2023–24 Long Beach State Beach men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Long Beach State Beach men's basketball team represented California State University, Long Beach during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Beach, led by 17th-year head coach Dan Monson, played their home games at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California as members of the Big West Conference. They finished the season 21–15, 10–10 in Big West play to finish a tie for fifth place. As the No. 4 seed in the Big West tournament, they defeated UC Riverside, UC Irvine, and UC Davis to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 15 seed in the West region. There they lost to Arizona.

2023–24 Long Beach State Beach men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceBig West Conference
Record21–15 (10–10 Big West)
Head coach
Associate head coachMyke Scholl
Assistant coaches
  • Senque Carey
  • Larry Anderson
Home arenaWalter Pyramid
Seasons
2023–24 Big West men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
UC Irvine 17 3   .850 24 10   .706
UC San Diego* 15 5   .750 21 12   .636
UC Davis 14 6   .700 20 13   .606
Hawai'i 11 9   .550 20 14   .588
Long Beach State 10 10   .500 21 15   .583
UC Riverside 10 10   .500 16 18   .471
UC Santa Barbara 9 11   .450 16 15   .516
Cal State Northridge 9 11   .450 19 15   .559
Cal State Bakersfield 8 12   .400 13 19   .406
Cal State Fullerton 7 13   .350 14 18   .438
Cal Poly 0 20   .000 4 28   .125
* ineligible for the 2024 NCAA tournament due to transition period
2024 Big West tournament winner

After the regular season, the school announced that head coach Dan Monson would finish the postseason as the team's head coach, but would not return as head coach by mutual agreement.[1][2] Despite this, Monson led the team to the NCAA tournament.[3] Athletic director Bobby Smitheran later stated he fired Monson to inspire the team.[4]

Previous season

edit

The Beach finished the 2022–23 season 17–16, 11–9 in Big West play to finish in seventh place.[5] In the Big West tournament, they were upset by Cal Poly in the first round.[6]

Roster

edit
2023–24 Long Beach State Beach men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Marcus Tsohonis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr VCU Portland, OR
F 1 Amari Stroud 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Allan Hancock College Fresno, CA
G 2 Isa Silva 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Stanford Sacramento, CA
G 3 Maddox Monson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Los Alamitos High School Los Alamitos, CA
G 4 Messiah Thompson 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Alabama A&M Atlanta, GA
G 5 Jason Hart Jr. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Fr St. Bernard High School Los Angeles, CA
G 8 Eli Djordjevic 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Orangeville Prep White Rock, BC
G 10 AJ George 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Hoover High School Fresno, CA
G 11 Varick Lewis 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Monterey Trail High School Elk Grove, CA
G 12 Jadon Jones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr St. Anthony High School Long Beach, CA
C 13 Chayce Polynice 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr College of Southern Idaho Van Nuys, CA
F 23 Lassina Traoré 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Saint Louis Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
F 25 Aboubacar Traoré 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr LaBASE Academy Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
F 35 Shaumba Ngoyi 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Sunrise Christian Academy Kinshasa, DR Congo
C 40 Jeffrey Yan 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Sr Capistrano Valley Christian School Shanghai, China
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 25, 2023

