This is not a season preview, or a prediction or a forecast.  This is the next step in the evolution of a movement.  This is what turns school into college.  

Anyone who believes that cheering doesn’t really affect the outcome of a sporting event—first of all, is a boring person, and second—obviously did not attend any men’s basketball games last season.  There’s nothing more fulfilling than feeling like you were a part of the success that your team achieved.  Last season’s conference championship run was successful because of talented players and spirited fans, bound together by school but brought together through sports.

Last year’s squad was the latest in Long Beach State’s long line of great basketball teams that began when legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian literally picked forward Ed Ratleff from the playgrounds of Columbus, Ohio in 1969.  The 49ers went 74-12 in Ratleff’s three years, and over the course of the 1970s, Long Beach State amassed the eighth best winning percentage in the nation (.749, 203-68).

Ratleff was followed by ten more All-Americans—including current CSULB Intramurals Director Glenn McDonald (’74), and more recently Aaron Nixon (’07)—and the 1994 squad featured future pros Bryon Russell and Lucious Harris, the latter being the only 49er besides Ratleff to have his jersey hang in the Pyramid.  That star-laden team waltzed into Lawrence, Kansas and knocked off the #1-ranked Jayhawks, 64-49.

The program fell on hard times in the late 90s and early 2000s, unable to establish an identity and maintain consistency.  But a wave of talented gunners led the nation in scoring in 2006, and spearheaded an unexpected charge to the conference championship game.  Most of those responsible stuck around, and the ’06-07 team amassed a 24-8 record, a Big West Championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995.

The worst thing about seniors is that they graduate, and so this year we are left with zero returning starters and lots of questions.  But for once, we have a stable coaching presence.  Dan Monson, who knows how to build success and run big-time programs, was brought in after seven tumultuous seasons with Minnesota.  It won’t happen this year, and it may not happen next year, but Dan Monson has the ability to build The Beach into a consistent threat to win conference championships.

Great coaches have graced our benches, from all-time wins leader Tark to Arizona legend Lute Olsen and the inventor of the Triangle Offense, Tex Winter.  Monson now has the opportunity to mold the program in his likeness, from recruiting to the court and the classroom.

This is what the last two years of lightning success have bloomed into: the clout to attract a nationally acclaimed coach that will work to re-establish a consistently successful team.  The last two seasons were a flash in the pan, but five years from now we may look back on this season as the one that began our rise to becoming a certified powerhouse.

It used to be unthinkable—recently, in fact—that athletics would reach the kind of success that we’re now on the verge of.  Though this season will be full of growing pains, the foundation has been laid to bring the Beach back to basketball prominence—and this is your chance to be a part of that effort.

Hug a stranger.  Give Superfan a high-five.  Lead a cheer.  This is your school.  This is your team.

Player Profiles

With so many new faces and so many questions about this team—hell, when we rushed the court after last year’s conference championship, the fans spent more time on the floor than any returning player—it’s impossible to predict which players will ultimately have the most impact this season.  But here are the ones that you should get to know.

Artis Gant, JR G #11
Artis spent the past two seasons coming off the bench when our two star point guards needed rest.  This year, the physical 6’3″ guard will not be asked to carry the bulk of the ball-handling or run the offense, but will be expected to make things happen when he’s got the ball.  Extremely good court vision and a gift for finding the creative pass will lead to plenty of easy buckets for the 49er bigs.  Tough defense and solid rebounding guarantee his spot in the rotation.

Maurice Clady, JR PG #20
Clady is a 5’8” transfer who will split time with Plater at the point.  With speed burst like Nos and hands quicker than E. Honda, Clady will be a fan-favorite when he steps on the court—sporting a baggy uniform and shoulder-to-shoulder smile. He just seems like he has fun out there strippin’ opponents of the ball as well as their dignity—which will occur often.  Thing is, he may be too fast for his own good at times.  By midseason he will have adjusted to slowing down to game speed and running the offense effectively, and if he can knock down some jumpers consistently he will be a force off the bench, adding another dynamic to the floor.

Donovan Morris, JR SG #4
A quick and physical 6’4″ combo guard, Donovan brings more D-1 experience to the table than most of the other players, but he hasn’t played significant minutes since 2006.  His transfer from Fresno State forced him to sit out last year’s championship season, but Morris is unquestionably talented—Coach Monson called him “not a particularly good shooter or finisher, but a great scorer”—and ready to unleash that pent-up ability.  Morris also shot a blistering 41% from behind the arc in two years at Fresno (despite his coach’s comments).

Andrew Fleming, JR C #50
There aren’t many places for a 7-foot-tall man to hide, and people noticed when Andrew Fleming rarely left the bench in his first two years here.  Expect that to change, partly because of necessity and partly because of the vast improvement in Andrew’s athleticism.  He spent the summer at the world- famous Pete Newell Big Man Camp, and can now be seen grabbing tough rebounds and dunking on people in his way—two things that would have sent the student section into cardiac arrest last season.

Greg Plater, F PG #3
This south-pawed freshman will be called to handle the rock this season. That is a lot of responsibility for a true frosh but set with good vision, speed and super glue handles, he is definitely capable—Plater arrived in Long Beach as the number one ranked point guard in Oregon by some sites.  He may have some growing pains against physical guards, but the laid-back Plater has the talent and can make the right reads and decisions. Expect him to run the show like Favre in the two-minute drill.

Brian Freeman, JR PF/C #24
Freeman might be the most significant addition to the roster. The 6’10” tower is blessed with great agility, shooter’s touch and aggressiveness (for a big body). Freeman will be swatting opponents as if they were little schoolyard boys.  If he can produce close to what he did in JC (18.1 points, 14.4 rebounds) the 49ers will be straight this year. Freeman also gives Long Beach State versatility when they play opponents with size. Throw in a much-improved Flemingo and we’ve got a legitimate frontcourt.

This article originally appeared in the Long Beach Union Weekly, which can be viewed in its entirety here.  Staff writer Sergio Ascencio contributed to this piece.