Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers open men's basketball season Saturday
11/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2010
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THE BEACH ON THE INTERNET: Fans can log on to www.longbeachstate.com and and listen to all of the 49ers' games. Rob Brender handles play-by-play duties, while Brett Beeson adds color commentary.
THE BEACH OPENS SEASON AGAINST NO. 25 SAN DIEGO STATE; FIRST RANKED OPPONENT TO VISIT PYRAMID SINCE FEBRUARY 2004: Long Beach State opens the season at home on Saturday when the 49ers entertain No. 25 San Diego State. The game will be the first home game against a ranked team since The Beach dropped a 67-47 decision against No. 23 Utah State in the Walter Pyramid on Feb. 26, 2004. Overall, LBSU is 0-4 in the Pyramid against ranked teams, also losing to No. 4 Stanford (86-63 on Dec. 2, 2000), to No. 21 Utah (61-54 on Dec. 5. 1998) and to No. 24 New Mexico State (98-78 on Jan. 5, 1995). Long Beach State has lost its last 18 games against ranked opponents dating back to a 84-83 win over No. 25 New Mexico State on Dec. 24, 1994. Overall, LBSU is 17-68 all-time against ranked opponents, including a 10-20 record in Long Beach. The Beach has faced seven ranked opponents in the Dan Monson era.
49ERS BOAST EXPERIENCE AND PRODUCTION IN STARTING FIVE: This year's LBSU team returns four starters, including preseason first-team All-Big West selections T.J. Robinson and 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.
BEACH TO BATTLE ANOTHER TOUGH SCHEDULE: 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. 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.
ROBINSON AND WARE NAMED TO THE PRESEASON ALL-BIG WEST TEAM: Robinson was named to the preseason all-conference team after being named first-team All-Big West as a sophomore after leading Long Beach State in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (10.1 ppg). He finished the regular season as just one of 20 Division I players to average a double-double, while leading the Big West with 17 double-doubles. The 49er forward scored more than 20 points seven times during the season, while finishing with 30 double-digit scoring games and 17 double-digit rebounding games. He also led the Big West Conference in rebounding and field goal percentage (.520), while finishing eighth in scoring. Robinson ranked in the top 20 in the country in both rebounds per game and double-doubles. His 332 rebounds were the third most ever by a 49er and the most since the 1960-61 season, while his 216 free throw attempts were the most in school history. He also earned second-team All-District 9 honors from the NABC and was a member of the Big West Conference All-Tournament Team. Ware was named to the preseason all-conference team after earning second-team All-Big West honors last year after averaging 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He finished the season with four 20-point games, 20 double-digit scoring games and one double-double. Ware led the Big West Conference is assists, the first 49er to do so in 37 years, and steals, while finishing sixth in free throw percentage (.784) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.56). His 159 assists were the fifth most in a season at LBSU and his 69 steals ranked third on the single-season list. Ware also was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com and earned a spot on the Big West Conference All-Tournament team.
ROBINSON 151 POINTS SHY OF 1,000 CAREER POINTS; ANDERSON AND WARE CLOSING IN ON 1,000 AS WELL: Junior T.J. Robinson is closing in on becoming the 18th Long Beach State player to score 1,000-career points. The junior enters the season just 151 points shy of the milestone after scoring 341 points as a freshman and 508 points as a sophomore. Robinson isn't the only 49er on pace to join the 1,000-point club during the 2010-11 season, teammates Larry Anderson and Casper Ware will join Robinson and the 17 other former 49ers if they match their numbers from last season. Anderson has 714 career points during his first two season at The Beach and needs just 286 points as a junior to enter the club. He scored 324 points as a freshman and added 390 as a sophomore. Ware enters his junior season with 665 career points and needs 335 this season to reach 1,000-career points. He scored 273 as a freshman and added 392 last season.
