Summing up the Niners’ Big West tourney losses and what LB fans can expect in the future of it’s basketball teams. 

Both Men’s and Women’s basketball programs entered the first day of the Big West tournament looking to upset their opponents. Instead it was just two more performances that would upset any Long Beach State fan.

The men’s team got off to a quick and impressive start against a stagnant looking UC Irvine squad. But much like the season has unfolded for the ‘Niners they could not hold on to their brief lead in a 77-63 loss last night.

The loss put an exclamation point on was has been a challenging year for first year coach Dan Monson and the fellas. But more disappointing could be the disparity between fan support at the Anaheim Convention Center from just last season. This time last year Long Beach State loyalists poured into the Anaheim convention center to support their top seeded ‘Niners bang out a conference tournament title and NCAA tournament birth. This year we belly flopped into the tournament as the number eight seed and got bounced out the tourney so quick, if you blinked you might have missed their 10-2 jump start early in the game. You got to give credit to the LB Band who brought their A-game, fully equipped with signs and clowning remarks for their rival Band. They kept it live for both ‘Niner games

The highlight of the night was the wonderful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner by an eleven year-old girl. No joke, she killed it. Let’s hope her family does her best to keep her away from such role models with the last name ending in Spears. And anyone associated with Larry Reynolds.

And yea it was that kind of game when the national anthem gets a paragraph in a sports story. The crowd was visually blown away by this little girl, Long Beach State couldn’t blow anyone away with those fans used to simulate sky diving, not even all three—count them, THREE—Monson Maniacs who had the gall to where the tie-dye outside the ‘Myd confines. Now that Monson is acclimated to the Beach, we can return to Blacking-out the ‘Myd for home matches.

There were a few bright spots for the Niners worth mentioning.

Donovan Morris, who should just be referred to as D-Money, was lights out. Even with the entire Anteaters squad rotating on him, trying to stop him. He still ended with 25 points and five rebounds. But what stood out was his demeanor on the court. Everything that left his hand had a chance of going in and when it didn’t, it was like he or the fans couldn’t believe it. Never has a team had so much riding on one player for their “success.” The closest thing I could think of was Kobe the past three seasons in L.A. We are one 7-foot Spaniard—with skills—away from a championship season. That’s all.

As for the supporting cast, Greg Plater put in 17 points and showed why people are excited about his promising future at Long Beach State. Cornell Williams had a good game offensively adding 12 points. Mo Clady had eight assists on the night but more impressively only had three turnovers the entire game. And while it is not the core group of yesteryear when LB sent out a lineup of Nixon, Johnson, Byrd and Houston, these four guys are coming back next year and they ain’t no chumps. Now that they got this sour-taste of a season out of their mouths, there is nowhere to go but up. Bring on the off-season.

Future of the women’s program.

The women’s basketball team entered the tourney at the seventh seed but also with the claim of being the hottest team in the Big West, winning their last four games by an average margin around 11 points.

Long Beach came into the game having already beat Fullerton by 18 three weeks ago. But this time they were on the opposite end of the deficit, losing 69-51.

Tyresha Calhoun is the lone senior for Long Beach State basketball (men’s and women’s squads) and will be missed as the only true point guard on the roster.

The entire starting line-up for Long Beach’s tournament game will be back next year. It all starts with two-time Big West second teamer Karina Figueroa, Big West all-freshmen team member LaTorya Barbee, Valeriya Musina, Courtney Jacobs and Brett Timmons—who put up a career high 12 points in the Fullerton loss—will all be back. Lauren Sims, who led the Big West in three-point percentage this season, Ally Wade and Kaiti O’Brien should improve and have a bigger impact next year.

But, the problem is that teams like Fullerton will also continue to get better. Their roster also only featured one senior and their roster featured better shooters, and it will be hard for any team to put up a skilled interior player against junior forward Toni Thomas.

This year’s number five seed in the Big West, Cal Poly will be losing four seniors, none of them big contributors to this year’s team. Pacific, the fourth seed in the tourney and number three seeded UC Riverside and conference champ UCSB will only lose two seniors. The second seeded UC Davis squad has four seniors on their roster.

In other words, a lot of big West teams are youthful and the ‘Niners will have to step their game up next season.