Dan Monson’s work at Long Beach not over yet
Seven days ago, Dan Monson agreed to leave his position as head coach of Long Beach State whenever its men’s basketball season ended.
He’ll be in charge a few more days. Monson will coach into this week after the Beach clinched a spot in the men’s NCAA Tournament by beating UC Davis 74-70 in the Big West tournament final Saturday, capping off what has been a wild week for Long Beach State.
“When Jim Harbaugh says ‘who’s got it better than him?’ somebody needs to tell him Dan Monson,” Monson said in his on-court interview after the game.
Long Beach State had a roller coaster of a season with wins against big-time programs. After beating DePaul on the road, the Beach lost at San Diego State and then beat Michigan three days later.
The highlight of the season came when Long Beach State defeated Southern Cal to spoil Bronny James’ college debut. The Trojans led by 15 at halftime, but Long Beach State stormed back to force overtime and eventually won.
In February, Long Beach State was 18-9 and was contending for the Big West regular-season title. But the Beach lost five games in a row to end the regular season. That made them the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament.
Last Monday, Long Beach State announced that Monson and the school agreed to part ways at the end of the season. Monson, who led the Beach for 17 seasons, would continue to coach the team through the postseason. But the school said a search for a head coach would begin “immediately.”
“I am proud of what we have accomplished on and off the court, but it is time for a new voice for the program. I wish nothing but the best for a special university and a tremendous group of student-athletes. I am also personally excited for what lies ahead for the Monson family and myself,” Monson said.
Monson, 62, was the head coach of Gonzaga for two seasons, and he led the Bulldogs to the Elite Eight in 1999. After that run he moved on to Minnesota, where he spent parts of eight seasons, before landing at Long Beach in 2007.
As the No. 4 seed, Long Beach State opened up play in the Big West tournament in the quarterfinals against UC Riverside and got a convincing 86-67 win. In the semifinals, Long Beach State faced No. 1 seed UC Irvine. It was able to overcome a late deficit to win 83-79.
This will be the first NCAA Tournament berth for Long Beach State since 2012 and the second under Monson. Saturday’s win was Monson’s 275th leading the Beach.