When Dan Monson’s 6-year-old son MicGuire watches college basketball on television, he would ask his dad, “Are those your old players?” Munson said no, but now he has a different answer.
Monson was formally introduced as the new Long Beach State men’s basketball coach during a press conference in The Walter Pyramid Saturday morning.
“Now I can tell [MicGuire] I have new players,” Munson said with a smile, which rarely left his face as he talked with reporters.
Monson, who coached Gonzaga to the Elite Eight in 1999 and most recently coached at Minnesota, was given a 6-year contract by the university that was worth approximately $200,000 a year, plus incentives, to come to The Beach.
“I know in my heart that we have found the right man,” said LBSU Athletic Director Vic Cegles. “I’ve been here nine or 10 months and I know this community cares about what we are trying to build here at this university. I know we have found the right man to lead this program for the next 10 years.”
For 45-year-old Monson, he takes over head coach duties at LBSU after resigning from Minnesota last November and after his team started the season with a 2-5 record.
Monson was at the Big Ten school for seven full seasons, and faced the challenge of inheriting a program that has had some of the harshest NCAA penalties in the history of college basketball. With five years of heavy sanctions, Monson went 118-106 at Minnesota, a stint highlighted by an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005.
“In my first two [head coaching jobs], I didn’t use the word ‘excited’ when I became the head coach. It was just a transformation of success and hard work. It was the next step,” Monson said. “But when you go through what I went through at Minnesota, you learn to appreciate certain things, and during these past 48 hours I have really learned to appreciate Long Beach State University. I am just truly excited to be here.”
Monson takes over a program that won the Big West Conference this past season, but is losing all five starters and its top two bench players.
“I really want to have a good season next year,” Monson said. “We are facing some challenges, but I want to bring a winning attitude to the program.”
The new coach was quick to acknowledge former LBSU head men’s basketball coach Larry Reynolds, who after five years at LBSU was not offered a new contract by the university.
“I want to thank the former players and Larry Reynolds for what they have done to pave the way for me,” Monson said. “Larry Reynolds did a lot, winning 24 games. That is quite an accomplishment.”
This is Monson’s second job at a mid-major school, and he had success the first time with Gonzaga. Monson was an assistant coach at Gonzaga between 1988 and 1997 and was the head coach between 1997 and 1999. He put the small Washington-state private school on the map when Gonzaga came within six points of going to the Final Four in 1999.
“There is no magic 49er dust to throw on the program and immediately get it going,” Monson said. “I know it’s a lot of work, but I think they hired me because I have the experience and I have done that. I know what it takes and I am extremely energized to [build a program].”
CSULB President F. King Alexander was also in attendance at the press conference and he interviewed Monson for the job.
“He is the perfect fit for our university,” Alexander said. “He has a wonderful understanding of the balance between academic success and athletic success. He’s done it everywhere he has been, and he will do it here.”
Dan Monson’s Coaching Timeline
1985: Takes a graduate assistant job at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. 1988: Becomes an assistant coach at Gonzaga. 1997: Named head coach at Gonzaga. 1999: Leads the Zags to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. 1999: Leaves Gonzaga after going 52-17 in his two seasons as head coach, and takes the head coaching job at Minnesota. 2005: Leads Minnesota to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. 2006: After starting the season 2-5, he resigns from his head coaching position at Minnesota. 2007: Is named head coach at Long Beach State.
