SLC NCAA Tourney weblog: Potential NBA draft picks taking part in on the Delta Heart

Lengthy Seashore State head coach Dan Monson actually did not maintain something again in his Wednesday press convention.

His gamers did not, both, throughout a powerful Huge West Event run; and now they’re all again collectively once more within the NCAA Event.

After making the Huge Dance as a No. 12 seed in 2012, falling to No. 5 seeded New Mexico within the first spherical, the Huge West tourney champion Lengthy Seashore (21-14) now returns as a No. 15 seed to face No. 2 Arizona (25-8) at 12 p.m. MDT Thursday on the Delta Heart, with the winner advancing to face both No. 10 Nevada or No. 7 Dayton.

The 62-year outdated Monson, who led Gonzaga to the Elite Eight in 1999, and has spent the final 17 years in southern California, formally parted methods with this system the Monday previous to the Huge West Event at The Greenback Mortgage Heart in Henderson, Nevada. Lengthy Seashore then proceeded to win three video games in three days, capped off with back-to-back wins over regular-season champion UC Irvine and UC Davis.

“It is price each job I’ve needed to have the experiences I’ve had this week,” Monson stated. “It has been a life-changing week in a great way.”

He wasn’t the one one to say the identical. Ahead Lassina Traore, who was named Huge West Event MVP, stated the announcement of Monson’s departure was surprising, nevertheless it fueled the crew to play “like we have by no means finished it earlier than.”

Each he and fellow ahead Aboubacar Traore — who usually are not associated — actually took the reins, with Aboubacar Traore finishing the primary triple-double in Huge West Event historical past in Lengthy Seashore State’s dominant quarterfinal win over UC Riverside with 12 factors, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists.

“It was one of the best second for us to only come collectively,” Aboubacar Traore stated. “You are desirous about your subsequent transfer or your teammate, that is what issues.”

It additionally was a part of a message Monson delivered final Wednesday at observe in Las Vegas, the place he merely informed his gamers “be totally different at the moment” as they received off the bus, resulting in what the coach referred to as “one of the best observe of the yr.” It was a second he knew his crew had a shot.

“He places lots of belief in his gamers,” guard Jadon Jones, a Lengthy Seashore native, stated. “He may right you, however he is by no means going to attempt to take your confidence away.”

And Monson actually is not quick on confidence. He took loads of alternatives in his press convention to take pleasant jabs at Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd, who Monson labored with at Gonzaga.

One got here the place he and Lloyd went to dinner for pizza, and Monson defined he was late as a result of “we had been placing in that Princeton offense for 3 days; it is sophisticated.”

However Monson’s gamers have fed off that confidence, particularly since Lengthy Seashore defeated DePaul, Michigan, and USC earlier this season — all on the highway — in nonconference play.

Lassina Traore stated although Lengthy Seashore is not anticipating something to be straightforward, they’re “coming to win.”

“A cause why we performed so nicely within the Huge West was we had been hungry,” Jones stated. “We all know we are able to play with anybody; it is simply on us to go in with the mentality of we nonetheless have quite a bit to show.”

There clearly is for this crew. If there’s any indication, Monson stated it out loud as he left his press convention:

“I am going to see you guys on Friday. Inform Tommy I stated that,” he stated.

— Alex Tumalip, KSL.com