Long Beach State AD Andy Fee just released the following letter where he announces a five year contract extension for head basketball coach Dan Monson.
Dear LB Nation,
We want to honor the rich tradition of success in our Men’s Basketball program at Long Beach State University. While the recent performance of our team on the court has not met our expectations, we continue to uphold a culture of integrity in the midst of many programs nationally being entangled in issues of ethical controversy.
Our vision of Long Beach State Basketball is to build a championship experience for our student-athletes in the classroom, on the court, and in the community. To do this, we will build this vision on three key pillars: 1) Provide the best possible experience for our student-athletes in the classroom and on the court; 2) Build and sustain a winning program; hire and retain great coaches and staff; 3) Do things the right way
With this in mind, we are making changes in the Men’s Basketball program. After an in-depth review of the state of our basketball program, we agreed to terms on a 5-year extension to Coach Dan Monson’s coaching contract. We have a head coach who matches our culture and has proven the ability to win, proven that he cares about our student-athletes graduating, and proven to run a clean and ethical program.
Coach Monson is committed to returning our program to the top of the Big West Conference. I believe we are not far from that goal. I am committed to supporting Coach Monson and this team in our championship pursuits. We are very excited for next year’s recruiting class to arrive on campus and join ten returning student-athletes for what we believe will be a very strong season. Our program is in good hands with Coach Dan Monson guiding its direction.
In addition to this, my leadership team and I have been listening to the feedback of LB Nation regarding ways to make the game day experience better. Fan surveys have been emailed to season ticket holders and those of you that attended games this year. Some additional changes we will bring to you include: special pricing for season ticket holders renewing, more opportunities for supporters to interact with the team and coaches, chair back seating in Section 111, reduced season ticket pricing in selected sections, adjustments to the scheduling philosophy, driving increased student attendance, and other benefits that add value to being a season ticket holder.
Thank you for your passionate and loyal support of Long Beach State Basketball.
Go Beach!
Andy Fee
Director of Athletics
Long Beach State University
@TheAndyFee (Twitter)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why extend the contract of Coach Monson?
• He is a proven winner that runs an ethical program
• Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of LBSU Basketball student-athletes has been 83.5% (compared to 70% national average for Men’s Basketball)
• Academic Progress Rate (APR), measuring the ability to keep players eligible and at LBSU, is 960 which is above the Division 1 national average of 952 for Men’s Basketball
• Winningest Long Beach State Men’s Basketball head coach
• In our 68-year history, he has led our teams to 24% of the overall postseason appearances
• His teams have the highest Big West winning percentage (.699) over the last 10 years
• He has coached and developed 2 NBA players, 14 First-Team All-Big West Selections, and 3 Big West Players of the Year during his tenure at LBSU
• Fan attendance has averaged 3,340 over the last 6 years, 2nd in Big West to Hawaii
What are the terms of Coach Monson’s contract?
• Length of term is for five seasons
• Financial savings of at least 40% annually for the Department of Athletics
• More money has been moved to base compensation with non-base compensation emphasizing performance-driven incentives. This ensures that there is incentive to develop the program into a championship-caliber team that graduates student-athletes
How will this extension benefit our basketball program?
• Stability for our student-athletes allowing them to develop for the best in the long-term
• Stability over a long-term contract allows coaches to return to the recruiting formula that helped build conference champions
• Financial flexibility to invest in areas of greatest impact for student-athlete welfare throughout the program and department
What changes will be made to return the program back to our championship ways?
• Refocus on the elements that have been the recipe for success at Long Beach State
— Build the foundation of the program with freshman that have great basketball ability, high IQ, high character, integrity, and a strong desire to get a degree to lead successful lives
— Relentless recruiting with more freshman development and less reliance upon the need to bring in transfers
— Department support with enhanced marketing and community outreach
— Commitment to detail and preparation in all aspects of the program
• Deliberate scheduling philosophy
— More balanced schedule
— Increasing the number of home-and-home series scheduled
— Increasing the number of home games
— 3-4 marquee games each season
— Pre-season schedule that develops the team into a winning mindset entering conference play
— We are exploring the possibility of hosting a tournament at the Walter Pyramid with high-quality teams during non-conference play
http://www.longbeachstate.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/032918aag.html
