By With the restructuring of Dan Monson’s contract, the hiring of Bobby Braswell and new faces filling the roster, only one thing was missing — a fresh new look.
Long Beach State men’s and women’s basketball teams will be decked out in jerseys with the updated “BE/\CH” logo beginning this season. The teams officially unveiled the new look uniforms on social media and at their respective media days.
Head coaches Dan Monson and Jeff Cammon of the men’s and women’s teams will have four different sets to choose from: a white uniform with black lettering, black with white lettering, charcoal with gold lettering and a gold uniform with “The LBC” front and center.
I am not the biggest fan of the updated Beach logo, but all of these uniforms are very sharp. The addition of the Big West conference logo on the opposite shoulder of the Nike swoosh also makes Long Beach look more professional, similar to powerhouse schools in the Pac-12 conference or the ACC.
It may not seem like a big deal, but small details like new uniforms and a city edition jersey help with recruiting. It goes along with the saying ,“Look good, feel good, play good.” I would not be surprised if both programs saw more interest from people around the city just by wearing the uniforms for certain games.
Going hand in hand with the school’s new logos and the darker, grittier Walter Pyramid floor, these new uniforms are a part of an ongoing effort to create a deeper connection between the city and Long Beach State.
“Having the LBC on the front of our jerseys reminds us that we’re not just representing the university but also the city of Long Beach,” senior forward Mason Riggins said.
The men’s and women’s teams have the same logos and colors on all four jerseys with the only difference being the stripes and design on the shorts.
“I love the new jerseys, getting to put them on for our media day just made me even more excited for the season coming up,” Riggins said. “The LBC jersey is by far everyone’s favorite.”
On the “LB Fee Show” podcast with Athletics Director Andy Fee and The 562.org, Monson shed some light on how he feels about the new uniforms.
“I think we’re staying with the times and we’re branding this university and that’s the most important thing,” Monson said. “We’re out there to be the window of this university and represent it and I think we’re sending that message through one brand.”
The LBC jersey made a splash and immediately gained attention from fans and media outlets such as Uniswag. Students and alumni filled the comment sections on LBSU Athletics social media pages.
Similar to NBA teams city edition uniforms, the new gold set pays respect to the city of Long Beach along with the rich music history with artists such as Snoop Dogg and the band Sublime. Snoop Dogg put “The LBC” on the map with his hit song “Gin and Juice” in 1993 and Sublime followed with LBC references in songs like “Doin’ Time” in 1996.
With a lot of added attention and anticipation for season, hopefully the men’s and women’s teams use this as extra motivation to put on a show for everyone who embodies the LBC. Who knows, maybe one day Snoop Dogg will make an appearance in the pyramid.