Schedule and results

edit
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 2, 2023*
7:00 pm, 
Cal Lutheran W 107–63 
 18  L. Traoré   7  L. Traoré   8  Thompson  Walter Pyramid (1,603)
Long Beach, CA
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:30 pm, WCC Network
at Portland L 73–78  0–1
 23  Jones   9  A. Traoré   5  A. Traoré  Chiles Center (1,073)
Portland, OR
November 11, 2023*
7:00 pm, FS2
at DePaul W 77–73  1–1
 22  Tsohonis   11  L. Traoré   4  Silva  Wintrust Arena (2,651)
Chicago, IL
November 14, 2023*
7:00 pm, MW Network
at San Diego State L 76–88  1–2
 17  Tsohonis   6  A. Traoré   8  A. Traoré  Viejas Arena (12,414)
San Diego, CA
November 17, 2023*
4:00 pm, B1G+
at Michigan W 94–86  2–2
 35  Tsohonis   10  L. Traoré   4  Thompson  Crisler Center (10,866)
Ann Arbor, MI
November 20, 2023*
10:30 am, FloHoops
vs. Illinois State
Gulf Coast Showcase first round
L 52–61  2–3
 10  Thompson   15  L. Traoré   4  Thompson  Hertz Arena (214)
Estero, FL
November 21, 2023*
8:00 am, FloHoops
vs. Iona
Gulf Coast Showcase consolation 2nd round
W 80–76  3–3
 19  Jones   10  A. Traoré   6  A. Traoré  Hertz Arena (201)
Estero, FL
November 22, 2023*
10:30 am, FloHoops
vs. Louisiana
Gulf Coast Showcase 5th place game
L 82–92  3–4
 18  A. Traoré   10  Ratliff   4  A. Traoré  Hertz Arena (176)
Estero, FL
November 26, 2023*
1:00 pm, ESPN+
at Montana State W 75–69  4–4
 26  Tsohonis   13  L. Traoré   4  Jones  Worthington Arena (2,501)
Bozeman, MT
December 2, 2023*
4:00 pm, ESPN+
Sacramento State W 83–73  5–4
 24  Jones   11  L. Traoré   6  Tied  Walter Pyramid (1,815)
Long Beach, CA
December 6, 2023*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Life Pacific W 88–66  6–4
 12  V. Lewis   10  A. Traoré   5  Tied  Walter Pyramid (1,373)
Long Beach, CA
December 10, 2023*
1:00 pm, P12N
at USC W 84–79 OT 7–4
 28  M. Tsohonis   8  Tied   5  A. Traoré  Galen Center (9,806)
Los Angeles, CA
December 19, 2023*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Cal State Dominguez Hills W 107–78  8–4
 23  Jones   10  L. Traoré   5  Silva  Walter Pyramid (1,602)
Long Beach, CA
Big West regular season
December 28, 2023
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Cal State Fullerton W 81–71  9–4
(1–0)
 23  A. Traoré   22  A. Traoré   6  A. Traoré  Titan Gym (1,436)
Fullerton, CA
December 30, 2023
4:00 pm, ESPN+
Cal State Northridge L 68–84  9–5
(1–1)
 17  Tsohonis   7  A. Traoré   5  A. Traoré  Walter Pyramid (2,003)
Long Beach, CA
January 4, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Cal Poly W 89–82  10–5
(2–1)
 30  A. Traoré   19  L. Traoré   6  Thompson  Mott Athletics Center (1,482)
San Luis Obispo, CA
January 6, 2024
4:00 pm, ESPN+
UC Riverside W 83–75  11–5
(3–1)
 19  L. Traoré   15  L. Traoré   7  Tsohonis  Walter Pyramid (2,546)
Long Beach, CA
January 11, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at UC San Diego L 74–88  11–6
(3–2)
 18  Tsohonis   7  A. Traoré   6  Tsohonis  LionTree Arena (2,083)
La Jolla, CA
January 13, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at UC Santa Barbara L 76–85  11–7
(3–3)
 23  Thompson   9  A. Traoré   10  A. Traoré  The Thunderdome (2,892)
Santa Barbara, CA
January 18, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Hawai'i W 79–71  12–7
(4–3)
 20  Tsohonis   8  A. Traoré   7  A. Traoré  Walter Pyramid (1,835)
Long Beach, CA
January 25, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
UC Irvine L 61–72  12–8
(4–4)
 15  Tsohonis   8  L. Traoré   3  Tied  Walter Pyramid (3,024)
Long Beach, CA
January 27, 2024
1:00 pm, ESPN+
at UC Riverside W 65–53  13–8
(5–4)
 15  Tsohonis   10  A. Traoré   4  Tied  SRC Arena (573)
Riverside, CA
February 1, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Cal State Bakersfield L 76–82 OT 13–9
