Long Beach State University Athletics
Men’s Basketball Adds Three Late Signees
9/13/2021 1:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Beach adds a pair of high school guards and a Division I forward transfer.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State Men's Basketball has continued to work the recruiting trail and will add three more signees to the 2021-22 roster for this upcoming season. The Beach is excited to welcome a pair of freshman guards as well as a Division I forward transfer with four years of eligibility remaining.
AJ Neal, 6-1, Orlando, Fla.
Rated as one of the top prospects in the state of Florida, AJ Neal will add another talented guard to the mix for the Beach. Neal was listed as the No. 21 recruit in the state of Florida and a Top 150 recruit nationally by 247sports. In his final season at West Oaks Academy, Neal averaged 16 points and five assists per game while earning all-league honors.
Monson on Neal:
"AJ gives us a young point guard who can make others better around him and can also keep defenses honest with his perimeter jump shot. He is a high character player with leadership ability and gives us a young guard that is ready to contribute immediately."
Aboubacar Traore, 6-4, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Aboubacar Traore is an exciting player that hails from the Ivory Coast and came to North America as a prep player, earning All-Star honors as a senior in Montreal, Canada. A combo guard, Traore displayed his talents and athleticism in his final season of high school, averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game.
Monson on Traore:
"Aboubacar is a high level athlete who can guard multiple positions and play inside or out. Another young player who plays hard and can attack off the bounce or create for others. We are excited to add another versatile young player with high character."
Tobias Rotegaard, 6-7, Kongsberg, Norway
The Beach will also add a Division I transfer in Tobias Rotegaard. The Norway native was a highly sought after recruit after a breakout performance at the 2018 FIBA U18 European Championships. Scoring in double-figures in all eight games, Rotegaard averaged 14.4 points and 6 rebounds per game in the tournament. He then went on to play at Oak Hill Academy where he helped the team finish in the nation's Top 10 before going 22-4 with Sunrise Christian Academy in 2019-20.
Moving on to UAB, Rotegaard made seven appearances as a true freshman, including scoring 5 points in 11 minutes played against Rust in his longest run with the Dragons.
Monson on Rotegaard:
"We are excited to add Tobias as the final member of our roster. Tobias gives us a shooter with good size who can also play multiple positions. His skill set and versatility will be an asset for us."
AJ Neal, 6-1, Orlando, Fla.
West Oaks Academy
Rated as one of the top prospects in the state of Florida, AJ Neal will add another talented guard to the mix for the Beach. Neal was listed as the No. 21 recruit in the state of Florida and a Top 150 recruit nationally by 247sports. In his final season at West Oaks Academy, Neal averaged 16 points and five assists per game while earning all-league honors.
Monson on Neal:
"AJ gives us a young point guard who can make others better around him and can also keep defenses honest with his perimeter jump shot. He is a high character player with leadership ability and gives us a young guard that is ready to contribute immediately."
Aboubacar Traore, 6-4, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Labase Academy
Aboubacar Traore is an exciting player that hails from the Ivory Coast and came to North America as a prep player, earning All-Star honors as a senior in Montreal, Canada. A combo guard, Traore displayed his talents and athleticism in his final season of high school, averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game.
Monson on Traore:
"Aboubacar is a high level athlete who can guard multiple positions and play inside or out. Another young player who plays hard and can attack off the bounce or create for others. We are excited to add another versatile young player with high character."
Tobias Rotegaard, 6-7, Kongsberg, Norway
Sunrise Christian Academy/UAB
The Beach will also add a Division I transfer in Tobias Rotegaard. The Norway native was a highly sought after recruit after a breakout performance at the 2018 FIBA U18 European Championships. Scoring in double-figures in all eight games, Rotegaard averaged 14.4 points and 6 rebounds per game in the tournament. He then went on to play at Oak Hill Academy where he helped the team finish in the nation's Top 10 before going 22-4 with Sunrise Christian Academy in 2019-20.
Moving on to UAB, Rotegaard made seven appearances as a true freshman, including scoring 5 points in 11 minutes played against Rust in his longest run with the Dragons.
Monson on Rotegaard:
"We are excited to add Tobias as the final member of our roster. Tobias gives us a shooter with good size who can also play multiple positions. His skill set and versatility will be an asset for us."
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