HAPPY NEW YEAR, BEACH FANS!

Best wishes to all for a happy 2009. Men's BB enters the new year with a 5-7 record, with conference play starting this weekend against UCSB and Cal Poly at the Walter Pyramid. WBB enters BWC play at 3-8, and opens at Santa Barbara and Cal Poly Friday and Sunday. You can also catch an early glimpse of 49er Men's Volleyball this weekend as they play two exhibitions against Canadian champions University of Alberta. Game one will be Friday at 4pm in the Goldmine. Game 2 will be at 6pm in the Pyramid. Preseason polls have The Beach picked 3rd in the MPSF behind Pepperdine and UCLA.


Just for fun as we send out the new year, here are a few images of the various and sundry athletic logos we've had over the years. Again, Happy New Year, and be safe!

One Last Shot...

Big Monday Turnaround For Beach Hoops

After Saturday's disappointing losses to Montana State by the men, and BYU by the women, both squads rebounded yesterday for big wins in another early doubleheader. This time, the women led off with a 74-61 victory over New Mexico State. Whitney Fields came off the bench to pour in 30 points for The Beach, Adelle Walton added 10 points and 6 assists, and Brett Timmons cleared 11 boards. Then, in the Main Event of the day, Monson's Minions stormed back from an 8-point first-half deficit to take a 13 point lead late in the second half, then withstood a furious Owl comeback to hold on for the 76-71 upset win. Donovan Morris led the way for the 49ers with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, along with 5-6 FT shooting down the stretch to seal the victory. Freshman TJ Robinson was huge for The Beach in the second half, scoring 16 of his career-best 18 points after halftime. Stephan Gilling added 15 points, including 3 big 3-pointers, and 6-6 FT shooting. Temple star Dionte Christmas scored 19 points, all in the second half, eight of which came in the last few minutes of the game as the Owls tried to make the comeback.

Also key to the men's win was the standout playing of "Superstar" by the Big Brown Music Machine Alumni Band, making a special guest appearance for the big game to fill in for the 49er Pep Band as they take their holiday break.

Sightings through the Snow

Greetings from snow-covered Barstow, where we're still digging out from a near-record snowstorm (a whole six inches of accumulation...the record is nine inches back in 1967), and paralyzed highways which have been on the LA and Las Vegas news. Now I remember why I don't want to live in the mountains! LOL

Anyway, while attending the RCC Holiday basketball tournament last week, before the storms hit, I spotted ex-MBB assistant Reggie Howard doing some scouting. Apparently, he's landed in my backyard, almost literally, over at Barstow College, as the head coach. Hopefully, he's doing better than the previous coach, who had several players with legal troubles last season.

This got me to thinking, "what is Larry Reynolds doing?" Turns out he's back at Cal State San Bernardino, according to the September, 2008, minutes of the university president's council meeting:

"Dr. Aguilar announced that Larry Reynolds, former basketball coach, has been hired on a one-year appointment and will be working with Athletics and Alumni Affairs on special projects."

Lots of pre-Christmas basketball this weekend, with a Saturday doubleheader starting at 3pm, featuring the men against Montana State, and the women against BYU. Monday afternoon's action starts at 3:30 with the women vs. New Mexico State (no longer the Roadrunners, BTW), then the men against Dionte Christmas and Temple.

Merry Christmas, and GO BEACH!

49er Hoop Recruits Tidbits

Looks like 49er MBB recruit Jules Montgomery is off to a good start at Chaminade Prep this season. Here's a link to his stats so far this season from MaxPreps.

Kyle Richardson is also drawing some early season raves from the recruiting experts. Thanks to "danimal" for finding this blurb on Kyle from ESPN.com and Scouts inc's Joel Francisco:

December, 2008: The signing of Richardson by Long Beach State may turn out to be the biggest steal on the early signing period. He is a youthful looking talent with a very bright future. He plays much bigger than his listed height due to his Andrew Bynum-esque length. He has remarkable agility considering his size and very soft hands. His offensive game is still in its infantile stage, but he has a great feel for the game and has a tremendous knack to score. His footwork is solid for a big and he possesses a great touch around the basket. He needs to pick up his intensity, specifically on the defensive end, but overall his ceiling is very high.

Again, Yuba College's Tristan Wilson is currently playing in the Riverside CC Holiday Tournament, going on thru Saturday.

