All in all, things are good these days for Long Beach State basketball. The team will return four senior starters from a group that won the regular season conference title and fell in the Tournament Finals and there is a band of talented new recruits and transfers that are expected to inject new life into the Walter Pyramid. Yes, things are good.

But good enough to attract the best high school player in the nation?

That’s the question that the Los Angeles Times is asking today, in a story about Nevada small forward Shabazz Muhammad. The 2012 recruit has UCLA, Duke, Kentucky and Texas on his shortlist, and the Times would like to know why the good ‘ol Black & Yellow isn’t included.

Muhammad’s mother Faye, you see, is a former 49er track star who recently wondered aloud why Long Beach didn’t make a play at her son. After all, they have an in, right?

Basketball head coach Dan Monson is well aware of Muhammad, you can be sure. In the past year, while covering prep basketball for other outlets, I’ve witnessed Monson yakking it up with fellow NCAA coaches while Muhammad and other young stars took flight on the court. And you can’t be in the same gym as Muhammad without taking note of his natural ability. ESPN ranks him with a score of 97 out of 100, as the No. 1 player at his position and the No. 3 overall. “Within 15-feet of the basket he is virtually unstoppable at this level and his competitive nature is contagious,” the report reads.

Roll your tongue back into your mouth and cut it out with the drooling, please.

In his four-season stint at the Beach thus far, Monson has proven his ability to improve his team through recruiting, and even to reach above himself to snag a particularly talented player or two (see Dan Jennings and Jacob Thomas, though the latter didn’t work out academically).

But there comes a point when you’re reaching a bit too far, and Monson knows it. On the court, the 49ers are willing to take on all comers and have faced all of Muhammad’s top choices in the past two seasons. Off the floor, though, you gotta know when to fold. Monson probably dropped Muhammad off his radar once it became clear that he would be attracting this kind of attention. You only have so many scholarships – why shoot for the moon when you’re still trying to build your rocket?

Besides, Muhammad’s father played for USC, and that didn’t help the Trojans’ case any.

Like I said: All in all, things are good these days for Long Beach State basketball. Monson and the 49ers have a long road ahead but there’s more light in the tunnel than ever before. Give Muhammad a wave and wish him well. There’s work to be done.