Colin Slater, Jadon Jones, Dan Monson Take Top Honors As All-Big West Announced
3/7/2022 6:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Colin Slater is the 13th player in school history to take home the conference’s top honor.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Colin Slater was named the Big West Player of the Year, the 13th time a Long Beach State player has taken home the top award for the conference, recognizing the leadership and skill of the returning fifth-year guard who brought the Beach their first Big West championship in nine years.
Slater's all-around play was recognized by the league's coaches, becoming the 10th different player from LBSU to be named the Big West Player of the Year. Slater averaged 14.7 points per game during league play and handed out a team-best 47 assists over the team's 15 league games while averaging 3.7 rebounds per game. Long Beach State's co-captain, Slater was second in the Big West in conference play in assist/turnover ratio, and played 35.1 minutes per game. He led Long Beach State to a 12-3 record in Big West play to help the Beach capture the Big West regular-season crown.
Dan Monson's leadership was also recognized, as Long Beach State's head coach received Big West Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time. Monson's charges were picked to finish in eight place prior to the season, but the Beach climbed to the top of the standings with an 11-game winning streak, and captured the league crown for the first time since 2012-13.
Freshman Jadon Jones was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year. Despite being known for his shooting, Jones also played heavy minutes across the season and led all perimeter defenders in blocked shots with 27, trailing only UC Irvine center Austin Johnson and teammate Aboubacar Traore. Jones is the third player in program history to be named the Defensive Player of the Year, joining Larry Anderson and Casper Ware.
Junior Joel Murray was one of six players named First-Team All-Big West, joining Colin Slater in that honor. Murray was second in the Big West in scoring at 16.2 points per game across league play, and was another dynamic point guard for Long Beach State, the fifth to earn first or second team All-Big West honors during the Monson era.
Two freshman earned Honorable Mention All-Big West as well. Jones, in addition to his Defensive Player of the Year honor was picked for the team. The Long Beach native averaged 12.2 points per game, and also had 15 blocks and 29 steals over the course of Big West play, the most on the team.
He was joined by true freshman Aboubacar Traore. Traore finished the regular season with seven double-doubles, and led the Big West in rebounding with 9.9 boards per game in conference play. Traore averaged 8.5 points per game in the regular season and ranks ninth in LBSU single-season blocks with 41.
Long Beach State opens the Big West Tournament on Thursday in the quarterfinal round as the top seed in the tournament, playing the winner of the first-round game between (8) CSUN and (9) CSU Bakersfield at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 10. Tickets are still available for the tournament, which is the inaugural event in the brand new Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada.
Slater's all-around play was recognized by the league's coaches, becoming the 10th different player from LBSU to be named the Big West Player of the Year. Slater averaged 14.7 points per game during league play and handed out a team-best 47 assists over the team's 15 league games while averaging 3.7 rebounds per game. Long Beach State's co-captain, Slater was second in the Big West in conference play in assist/turnover ratio, and played 35.1 minutes per game. He led Long Beach State to a 12-3 record in Big West play to help the Beach capture the Big West regular-season crown.
Dan Monson's leadership was also recognized, as Long Beach State's head coach received Big West Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time. Monson's charges were picked to finish in eight place prior to the season, but the Beach climbed to the top of the standings with an 11-game winning streak, and captured the league crown for the first time since 2012-13.
Freshman Jadon Jones was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year. Despite being known for his shooting, Jones also played heavy minutes across the season and led all perimeter defenders in blocked shots with 27, trailing only UC Irvine center Austin Johnson and teammate Aboubacar Traore. Jones is the third player in program history to be named the Defensive Player of the Year, joining Larry Anderson and Casper Ware.
Junior Joel Murray was one of six players named First-Team All-Big West, joining Colin Slater in that honor. Murray was second in the Big West in scoring at 16.2 points per game across league play, and was another dynamic point guard for Long Beach State, the fifth to earn first or second team All-Big West honors during the Monson era.
Two freshman earned Honorable Mention All-Big West as well. Jones, in addition to his Defensive Player of the Year honor was picked for the team. The Long Beach native averaged 12.2 points per game, and also had 15 blocks and 29 steals over the course of Big West play, the most on the team.
He was joined by true freshman Aboubacar Traore. Traore finished the regular season with seven double-doubles, and led the Big West in rebounding with 9.9 boards per game in conference play. Traore averaged 8.5 points per game in the regular season and ranks ninth in LBSU single-season blocks with 41.
Long Beach State opens the Big West Tournament on Thursday in the quarterfinal round as the top seed in the tournament, playing the winner of the first-round game between (8) CSUN and (9) CSU Bakersfield at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 10. Tickets are still available for the tournament, which is the inaugural event in the brand new Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada.
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