I can hardly keep from smiling right now. I can hear the final seconds of the now famous Cal Poly vs. Long Beach State men’s basketball game – the game that gave The Beach its first NCAA Tournament birth since 1995 – ticking away and I can see the stampede of rabid LBSU fans storming the court of the Anaheim Convention Center in one united celebration.
OK, I’m actually sitting in my Counseling 191 class, but those memories of March Madness are at the forefront of my mind because basketball season is upon us.
Last year’s basketball season truly defined my first year at LBSU. I remember being a freshman in the dorms last October, and right from the start, I knew we were on to something special.
We went from street clothes-wearing students to looking like warriors ready for battle with painted bodies and faces. We began to sport basketball shorts, eye black, LB headbands and anything else that showed our Beach Pride.
For the first time as a student body, we were united as one. We weren’t commuters or dorm kids; we weren’t geek or Greek. We were a group of college kids yelling our lungs out for our team, a team of our peers. And we were damn good.
For the first time in a long time, Long Beach State men’s basketball was on the tip of everyone’s tongues. And it felt amazing.
Fast-forward to this weekend and our program is on the cusp of a huge change. Gone are the eight seniors who paved the way for such an incredible run to the top of the Big West, as well as last year’s Big West Coach of the Year Larry Reynolds.
Now a new, young group hopes to transform winning from a fluke to a 49er tradition. At the helm is standout coach Dan Monson, who helped change mid-major Gonzaga to the powerhouse that it is today, and will look to do the same at LBSU.
Don’t let the losses that will shape our young team scare you away from The Walter Pyramid. Don’t break up this unity that our school so desperately needs.
I feel like Smokey the Bear, but only you, the students, can keep this tradition alive. Make Beach basketball dominance a tradition.
Come out to the games. Lose your voice. Root on your fellow students. Join the “Monson Maniacs” cheering section. Come experience one of the most gratifying parts of college: being part of a winning tradition.
Come out to the games. I’ll be looking for you.