Hoops & Hot Stove Dirtbags News

MBB plays a rematch tonight at Weber State, starting at 5pm PST. Frank Burlison reports in his column that one of the officials will be former 49er Kevin Cutler, who also officiated in the 49er victory at Idaho State. The column also notes that Legends in Belmont Shore will be showing the Syracuse game, bright and early at 9am Saturday.


49er signee Tristan Wilson and his Yuba JC 49ers defeated Palomar College yesterday, 77-65, in the first round of the RCC tournament in Riverside. Here's the boxscore. Yuba faces Pasadena CC today at 1pm. The winner of that game faces either Saddleback or Citrus tomorrow at 5pm.



In MLB Winter Meetings news from Las Vegas, ex-Dirtbag outfielder Jeremy Reed is now an ex-Mariner, as he was sent to the NY Mets as part of a 3-team, 12-player blockbuster deal, which featured Reed's teammate, closer J.J. Putz, also heading to Gotham. Another ex-DB, pitcher Jason Vargas, goes to Seattle from the Mets. Here's the story from MLB.com.
(image credit: MLB.com)

WE'RE NUMBER ONE!!!

...at least in the Sagarin ratings! :)

Today's Jeff Sagarin ratings of the Big West have LB as the highest rated team at #131, actually down about 20 spots or so from before the loss to USF. UCSB is next at #135.

Another power ratings site, TeamRankings.com, rates The Beach at #99 in the nation. UCSB is also 2nd on their Big West list at #131.

Morris Blowing Up

Donovan Morris earned his second-straight Big West MBB Player of the Week honor for his work against Pepperdine and USF last week. LBPostSports.com has more details. They also have some nice video on their site of the Pepperdine game. The boys' next game is a rematch at Weber State on Thursday, before heading off to Syracuse for a lunchtime tilt (9am PST) on Saturday.

Quick congrats to WBB, winning their first road game this season, holding off Idaho, 55-54. Freshman PG Adelle Walton led the way with 11 points.

MBB Wins 3rd in a Row, WVB Learns It's Fate

Donovan Morris poured in 30 points, and with the help of Casper Ware and Larry Anderson, keyed an 11-2 run over the final two minutes, to lead the 49'rs over New Mexico State last night, 82-77. Morris nailed a 3-pointer with 1:56 to go to cut the Aggie lead to 75-74. Soon after, Ware hit two of the six free throws he would make down the stretch to give The Beach the lead for good, 76-75. Anderson also contributed a punctuating dunk off a Ware steal during the game-clinching run. Ware tied his career high with 15 points, and pulled down a team-high six rebounds, while Anderson dropped in 9 points off the bench. Jahmar Young led the young Aggies with 17 points, and Wendell McKines added 16 points, all in the first half. The win gives The Beach its first 3-game winning streak in the Dan Monson era, and they'll try to extend it to four games on Wednesday as they host the rebuilding Pepperdine Waves. Tip-off is at 7pm.

Read Frank Burlison's Press-Telegram game story here.


Read the Las Cruces Sun-News story here.





Women's Volleyball found out last night they'll be heading to Stanford for their 1st-round NCAA matchup this weekend with Pepperdine, with the winner likely facing the 2nd-seeded Cardinal in the second round at Maples Pavilion. Long Beach was the only Big West team selected for postseason.
(image credit; "RobertCB")

Women's Basketball takes on Portland State tonight in the Walter Pyramid. Tip-off is at 7pm.

Happy Thanksgiving! Busy Weekend Ahead

Happy Thanksgiving, and best wishes to all fellow Niner fans! It's a big weekend for Beach sports, starting Saturday, as the Big West Champion Women's Volleyball squad takes on MWC power Colorado State, starting at 7. Sunday, Men's Basketball returns from another thrilling OT win, this time in double OT at Idaho State, to take on ex-BWC rival New Mexico State, in a return game from last year's ESPN BracketBuster matchup in Las Cruces. Tip-off is at 4pm. Then on Monday, Women's Basketball is back in action hosting Portland State, coached by former Pacific coach Sherri Murrell, starting at 7p, before heading out on a 4-game road trip.

Also. congratulations to Phelan's own Caitlin LeDoux, who was named BWC Women's Volleyball Freshman of the Year earlier in the week, and also made 1st-team All-BWC! Good luck to WVB in the NCAA's!

