One week ago the Long Beach State 49ers fired longtime head coach Dan Monson just before the start of the Big West Tournament – ending a tenure that began 17 years ago after his stint at Minnesota came to an end.
Except, Monson and the 49ers weren’t done playing basketball. And instead of wilting early in the conference tournament, they kept on winning and ultimately secured an automatic bid to the big dance – an insane sequence of events for a coach that was no longer employed.
While Monson’s season, and tenure at Long Beach, ended with a loss to No. 2 seed Arizona on Thursday, this story provided one more head scratching moment in the form of this quote from Long Beach AD Bobby Smitheran.
“My belief and hope is that by doing what I did and the timing of it, they would play inspired, and that’s what they did,” Smitheran told The Associated Press on Thursday. “I’m not trying to pat myself on the back, but it worked.”
Firing a coach before the season is over is an unusual motivational tactic, to say the least, and this quote reads more like an athletic director backpedaling from a decision that has looked bad in the immediate aftermath.
Monson has taken the surprise timing of the dismissal in stride, referring to his situation as a “real life Seinfeld episode” and saying he feels like he is in the twilight zone.
Monson spent 17 years at Long Beach State, leading them to the NCAA Tournament twice and winning four regular season titles. Prior to that he spent eight years at Minnesota, a job he took after leading Gonzaga to the Elite 8 back in 1999 – kicking off what is now a 25 year streak of dancing for the Bulldogs.
Monson’s replacement in Spokane, Mark Few, was asked about his predecessor’s dismissal during his media availability on Wednesday.
“He’s handled it in a real, real classy way,” Few said. “I can’t say the same for LBSU. It’s ridiculous that his health insurance and things like that, everybody out there in the real world usually gets an extended deal.”
What happens next for Monson remains to be seen, but expect scrutiny to follow whichever coach has the misfortune of following Monson at Long Beach.