Long Beach State Men's Basketball Opens 2022-23 Season At California Baptist

See attachment for complete Long Beach State game notes.

Game:........................ Long Beach State at California Baptist
Date:.......................................... Monday, November 7, 2022
Time:............................................................................ 7 p.m.
Location:...................................................... Riverside, Calif.
Arena:........................................ CBU Events Center (4,200)
TV:.............................................................................. ESPN+
TV Talent:..................................................... Pep Fernandez
Webcast:.................................................................... ESPN+
Radio:.................................................... Fox Sports 1350 AM
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• Long Beach State opens up the 2022-23 season on the road with two tough tests. The Beach will start with a rematch against California Baptist on opening day, as the teams meet for the third time. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Riverside, with live coverage on ESPN+.

• The teams last played in the heart of the pandemic in one of the first games back for both teams, a meeting in January of 2021 that was controlled by the Lancers in a 96-75 win. That stands as the only official meeting for the teams in the modern era - The Beach claimed a victory in the first meeting between the teams which happened in 1956.

• After Monday night's game, the Beach will remain on the road to face No. 8 UCLA for the sixth time in the last seven years. Long Beach State still searching for their first win at Pauley Pavilion, but have pushed the Bruins, including a four-point loss in the 2019 campaign.

• Three starters return for Long Beach State from a squad that captured the 2021-22 Big West regular season title. Senior Joel Murray was the leading scorer in the Big West a season ago after averaging 16.7 points per game, and will serve as the team leader in the backcourt in coming season. Joining him from the starting lineup are sophomore Jadon Jones, who returns as the league's Defensive Player of the Year a season ago and rebounding wizard Aboubacar Traore.

• Long Beach State will have an exciting stretch of games to kick off the season. After the two road games to get the season going, Long Beach State will host their home opener, part of "Basketball Opening Weekend" as parking will be free on campus. Montana State, a 2021-22 NCAA tournament team, will come to Long Beach to face LBSU as part of a home and home with the Bobcats.

• The University and Long Beach State Athletics would like to remind fans that there are no remaining COVID-19 restrictions on entering the Walter Pyramid. Long Beach State's Fan Guidelines and Clear Bag Policy are still in effect; anyone attending Men's Basketball games at Long Beach State can find that information at www.longbeachstate.com/fanguidelines.

NEWS AND NOTES
• Long Beach State was picked to finish third in the Big West in the preseason coaches poll as announced by the conference office this week. The Beach picked up a first place vote, and was at at the top of the poll in total points with the preseason favorites UC Santa Barbara and just behind Hawai'i, who were picked to finish second.

PLAYER NOTES
• Joel Murray was chosen for the six-player Preseason All-Big West team, highlighting the big expectations this year for the senior. The league's leading scorer a season ago at 16.7 points per game, Murray also averaged 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists for the Beach, leading the team in scoring on 17 occasions. Those efforts led to him being selected First Team All-Big West last season in addition to becoming the first player from LBSU since Nick Faust in 2016 to be selected for NABC All-District honors, one of ten players recognized from the Big West and the WCC.

• Jadon Jones was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year, the third for the Beach. Jones finished the conference season in the league's Top 5 in both steals and blocks, while also contributing heavily on the offensive end. A Long Beach native, Jones was third on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game, and he averaged 4.3 rebounds, tied for second on the team while making 66 3-pointers on 37.1 percent shooting. Jones also earned Honorable Mention All-Big West, and is three 3-pointers away from becoming the 18th player at LBSU to make 100 triples.

• Aboubacar Traore was the breakout player for the Beach a season ago as a true freshman, earning Honorable Mention All-Big West honors. Averaging 9.9 rebounds per game in league play, best in the Big West, Traore finished the year averaging 8.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game along with a team-high 41 blocks. His seven double-doubles were the second-most in the Big West.

