Long Beach State entered the 2024 Big West men’s tournament a bit adrift. The once-proud Beach finished the regular season 17-14; they’d lost their last five games and an early victory over Michigan had proven misleading.
They responded by parting ways with coach Dan Monson—a veteran of the coaching ranks who helped mold Gonzaga into a proto-national power in the late 1990s. He would be allowed to coach his team in the conference tournament but would not return in 2025.
How did he respond? By leading Long Beach State to the NCAA tournament.
On Saturday, the Beach edged UC Davis 74-70 in the Big West tournament title game to complete an improbable conference tournament run in a year chock-full of them.
Long Beach State dismissed longtime head coach Dan Monson on Monday but said it would let him coach until the end of the season. Tonight, he won the Big West tournament championship and secured the second NCAA tournament invitation of his tenure. March, man. March.
— Myron Medcalf (@MedcalfByESPN) March 17, 2024
To make the moment even more special, Monson’s 90-year-old father Don—a decorated former coach of Idaho and Oregon—was in attendance.
The younger Monson discussed what the moment meant to him after the game.
Long Beach State’s Dan Monson, who was fired last week but was allowed to coach in the conference tournament, just led the 49ers to the Big West title, upending the top two seeds en route.
First NCAAT appearance for the Beach since 2012.
College basketball, folks. pic.twitter.com/UgMADuCHsM
— Made For March (@madeformarch) March 17, 2024
On Sunday, Monson and Long Beach State will hear their names called for the Big Dance for the first time since 2012.
What a week.
