LONG BEACH STATE NOTEBOOK / JASON REID : O’Brien Prepared for Another Challenging School Year

Papers cover his desk, numerous phone messages require his response and meetings await. Summer break is definitely over for Long Beach State Athletic Director Dave O’Brien.

O’Brien began his fifth year at the 49ers’ helm Aug. 28, when the new academic year began. The previous athletic season was the most successful during his tenure and the greatest in school history.

“For us as an athletic department, I don’t think it could have been any better,” he said. “It was as good as it gets in terms of accomplishment. If we can’t enjoy last year’s success, something is wrong with us.”

The opening of the Pyramid pleased O’Brien the most. He gambled somewhat by killing the football program in a cost-cutting move in 1991, and tying the future of the athletic department to the men’s basketball program and the yet-to-be-built facility.

He angered many students and alumni with the decision. O’Brien feels vindicated by the resounding success of the Pyramid’s inaugural season, although he won’t gloat.

“For the first time we were able to open a marquee facility, attract a fan base and a marketing base we never had before,” O’Brien said. “By virtue of having a facility people wanted to go to, it created a feeling of community. Students, faculty, staff, the alumni and community members now had something to rally around.”

In addition, Long Beach opened an on-campus softball field. Blair Field, the baseball team’s home, was refurbished.

The novelty of new and improved facilities undoubtedly helped attendance. But most fans won’t return repeatedly unless teams win--and the 49ers did.

The men’s basketball team and the men’s and women’s volleyball teams played in NCAA tournaments. The baseball team came within two victories of qualifying for the College World Series.

“Obviously,” O’Brien said, “the continued success of our athletic teams was a big positive.”

As was the hiring of Robert Maxson as university president, O’Brien added. Maxson, formerly president at Nevada Las Vegas, has been very supportive of the athletic department.

“The first visit [Maxson] made after he was hired was to the library, as it should have been,” O’Brien said. “The second visit he made was to the athletic department, and we haven’t stopped seeing him since.

“To see the president care so much really went a long way. It’s given the whole athletic department a sense of encouragement about the future.”

But with greater success and support comes increased expectations. O’Brien acknowledges that the administration, alumni and students want more. He understands their desire and is determined to fulfill it, but warns the process is still evolving.

“We’ll eventually be where we’re striving to be on a year to year basis,” O’Brien said. “But in order to build, and build ethically, gradual steps will be needed.”

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Battling for talent: Retaining quality coaches is key in the plan to improve 49er athletics, O’Brien said.

Before O’Brien took control of the department, Long Beach rarely could compete to keep its top coaches from accepting job offers elsewhere. O’Brien quickly determined that if the 49ers were to become a burgeoning overall athletic power, he had to fight for his best and brightest coaches.

Doing so requires money, and Long Beach has more of that now because of the Pyramid’s revenue potential. But more importantly, O’Brien said, persuading talented coaches to stay put depends on their belief in the program’s future and the athletic director.

O’Brien has seemingly done well in each area. In the last two years, O’Brien thwarted other school’s attempts to hire women’s volleyball Coach Brian Gimmillaro, men’s basketball Coach Seth Greenberg and baseball Coach Dave Snow.

“We’ve tried to eliminate the number of schools that can compete for our coaches,” O’Brien said. “What we say to our coaches is that we’re willing to offer you a nationally competitive salary.

“So rather than a pool of 50 schools five years ago being able to recruit our coaches, we feel we’ve cut that number down to about 10.”

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Test time: Gimmillaro should learn more about his talented but inexperienced team this week. Long Beach plays Big West Conference road matches against New Mexico State on Thursday and Nevada on Saturday.

Both teams have improved tremendously since last season, Gimmillaro said. The 49ers (6-1, 2-0 in the Big West) are ranked fifth in the coaches’ poll, and these matches will help Gimmillaro determine if they should be.

“It’s going to be a tough trip,” he said. “The reality is they both have played well [against] teams in the top 10, and their biggest [match] of the year is us. We need to bring on the road the things we’re learning in practice.”

But Gimmillaro and the team won’t leave with clear minds. They learned this week that the left knee problem of Kristin Harris, a standout sophomore outside hitter, is more serious than initially believed.

Harris re-aggravated the injury, suffered in high school, during the first week of practice. Gimmillaro said she probably will seek a medical redshirt season. Harris started 30 matches last season and set school freshman records with 33 aces and 224 digs.

“I’m very concerned about her,” Gimmillaro said. “Nobody understands why the knee is so swollen.”

49er Notes

The women’s cross-country team finished 11th with 292 points and the men’s team 12th with 289 points at the UC Irvine Invitational on Saturday. Christa Ayuso had the fastest women’s individual time for the 49ers at 19:12 and was 35th overall. Pat Bendzick led the men with a time of 26:13 and was 18th overall. . . . The women’s golf team finished in 10th place with 1,024 points at the Wyoming tournament played Sept. 11-12. Stephanie Donihue finished 40th for Long Beach with 252 points. . . . The water polo team (2-2) plays at Pepperdine at 4 p.m. today, and at UC San Diego on Saturday at noon.