ROBINSON NEEDS 34 REBOUNDS TO CRACK LBSU'S CAREER TOP 10: T.J. Robinson is also closing in on the career top 10 in rebounds at Long Beach State. The junior needs to grab just 34 boards to tie DeAnthony Langston (1984-88) for 10th on the all-time rebounding list at LBSU. Robinson is within striking distance of becoming the all-time leading rebounder at Long Beach State as a junior. He needs 379 boards this season to move pass all-time school leader Francois Wise. Robinson grabbed 332 last year, the third most in a single season in school history.
ROBINSON FOURTH IN CAREER POINTS AND SECOND IN CAREER REBOUNDS AMONG ACTIVE BIG WEST PLAYERS: T.J. Robinson enters his junior season as the fourth-leading active scorer in the Big West Conference and the second-leading rebounder. Robinson has scored 849 points and trails senior Mark Payne (UC Davis) who has a league-best 964 points, as well as junior Eric Wise (UC Irvine) who has 955 points and senior Joe Harden (UC Davis) who has 908 points. Robinson has grabbed 517 career rebounds and trails only senior Sam Willard (Pacific) who has 552 career boards.
ROBINSON ENTERS JUNIOR SEASON WITH 21 CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES, INCLUDING 17 AS A SOPHOMORE: T.J. Robinson enters his junior season with 21 career double-doubles, including 17 from his sophomore season. His first career double-double came in his first career start at Weber State on Dec. 11, 2008 , when he scored 18 points and grabbed 10 boards. Since then he has tallied his total of 21 double-doubles in just 56 games. Robinson also has nine games in which he has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
T.J. Robinson ONE OF JUST 20 PLAYERS IN DIVISION I BASKETBALL TO AVERAGE A DOUBLE-DOUBLE DURING 2009-10 SEASON: Long Beach State's T.J. Robinson was in exclusive company in Division I basketball last season. The LBSU forward finished the season averaging 15.4 points and 10.1 rebounds and was just one of 20 players in Division I to average a double-double. Robinson was joined in the small group by Artsiom Parakhouski (Radford), Kenneth Faried (Morehead State), Daniel Emerson (Mercer), Kevin Thompson (Morgan State), Damian Saunders (Duquesne), Chris Gaston (Fordham), Omar Samhan (St. Mary's), Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest), Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State), Herb Pope (Seton Hall), Lavoy Allen (Temple), Ryan Rossiter (Siena), Justin Rutty (Quinnipiac), George Odufuwa (North Texas), Damion Jones (Texas), Ben Stywall (UNC Greensboro), Keith Benson (Oakland), Jamine Peterson (Providence) and Brandon Bowdry (Eastern Michigan).
ROBINSON FINISHED THIRD IN SINGLE-SEASON REBOUNDS AND FIRST IN FREE THROW ATTEMPTS AT LBSU; ALSO RANKED IN FREE THROWS MADE: T.J. Robinson finished his sophomore season in third place on the single-season rebounding list at Long Beach State with 332 boards during the 2009-10 season. Robinson sits behind Bill Daron (334 rebounds in 1956-57) who is second on the list and Dave Jones (358 rebounds in 1960-61) who is the all-time single-season leader at The Beach. He also became just the seventh 49er to ever grab 300 rebounds in a season.
Robinson also set a singles season record at LBSU for free throw attempts. The 49er forwared attempted 216 during the season, one more than James Cotton attempted during the 1996-97 season. He also finished his sophomore season tied for 17th (with teammate Larry Anderson) in free throws made with 122.
WARE IN TOP TEN IN ASSISTS, STEALS AND POINTS AMONG ACTIVE BIG WEST PLAYERS ENTERING JUNIOR SEASON: Junior Casper Ware enters his junior season among the active leaders in the Big West Conference in points (ninth), assists (second) and steals (second). Ware has scored 665 points in two seasons at The Beach and is one of three LBSU players in the top 10. He joins T.J. Robinson (fourth) and Larry Anderson (sixth). Ware also ranks second in both assists and steals behind senior Mark Payne (UC Davis) in both categories. Ware has 281 assists and 103 steals, compared to Payne's 352 assists and 149 steals.