(5–5)
 28  George   8  L. Traoré   6  A. Traoré  Icardo Center (1,656)
Bakersfield, CA
February 3, 2024
4:00 pm, ESPN+
UC San Diego W 85–76  14–9
(6–5)
 18  Tsohonis   8  L. Traoré   6  Tsohonis  Walter Pyramid (2,308)
Long Beach, CA
February 10, 2024
4:00 pm, ESPN+
Cal Poly W 77–68  15–9
(7–5)
 26  J. Jones   8  Tied   6  Tsohonis  Walter Pyramid (2,082)
Long Beach, CA
February 15, 2024
6:00 pm, ESPN+
at UC Davis W 78–74  16–9
(8–5)
 20  A. Traoré   16  L. Traoré   6  L. Traoré  University Credit Union Center (1,810)
Davis, CA
February 17, 2024
5:00 pm, ESPN+
at Cal State Northridge W 87–73  17–9
(9–5)
 22  Jones   15  L. Traoré   7  Tsohonis  Premier America Credit Union Arena (411)
Northridge, CA
February 22, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Cal State Bakersfield W 79–66  18–9
(10–5)
 18  George   7  George   5  Jones  Walter Pyramid (1,732)
Long Beach, CA
February 24, 2024
9:00 pm, ESPN+
at Hawai'i L 65–73  18–10
(10–6)
 18  George   14  L. Traoré   2  L. Traoré  Stan Sheriff Center (5,822)
Honolulu, HI
February 29, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Cal State Fullerton L 71–76  18–11
(10–7)
 23  Jones   12  L. Traoré   6  A. Traoré  Walter Pyramid (2,326)
Long Beach, CA
March 2, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at UC Irvine L 61–82  18–12
(10–8)
 19  Tsohonis   16  L. Traoré   4  A. Traoré  Bren Events Center (4,799)
Irvine, CA
March 7, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
UC Santa Barbara L 74–76  18–13
(10–9)
 25  Tsohonis   12  L. Traoré   7  A. Traoré  Walter Pyramid (2,255)
Long Beach, CA
March 9, 2024
3:00 pm, ESPN+
UC Davis L 78–88  18–14
(10–10)
 21  Tsohonis   15  L. Traoré   4  Tsohonis  Walter Pyramid (1,894)
Long Beach, CA
Big West tournament
March 14, 2024
8:30 pm, ESPN+
(4) vs. (5) UC Riverside
Quarterfinals
W 86–67  19–14
 21  Tied   11  Tied   13  A. Traoré  Dollar Loan Center (1,227)
Henderson, NV
March 15, 2024
6:00 pm, ESPN+
(4) vs. (1) UC Irvine
Semifinals
W 83–79  20–14
 20  A. Traoré   10  L. Traoré   7  A. Traoré  Dollar Loan Center (−)
Henderson, NV
March 16, 2024
6:30 pm, ESPN2/ESPN+
(4) vs. (2) UC Davis
Championship Game
W 74–70  21–14
 25  Tied   13  A. Traoré   6  A. Traoré  Dollar Loan Center (1,623)
Henderson, NV
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2024
11:00 am, TBS
(15 W) vs. (2 W) No. 9 Arizona
First Round
L 65–85  21–15
 14  Tied   15  A. Traoré   4  A. Traoré  Delta Center (17,102)
Salt Lake City, UT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific.

Sources:[7][8]

References

edit
  1. ^ Carr, Janis (March 12, 2024). "Long Beach State, basketball coach Dan Monson parting ways". Press Telegram. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  2. ^ "LBSU eyes tourney berth after coach's dismissal". ESPN.com. March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  3. ^ "Dan Monson not leaving the Beach just yet. He is heading to March Madness without a job next season". AP News. March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  4. ^ "Long Beach St. AD: Fired coach to inspire team". ESPN.com. March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  5. ^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Standings". The Big West. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  6. ^ "Long Beach State Stunned By Cal Poly In Big West Tournament". Long Beach State University Athletics. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  7. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Long Beach State University Athletics. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  8. ^ "Long Beach State Beach 2023-24 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 25, 2023.