The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2023-24 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach State Basketball is sponsored by CSULB Distinguished Alumnus Nelson Farris.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach State men’s basketball for the 2023-24 season is sponsored by Arline & Mike Walter.
Long Beach State announced today that Chris Acker has been hired as its newest men’s basketball coach. The San Diego State assistant is taking over after 17 years under Dan Monson.
“My family and I are thrilled to be part of the Long Beach State community and we look forward to developing an elite basketball program the city of Long Beach will be proud of,” said Acker in an official statement. “With Long Beach State’s rich history and traditions, we will work together to connect current and past players, students, campus stakeholders, and the greater community to once again become a premier program in Southern California.”
SDSU has been incredibly successful while Acker was there for the last five years. They went a combined 134-34 overall while reaching the National Championship game last season. Most of that success was due to Acker coaching up the offensive efficiency.
“I am incredibly thankful to be the next Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Long Beach State University and I’d like to thank President Conoley and Athletic Director, Bobby Smitheran, for the trust and faith placed in me to lead LBSU Men’s Basketball,” said Acker. “Together in this new era we will unlock the full potential of what our program can become.”
First-year LBSU athletic director Bobby Smitheran came to the Beach after more than a decade at San Diego State, where he worked “intimately” with the basketball program there as it rose into a national power, per an interview with Smitheran after the university parted ways with former men’s basketball coach Dan Monson.
Acker was immediately thrown out by the national college basketball media as Smitheran’s likely target. He’s an assistant coach with the Aztecs, who are currently in the NCAA Tournament preparing for a Sweet Sixteen game tomorrow.
Acker has been an assistant at Boise State and Hawaii after coaching at the Junior College level in Southern California. Acker is an LA native and has recruited or coached a few Long Beach natives in his rise through the coaching ranks.
Long Beach State will host a press conference for Coach Acker in The Pointe at Walter Pyramid on Thursday, April 4 at 12 p.m.
