Morgan Gets Overwhelmed at Long Beach

Three years ago, Wayne Morgan pulled himself out of the fire. This time it consumed him.

Morgan, in his sixth season as Long Beach State men’s basketball coach, announced Friday he would resign at the end of the season. In a prepared statement, he said he resigned for personal reasons. He also knew he was in trouble as a disastrous season collapsed around him.

With three starters and three top reserves returning from an 18-13 team, much was expected of the 49ers this season. Long Beach won its first two games, then spiraled downward by losing 12 of its next 15 games. The 49ers sit at 8-16 overall and eighth in the nine-team Big West Conference.

The night before his announcement, Morgan said he had lost 15 pounds during a season he called the toughest he has ever gone through as a coach.

“Worst-case scenario was we’d win 18 to 22 games,” he said after the 49ers’ loss to Utah State.

What was particularly embarrassing were the home losses to UC Riverside and Cal State Northridge, area schools and recruiting rivals new to the conference. The fans also stayed away from the Pyramid.

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Long Beach Athletic Director Bill Shumard was going to review Morgan at the end of the season, and it probably wasn’t going to be favorable. While Morgan still had two years on his contract, the two settled on a $150,000 buyout after 10 days of meetings.

“We were all deeply disappointed with how the season has transcribed,” Shumard said Monday. “Coming off 42 wins the past two seasons, there was certainly plenty to be excited about. Unfortunately, a lot of that didn’t happen.”

Morgan was in a make-or-break situation in 1999-2000 after his first three teams compiled a 36-48 record. Led by Big West player of the year Mate Milisa, the 49ers went 24-6, won the Big West and earned a National Invitation Tournament berth. The former Syracuse assistant was rewarded with a three-year contract extension through 2004, but barring a miraculous finish, Morgan will have four losing seasons.

The Long Beach State job could be one of the best in the conference--it has a first-class facility and its proximity to Los Angeles gives it a rich recruiting base. Shumard hopes to have a coach in place by late March or early April.

“I would prefer to have a coach with four years of head-coaching experience,” he said. “The other thing is the coach has to be a good recruiter and have the ability to recruit in Southern California.”

An intriguing list may be developing. UCLA assistant Jim Saia has already expressed interest. Another candidate could be Larry Reynolds, who has built a Division II power at Cal State San Bernardino..

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Loyola Marymount is on a seven-game losing streak, its longest in the two seasons under Coach Steve Aggers, and the Lions are set to play tonight at No. 8 Gonzaga. The lowest point came Friday night when the Lions were emotionally absent in an 18-point home loss to St. Mary’s, which at one time lost 22 consecutive West Coast Conference games and the Lions already beat at Moraga.

“We have six seniors who need to stand up and take ownership of the program,” Aggers said. “We have too much pride and respect for the program to play like this.”

Eric Stephens

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The Dodgers report to Vero Beach, Fla., this week for the start of spring training, but there will be baseball games at Chavez Ravine this weekend. With USC’s Dedeaux Field undergoing renovations, the No. 6-ranked Trojans play host to No. 25 Baylor in a three-game series starting Friday.

USC, which has made two consecutive College World Series appearances, lost two of three at Long Beach State last weekend. The 49ers began the Mike Weathers era by shutting out the Trojans, 2-0, in the opener Friday. It was the first time USC was shut out in a season opener since 1978. On Saturday, USC pitchers walked 12 in a 7-4 defeat. USC’s 8-5 victory Sunday helped the Trojans avoid their worst start since 1981.

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Cal State Northridge second baseman Shaun Larkin earned national player of the week honors for his performances last week against Loyola Marymount and Washington State. Larkin had eight hits in 10 at-bats with four home runs. The senior transfer from Texas Tech drove in eight runs and scored 10.

In three games against Washington State, he went six for six and reached safely in all 15 of his plate appearances. Larkin also hit three home runs to raise his season total to eight. In a 6-5 victory over Loyola, he went two for four with a home run and three RBIs.

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UC Irvine soccer players Saul Wolf and Natalie Franklin were selected to the Verizon Academic All-America second team. Wolf was the Big West Conference co-defensive player of the year for the men’s team and Franklin earned All-Big West selections the last two years for the women.

To be eligible for the honor, a competitor must have a 3.2 grade-point average or higher and must be in at least their second season at their current school. Wolf and Franklin are seniors.

Gary Klein