Morgan Mastering Transition Game From East to West

Life at Long Beach State has started well for Wayne Morgan, who left everything familiar and friendly behind on the opposite end of the country.

The first-year 49er men’s basketball coach said he has been embraced by the community and supported by his players. He’ll always be an East Coast guy at heart, but his adopted home suits him just fine . . . so far.

“Everyone has tried to help a lot and everyone has been wonderful,” said Morgan, who was a longtime assistant at Syracuse. “I haven’t had any bad experiences with any individuals. Everyone I’ve encountered has essentially tried to be very cooperative and very upbeat.”

Obviously, the honeymoon isn’t over yet.

But Morgan knows the good vibes won’t last unless he wins. It’s just part of the gig.

Morgan realizes expectations are high. The clock officially started Tuesday as practice opened.

“I don’t view [the expectations] as pressure because I expect a certain amount of excellence from myself,” Morgan said. “I want the same things [Long Beach President Robert Maxson] wants. I want us to be as good as we can be.”

The talent seems to be there.

Former Coach Seth Greenberg, who bolted for South Florida after last season, left the 49ers well stocked. Greenberg, who always recruited well, put into place a solid mix of athleticism, depth and size.

Guard James Cotton led the Big West in scoring last season and is among the conference’s top players again this season.

“I’m real excited about playing for Coach Morgan,” Cotton said. “I’ve been playing in one system for three years and it’s a change now. Just to learn his system and his philosophy, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Power forward Akeli Jackson is among the conference’s top athletes at his position. And big things are expected from two transfers, point guard Tommie Davis and center Ike Nwankwo.

The muscular, super-quick Davis, nicknamed “Tank,” transferred from Houston, where he played well as a freshman. Nwankwo, who transferred from UCLA, is 6 feet 11 and 260 pounds. He should be a strong presence near the basket--something Long Beach didn’t have last season.

On the strength of that talent, and a recruiting class that includes several players who might contribute immediately, several preseason publications have selected Long Beach to finish first in the Big West’s Western Division.

“One of the first things I ever learned as a basketball coach is to always lower expectations,” Morgan said. “I don’t make predictions. All I try to do is to have us be the best we can be and play as hard as we can.

“However, we obviously have pretty good talent; other people have observed it. I haven’t coached a game yet and they think the ingredients are here to possibly finish first in the conference. That’s a testament to the job Seth did.”

However. . . .

“When you have a Tommie or an Ike sitting out a year like they did, that’s a tough thing simply because it’s a year off,” Morgan said. “Even Michael Jordan coming back after a year off wasn’t the same.”

Well, the 49er fans really don’t care, which Morgan knows. The meter is running--and Long Beach is watching.

*

Breakthrough season? His teammates say it’s only a matter of time.

His coaches often wonder, “When?”

When will Jackson finally put everything together and become the consistent force many in the program believe he can--and should--be. Jackson said the time is now.

After showing flashes of his talent intermittently during his first two seasons, Jackson said he’s ready to fulfill his promise. He believes Morgan is the right guy to help him.

“Hopefully this is the year for me,” Jackson said. “I’ve been frustrated the last couple of years because there were things I wasn’t able to do that I knew I could do.

“Now, Coach Morgan is going to give me a chance to do what I know I can do.”

Last season, Jackson averaged 10.9 points and a team-leading 7.5 rebounds. But he was too often a non-factor.

At 6 feet 8 and about 220 pounds, Jackson is among the quickest forwards in the Big West. He believes he will flourish in Morgan’s up-tempo system.

“The type of game that he wants to play, it looks like I’m finally going to get to do the things I know I can,” Jackson said. “His style suits my game the best.”

*

Brotherly love: Although this season has not started, Cotton is already looking forward to next season. That’s because his brother, Schea, has orally committed to Long Beach.

A senior forward at Bellflower St. John Bosco, and a former Times all-county selection at Mater Dei, Schea is among the top recruits in his class. Schea said he will sign a letter of intent when the early-signing period begins Nov. 12.

“I’ve never played with my brother before and we’ve always dreamed about it,” James said. “Everyone knows about [Ed and Charles O’Bannon]. They played together and won the nationaltitle.

“My brother and myself playing together, we could really blow this Pyramid up and make a dent in the nation. We could have this baby rockin.’ ”

49er Notes

The women’s volleyball team is 19-0, 6-0 in the Big West, and ranked fourth in the nation in the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Assn. poll. Long Beach was ranked fifth last week and began the season ranked 12th. . . . Jenn Snyder, a junior outside hitter, was selected the conference’s player of the week (Oct. 7-13). Snyder is the fourth 49er to win the award in six weeks. In two matches, Snyder had 33 kills. . . . With 71 assists last week, sophomore setter Misty May moved into third place on the 49ers’ all-time list. She has 1,747 in 48 matches. Sheri Sanders holds the school record of 6,301 assists (1986-89).

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Coming Attractions

Here’s a look at key games this week for Long Beach State:

* Women’s volleyball visits New Mexico State and North Texas for Big West Conference matches Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Conference-leading Long Beach, ranked fourth, is undefeated in 16 matches against New Mexico State and is playing its first match against North Texas.

* Water polo at Santa Barbara on Saturday for the UC Santa Barbara tournament, which usually features many of the nation’s elite teams in matches played throughout the day.