LONG BEACH STATE NOTEBOOK / JASON REID : 49ers Find a Way to Turn the Corner After Humiliating Loss to Anteaters

Not so long ago, although it certainly seems that way now, the 49ers faced one of those defining moments that Division I basketball often presents to aspiring up-and-coming programs.

It occurred at the Bren Center, in front of a small crowd on a nondescript night. UC Irvine defeated Long Beach, 78-68, in a Big West Conference game Jan. 26.

The victory was only the second in conference for the Anteaters (then 6-9, 2-6 in the Big West). The 49ers (then 7-6, 3-3) thought that game would signal the start of something special for them, but afterward it seemed to be the continuation of everything bad.

And while the backdrop isn’t exactly the stuff of which legends are made, it was nonetheless a fork in the road for the 49ers. Luckily for them, they chose the right path.

Since that humiliating loss, Long Beach is the Big West’s hottest team. The 49ers (15-7, 11-3) have won eight consecutive conference games and have kept the heat on conference-leading Utah State (18-5, 12-3).

Long Beach is playing exciting, crowd-pleasing basketball. The 49ers’ recent play has helped to pack the Pyramid in its inaugural season, making the athletic administration extremely happy.

“The team took a dip in the middle of the season and we were all very concerned,” said Bill Shumard, assistant athletic director. “But the team’s kicked in, and we look like we’re in good shape for the postseason.”

So what turned things around?

A lot of credit belongs to Coach Seth Greenberg. He has deftly juggled the lineup and changed the team’s offensive focus to overcome injuries to key players, including losing standout sophomore guard James Cotton for the season.

“I don’t have all the answers,” Greenberg said. “This is a continuing process.”

That’s coachspeak for “We’re getting better, but we’ve had some luck too.”

Senior center Joe McNaull’s play is undeniably among the keys. McNaull (6 feet 10, 255 pounds) is a transfer from San Diego State who is in his only season of eligibility at Long Beach.

McNaull leads the team with modest averages of 12 points and 7.2 rebounds. However, he has dominated during the streak, averaging about 19 points and nine rebounds. Although his overall numbers are probably too low for conference player of the year consideration, no one player has meant more to the success of a Big West team.

Rarely will coaches hold a scholarship for players with only one season of eligibility remaining. McNaull was selected first-team All-Western Athletic Conference after his junior season with the Aztecs, but that wasn’t the only reason Greenberg gave him a scholarship. He saw the potential for greatness in McNaull if he was surrounded with talent, something that didn’t happen with the Aztecs.

“Joe is really playing with great confidence,” senior point guard Tye Mays said. “He’s taking it to another level.”

Not coincidently, the 49ers’ good fortune began when Mays became a starter. Junior guard Rasul Salahuddin opened the season at the point. Although Salahuddin and Greenberg won’t admit it, they are more comfortable with Salahuddin at the other guard position.

Salahuddin is one of the Big West’s best athletes, he leads the conference in steals and is good for at least two spectacular plays per game. But he is adjusting to Division I basketball and his decision-making is questionable at best.

“(Having me play) at the point,” Mays said, “frees up Rasul to use his quickness and athleticism.”

The bench also has been a strength, especially senior forward Mike Atkinson and junior guard Eric Brown. Atkinson has accepted his role as a reserve after injuring his right foot and losing his starting position.

Atkinson (9.5 points, 3.4 rebounds) has provided quality minutes during the last three games. Brown (seven points) is a skilled shooter who started the first two games.

He is the 49ers’ best three-point threat and has made many clutch shots, but Brown’s defense needs work. Still, he’s improving.

“It seems like he makes a big bucket every game we play,” Greenberg said.

Greenberg, though, has done more than juggle the lineup.

However he accomplished it, Greenberg has managed to keep the team together during a rocky stretch.

Team unity can be a tough sell for coaches even during the best of times, but it’s working at Long Beach.

“Everyone knows their roles now, and our chemistry is good,” Salahuddin said. “Once you play with a lot of confidence and everybody is getting along, the team will play well.”

And how long might this run continue?

“If we just keep doing what we’re doing,” senior forward Terrance O’Kelley said, “hopefully we’ll take it right on into the (Big West) tournament.”

*

Tournament possibilities: Seeding for the Big West tournament, March 9-12 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, is determined by the regular-season standings. The conference winner is seeded No. 1, which, in theory, gives it the best chance to win the championship.

The tournament champion receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Utah State, which has three conference games remaining, is a half-game ahead of Long Beach, which has four conference games left.

Since the NCAA probably will invite only one Big West team, the top seeding looms large. Although Irvine proved last season that any team can make a run if it gets hot, lower-seeded teams usually don’t go far.

If teams finish tied for the regular-season title, the one with the better record in head-to-head competition receives the higher seeding, said Dennis Bickmeier, Big West information director.

If the teams split the season series, then the seeding is determined by how they fared against the next-highest team in the standings. That procedure continues down the standings until a tie is broken.

Although it isn’t probable a tie would remain after that scenario, the conference would flip a coin to determine seeding if one was still present. In his 15 years in the conference office, Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell can’t recall a coin flip for this purpose.

*

Notes

The hard times continued for the baseball team last week. The 49ers lost three of four games, are 4-6 and have dropped out of the national rankings. Long Beach will try to right itself with four games this week, beginning at 2 p.m. today at Loyola Marymount. . . . The men’s volleyball team (5-3, 4-3 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) split its two federation matches last week.