Long Beach State University Athletics
Men's basketball season preview
11/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 4, 2010
After finishing just one win shy of advancing to the 2010 NCAA Tournament, Long Beach State looks to be in prime position to take the next step and join March Madness. The Beach returns four starters, including first-team All-Big West selection T.J. Robinson and second-team pick Casper Ware. Robinson, one of just 20 players in Division I basketball to average a double-double last season, and Ware are joined by fellow juniors Larry Anderson, a first-team All-Big West honoree as a freshman, and Eugene Phelps as returning starters. Sixth man Greg Plater looks to move into the starting lineup giving the 49ers a five-some that averaged 79.2 percent of their points last season, as well as 70.2 percent of their rebounds and 79.5 percent of their assists.
LBSU is battle tested coming into the season. In 2009-10, The Beach faced the toughest non-conference schedule in the country squaring off against five top 25 teams, including eventual National Champion Duke and West Virginia, a Final Four team, while playing 10 games against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
The 2010-11 schedule could be nearly as tough with at least seven games against teams that made it to the NCAA Tournament last year as well as games at North Carolina and Arizona State. Long Beach State will face three teams that are nationally ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25, including the 49ers' season opener against No. 25 San Diego State at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, Nov. 13. The Beach also faces preseason No. 8 North Carolina on Dec. 11 on the road, as well as preseason No. 18 Washington in Seattle on Nov. 30. Add in a game at Utah State (tied for 45th in the also receiving votes category of the AP Poll) on Dec. 7 and possible games against Xavier (tied with Utah State for 45th) and Old Dominion (48th) in the Paradise Jam Tournament from Nov. 19 to Nov. 22, and the 49ers could end up playing six of the nation's top 48 teams before league play starts the last week of December.
In addition to the 49ers games against the nation's preseason top 50 teams, LBSU has a handful of other stiff tests before starting league play at preseason favorite UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 28. The Beach opens the Paradise Jam Tournament against Clemson, a rematch of last year's 87-77 loss to the Tigers in the second round of the 76 Classic in Anaheim. Long Beach State hosts Loyola Marymount, the preseason runner-up pick in the West Coast Conference, on Nov. 27 in the Walter Pyramid, before travelling to Boise State and playing St. Mary's in the Wooden Classic in Anaheim. The Broncos were picked to finish fourth in the Western Athletic Conference while the Gaels were picked third in the WCC. The Beach wraps up its non-conference schedule at Arizona State, the preseason fourth-place pick in the Pac-10, on Dec. 21.
"The biggest thing in the preseason schedule is to learn about yourself," coach Dan Monson said. "We are going to be measured by how we do in the Big West and in the league tournament. The preseason schedule is really to make yourself better, to get an understanding and learn about who you are. It's a great way to start with a home game against a team the caliber of San Diego State.
"We jump into a lot of challenging games from there," Monson added. "A few days later we go to the Virgin Islands and play against some teams there that are some of the top teams in the nation. I think this year's schedule doesn't have as many big names on it but it will be harder to go .500. The quote-unquote mid-majors we are playing are substantially harder. With San Diego State, Utah State and Boise State on the road, Loyola Marymount in here who was picked second behind Gonzaga in the WCC, I think those games are going to be substantially harder than what we played last year."
BACKCOURT
The 49ers boast three players who will start in the backcourt who have combined to play in 218 games and start 129. Junior point guard Casper Ware (5-10, 170) leads the trio with 61 starts in 63 career games, while junior Larry Anderson (6-5, 205) has started 43 of the 63 games he has played in and senior Greg Plater (6-1, 180) claims the most career games on the 49er roster with 92, including 25 starts.
Ware, a preseason all-league pick, returns for his third year as a starter at the point for The Beach. He is an explosive player, both offensively and defensively, who will look to become more of a leader after being named the team captain. Ware needs just 345 points to reach the 1,000-point plateau and will crack the school's all-time top 10 in both assists and steals early in his junior season. The junior ranks in the top 18 twice in single-season assists at Long Beach State and has proven to be a clutch player after being named to the 2010 Big West All-Tournament Team.
"Casper is probably the best point guard in our league both defensively and with the way he can push the ball into an offensive pace," Monson said. "He can dictate a game without scoring points which I think is the true compliment to a point guard."
Sophomore Jerramy King (5-11, 170) backs up Ware and should see increased playing time after appearing in 12 games last season and playing a combined 25 minutes during the season. Monson will look to King to give Ware a breather while continuing to run the 49ers' offense with limited turnovers while playing solid defense. Anderson will also see some time at the point guard position, but Monson hopes to limit his time at the one to better rest him during the game.
