Long Beach State men’s basketball head coach Dan Monson is in his 12th campaign for the 49ers, and is in route to having another run in the Big West tournament. The team is currently 7-3 in conference play, and tied for fourth in the Big West standings with Cal State Fullerton and UC Davis. It’s a tight-knit battle for first place, but their coach believes the team can take the top spot with five games left in the season. The Daily 49er sat down with Monson to discuss what he hopes the team can prove until the Big West tournament.
Are you happy with how the team has been performing so far this season, and what are your expectations to end it?
DM: Yes and no. We’re coming together. We’re doing a lot of good things. We have to guard the bounce on the perimeter better we’ve got one big area to fill before we can get to the expectations that we want for the season. We’re just doing too many things well, but were just getting broken down off of ball screens and off the bounce too much.
What are some of the positives you’ve seen from the team this year?
DM: Well, I think it’s a really talented offensive team. There’s a lot of ways for us to score. We’ve got two of the best inside players in the league. We have offensively the best tandem of Temidayo Yussuf and Gabe Levin in the post and I think it’s an unselfish team that likes each other, so there’s a lot of positives to it. We just got to show up on the defensive end a little bit.
How are you guys preparing for the Big West Tournament?
DM: It’s kind of unique—we have back-to-back weeks where we only have one game, so it’s a great two weeks for us to get better and to try and work on some of these things that are limiting our success. The guys are very willing and I think we’re getting better.
Are there any big changes you want to see from the team as the season comes to a close?
DM: Well, I think they just need to play the next play. They need to continue to work hard to get better defensively. That is what I’d like to see. Again, were the number one offense in the league. If we can just shore our defense up, I believe that these guys deserve some success and I think we can go all the way.