Home Opener On Tap For Men's Basketball Wednesday

Wednesday, November 17

Long Beach, Calif.

7 p.m.

Long Beach State University

Utah Valley

Photo by: John Fajardo

11/16/2021 3:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes - Utah Valley

Long Beach State hosts Utah Valley at 7 p.m. on ESPN+

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State will host Utah Valley on November 17 as it's regular season home opener at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ in the third meeting between the two programs. The Beach won the 2019 meeting in the Walter Pyramid after the Wolverines struck first in a neutral-site meeting in 2018 in Las Vegas.

Game:............................... Long Beach State vs. Utah Valley
Date:.................................. Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Time:............................................................................ 7 p.m.
Location:.................................................. Long Beach, Calif.
Arena:............................................... Walter Pyramid (4,200)
TV:.............................................................................. ESPN+
TV Talent:................................ Jason Schwartz, Dave Miller
Webcast:........................................................... WatchESPN
Radio:............................................................. 22 West Radio
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• Long Beach State is 12-1 in the last 13 home openers, with the only loss coming to a ranked San Diego State squad in 2010.

• Long Beach State came away from its opening road trip with a split of its first two games. The Beach had five players in double figures led by a double-double from Jordan Roberts and 28 points from Joel Murray in a gritty overtime win at Idaho. The squad then gave No. 2 UCLA a scare behind monster nights from Joel Murray and Colin Slater before the Bruins pulled away in the second half.

• The Beach played without forward Joe Hampton in that contest, who is day-to-day with a foot injury.

PLAYER NOTES
• With nine returning lettermen, Long Beach State has a strong veteran core that will be supplemented by three transfers, three incoming freshman and a returning redshirt for a large roster of 16 players. Leadership will come from three players who elected to return for a fifth year, as Jordan Roberts, Colin Slater and Drew Cobb each have decided to return to the Beach.

• Joel Murray scored 30 points against No. 2 UCLA, joining an elite list of LBSU scorers who have scored 30 points in the last 15 years. Murray is now averaging 29.0 points per game, showing that his Division II All-American skills will have no problem transferring to the DI level. A strong defender as well, Murray was a two-time All-American at West Texas A&M, where he guided the team to the Division II NCAA Championship Game last season as the team's point guard.

• Colin Slater has had a strong start to the season as well. Now in his sixth year of college basketball, Slater is averaging 21.5 points per game this season after putting up 27 on the road at UCLA, going 10-for-13 from the floor and shooting 5-of-6 from three.

• Jordan Roberts has been a consistent presence in the Long Beach State lineup over the last five seasons. Since 2017-18, Roberts has played in 110 games for Long Beach State, and will be on track to break the games played record for the Beach. He is Long Beach State's active career leader in every category other than 3-pointers made.

• A defensive stalwart, Drew Cobb returns to the Beach after playing just three games last season. The Beach will welcome his veteran presence, as Cobb has started 31 games in his career and is averaging 4.5 points and 4.0 rebounds while traditionally guarding the opposing team's top perimeter player.

• Two starters return for Long Beach State from last season. Joe Hampton made an immediate impact with the program, starting 17 games and averaging 10.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in his first season with the program. Hampton was featured in Netflix's Last Chance U: Basketball showcasing his time at East LA College, and has found a home at the Beach.

• Freshman Jadon Jones is a local product made good. Starting 13 games as a true freshman, Jones averaged 8.4 points per game and shot 44.4% from three, third best in the conference. The Long Beach native starred in the Big West Tournament, earning All-Tournament honors after averaging 18.5 points per game in the program's two games in Las Vegas.

• Romelle Mansel continues to play a key role for Long Beach State. Now having started 27 games in his career, Mansel is averaging 5.0 rebounds per game and is in his third year at the Beach.

• Trever Irish played in all 18 games last season, one of just three players on the squad to feature in every game. The 7-footer averaged 4.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game a year ago while increasing his minutes to 13.8 per game and making nine starts over the course of the season.

• Eddie Scott spent three seasons at Penn where he was a team captain. He started 11 games as a junior in the shortened 2019-20 season, and then the Ivy League did not participate in the 2020-21 campaign. As a junior, he averaged 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

• Another transfer for the Beach was a late add in Tobias Rotegaard. Rotegaard spent one season at UAB, where he was recruited as a sharpshooter from Norway who has had extensive youth international tournament experience. He was injured early in the year, however, and missed most of the year, playing in just seven games. He will wear #31 during the early portion of the year.

• Aboubacar Traore has made an immediate impact with the Beach. A true freshman, Traore is averaging 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while leading the team in blocks, showcasing his athleticism. He started his collegiate career by scoring 11 points at Idaho.

• Two more freshman have joined Long Beach State in their first season. AJ Neal is a point guard from Florida who made his debut at No. 2 UCLA, while AJ George has yet to make his debut after a shoulder injury just prior to the start of the season.

• Other returning players for the Beach include redshirt freshman RJ Rhoden and forward Jeffrey Yan along with Raymond Hawkins III, a transfer from Alabama who missed the entirety of the year due to a knee injury. Hawkins is currently continuing to rehab that injury to start 2021-22.

COVID-19 NEWS AND NOTES
• Long Beach State was deeply affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic during the 2020-21 campaign. The Beach had three separate full shutdowns during the season, and ultimately had 10 games canceled over the course of the campaign.

• In addition to managing COVID-19, Long Beach State was one of the hardest hit teams in the country with injuries in 2020-21. 12 separate players missed at least one game, and the Beach and Miami (Fla.) were the only two teams in the nation to have five or more players miss seven or more games.

• Mask mandates remain in place in the Walter Pyramid and are anticipated to last throughout the season. Additionally, State of California regulations mandate all spectators for events inside the Walter Pyramid must provide either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event. That policy will be in place until further notice.

• If you are coming to the Walter Pyramid this season, please allow for extra time to enter the venue due to COVID-19 protocols as well as parking. Parking payment can be done in two ways, either at the parking machines on site or via the Parkmobile App.