• Traore set a modern-era record in rebounding for LBSU in the team's game at UC Riverside, grabbing 23 boards in the win. It was the third-most rebounds in a game in school history, and the most since 1961. Traore was one of just five players to record multiple games of 20 rebounds in the nation last year, joining National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky and Armando Bacot of North Carolina along with two others.

• Tobias Rotegaard is the other returning regular for Long Beach State. A sophomore, Rotegarrd played in 32 games a season ago, and was fourth on the team in 3-pointers made on the year, shooting 33.3 perccent from behind the arc. Starting for the first time against UC San Diego a year ago, the Norwegian set a career-high with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists in a signature performance.

• Also returning for the Beach is Jeffrey Yan. Long Beach State's most veteran player, Yan is back for his fifth season with the program in the best shape of his career, and looking to contribute even more than last season, where he featured in a career-high 16 games for the Beach.

• An interesting twist of fate reunites one of Long Beach State's two Division I transfers with a high school teammate and friend, as Lassina Traore joins Aboubacar Traore at the Beach. Lassina played with mid-major powerhouse Saint Louis last season, but the big man will come to the Beach with three seasons of eligibility remaining to play with his Ivory Coast and hometown compatriot over 7,000 miles away.

• The Beach also brings in a veteran Division I guard in Marcus Tsohonis. Tsohonis has played at two schools previously, spending the 2021-22 campaign with VCU after playing for two seasons at Washington. A proven scorer, his best season came in the 2022-21 season, when he played in 23 games for the Huskies and averaged 10.4 points per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field.

• Along with the Division I transfers, Long Beach State has brought in a trio of impact junior college transfers. Tone Hunter is a prolific scoring guard from Las Vegas, who averaged 17.8 points per game as a true freshman at Garden City CC. Chayce Polynice is a 6-11 junior who averaged 10.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game at the College of Southern Idaho, and Amari Stroud is another big man who averaged 16.6 points and 10 rebounds per game last season at Hancock CC in Santa Maria, Calif.

• The Beach also has a trio of high school freshman joining the program. Jason Hart Jr. was a first-team All-CIF selection out of St. Bernard HS as a point guard, while Maddox Monson is a 3-point sharpshooter from Los Alamitos HS. Shaumba Ngoyi is another international player who comes to the Beach from Kinshasha, DR Congo as a 6-9 freshman.

• The Beach has two planned redshirts on the season, as newcomers Matt Fegurgur and Shaumba Ngoyi will sit out during the 2022-23 campaign.

THIS AND THAT
• Long Beach State continues to have an outstanding record in the Walter Pyramid. In the past 12 years, the Beach has piled up a 121-36 record at home, winning nearly 80% of their games in the iconic building. Per Ken Pomeroy, Long Beach State also sports the best home court advantage in the Big West.

• Head Coach Dan Monson is the winningest coach at Long Beach State, with more victories than basketball luminaries such as Jerry Tarkanian, Tex Winter, and Seth Greenberg who have also coached at the Beach. The Beach now has over 1,000 wins in program history, with Monson having won over 200 of those games. Monson also captured his 400th career win over three stops at Gonzaga, Minnesota and the Beach Feb. 8 at home against Cal State Fullerton. Monson also claimed his fourth Big West Coach of the Year award for his efforts in leading the Beach to the 2021-22 Big West regular season title.

• The Monson family legacy continues here at the Beach, as a third generation of the family joins the coaching ranks. Dan Monson's father Don Monson was a Division I head coach as well, leading Idaho and Oregon. Now, in addition to Maddox Monson joining the program as a walk-on, MiGuire Monson is also collaborating with the coaching staff in 2022-23 as a Graduate Assistant.

• In terms of legacy, the Beach also has a pair of sons of NBA veterans on the team. Jason Hart Sr. was a standout point guard at Syracuse before a ten-year NBA career, and is currently the head coach of the NBA G-League Ignite. Olden Polynice, father of Chayce Polynice played college ball at Virginia and was a Top 10 NBA Draft Pick. Polynice then played for 15 years in the NBA, scoring over 8,000 career points with 7,000 career rebounds.

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