By As Long Beach State men’s basketball prepares for a new era under head coach Chris Acker, the team welcomes a fresh wave of talent, with 12 new players joining the roster. From promising transfers from Division 1 programs and junior college to eager freshmen, these newcomers are poised to make their mark.
Only sophomore guards Jason Hart Jr. and Varick Lewis, and redshirt freshman Eli Djordjevic are returners from last season’s roster under Dan Monson.
According to Acker, a new face to watch closely this season is Derrick Michael Xzavierro. Nicknamed DMX, Xzavierro is a six-foot-10 NBA Global Academy prospect born in Indonesia. Transferring from Grand Canyon University, DMX brings needed size and versatile length to The Beach’s front court and can also stretch the floor as the team’s four-man.
Sophomore forward Derrick Michael Xzavierro at a Grand Canyon University practice during the 2023-2024 season. Xzavierro transferred to LBSU from GCU, and with his 6-foot-10-inch frame, he looks to provide much needed size and shooting to The Beach’s new look lineup. Photo credit: GCU Athletics
“His ability to offensive rebound, his strength around the basket and his ability to knock down the three is going to really help us,” Acker said.
In the backcourt, Acker expects junior guard Cory Curtis Jr. to make an immediate impact. Curtis Jr. averaged 23.4 points per game for Independence Community College last season – the same school featured in Netflix’s documentary series “Last Chance U” — which ranked eighth in the NJCAA Division.
Acker said Curtis Jr. is a shooting guard who brings attitude and leadership to The Beach’s offense.
“I think [Curtis Jr.] is an emerging leader vocally,” Acker said. “He knows what it’s supposed to look like.”
Since point guard Joel Murray graduated in 2022, The Beach has struggled to find a scoring point guard who can live up to Murray’s legacy. However, transferring senior point guard Devin Askew could be the answer at the point for LBSU this season.
Askew, who is transferring to his fourth college, has been plagued by injuries throughout his career.
He played high school basketball locally at Mater Dei High School and started his college career at the University of Kentucky, then transferred to the University of Texas before transferring again to UC Berkeley, where he has played for the past two years.
Askew was derailed by a season-ending sports hernia surgery in the 2022–23 season. In his first season with Berkeley’s California Golden Bears, he averaged 15.5 points in 13 games as a starter before the injury. Askew then suffered another setback the following season with a foot injury just six games into the season.
Another local prospect from Los Angeles, junior guard T.J. Wainwright is a player who Acker believes will be a fan favorite at The Beach.
A transfer from Robert Morris University, Wainwright is a shifty 6-foot-3-inch guard who averaged 10 points per game in 27 games last season for the Colonials.
“He [Acker] recruited dogs out here for a reason,” Wainwright said. “He’s trying to bring out the best in everybody on offense and defense.”
With defense being a more significant focal point for Acker, newcomers junior center Christian Richardson, graduate forward Austin Johnson and senior forward Cam Denson will be some of the team’s difference-makers on the defensive side.
A familiar but new name to the roster is red-shirt freshman guard Ramel Lloyd Jr., son of former Long Beach State guard Ramel Lloyd Sr. (1998-2001), who ranks eighth all-time in scoring in school history. Lloyd Jr. was a four-star recruit—No. 88 nationally—coming out of Sierra Canyon High School who spent the last two seasons at Nebraska before entering the transfer portal.
Concluding the list are freshmen Kam Martin and Andrew Nagy, whom Acker refers to as “pillars” of the program.
Martin, a 6-foot-4 point guard from Maryland, averaged 10.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists a game as a senior for Blue Ridge Academy in St. George, Virginia. Nagy, a 6-foot-9 inch forward from Anaheim, played in the Nike EYBL with Veritas Academy, averaging 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
The Beach has an exhibition game slated against CalTech at the Walter Pyramid on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. The first official game under Acker to kickstart the 2024-25 season will be on Nov. 4 versus La Verne (7 p.m.) at home.
