You can add another name to the list of candidates to be the next Long Beach State men’s basketball coach.
According to a source familiar with the situation, 49ers’ administrators were expected to interview former Minnesota and Gonzaga head coach Dan Monson today at an off-campus location.
Monson accepted a buyout and resigned as the Gophers’ coach on Nov. 30, not even a month into his eighth season with the Big Ten Conference program. According to media reports, he had been told he was going to be fired at the conclusion of the season.
After leading Gonzaga to an Elite Eight (the Bulldogs lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the West Regional final in Phoenix in 1999) finish, he took over a Minnesota program that had been hit by an extensive academic scandal that led to NCAA probation.
The Gophers advanced to the NCAA Tournament only once (in 2005).
The team had a 2-5 record (and five-game losing streak) when he resigned. His records with the program were 118-106, overall, and 44-68 within the Big Ten.
In two seasons as the head coach at Gonzaga (where he spent nine years as an assistant), the Bulldogs were 24-10 (earning an NIT bid) and then 28-7 during their Elite Eight run
Assistant coaches Kerry Keating (UCLA), Gib Arnold (USC) and Cameron Dollar (Washington), as well as head coach Bobby Braswell (Cal State Northridge) are others believed to have interviewed for the job or scheduled to be interviewed.
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