By With the men’s basketball team season starting on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid, the 49ers are bringing some fresh faces into to the program.While eight players return to this year’s roster, the team will have new teammates who will bring different playing styles. Here is a breakdown of all the players and what they can contribute to this year’s team. The first breakdown will be of the point guards for Long Beach State.
PG’s: #15 Deishuan Booker (Junior): The 6-foot-3, 170-pound Booker is one of three new point guards for Long Beach State this year. Last year, he averaged 9.8 points per game along with 6.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds in his sophomore season at College of Southern Idaho. The athletic point guard out of Las Vegas has a wiry frame and will look to push the pace this season with a team that is fast and athletic.
Booker is a proven guard with big game experience after leading Southern Idaho to the NJCAA National Tournament with a 27-7 record. Long Beach head coach Dan Monson has had a wealth of success with junior college transfers, and Booker looks ready to take on the starting point guard role to open up the season.
NBA comparison: George Hill, Sacramento Kings
#23 Edon Maxhuni (Freshman): Hailing from Hyvinkaa, Finland, Maxhuni traveled 5,584 miles to join LBSU in its pursuit to dominate the season. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, the Finn is an ordinary-sized college point guard with above-average passing skills and a high basketball IQ. When you’d think of a prototypical European basketball player, Maxhuni fits the mold. He has a wealth of international basketball experience playing with the Finnish Junior National team playing in the 2017 U20 European Championships, where he averaged 13 points and three assists per game. Maxhuni was also ranked No.19 among all Europeans for his class by Eurohoops. After the Black and Gold scrimmage, the freshman looks ready to make an immediate impact and challenge fellow teammate Deishuan Booker for playing time. It remains to be seen how much time Monson will split between the two guards, but expect to see a lot of both on the floor this season.
NBA comparison: Goran Dragic, Miami Heat
#20 Breamon Richard (Junior): Rounding out the trio is Richard. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound point guard out of Long Beach City College averaged 20 points and four assists per game in his sophomore season for the Vikings. A local product out of University High School in Los Angeles, Richard is a speedy point guard who pushes the pace offensively and defensively. Not afraid of the challenge, he can pick opponents up full court and bother them on the defensive side with his quick and low frame. It will be tough for Richard to get a lot of playing time due to Booker and Maxhuni, but look for the him to create a spark in games where speed is needed.
NBA comparison: Ish Smith, Detroit Pistons
