Long Beach State Men's Basketball Opens 2023-24 Season At Portland

Monday, November 6

Portland, Ore.

7:30 p.m.

Long Beach State University

Portland

Photo by: John Fajardo

Long Beach State Men's Basketball Opens 2023-24 Season At Portland

11/3/2023 1:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes - Portland

The Beach opens the official season Monday after a dominant win in their preseason exhibition Thursday.

By: Roger Kirk, Associate Athletics Director, Communications & Broadcast

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- After an impressive 107-63 win over Cal Lutheran in Long Beach State's final tuneup before the season, the Beach hits the road for the first game of an eight-game road swing to start the year, facing Portland for the first time since the 2005-06 season. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on the WCC Network.

Game:...................................... Long Beach State at Portland
Date:.......................................... Monday, November 6, 2023
Time:....................................................................... 7:30 p.m.
Location:........................................................ Portland, Ore.
Arena:................................................. Chiles Center (4,852)
TV:.................................................................. WCC Network
TV Talent:............................. Ann Schatz, Jennifer Mountain
Webcast:........................................................ WCC Network
Radio:.............................................................................. N/A
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• The Beach returns all five starters from a season ago, as AJ George, Jadon Jones, Aboubacar Traore, Lassina Traore and Marcus Tsohonis are all back for the Beach. Additionally, major contributors in Amari Stroud and Chayce Polynice return as well. That returning core leaves Long Beach State as one of the favorites in the conference starting the year, picked second in the Preseason Big West Coaches Poll. The Beach is also receiving votes in the Mid-Major Top 25 to open the season.

• In total, Long Beach State returns over 75 percent of their scoring a rebounding and over 90 percent of their blocked shots from a season ago, one of just a handful of about 15 programs to return over 75% of a teams scoring in the NCAA.

• Lassina Traore was selected as First Team All-Big West and was chosen the Big West Newcomer of the Year after a dominant first season at the Beach. Traore also earned NABC All-District honors, finishing the season with 17 double-doubles which ranked 9th in the nation. Traore is one of just 10 returning players in the NCAA to average a double-double a season ago, closing the year averaging 12.9 points per game and a Big West leading 10.5 rebounds per game.

• Coming out of the Ivory Coast, Long Beach State's dynamic inside duo of Aboubacar Traore and Lassina Traore ranked 1 and 2 in the rebounding for the Big West. Lassina led the league with 10.5 rebounds per game, while Aboubacar was second at 8.8 per game. Reunited over 7,000 miles apart from where they met as youth national teammates and friends in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Lassina Traore joins Aboubacar Traore at the Beach where served as the starting frontcourt in all 33 games.
Both were named to the Big West Preseason All-Conference team entering the year.

NEWS & NOTES
• Rebounding was a major strength for Long Beach State in the 2023-24 season behind the two Traores. In total, Long Beach State ranked third in rebounds per game in the nation and was just one of seven programs in the NCAA to grab over 40 rebounds per game as a team.

• The Ivory Coast duo combined to record 29 double-doubles on the season, bettered only by National Player of the Year Zach Edey and Caleb Furst with 30 and national leaders Joel Soriano and David Jones of St. John's who had 32. Only Azoulas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo of #17 Arizona joined the Traores as teammates to combine for 10 or more double-doubles this season.

• Long Beach State legend Larry Anderson has joined the coaching staff as the team's third assistant. One of the "Fab Four" for the Beach that started for four straight years leading to the 2011-12 NCAA Tournament appearance, Anderson is the program's steals record holder and ranks in the Top 10 in career scoring, rebounding and assists at LBSU as one of the best all-around players to ever put on the uniform at Long Beach State.

PLAYER NOTES
• A dominant season on the glass helped Lassina Traore earn multiple honors in his first season at Long Beach State after transferring from Saint Louis. Traore was named the Big West Newcomer of the Year after leading the league in rebounding at 10.5 per game and coming in second on the active team with 12.9 points per game. A second-team All-District pick, Traore also earned First-Team All-Big West honors.

• The 17 double-doubles for Lassina Traore in 2022-23 matched the program's single-season high, set twice by T.J. Robinson. Additionally, his 347 total rebounds on the year ranked second in school history, nine fewer than the record set by Dave Jones in the 1960-61 season.

