that if he continues to improve at the rate he has in the last couple of years, he will have a chance to solidify our frontcourt for years to come. He is a legit seven-foot, and with his extreme length and height, he has a chance to make an impact in our program immediately. All big men take time to mature and fill out, and Mike is no exception. His best basketball is certainly ahead of him and we are excited to help him develop."
As a senior at Westchester High School, Vantrimpont helped lead the Comets to a 25-7 mark and a second place (8-2) finish in the Western League. Westchester defeated Taft (68-58) in the CIF LA City Championships and advanced to the second round of the CIF SoCal Division I State Championships. They defeated Ventura (67-56) in the opening round before falling to Los Alamitos (64-51). Vantrimpont played one and a half years on the Westchester varsity team after transferring from Mira Costa High School.