Plater will move into the starting lineup at the two replacing Stephan Gilling, who he split time with over the last two seasons. Plater started five games as a junior, but played more than 21 minutes a game. He is the Big West Conference's active leader in 3-point field goals made with 132 during his three years at The Beach. Monson will count on Plater to provide leadership as the only four-year player on the roster. Plater has gotten stronger and Monson says he has worked hard to become more than a "catch and shoot" guy and has improved his offense off the dribble and is playing better defense.
Anderson returns to start at the other off guard position. The junior will look to return to the form that he showed as a true freshman when he became the first freshman to be named first-team all-league since the 1973-74 season. Anderson battled leg injuries as a sophomore, and while his scoring improved from 10.8 points to 11.8 points per game, his field goal percentage dropped by 10.3 percent from 54.6 percent to 44.3 percent, and his 3-point shooting percentage fell by 17.4 percent, from 40 percent to 22.6 percent.
"Larry is playing very well right now," Monson said. "He has worked hard on his jump shot and it has opened things up for him to drive. He is a lot healthier than last year, he is 10 pounds stronger and he has experience. He is playing at a very high level."
Monson is still weighing his options on who will back up Anderson and Plater. Three players, with no Division I experience, are battling for playing time in the backcourt. Senior Tristan Wilson (6-5, 200) missed all of last season, after transferring from a junior college, after having knee surgery in October. Junior Sean Starkey (6-4, 190) redshirted last season after transferring from a junior college, and junior Corey Jackson (6-0, 190) joins the mix this year after transferring from a junior college where he averaged more than 20 points per game as a sophomore.
"Sean is probably the best catch and shoot of the three," Monson said. "Tristan is the best rebounder, the strongest and the best finisher. Corey is kind of a combination of those two, he does a little bit of both."
FRONTCOURT
The 49ers frontcourt is very similar to the team's backcourt. The Beach returns its two starters, juniors T.J. Robinson (6-8, 215) and Eugene Phelps (6-6, 235), who have combined to start 70 of the 126 games they have played in during two seasons at LBSU. Battling for playing time behind Robinson and Phelps are five players who have combined to play 144 minutes of Division I basketball.
Robinson, who returns for his third season as a starter, is coming off one of the most productive seasons of any player in the Big West Conference in the last 12 years. He averaged 15.4 points and 10.1 rebounds, becoming the first Big West player to average a double-double since Pacific's Michael Olowokandi did it during the 1997-98 season. Robinson led the Big West in rebounding and field goal percentage, while ranking eighth in scoring. The 49er forward needs just 151 points to become the 18th Long Beach State player ever to score 1,000 career points.
"T.J. has worked to improve his jump shot and he has gotten stronger," Monson said. "He has more confidence in his perimeter game which hopefully will allow us to stretch defenses more. But he is what he is and you also need to play to his strengths. He is very good around the basket, he averaged a double-double last year and hopefully he will come back and do a lot of those things again."
Phelps will look to be more consistent and add a fifth scoring threat to the Long Beach State lineup. As a sophomore, Phelps showed flashes of being one of the top big men in the conference but also struggled at times. He earned Big West Conference Player of the Week honors for his play in late January when he scored 18 and 21 points in back-to-back games against Cal State Northridge and UC Davis, but then he finished the season with six or fewer points in seven of the 49ers' last nine games. Phelps spent most of the off season working on his perimeter game and the results have impressed Monson to the point where Phelps could slide over to the small forward spot and allow The Beach to go big across the front line.
"He is shooting the ball with confidence and has worked very hard on it and it shows," Monson said. "He was a player that was very hard to guard inside, now to be able to stretch the defense out to the 3-point line will really add to his game. He has gotten stronger, more aggressive and is just a better player."
The candidates to back Phelps and Robinson up in the post, range from an athletic true freshman to a junior college transfer and includes three players who saw limited minutes last season for The Beach.
Junior Edis Dervisevic, a transfer from Western Texas College, is the early leader to be the first big man off the bench for the 49ers. Dervisevic (6-8, 245) has been quick to pick up the Long Beach State system and understands what Monson is looking to do both offensively and defensively. He gives Long Beach State a physical presence who can pass the ball and can step out and shoot.
Sophomore Kyle Richardson (6-7, 235) played in 18 games last season and brings a big body and the ability to score with his back to the basket. True freshman Nick Shepherd (6-9, 215) has been impressive, especially with his ability to run the floor and block shots, and is pushing for playing time at center instead of redshirting.
Junior Lin Chang (6-9, 250) and sophomore Mike Vantrimpont (7-0, 215) both could factor in the rotation, but both have been sidelined for much of the preseason with lingering injuries. Chang suffered a season ending foot injury last season and has yet to complete a full practice. Vantrimpont suffered a high ankle sprain before practice started and has yet to practice as well. His height and ability to change shots could help Long Beach State defensively.
