Long Beach State University Athletics
Men’s Basketball Welcomes Five Signees in 2019 Recruiting Class
11/26/2018 11:32:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson has announced his incoming 2019 signing class, which is a complete five-man lineup of athletes from across the globe.
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State men's basketball is pleased to announce its 2019 signing class, welcoming a talented group of student-athletes to the Beach for the 2019-20 season. Beach head coach Dan Monson announced the five-player class, which features guards Max De Geest and Rodney Rhoden, forward Romelle Mansel and big men Trever Irish and Joshua Morgan.
"We are extremely excited about our recent recruiting class for 2019," Monson said of the incoming group. "Losing six seniors, we needed to add size and shooting to complement our returners, and we feel very confident we have done that. We are not only excited about the basketball abilities of this class, but we also feel we are adding five people to our program with high character who will represent our program and university in a first class manner."
Below is an introduction to all five members of the 2019 signing class, along with a description of each player's unique skill set from Long Beach State Head Coach Dan Monson.
Max De Geest, 6'3", Guard, Christ's College (Christchurch, New Zealand)
An international recruit for the Beach, De Geest hails from New Zealand, where he has had a prolific amateur career. He played at Christ's College while in school, and has spent time with the Canterbury Rams of the National Basketball League in New Zealand. After winning the U19 National Championships with Canterbury in 2017, he captained the Rams to another title in 2018.
He also has experience with the national team in New Zealand, winning a silver medal at the 2018 FIBA 3x3 U18 Asia Cup where he won MVP honors to help the team qualify for the Youth Olympics in Argentina.
Monson: "Max was the first player to commit to us in the 2019 class last year. Since then he's proven himself internationally, both with his high school team, as well as various levels of competition with the New Zealand national team. He's a tremendous perimeter shooter that should help us in that area in the near future."
Trever Irish, 6'11", Center, Valley Prep Academy/Central Arizona College (Lewiston, Maine)
Irish is a junior college transfer from Central Arizona College, where he is currently competing in his sophomore campaign. Approaching 7-feet tall, Irish offers an imposing physical presence around the basket. During his first season with the Vaqueros, he shot 62.6 percent from the floor, averaging 14.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.37 blocks per game. In a win late last season he posted 30 points (12-15 FG, 6-7 FTs) with five rebounds and a pair of blocks in a win over Eastern Arizona College.
Monson: "We're excited to welcome Trever to the Beach family, as the lone junior college player, he's the elder statesman of this class. Trever has a college-ready body at 6-foot-11, 240 lbs. and is a proven scorer and rebounder at the junior college level. He should bring an immediate post presence, both offensively and defensively with the departure of Mason Riggins and Temidayo Yussuf."
Romelle Mansel, 6'9", Forward, St. Bernard HS (Playa Del Rey, Calif.)
Mansel is a versatile athlete hailing from nearby St. Bernard HS, where he is a four-year varsity letterwinner with the Vikings. He had a number of standout performances as a junior, including a 22-point, 12-rebound performance in a win over Serra High School. He was also selected to the Platinum Division All-Tournament Team at The Classic at Damien High School after helping the Vikings to the championship game of that event. Earlier this year, he also competed for Team Why Not in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL).
Monson: "Romelle is a local player that plays with a tremendous amount of passion and energy. At 6-foot-9 he has an intriguing combination of ball skills, agility and athleticism, to go with his great size. We recruited him for a few years and we're thrilled to have him in the program."
Joshua Morgan, 6'11", Center, Sheldon HS (Sacramento, Calif.)
Morgan is a dynamic rim protector from Northern California, where he's set to begin his senior season with Sheldon High School. The Huskies were ranked a Preseason Top 40 team in the nation by MaxPreps after reaching the CIF State Championship Game a season ago. Morgan transferred to Sheldon from Pleasant Grove High School, where he had a productive junior campaign. In 20 games for the Eagles last season, Morgan averaged 7.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest.
Monson: "Joshua is another California native from a great program at Sheldon High School that competes for championships every year. He's one of the best high school shot blockers I've seen in years and at 6-foot-11, he changes ends of the court like a guard. Joshua should bring some immediate rim protection to our frontline, especially with the departure of three inside players. "
Rodney Rhoden, 6'5", Guard, Mainland HS (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
Rhoden is an explosive athlete who comes to the Beach from across the country at Mainland High School in Florida. He averaged 9.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore for the Buccaneers, then last season as a junior, led Mainland to a 21-8 record and a trip to the 2018 FHSAA Class 7A region final by averaging 17 points per game.