• Marcus Tsohonis closed the season as Long Beach State's leading active scorer, averaging 14.1
points per game. A seasoned Division I transfer with experience at VCU and Washington, Tsohonis scored over 20 points six times, and set a Long Beach State program record with 46 points at UCSD before putting up 21, 21, and 28 in three straight wins for Long Beach State. He also scored 23 points in a key non-conference win against Vermont at Baha Mar Hoops. Tsohonis finished the year 11th in the Big West in scoring during conference play at 15.4 points per game.

• Aboubacar Traore avoided a sophomore slump, putting up another outstanding season in rebounding while increasing his offensive output in his second season. Traore, who set the mordern era record at LBSU with 23 rebounds in a game in 2021-22 averaged 8.8 rebounds per game while increasing his scoring to 10.1 points per game in 2022-23. Additionally, Traore took over as the team's leader in assists, finishing the year with 114 assists, an average of 3.5 per game that ranked 7th in the Big West.

• Aboubacar Traore became the 19th player in program history to record 500 career rebounds just under two seasons, and currently ranks 15th at the Beach with 549 career rebounds. Additionally, the sophomore is rounding into a nightly triple-double threat, and has the chance to join a legendary trio of players at the Beach who have scored 1,000 points, grabbed 500 rebounds and made 300 assists in their career.

• The 2021-22 Big West Defensive Player of the Year, Jadon Jones closed the season with 45 steals and 22 blocks, leading Long Beach State in both categories despite missing six games. Leading the Beach in 3-pointers made in 2022-23, Jones averaged 8.3 points per game as an all-around threat for the Beach. Jones became the 18th player to hit 100 3-pointers at LBSU and now ranks 9th in program history with 141 made 3-pointers.

• The Beach has four players who are on pace to reach the 1,000 career point milestone, a club with just 24 members at Long Beach State. Sophomore Jadon Jones is the closest at 725 career points, though the Traores and freshman AJ George are all also on track to reach the milestone before the end of their careers at Long Beach State.

• AJ George had an impressive debut season for the Beach. Ultimately starting 25 games, George was fifth on the team in scoring at 8.6 points per game while adding 3.1 rebounds per game and generally serving as the primary perimeter defender for the Beach. George shot .562 from the field on the year and shot 41.4 percent from distance as well. George led the Beach in scoring on three occasions and scored in double-figures in the last six games of the year.

• Junior Amari Stroud also played big role off of the bench for Long Beach State. Averaging 5.2 points per game, Stround increased his role in Big West action, and averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in league play this season after transferring in from junior college. Stroud is an outstanding defender and active big man who complements the up-tempo pace favored by the team.

• Senior Chayce Polynice also returns for LBSU. Playing in 23 games after transferring in from the College of Southern Idaho, Poylnice averaged 3.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game with pair of double-figure scoring contests on the year.

• Among the reserves, Jeffrey Yan has played in 47 games as he enters his sixth at the Beach, bringing a veteran presence to Long Beach State's forward depth. Son of head coach Dan Monson, Maddox Monson has also featured this season in a depth role, making the biggest impact at UC San Diego, where he made the steal and assist leading to AJ George's game-winner in triple overtime.

• Long Beach State returns two medical redshirts as well. Shaumba Ngoyi is a promising big man who lost the 2022-23 season with a preseason knee injury, while guard Jason Hart Jr. played in five games before his season ended prematurely.

• The Beach has turned to a pair of Division I transfers to help supplement the team's guard depth, part of four newcomers joining Long Beach State in 2023-24. Isa Silva was a consensus national Top 100 recruit coming out of Jesuit High School in Sacramento two seasons a year ago, and comes to the Beach after two years in the rotation with Stanford, playing 64 games with the Cardinal. Messiah Thompson also joins the Beach as a graduate transfer, having scored 902 points over four seasons in Division I with Campbell and Alabama A&M. At Alabama A&M a season ago, Thompson averaged 10.8 points per game and shot 40.8 percent from three.

• Two true freshman will also look to make an impact for Long Beach State this season. Eli Djordjevic is a 6-8 guard out of White Rock, B.C. A Canadian youth team stalwart in international competition, Djordjevic will pose a matchup problem with his size. Another guard in 6-3 freshman Varick Lewis looks to be another shooter, coming from Monterey Trail High School in Elk Grove, Calif. where he averaged over 20 points per game.

THIS AND THAT
• Long Beach State continues to have an outstanding record in the Walter Pyramid. Since the start of the 2008-09 season, the Beach has piled up a 130-41 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 250 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, MicGuire 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.