The past two seasons have been rocky for Long Beach City College men’s basketball.
In 2024-2025, the Vikings finished 8-20, with a sub-500 conference record. They regressed in both respects last year, losing all ten conference games as part of a 5-23 campaign.
Longtime head coach Barry Barnes isn’t shying away from the tribulations as he approaches his 18th season at the helm. But one year removed from his worst season at LBCC, Barnes believes his squad is ready to compete for a conference title. His optimism stems from a revamped recruiting strategy.
“This is my first year really having a lot of guys out of state,” Barnes said. “I [usually] concentrate with a lot of Moore League guys and guys from around the area. But I really have some dynamite prospects from out of state.”
The Vikings added two freshmen from New Jersey, a sophomore from Georgia and two other freshmen from Texas and Indiana, respectively. Barnes expects all five to contribute this season.
Likely the most intriguing of those out-of-state additions is 6-foot-9 forward James Moore. The New Jersey native played in Texas last year.
Barnes likes the upside Moore provides on both ends of the floor, comparing the freshman to Kevin Durant because of his ability to “put the ball on the floor [and] shoot the three.” The Vikings coach also said Moore is comfortable defending smaller guards.
Moore’s height is also a luxury for Barnes, who’s used to coaching smaller teams.
“I never had 6’9, 6’8 guys before,” Barnes said. “When I really went out and got guys with size, I really wanted them to be able to move, play multiple positions and bring the ball up.”
Barnes will also get height from a pair of freshman wings in Daquantae Bell and Kris Glenn. Bell comes to Long Beach from Indiana, while Glenn hails from New Jersey.
Guards Jesse Graves III and Jaylen Singleton are the other two Vikings from the out-of-state cohort. Graves, a 6-foot-5 guard from Atlanta, Georgia, has a multi-faceted skill set given his height. Singleton, a freshman guard from Houston, Texas, is a high-level scorer and elite distributor at 6-foot-1.
The Vikings still have significant in-state depth around their out-of-state newcomers, and that’s especially prevalent at the guard position.
Sophomores Jorge Mota and Branden Ellis are the only two LBCC returners who logged minutes last season. Both have helped the out-of-state players adapt to Barnes’ system while serving as veteran leaders among the entire team.
“Those two guys are looking to lead outstanding three-point shooters,” Barnes said. “With those guys, and the guys I brought in, [I’m] still trying to gel all those guys together and put a concept together to help us win.”
Building a sense of togetherness is already difficult when a team turns over the vast majority of its roster. That task becomes even more challenging while helping out-of-state players adapt to life in a new part of the country, which Barnes has rarely needed to do during his 17-plus years leading the Vikings.
But the LBCC head coach hasn’t been overly burdened.
“When you recruit guys out-of-state, they know they’re coming out here for a reason. When I talk to them, I say it’s more of a business trip,” Barnes said. “And they [are] hungry. I got a couple of guys that [have] been through some struggles in their lives.”
LBCC’s talent was already evident in Thursday’s season-opener against Santa Ana.
After trailing by seven points at halftime, the Vikings outscored the Dons 46-32 in the second half. Singleton had a team-high 24 points and seven assists in the 80-73 victory.
The Vikings will host Porterville in their home opener on Friday.
LBCC is undoubtedly deeper than it’s been over the past two seasons. It may take time for results to materialize, but the Vikings can compete at a high level again so long as they adhere to Barnes’ motto (which he borrowed from LBCC football head coach Marques Cooper):
“The best player on the team is the team.”
