Long Beach State associate athletic director Roger Kirk confirmed that the school is “mutually parting ways” with longtime men’s basketball coach Dan Monson at the end of the season. The university is expected to announce the move later today.
Kirk confirmed that Monson will coach the team through the end of the season, with the Beach preparing to head to Nevada for the Big West Tournament this week.
“I want to personally thank Long Beach State for being an awesome place to raise a family and work at a job I loved for 17 years,” said Monson in a university statement. “I am proud of what we have accomplished on and off the court, but it is time for a new voice for the program. I wish nothing but the best for a special university and a tremendous group of student athletes. I am also personally excited for what lies ahead for the Monson family and myself.”
Monson is the school’s all-time wins leader and has been with the Beach for 17 seasons, with more than 250 wins and four Big West regular season titles as well as an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011-12. Monson has been named Big West Coach of the Year four times, including last season after leading the team to the Big West title despite being picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll.
In a Monday evening interview, new LBSU athletic director Bobby Smitheran shed light on his decision-making process as well as what he’s looking for in the Beach’s next men’s basketball coach.
“I came in with my eyes wide open in terms of evaluating all aspects of the program,” said Smitheran, who came to Long Beach State after more than a decade at San Diego State. “I believe it’s one of the pre-eminent jobs in the Big West Conference and that we’re primed for success based on the iconic facility of the Walter Pyramid, our institution, and the community and its desire for the program to be successful.”
Smitheran’s background at San Diego State, a CSU school that has built a legitimate national championship contender as a mid-major, gives him a unique perspective on what can be done at a school like Long Beach State. He acknowledged that was part of the decision-making process.
“I think we’re all guilty of being products of our environment,” he said. “The one that I just departed last year reached the national championship game. That was long term work and a process that took many years to achieve. There were baby steps and hard steps and commitments from the community and institution to achieve that. That’s how I’m viewing this next hire. Someone who wants to engage the community, represent Long Beach State University in a way that people get excited about, that recruits see a future in terms of their growth and development and that we’re going to position ourselves to compete for championships. It would be dishonest to say that (coming from SDSU) doesn’t have an influence. I spent 15 years at San Diego State watching that program grow. There’s a lot of lessons that I learned that will mold how I approach this hire.”
Smitheran also talked about why he made the decision to announce the move today as opposed to following the end of the season.
“The decision to announce today was necessitated by wanting to make sure we have an opportunity to celebrate Dan before the conclusion of the season, and it enables me to initiate the search process,” he said, citing the volatility of the transfer portal and other factors in college basketball. “We have to get in front of that as soon as we can. To have waited another week or more delays the inevitable process that I need to initiate.”
Asked about his ideal type of candidate, Smitheran said it was early for that, but also that he did have some qualities in mind.
“This just happened today and I’m still going through the emotions of today out of respect for Dan, who I really think highly of and really appreciated his partnership,” he said. “He’s a great guy, a great family guy, and he ran a high-class program.”
Smitheran continued that his ideal candidate is one whose vision is in alignment with his own and one who’s invested in the holistic development of student-athletes.
“That being said I want somebody that has a clear desire to engage the Long Beach community, because I think if the community is engaged that only helps in terms of attendance and drawing interest. We want somebody who is proud to be representing this program, that’s a big component for me. Coaching capacity is big, it doesn’t have to be someone with head coaching experience or an assistant from a certain level. But they have to be a great coach and have a clear idea of who they are on offense and defense philosophically. That’s what this will unearth for me–their acumen, their tree that they come from, and their vision, their plan for this program. We also want someone who has a proven record as an effective recruiter, somebody who has ties to Southern California and the city of Long Beach, and ties within the basketball community at the grassroots and the international level.”
Smitheran confirmed that the search will begin immediately with a goal of hiring a new coach as quickly as possible this offseason.
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