Monson: "Rodney is a combination guard that can score and make plays for others. He's an elite athlete and defender that is extremely tough and versatile defensively, as he can guard multiple positions, which excites our staff immensely."
"We are extremely excited about our recent recruiting class for 2019," Monson said of the incoming group. "Losing six seniors, we needed to add size and shooting to complement our returners, and we feel very confident we have done that. We are not only excited about the basketball abilities of this class, but we also feel we are adding five people to our program with high character who will represent our program and university in a first class manner."
Below is an introduction to all five members of the 2019 signing class, along with a description of each player's unique skill set from Long Beach State Head Coach Dan Monson.
Max De Geest, 6'3", Guard, Christ's College (Christchurch, New Zealand)
An international recruit for the Beach, De Geest hails from New Zealand, where he has had a prolific amateur career. He played at Christ's College while in school, and has spent time with the Canterbury Rams of the National Basketball League in New Zealand. After winning the U19 National Championships with Canterbury in 2017, he captained the Rams to another title in 2018.
He also has experience with the national team in New Zealand, winning a silver medal at the 2018 FIBA 3x3 U18 Asia Cup where he won MVP honors to help the team qualify for the Youth Olympics in Argentina.
Monson: "Max was the first player to commit to us in the 2019 class last year. Since then he's proven himself internationally, both with his high school team, as well as various levels of competition with the New Zealand national team. He's a tremendous perimeter shooter that should help us in that area in the near future."
Trever Irish, 6'11", Center, Valley Prep Academy/Central Arizona College (Lewiston, Maine)
Irish is a junior college transfer from Central Arizona College, where he is currently competing in his sophomore campaign. Approaching 7-feet tall, Irish offers an imposing physical presence around the basket. During his first season with the Vaqueros, he shot 62.6 percent from the floor, averaging 14.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.37 blocks per game. In a win late last season he posted 30 points (12-15 FG, 6-7 FTs) with five rebounds and a pair of blocks in a win over Eastern Arizona College.
Monson: "We're excited to welcome Trever to the Beach family, as the lone junior college player, he's the elder statesman of this class. Trever has a college-ready body at 6-foot-11, 240 lbs. and is a proven scorer and rebounder at the junior college level. He should bring an immediate post presence, both offensively and defensively with the departure of Mason Riggins and Temidayo Yussuf."
Romelle Mansel, 6'9", Forward, St. Bernard HS (Playa Del Rey, Calif.)
Mansel is a versatile athlete hailing from nearby St. Bernard HS, where he is a four-year varsity letterwinner with the Vikings. He had a number of standout performances as a junior, including a 22-point, 12-rebound performance in a win over Serra High School. He was also selected to the Platinum Division All-Tournament Team at The Classic at Damien High School after helping the Vikings to the championship game of that event. Earlier this year, he also competed for Team Why Not in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL).
Monson: "Romelle is a local player that plays with a tremendous amount of passion and energy. At 6-foot-9 he has an intriguing combination of ball skills, agility and athleticism, to go with his great size. We recruited him for a few years and we're thrilled to have him in the program."
Joshua Morgan, 6'11", Center, Sheldon HS (Sacramento, Calif.)
Morgan is a dynamic rim protector from Northern California, where he's set to begin his senior season with Sheldon High School. The Huskies were ranked a Preseason Top 40 team in the nation by MaxPreps after reaching the CIF State Championship Game a season ago. Morgan transferred to Sheldon from Pleasant Grove High School, where he had a productive junior campaign. In 20 games for the Eagles last season, Morgan averaged 7.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest.
Monson: "Joshua is another California native from a great program at Sheldon High School that competes for championships every year. He's one of the best high school shot blockers I've seen in years and at 6-foot-11, he changes ends of the court like a guard. Joshua should bring some immediate rim protection to our frontline, especially with the departure of three inside players. "
Rodney Rhoden, 6'5", Guard, Mainland HS (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
Rhoden is an explosive athlete who comes to the Beach from across the country at Mainland High School in Florida. He averaged 9.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore for the Buccaneers, then last season as a junior, led Mainland to a 21-8 record and a trip to the 2018 FHSAA Class 7A region final by averaging 17 points per game.
Monson: "Rodney is a combination guard that can score and make plays for others. He's an elite athlete and defender that is extremely tough and versatile defensively, as he can guard multiple positions, which excites our staff immensely."
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