Cal State Long Beach Plans a Quicker Start

Marked by missed free throws, close defeats and sleepless nights, the 1990-91 basketball season was a painful education for Cal State Long Beach’s Seth Greenberg, who had never been a head coach.

Greenberg, after a 12-year career as an assistant, got his chance when Joe Harrington left the 49ers for Colorado after a 23-9 season. But Greenberg’s first team, expected to be among the top 30 in the country, finished 11-17.

“Blame it on me,” he said last March.

This season, with expectations not nearly as high despite the return of five key players, Greenberg, 35, is determined to lower his stress level.

“I’m not going to take the game home, lose two nights of sleep and come to practice completely disoriented,” he said.

The main reason for last season’s decline was poor shooting. The 49ers shot 42% from the field and 63% from the free-throw line. That was reflected in a 3-8 record in games determined by five or fewer points.

And they never recovered from a dismal start that included lopsided losses at Arizona and Syracuse.

“We were so devastated by the preseason that we really never regrouped,” Greenberg said. “We were unrealistic that we could play that road schedule and be successful.”

The 49ers played seven of their first 11 games on the road, losing six.

But this season, they have a more favorable schedule, with eight of the first 11 games at home, including one against Big Eight power Kansas in the Long Beach Arena on Dec. 7. The only difficult road tests are at UCLA and North Carolina Charlotte.

Lucious Harris, a 6-foot-5 junior guard, will try to lead the 49ers in scoring for the third consecutive season. He averaged 19.7 points a game last season, third-highest in the Big West Conference, yet shot only 38%.

Also returning are point guard Bobby Sears, who shot 44% from three-point range but was an erratic playmaker; forwards Bryon Russell and Frankie Edwards, both strong rebounders, and Chris Tower, a 6-11 center who developed into a dependable starter. Greenberg says all four can have scoring averages in double figures.

The most prominent newcomer is defense-minded sophomore Jeff Rogers, who will share time with Sears.

“The biggest difference this season is that we have guards,” Greenberg said. “Nobody’s going to be playing out of position.”

The 49ers have been known in recent seasons as a running, pressing team that wore fluorescent lime-colored uniforms at home. This season, they will wear white. And they won’t run and press as much.

Inside a locked gym this fall, Greenberg has been teaching a half-court defense and a more balanced offense designed to get good shots.

Greenberg likes what he sees so far. “We’re unselfish, more mature and we pass better,” he said.

The emotional Greenberg hopes to be more mature himself. More than once last season he berated his players for not “competing.” And he incurred six technical fouls.

“I think I’m not going to concern myself with them,” Greenberg said of the officials.

CS Long Beach Schedule

ALL TIMES PACIFIC

Date Opponent Time Nov. 15 Fellow Christian Athletes 7:30 Nov. 18 Trencin (Czechoslovakia) 7:30 Nov. 23 Cal State Los Angeles 7:30 Nov. 25 at UNC Charlotte 7:30 Nov. 30 at UCLA 7:30 Dec. 4 Cal State Northridge 7:30 Dec. 7 Kansas 7:30 Dec. 11 Texas Pan American 7:30 Dec. 14 at Stephen F. Austin 6:30 Dec. 27 Azusa Pacific 7:30 Dec. 30 Robert Morris 7:30 Jan. 2 San Jose State 7:30 Jan. 4 Pacific 7:30 Jan. 9 at Nevada Las Vegas 7:00 Jan. 11 at New Mexico State 6:30 Jan. 16 Fresno State 7:30 Jan. 18 Utah State 7:30 Jan. 23 at UC Irvine 7:30 Jan. 25 at Cal State Fullerton 7:30 Feb. 1 at UC Santa Barbara 7:30 Feb. 6 New Mexico State 7:30 Feb. 9 Nevada Las Vegas 3:00 Feb. 13 at Utah State 6:30 Feb. 17 at Fresno State 9:00 Feb. 20 Cal State Fullerton 7:30 Feb. 22 UC Irvine 7:30 Feb. 29 UC Santa Barbara 7:30 Mar. 5 at Pacific 7:30 Mar. 8 at San Jose State 2:00 Mar. 11-15 Big West Tournament TBA

CS Long Beach Roster

No. Player Pos Yr Hgt Wgt 31 Sonny Alvarado F Fr 6-7 215 34 Mike Atkinson F Fr 6-7 220 44 Eric Brown F Fr 6-6 185 24 Carlos Dew G So 6-3 180 20 Frankie Edwards F Sr 6-8 240 30 Lucious Harris G Jr 6-5 185 23 Rod Hannibal G So 6-5 185 33 Tony McGee F Jr 6-7 220 50 Terrance O’Kelly F So 6-7 222 35 Eric Kutas G Jr 5-11 170 4 Jeff Rogers G So 6-0 180 32 Byron Russell G-F Jr 6-7 205 3 Bobby Sears G Sr 6-2 170 25 Chris Tower C-F Jr 6-10 210

Coach: Seth Greenberg.