Thrilling Homecoming Victory Adds to a Good Beach Weekend

A raucous Homecoming crowd of 3664, including legendary former 49er coach Jerry Tarkanian, watched in amazement as The Beach Men's Hoop squad came back from 23 points down in the second half to topple Weber State in overtime, 73-69. The victory breaks a 10-game losing streak, dating back to last season. The Press-Telegram's Frank Burlison has the key details here.

Tark and several of his former players were honored during the game, as the crowd gave them a long standing ovation. Also honored at halftime were the 2008 49er Hall of Fame class. Appearing on court were football player John Kahler, longtime softball coach Pete Manarino (now the HC at UNLV), and hoop legend James Cotton (along with his little daughter!). An excellent Homecoming celebration...the only thing missing was the band playing "Superstar"! :)

Later yesterday evening, Women's Volleyball shook off their lackluster performance the night before in Northridge to sweep Fullerton at Titan Gym, and clinch the outright Big West title. Their final regular season match is coming up next Saturday against #15 Colorado State, before heading into the NCAA tournament.

Women's Hoops started the weekend in style Friday night by blowing out San Jose State, 83-59 (and earning the crowd some free breadsticks!). Courtney Jacob had 15 points and 11 boards, plus four assists and 4 blocks, to lead the way. Lauren Sims came off the bench to pour in 15 points, and got the rout started with her hot shooting in the first half. Whitney Fields added 13 points and 8 boards in just 19 minutes due to foul trouble. The ladies hit the road tomorrow (Monday), heading up the 405 to face LMU.

Men's hoop is back in action Tuesday night at Idaho State, whom The Beach also beat in OT last season, tipping off at 6pm PT.

MBB Recruits Officially Sign

Dan Monson's MBB Fall recruiting class for 2009-10 has been officially released. Here is the link to the PDF file.

Here are the four fall recruits:

Tristan Wilson--G/F 6-5 205 Phoenix, AZ
Playing at Yuba Community College in Marysville, CA.

(link to Yuba bio)

(image credit: Scout.com)

Originally from Chicago, according to his bio on the Yuba CC website. Was recruited initially out of Apollo HS in Phoenix by Sacramento State, but did not play as a Prop. 48 recruit in 2006-07. AZ state 4A player of the year his last two years at Apollo, leading his team to consecutive state 4A titles. 2nd-team preseason JC All-American by Street & Smiths for this season. Reportedly also made official visits to Washington and Iowa State, and was also getting interest from Alabama, UNLV, Bradley, CSUN, Utah Valley and Sac State, again. Will come in as a Junior, with no redshirt year available.

Lin Chang--F 6-9 235 Beijing, China
Played last season at Mira Costa JC in San Diego.

(link to YouTube video)

Played his senior year of high school at Carson Graham in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where he was reportedly rated the #2 prep center in the province. Was voted 1st-team All-Pacific Coast Conference last season. Also recruited by Weber State, UCR, Idaho and Nevada, according to Rivals.com. Will not play for Mira Costa JC this season, and will come to The Beach next season as a sophomore, with no redshirt year available.


Kyle Richardson--F 6-7 220 Lakewood / Mayfair HS

(link to ESPN.com scouting report)

(image credit: Scout.com)

Selected 3rd-team Best in the West by the Press-Telegram. Rated #37 SF in the nation by ESPN/Scouts inc.. Also recruited by Fresno State, Utah State, UCI, Lehigh, Princeton, San Jose State and Boise State.

Jules Montgomery--F 6-10 195 West Hills / Chaminade Prep

(link to ESPN.com scouting report)

Press-Telegram Best in the West Honorable Mention selection. Rated #71 PF in the nation by ESPN/Scouts inc.. Also recruited by Oregon, Oregon State, SMU, Denver and Texas Southern.

Veterans' Day, Evan, Tark, and Soccer

First of all today, a good Veterans' Day to everyone, as we remember all our military vets today, past and present (including my late Father, and my very much alive Brother). Thank you for your service for the USA!


Congratulation to 49er/Dirtbag alum, and current Tampa Bay Ray, Evan Longoria, who was named American League Rookie of the Year yesterday. Despite being left off the opening day roster, Evan was instrumental in the Rays' unlikely and historic run to the AL Championship, and first-ever World Series appearance. Bobby Crosby won the same award back in 2004 for Oakland.
(photo courtesy MLB.com)



Also some exciting Homecoming news...legendary 49er MBB coach Jerry Tarkanian will be honored on the Walter Pyramid court, along with many of his former players, during the November 22nd game vs. Weber State. Click here for the details on the LBSU Athletics site.


