Long Beach State entered the 2024 Big West Conference men’s tournament a bit adrift. The once-proud Beach finished the regular season 17–14; the 49ers had lost five consecutive games, and an early victory over Michigan had proven misleading.
The school 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 next season.
How did Monson respond? By leading Long Beach State to the NCAA tournament.
