Long Beach State University Athletics
Beach men open practice for 2010-11 season
10/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 15, 2010
LONG BEACH, Calif. - The Long Beach State men's basketball team opened practice Friday night in the Gold Mine in preparation for the 49ers season opener on Saturday, Nov. 13, against San Diego State.
The Beach returns four starters off last year's team that finished 17-16, while playing the toughest non-conference schedule in the country, and advanced to the championship game of the Big West Conference Tournament.
T.J. Robinson, a Big West Conference Player of the Year candidate, highlights the returners. The junior, who was one of just 20 players in the country to average a double-double last season, earned first-team All-Big West honors after averaging 15.4 points and 10.1 rebounds.
Two-year starter Casper Ware returns to lead the 49ers offense. The junior point guard earned second-team All-Big West accolades as a sophomore and was a member of the Big West All-Tournament Team. He averaged 11.9 points, and a Big West best 4.8 assists and 2.1 assists per game. In Ware's first two seasons at The Beach, he has two of the top 20 assist seasons in school history including a LBSU freshman record 122 in 2008-09.
Juniors Larry Anderson and Eugene Phelps round out the returning starters for the 49ers. A year after being the first freshman to earn All-Big West Conference honors since the 1973-74 season, Anderson averaged 11.8 points and 4.3 rebounds as a sophomore. Phelps started 24 of LBSU's 33 games and finished the season averaging 8.1 points and 5.3 boards per game.
Senior Greg Plater should move into the final starting position. The shooting guard ranks as one The Beach's all-time leading 3-point shooters and will look to move up the career list with a strong senior campaign.
The 49ers return nine letterman and two players who sat out last season but were members of the squad. Senior Tristan Wilson, who missed his junior year after transferring from a junior college, is expect to challenge for playing time at the wing. Junior Lin Chang and sophomores Kyle Richardson and Mike Vantrimpont are being counted on to add depth in the post behind Phelps and Robinson. Sophomore Jerramy King will battle for playing time as Ware's backup at the point and junior Sean Starkey, who redshirted last season, will look to bring some added outside shooting to the team.
The 49ers also added three players they hope can help earn a Big West Conference championship. Junior Edis Dervisevic and freshman Nick Shepherd will battle for playing time in the post, while junior Corey Jackson will vie for time in the backcourt.