Finally, congratulations to the Women's Soccer team. Despite losing the BWC's automatic bid to UCSB Sunday in the conference tournament final, The BWC regular season champs were rewarded with an at-large bid to their first NCAA Tournament. Find out more here.
(Thanks, Rob, for the photo!)



One last bit of news from Frank Burlison in the Press-Telegram today (see the end of the column)...6-5 wing Tristan Wilson from Yuba Community College has verballed to The Beach, and is expected to join Lin Chang, Kyle Richardson and Jules Montgomery in signing Letters of Intent to come to LB, starting tomorrow morning, as the Fall signing period for basketball begins.

(BTW, Yuba CC's mascot looks kinda familiar, no?)

Sunday stuff: WVB Gets Two Huge Road Wins

Congrats to the WVB squad, which overcame the loss of Ashley Lee for the season by sweeping UCSB Friday, and winning a 5-set thriller at Cal Poly Saturday, to cement their position at the top of the Big West. They come home Wednesday to try to avenge an earlier loss to UCI, starting at 7pm.

Since there was no Cal Poly game story in the Press-Telegram (at least as of 7am), here's the story from the SLO Tribune. (hopefully it doesn't try to make you register!)

Also, Women's Soccer goes for its first BWC Tournament title, and first NCAA Tournament bid, as they host UCSB today at 1pm.

Monson's "MINDSET"

(image credit: LBSU Sports Information)


"Journalist Doug E.", in his Press-Telegram column today, takes a look at 49er MBB Coach Dan Monson as he prepares for his second season in LB, and the new "Mindset" he's instilling in the team.





Also, congrats to Women's Soccer as they beat Pacific, 3-0 yesterday, in the BWC Tournament semifinal match. They will face UCSB on Sunday at George Allen Field for the title, and the NCAA Tournament auto bid.

WVB: Oh No! The Big 5-0!!

Last night at the Pyramid, 49er Women's Volleyball defeated Cal State Fullerton in 4 games...er, sets. It was the 50th consecutive match win over the Titans, spanning 26 years. The Press-Telegram's Frank Burlison has the story.

The Big West-leading Beach has two critical matches this weekend, Friday night at UCSB, and Saturday at 2nd-place Cal Poly. A win over the Mustangs gives LB the edge for the conference's automatic NCAA bid should the two teams tie at the top a season's end.

WBB: No Love for 49'rs in Exhibition Loss

Despite 12 points and 22 boards from Arizona transfer center Whitney Fields, Mary Hegarty's ladies fell in the final seconds to Colleen Matsuhara's Love & Basketball squad, 65-64, last night in the Pyramid. LBPostSports.com has the story.

Also, Women's Volleyball returns to the 'Mid tonight against Cal State Fullerton. First serve is 7pm.

Big West Hoops Media Day

Yesterday was basketball media day for the Big West. The Press-Telegram's Frank Burlison writes today about the Men's side, while Robert Morales covers the Women's side.

The Big West site also has a write-up on yesterday's Men's and Women's media event, complete with media and coaches polls, and pre-season all-conference teams.

Congrats to Donovan Morris and Karina Figueroa for making their respective all-BWC teams.

The Men are being picked to finish 5th by the media, and 8th by the coaches, just ahead of UCR. The Women are picked 5th by the media, and 7th by the coaches. CSUN's Men and UCR's Women are picked to take the BWC title this season in each set of polls.

Happy Birthday, Terrell Davis!

Watching PTI today on ESPN, they mentioned that today is Terrell Davis' 36th birthday. As you may know, the former NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion began his college football career here at Long Beach State. Davis was recruited by George Allen in 1990 out of Lincoln Prep in San Diego. He redshirted his first year, before finally playing for Willie Brown on the 1991 squad...the last football season at The Beach. Davis only was able to play five games (I believe) and rushed for just 262 yards on 55 carries as a 49er, but it was clear he could be a difference-making player when he got the opportunity. His long TD reception at UNLV led to one of the teams two victories that final season. After our program folded, Davis was able to transfer to Georgia and play immediately in 1992. Three years later, he was taken in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, and the rest is history. Happy Birthday, Terrell!

