Dan Monson was fired as the head coach of Long Beach State basketball on March 11, however he was allowed to finish the 2023-24 season with the squad.
Despite this loss, Monson guided the 49ers to win in the Big West Tournament, defeating UC Riverside, UC Irvine, and UC Davis.
Now, in an unexpected change of events, he is prepared to captain his team in the 2024 March Madness. This surprising achievement has drawn significant attention to Monson and the Long Beach State program.
“I’ve reflected this week that, I don’t have a job, but I don’t need one,” Monson went on to say. “I’ve got everything I want with my family, with my players, with my friends.”
Monson’s fate was decided when the five-game skid reduced the Beach — the nickname for the school that hasn’t won an NCAA tournament game since 1973 — to 18-14. Its odds of making it to March Madness are slim, even in a conference with no major powerhouses.
It was presented as a mutual decision to split ways. Monson said first-year athletic director Bobby Smitheran told him that coaching out the remaining two weeks of the season would provide him with a well-deserved sendoff.
Source: ESPN India
“I’ve reflected this week that, I don’t have a job, but I don’t need one,” Monson went on to say. “I’ve got everything I want with my family, with my players, with my friends.”
Monson’s fate was decided when the five-game skid reduced the Beach — the nickname for the school that hasn’t won an NCAA tournament game since 1973 — to 18-14. Its odds of making it to March Madness are slim, even in a conference with no major powerhouses.
It was presented as a mutual decision to split ways. Monson said first-year athletic director Bobby Smitheran told him that coaching out the remaining two weeks of the season would provide him with a well-deserved sendoff.
You have to give Monson credit for his approach to the matter. The circumstances behind Long Beach’s NCAA Tournament appearance make for an intriguing story. The joy may come to a stop soon, though, as they will face 2-seeded Arizona, one of the greatest teams in the country.
But if you’re not supposed to be there, there’s nothing to lose. Dan Monson had nothing to lose, as evidenced by the way he assaulted the news conference. We only worry if he will remember the news conference one day as well.
