Long Beach State basketball 2015-16 season preview

Overview: After losing all five starters from last season, head coach Dan Monson will incorporate a lot of new faces on his roster. Five true freshmen will suit up for Long Beach State, in addition to three transfers and two players who redshirted as freshmen last year. Although the freshmen are talented, there will be an adjustment to the college game, but the younger players will still have many opportunities to make an immediate impact.

The return of senior A.J. Spencer will bring much-needed veteran experience to the 49ers. Spencer missed his junior season due to an ACL injury, but two seasons ago he was second on the team in minutes and averaged 9.1 points per game. Another older, more experienced player is Nick Faust. While at Maryland, Faust was an active and constant source of production. Averaging 9.4 points per game as a Terrapin, the redshirt senior could be an explosive player in the mid-major Big West that is not quite at the caliber of the ACC.

The 49ers’ lone major contributor returning is 6-foot-7 forward Temidayo Yussuf, who must continue to improve and hold strong as the team’s best interior force. Monson has quite the task ahead to sort through the new pieces if Long Beach State hopes to maximize its potential and compete in the Big West.

One thing that needs to go right: Spencer returns producing at his pre-injury level and gels with Faust, who takes advantage of the weaker conference competition to make up a dynamic scoring backcourt.