Terrell Davis NFL.com career stats

Source link: allsports.com

P.S.: Found and interesting article in the archives of The District on the demise of 49er Football, and why it's likely gone for good. It also talks a bit about Terrell Davis' short 49er career.

MBB Preview on LB Post

LB Post Sports.com has now posted a player-by-player preview of the Men's Hoop squad, according to Mike G. on the message board. Check it out!

Another Report from Saturday Scrimmage

(photo credit: Tucker Savoye, Daily 49er)

The Daily 49er has posted its story on Saturday's MBB public practice and scrimmage. Check it out here.

First Preseason Honor for Morris

The LBSU Official site reports 49er swingman Donovan Morris has been named an honorable mention preseason "Mid-Major" All-American by CollegeHoopsNet.com. Fullerton's Josh Akognon made 2nd-team. They are the only BWC players on the list.

WSOC in Big West Driver's Seat

Mauricio Ingrassia's ladies took down CSUN today, 5-0, at George Allen Field, in their final regular-season home match. With Davis' 1-0 home upset over Cal Poly today, the 49'rs control their fate in the hunt for the BWC title when they travel to the central coast next week to take on 2nd-place UCSB, and 3rd-place Cal Poly. LB has a 3-point lead over SB in the standings, and a 4-point lead over CP, with two games to go. A 49'er win on Halloween night over SB clinches the title, and the right to host the conference tournament. LB could also win the conference outright with ties against both teams. The Beach has already clinched a spot in the tournament, and would be the #3 seed at worst. SB and CP also each host UC Irvine next week.

Weekend notes

Props to Women's Volleyball for their wins over Davis and Pacific this weekend. LB Post Sports has a nice article on Friday's 1998 NCAA Championship team reunion, along with lots of photos. (photo courtesy Angie Yen, LBPostSports.com)

"BeachNiner" provided a nice player-by-player observation from Saturday's Men's Basketball scrimmage at the Walter Pyramid on the Yuku board. This will be the only real chance for us fans and boosters to see the team in person before they open up non-conference play. The home opener is Saturday, 11/22 against Weber State. Before that, the team will play two closed scrimmages at USD and at home with the Air Force Academy, before opening the season with road games at BYU and Wisconsin.

LB Post Sports also has its own Big West MBB Preview for you to enjoy.

Open Hoops Practice This Weekend

Here's a note from Alix Traver of the former Sixth Man Booster Club, with information about this weekend's Men's & Women's Basketball open practices, and the upcoming Basketball Tip-off Dinner:

Saturday, October 25:
Long Beach State Basketball opens the Walter Pyramid doors to the public for its annual Open Practice. For one day, the community will be able to get a free, first-hand look at both the men's and women's teams for 2008-09 as they train for their respective season openers. The day begins at 9:00 AM with the Men's practice and intra-squad scrimmage. The Women's team will practice and hold their annual Black & Gold scrimmage beginning at 1:00 PM. A free kids clinic will be hosted by members of both the men's and women's teams between the two practices. Any child (ages 4-14) can participate in the clinic instruction free of charge. No RSVP is necessary. The Walter Pyramid Concession Stand will also be open from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM on Saturday.

Open Practice Schedule:
9:00 AM-12:00 PM: Men's Basketball Practice/Intra-squad Scrimmage
12:00-1:00 PM: FREE Kids Clinic
1:00-3:00 PM: Women's Basketball Practice/Black & Gold Scrimmage
3:00 PM: Women's Basketball BBQ

For more information regarding the events on October 25, please contact Dedan Brozino at (562) 985-8094 or dbrozino@csulb.edu.

Thursday, November 6:
49er Athletic Club’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tip Off Dinner at the Walter Pyramid, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., $35 per person ($25 for students) , $25 to sponsor a player. Reservations required by October 31.
Call (562) 985-4662 for reservations and credit card payments.

Welcome!

Hello! I'm DesertNiner, the guy that had the old LBSU Sports News & Links webpage that you may have surfed across over the past 8 years or so. Regrettably, AOL has ended it's webhosting service, so that page is going away for a while. As a result, i'm creating this blog to bring some of that information here, along with providing a central place to find news articles, columns, etc., about Long Beach State teams, present and former athletes, and so on. I'll try to keep it as up to date as possible. You'll find various links of interest on the right side of the page, and i'll be adding more as I find them. Thanks for visiting!

GO BEACH!!