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sports
Darden has a
message for Beach hoop fans
By Ben Dimapindan
On-line Forty-Niner
He stands tall
at 6-foot-4, weighs 200 pounds and has a cartoon of "Tony
the Tiger" tattooed on his right bicep.
His name is Tony
Darden, a junior college transfer from Kansas brought in to
be a marksman around the perimeter, and a smiling new face
on the Long Beach State men's basketball team who has something
to say to all the 49er fans.
"Come out and support
us," Darden said. "They brought me in here to be a shooter,
to spread the defense out for our big men Travis [Reed] and
Rudy [Williams]. We're going to make you all happy with the
way we play.
"We're working
hard, trying our best to be good, so come out and support
us."
Working hard to
be ranked among the best is nothing new to this 20-year-old
junior communications major. Darden hustled his way to 15.7
points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game last year at
Dodge City Junior College and was recognized as the 50th-ranked
JC player in the country by CBSsportsline.com following the
season.
After his prolific
sophomore campaign at Dodge City, Darden was wooed by programs
such as Marquette, Arizona State, Colorado, Arkansas-Little
Rock and Big West rival Utah State. Instead, the highly touted
guard decided to come to The Beach because he fell in love
with the coaching staff and felt that, in time, he could contribute
handsomely to the 49er system.
"He brings sharp
shooting," Associate Head Coach Reggie Warford said. "In a
year when shooting will be a premium in our conference, he
should be and shows evidence of being one of the premiere
shooters around. He shoots it quick, has great range and is
a fearless offensive player."
The stage is set
for Darden to find himself a groove in the offensive scheme
and showcase his shooting, especially now that starting guard
Lemi Williams will sit out the coming season as a medical
redshirt. However, the transition to becoming a productive,
versatile swingman on a Division I team has not been easy
thus far, according to Darden.
"[The coaches]
tell me I'm passing up too many open shots, but I'm just getting
comfortable with this system," Darden said. "They're really
getting on me hard for not rebounding too."
But seeing him
blend in well on the floor with his teammates, the coaches
are very pleased with how far Darden has come and have recognized
his potential as a legitimate offensive weapon with the ability
to help breakdown opposing defenses.
"There's a very
large difference coming from a JC and playing here, but he
is making very good progress," Warford said. "He certainly
doesn't have to carry this team, but he can contribute to
making our inside guys much more effective by being a consistent
outside threat."
Although Darden
admits to being a lazy person off the court, when it comes
to basketball, he said he is practically a workaholic.
"I came here to
play," Darden said. "When it's game time, I get serious. I
play hard all the time. I watch a lot of game films and study
myself, other players and my opponents. I like to study the
game."
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