Long Beach St. ADVERTISEMENT: Fired coach to motivate team
Mar 21, 2024, 12:45 PM ET SALT LAKE CITY– Long Beach State’s athletic director said the timing of his choice to fire coach Dan Monson was made with the hope it may set off the precise run that led the team on its unanticipated trip to the NCAA tournament.
“My belief and hope is that by doing what I did and the timing of it, they would play inspired, which’s what they did,” Bobby Smitheran told The Associated Press on Thursday, a few hours before the Beach lost 85-65 to Arizona in the first round. “I’m not trying to pat myself on the back, but it worked.”
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2 Associated Monson’s task status has actually been one of the most appealing stories leading into the preliminary of the NCAA tournament. He was fired last Monday, on the heels of a five-game losing streak, however is continuing to coach for the rest of the season, and the team reacted last weekend by winning the Huge West tournament to earn an unanticipated trip to March Madness.
“If it helped, I’m truly pleased we did it due to the fact that I would not trade it for the task or any other job. I’ve said that all along,” Monson stated of Smitheran’s comments. “If that’s what spurred it [being dismissed], that’s fantastic. However we’ll never understand ’cause that’s how it played out. We’ll never ever understand if it did or not. It’s not actually worth talking about.”
Smitheran said too much has actually been made from the idea that Monson was fired.
“I don’t purchase into that story,” Smitheran stated. “I believe this is really getting lost on people, that we concurred that a modification in management was required. This was something Coach Monson brought to me.”
Monson has actually never ever recommended otherwise and has dealt with the circumstance with class. After Thursday’s loss, he assessed the “series of emotions” that he’s had to handle in the previous week and the outpouring of assistance he’s gotten from his players, family and friends.
“My stance this week does not alter: I’m the luckiest guy in this competition on the planet to do what I got to do today with these guys,” Monson stated. “I’m happy, happy, reflective … primarily proud. Proud of my tenure. I take pride in doing it the right way. Proud of the student-athletes that came out of here, that came in as young men, left as guys. Came in without a college degree and entrusted to a college degree. Came in here with skill development, leaving here with skills enough to go play professionally.
“I think happy is one of the most. Happy with just who I am. Happy with my household, too, by the method. … It’s a hard couple weeks. I couldn’t imagine it without them.”
Several coaches in Salt Lake City this week– consisting of Monson’s good friend, Mark Few of Gonzaga– have been less charitable, suggesting an AD needs to let things play out before announcing a separation throughout the season.Monson on Thursday said he wants to keep training, however he understands that runs out his control.”We’ll see what takes place,”he said.Smitheran, who is in his first year at Long Beach State after an effective stretch as an executive at San Diego State, stated the huge photo is that he wants the Beach to be in the hunt for competition bids every year.This is Long Beach State’s very first NCAA appearance since 2012; Monson has existed because 2007.” My job is to place our coaches and trainee athletes to be successful,”Smitheran said.”This was possibly an atypical method to do so. However I believed in the roster we had, I thought in our coaching staff and our capability to do something special. Maybe this was the catalyst they needed to be inspired to bet one another.”ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss and The Associated Press contributed to this report.