LONG BEACH STATE NOTEBOOK / JASON REID : Road Won’t Get Easier for Basketball Team

They’ve played only two games, their coach is tinkering with the lineup and the conference season doesn’t begin for more than a month. That’s a positive twist on an 0-2 start by the Long Beach State men’s basketball team.

Here’s a negative one: the 49ers’ nonconference schedule gets tougher--much tougher. They still have games remaining against Hawaii, Oregon State, Miami of Ohio, St. Mary’s, George Mason and Nebraska.

Long Beach plays host to Division II Cal State Hayward at 1 p.m. today at the Pyramid. This is Long Beach’s best shot at a nonconference victory. Seemingly, it’s a must-win game.

But the 49ers don’t feel any pressure . . . yet.

“We’re going to be fine,” guard James Cotton said. “Everybody is working hard. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing.”

The list of the 49ers’ deficiencies is long, but lack of commitment isn’t on it. Cotton, swingman Juaquin Hawkins and point guard Rasul Salahuddin are among the conference’s most well-conditioned players.

Their dedication and competitiveness set the tone.

However, those qualities won’t directly improve your shooting percentage. That’s Long Beach’s biggest problem.

The 49ers are shooting 33.6% from the field, making only 36 of 107 shots. They’re worse from three-point range (28.9%).

Cotton leads the team in scoring, averaging 15 points, but is shooting 34.6%. Salahuddin makes 35.7% of his shots and guard Eric Brown, among the conference’s best shooters last season, is shooting 27.3%.

Poor shooting hurts any team, but it’s especially troubling for Long Beach because its best players are on the perimeter.

Center Joe McNaull and power forward Terrance O’Kelley dominated the offense last season with their strength inside. Coach Seth Greenberg switched the game plan the moment their eligibility ended, and he believes the new approach will work. Besides, he doesn’t have another hand to play.

“Our season starts in January,” Greenberg said, referring to the start of conference play. “We have a lot of guys adjusting to different roles now. We’re developing.”

Getting Hawkins more involved in the offense should be part of the process. Hawkins, who is in graduate school, is a steadying force. He is the Big West’s best defender, and teammates rely on him.

He worked on his shooting last summer and is now an offensive threat. However, he has attempted only 11 shots in two games compared to Cotton’s team-high 26.

He started three sophomores against Detroit: Cotton, center Akeli Jackson and power forward Marcus Johnson. Cotton missed most of last season with an injury, Jackson was a little-used reserve as a freshman and Johnson is in his first year at Long Beach.

Gerry Branner started at center and Eric Brown at forward against Arizona. Jackson and Johnson are inexperienced, but the 49ers’ best starting lineup includes them.

Hawkins expects to see improvement soon.

“The Detroit game was definitely an eye-opener,” he said. “The main thing is we just have to realize what our roles are.

“Everybody just has to learn that and stick to it. If we can do that, we should be real good.”

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Better days: The water polo team ended its season Sunday in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs. The 49ers won twice and lost twice in the double-elimination tournament, finishing 11-16.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but the team is pleased. True, its record isn’t great--or even good. But the 49ers struggled more last season (5-19) because of injuries and eligibility problems.

The group remained relatively healthy this season, stuck together and played well at times. Coach Ken Lindgren knows progress when he lives it.

“I think they did a great job and I’m very proud of them,” Lindgren said.

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Four for four: Brita Schwerm, captain of the women’s volleyball team, continued her streak of postseason honors.

The senior outside hitter was selected first-team All-Big West for the second consecutive season. She was chosen for the second team as a sophomore and was on the all-freshman team.

Schwerm leads the 49ers in kills, kills per game, digs and digs per game.

49er Notes

Setter Misty May, the Big West freshman of the year in women’s volleyball, was joined on the all-freshman team by outside hitters Jessica Alvarado and Kristy Kierulff. Sophomore outside hitter Nique Crump was selected second-team all-conference.