Fired HC Dan Monson Leads Long Beach State to 2024 NCAA Tournament After Big West Win
Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson is leaving quite the parting gift.
The school announced Monday it agreed to a "mutual separation" with Monson, who would finish out the remainder of the 2023-24 season. On Saturday, the Beach punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament by beating UC Davis in the final of the Big West tourney.
"God has blessed me with a great career, and these kids have been awesome to coach," Monson said following the victory, per ESPN's Myron Medcalf. "When [Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh] says, 'Who has it better than us?' someone needs to tell him, 'Coach Monson [does].'"
His dismissal certainly seems to have had a galvanizing effect within the locker room.
The opportunity to qualify for the NCAA tournament is obviously a massive motivator on its own. After Monday, Long Beach State players will have wanted to rally around their head coach as well.
Plenty of fans will wonder if Long Beach State is regretting its decision to usher Monson out the door.
It's worth noting the Beach went 10-10 in Big West play during the regular season and had a five-game losing streak entering the conference tournament. The program last experienced March Madness in 2012 before Saturday's triumph and put together plenty of middling seasons in the interim.
Prior to the Big West tourney tipping off, ending Monson's tenure after 17 seasons was an understandable decision.
But now the administration has found itself in a difficult situation where it's firing not just the winningest coach in its history but one who has taken the men's team to heights it hasn't enjoyed in more than a decade.
