The 6th Tool 12s travel baseball team based out of the Los Altos program at El Dorado Park had a successful summer, capped with a win at the NCS San Diego World Series last week. The Long Beach kids had a great tournament and brought home the Division 1 championship. The team is managed by […]
There’s no more historic high school basketball program in California than the Long Beach Poly boys’ squad. The Jackrabbits have won 2,140 games–300+ more than the next team–and have produced nine NBA players, tied for most in state history. That total of pros includes Peyton Watson, who just became the Jackrabbits’ second NBA champ alum, […]
At the end of every school year we look back to reminisce on the accomplishments that defined Long Beach sports over the last 12 months. This year has been extra special because of the variety of schools and sports represented on this list— which is a hallmark of our diverse city and athletic community. No. […]
JuJu Smith-Schuster is a busy guy. The Long Beach Poly alum won the Super Bowl with the Chiefs, and life has been a bit of a whirlwind since then, trying to squeeze in a White House visit, a ring ceremony, time with family, endorsement opportunities, and perhaps a little downtime too. But last weekend the […]
After 12 months full of peaks and valleys on the playing surface and in the administrative offices, the Long Beach State athletics department finds itself at a crossroads. The Beach has a budget deficit, has had an interim athletic director for a year, and is in desperate need of facility upgrades. Yet, LBSU has also […]
The562’s coverage of Dirtbags Baseball for the 2023 season is sponsored by P2S, Inc. Visit p2sinc.com to learn more. Bryan Peters stepped up to take interim head coaching duties for the Long Beach State Dirtbags after the sudden departure of Eric Valenzuela, and he announced on Wednesday that he’s adding Jeff Opalewski and Bryan Prince as assistant […]
Unprecedented times sometimes call for unprecedented measures, and outgoing Long Beach Century Club President Mike Fillipow certainly had a unique tenure at the helm. Fillipow was not only tasked with bringing the club back to normal business following the COVID-19 pandemic, he was also asked to serve for two years as president, rather than the […]
Dating back to his playing days with the Los Angeles Clippers in the late 1990’s, St. Anthony alum Darrick Martin has provided a yearly Books & Basketball Camp for kids in the Long Beach area. What was once the highlight of his offseason continues to be a staple for Martin and his family each summer, […]
Any first-time visitor to the Long Beach Poly weight room over the last few decades has had the same basic reaction: “All those athletes came out of *here*?” Indeed, despite having produced more NFL players than any other high school in the nation, Poly’s weight room was a dump, with outdated equipment that prevented even […]
Photos by Kirby Lee