WARE CLOSING IN ON LBSU'S TOP 10 IN ASSISTS AND STEALS: Casper Ware should crack Long Beach State's top 10 in two career categories early in his junior season. The LBSU point guard heads into the season with 281 assists, just nine out of 10th place, and 103 steals, 17 out of 10th, in just two seasons at The Beach. With seasons similiar to last year, Ware will finish his junior season in the top five in both categories.
WARE FINISHES FIFTH ON THE SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS LIST AT LBSU; THIRD IN STEALS: Casper Ware finished his sophomore season fifth on the single-season assist list at LBSU, while finishing third on the single-season steals list. Ware handed out 159 assists and trailed only Ed Ratleff, Tyrone Mitchell, Rick Aberegg and Billy Walker on the all-time list. He finished with 69 steals and tied Ron Johnson (2000-01) for the third most all-time, trailing only Rasul Salahuddin and Morlon Wiley.
ANDERSON RANKS IN TOP 10 AMONG ACTIVE BIG WEST PLAYERS IN FIVE SEPARATE CATEGORIES: Larry Anderson is one of a handful of players in the Big West Conference to rank among the active leaders in the top 10 in at least five different categories, but he is the only non-senior among the group. Anderson is ranked in points (sixth), rebounds (10th), assists (fifth), blocked shots (10th) and steals (third). He is joined among the top 10 in five categories by Mark Payne (UC Davis) and Joe Harden (UC Davis), while Shawn Lewis (Cal Poly) ranks in the top 10 in all six major categories (points, rebounds, assists, 3-point field goals, blocked shots, steals).
ANDERSON FINISHES AMONG LBSU SINGLE-SEASON LEADERS IN STEALS, FREE THROWS MADE AND FREE THROWS ATTEMPTED: Larry Anderson etched his name in the record books at LBSU in three separate categories during the 2009-10 season. Anderson finished the season seventh in single-season steals with 62, while ranking 15th in free throw attempts with 173 and free throws made with 122.
PLATER ENTERS SENIOR SEASON AS ACTIVE BIG WEST CAREER LEADER IN 3-POINT FIELD GOALS; ALSO AMONG LEADERS IN STEALS: Greg Plater heads into his senior season as the active leader in 3-point field made in the Big West Conference, while also ranking 10th in career steals. Plater has made 132 threes in his three seasons at The Beach, 31 more than runner-up Shawn Lewis (Cal Poly). Plater, who has 51 career steals, is also one of three Long Beach State players in the top 10 in steals joining Casper Ware (second) and Larry Anderson (third).
PLATER IN TOP 10 IN CAREER 3-POINTERS MADE AND 3-POINTERS ATTEMPTED AT LBSU: Greg Plater starts his final season at The Beach already ranked in the top 10 in career 3-pointers made and 3-pointers attempted and figures to climb into the top five in each category before the season ends. Plater has made 132 threes in his career which is good enough to rank seventh all time, while his 369 attempts is eighth all-time. Plater needs to make eight more to pass Tony Darden (2001-03) for sixth all-time. He can pass Darden for seventh on the attempts list with six more, while he needs 11 more to pass Ramel Lloyd (1998-01) for sixth.
PLATER FINISHES IN LBSU TOP 10 IN SINGLE-SEASON 3-POINTER MADE AND ATTEMPTED: Greg Plater finished the 2009-10 season in the top 10 in single-season 3-pointers made and attempted. Plater finished eighth in attempts with 183 and 10th in makes with 66.
PHELPS ENTERS SEASON FOURTH ON BIG WEST BLOCKED SHOTS ACTIVE LIST: Eugene Phelps enters his junior season ranked fourth on the Big West Conference's active list for blocked shots. The junior has blocked 36 shots in his first two seasons at The Beach and sits behind junior Greg Somogyi (UC Santa Barbara), who is the leader wtih 75, senior Lenny Daniel (Cal State Northridge) who has 44, and senior Sam Willard (Pacific) who has 39.
