Titus Makes Most of Second Chance

Former coaches labeled him a clown; they said he was too wacky and unfocused. But that wasn’t what angered Brandon Titus the most.

Not even close.

The rumors, that’s what really upset Titus. Rumors that he was weak-minded, lacked confidence and couldn’t be counted on in tough situations.

Titus, though, never stopped believing in his own abilities.

He told himself if he ever got the chance, he would prove all the doubters wrong.

As Titus’ senior season winds down, this much is clear: A chance was all he needed.

“I know I can play the game of basketball,” Titus said. “Anyone who saw me play in the past knows I can play. It’s just that Coach [Wayne] Morgan is giving me a chance to prove that to everyone again.”

Titus has been everything he thought he could be--and more--for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team. He was a rock during the program’s stormy moments and a big reason the hard times are in the past.

“Brandon has been a very pleasant surprise,” Morgan said. “He has been very consistent for us all season long. Brandon can do a lot of things and we count on him to do a lot.”

He is doing more than his part. Titus (6 feet 4, 190 pounds) plays both backcourt positions, switching between shooting and point guard throughout the 49ers’ games.

Titus is second on the team in scoring and eighth in the Big West Conference, averaging 16.3 points. Moreover, Titus makes 48.3% of his field-goal attempts, an excellent percentage for a player who takes most of his shots from the perimeter. His percentage leads the 49ers and ranks fifth in the conference.

He also does a solid job running the offense in relief of starting point guard Tommie Davis. Titus is second on the team in assists, averaging 3.2.

Titus’ performance is among the biggest reasons Long Beach has turned things around. The 49ers were a disappointment for most of the season, struggling with a sub.-500 record until last week.

They have won five straight to improve to 12-12, 8-6 in the conference. And they clinched second place in the Western Division with a 72-61 victory over Cal State Fullerton Saturday at the Pyramid.

Long Beach will be the West’s No. 2 seeded team for the conference tournament, beginning March 7 at Reno. Guard James Cotton said Long Beach wouldn’t be feeling so good about itself if Titus wasn’t playing so well.

“Brandon has just been great,” Cotton said. “I’m really happy for Brandon because he was a great player in high school--he could do everything.

“Then he didn’t really get a chance for a while. Now he’s showing what he can do.”

Titus was a prep star at Cerritos Gahr High. He averaged 24 points as a senior and was selected all-state by Cal-Hi Sports. He accepted a scholarship to LSU and seemed to have everything going for him.

Then came the problems. Titus arrived at LSU at the same time as Randy Livingston--the nation’s most heralded prep point guard.

Titus played sparingly as a freshman and started several games at the beginning of his sophomore season because Livingston, now a member of the Houston Rockets, injured his knee. But Titus never had a grip on the position and eventually played less and less.

“That’s when the rumor got started that I had no confidence and that’s why I wasn’t playing,” Titus said. “That was never the case though.”

Titus decided it was time to leave and transferred to Long Beach. But his situation didn’t improve under then-coach Seth Greenberg.

“The rumors kind of followed me over here,” said Titus, who considered transferring again last season.

“It was just real frustrating. But I stuck it out and then Coach Morgan came in. He’s given me the chance I needed.”

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The Cotton factor: Titus’ success can in part be attributed to Cotton’s presence, Titus said.

“Oh, no doubt,” Titus said. “James is our leading scorer and he helps open things up for me when he’s getting double-teamed. We both help each other out a lot out there.”

Cotton is the conference’s second-leading scorer with an average of 23.5 points, only a 10th of a point behind Raymond Tutt of UC Santa Barbara. Cotton and Titus are the conference’s highest-scoring tandem, combining to average almost 40 points.

“James has played at such a high level all season,” Morgan said. “He’s very important to this team. What more can you really say about him.”

Cotton is among the favorites to be selected the Big West’s player of the year. However, Cotton said that’s not the prize he covets most now.

“All I want is for us to go to the [NCAA] tournament,” he said.

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Coming Attractions

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

Men’s basketball, Saturday against Pacific, 5 p.m. Pacific has won the Big West’s Western Division title, and Long Beach needs a good showing to gain confidence for the upcoming Big West tournament.

Women’s basketball, Thursday against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 7:30 p.m. Long Beach will clinch a berth in the women’s tournament with a victory.