Long Beach State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts League Leaders Thursday
2/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Long Beach, Calif. -
Complete Beach Game Notes (UC Davis) 
Game: Long Beach State vs. UC Davis
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2015
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
TV: ESPN3
TV Talent: Trent Schlom, Richie Schueler
Radio: KBEACH.org; HD 88.1-3
Radio Talent: Anthony Masterson
Webcast: WatchESPN
Live Stats: longbeachstate.com
RIGHT AWAY
• In Long Beach State's only game this week, the 49ers have a great opportunity, hosting league-leading UC Davis at 7 p.m. on ESPN3. The Beach lost in overtime on the road at Davis, and will look to rebound from a three-game losing streak in their return to the Walter Pyramid.
• Senior Mike Caffey leads the 49ers in 2014-15, averaging 16.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. The senior was named to the Lou Henson Award midseason watch list, given to the top mid-major player in the country, and Caffey is also among the front-runners for the Big West Player of the Year. Caffey ranks second in scoring in the Big West, second in steals, and is seventh in assists while gunning for a third first-team All-Big West selection.
• David Samuels has had an outstanding start to Big West play. The senior set a career high with 22 points against Cal State Fullerton, one game after making a career high 16 rebounds. In 11 games, Samuels has a trio of double-doubles and has reached double-figures in rebounding five times. The senior is second in the conference in rebounding in league, and is averaging nearly a double-double in league play at 12.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
• Long Beach State is using a rotation of 11 players in 2014-15, and has seen 10 of them reach double-figures this season. Mike Caffey has hit double-digits in 23 games this season, and has been joined in that club this season by Tyler Lamb, David Samuels, McKay LaSalle, Branford Jones, Eric McKnight, Travis Hammonds and three freshmen in Deontae North, Jack Williams and Temidayo Yussuf.
• With that depth, though, the question is finding who will be the third scorer for the team. Long Beach State is now 11-4 when three or more players hit the 10-point mark, but just 2-10 when only one or two players hit double-figures.
JERRY TARKANIAN
• Long Beach State lost a legend last week with the passing of Jerry Tarkanian, the head coach of the 49ers for five seasons from 1968-73. "Tark the Shark" led the 49ers two a pair of Elite Eight appearances, posting a 122-20 record at Long Beach State and never losing a home game in his five seasons, going 40-2 in conference play.
• For the remainder of the season, Long Beach State will have uniform patches honoring the Hall of Fame head coach, recognizing his accomplishments both at the Beach and for the advancement of college basketball.
• Until earlier this season, Tarkanian still held the school record for wins as a Long Beach State head coach, passed this season by Dan Monson.
• Long Beach State is also recognizing Tarkanian with a giveaway, as thanks to some generous donations, the Beach will be giving away 1,750 towels, an icon of Tarkanian, who would nervously chew at towels during games.
• The 49ers will also have a video retrospective, honoring the coach before the game, featuring interviews with many of the players who played at Long Beach State with Jerry Tarkanian. Those interviews will be shown throughout the game as well.
ED RATLEFF
• The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that Long Beach State basketball legend Ed Ratleff will be enshrined as part of the induction class of 2015.
Ratleff was the lynchpin of Jerry Tarkanian's 49er squads that made back-to-back Elite 8 appearances, losing to John Wooden's UCLA juggernaut in an era when the brackets were truly regional, falling in the Western Finals.
A two-time first-team All-American, Ratleff was an all-around force for Long Beach State. Over his career, Ratleff averaged 21.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Ratleff is the only player in LBSU history to earn first-team All-American honors.
The 6-6 wing still owns a number of Long Beach State records, including the two top-scoring individual games in school history, most notably a 45-point effort against St. Mary's on December 10, 1970.
His 189 assists in the 1971-72 season as a junior remains the school record, and occurred in a season where he averaged 21.4 points per game. His career scoring average of 21.4 points also remains the school's all-time record, and his 1,758 points over three years still ranks fourth in total points, coming from an era where freshman were ineligible to play for the varsity.
Ratleff went on to play for the United States at the infamous 1972 Summer Olympics, where the USA controversially lost in the Gold-Medal game, leading to the team refusing to accept their Silver Medals.
With his amateur career complete, Ratleff was drafted with the No. 6 overall pick in the NBA draft, and spent five seasons with the Houston Rockets, averaging 8.3 points per game in his career.
The 2015 induction class also includes collegiate players Rolando Blackman, Quinn Buckner, John Havlicek and Charlie Scott and coaches Don Donoher, Zip Gayles and Lou Henson. The induction ceremony will be held on Friday, November 20, 2015 in Kansas City. For more information, visit www.collegebasketballhalloffame.com.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
• UC Davis is having a dream season, leading the Big West with a 9-1 record and having gone 19-4 overall on the season. The Aggies lone conference loss thus far came on the road at Hawai'i.
• UC Davis took the last meeting between the teams, as the 49ers surrendered a second-half lead against the Aggies, and Corey Hawkins led the Aggies to a 73-67 win in overtime at Davis. That game featured two of the best guards in the conference going head to head, with Hawkins scoring 28 points with 10 rebounds, while Mike Caffey scored 29 points for the Beach, with six rebounds, five assists and five steals.
• Hawkins is leading the Big West in scoring this season, but most impressively, the Aggies have been winning of late without their star senior guard, playing the last three without him. Josh Ritchart is averaging 13.2 points per game, but the Aggies have had very balanced scoring with five players scoring in double-figures in their last win, a 75-69 victory against Cal State Fullerton.
• Long Beach State leads the all-time series between the two programs 18-3, and has lost just once to the Aggies at home.
UP NEXT • Long Beach State will take its final road trip out of Southern California in the regular season, as the 49ers will head to the islands to play at Hawai'i on February 26. The Beach then returns home Saturday, February 28, to host rival Cal State Fullerton at 4 p.m. on ESPN3.
