At 5'8" one might not be the obvious Division I standout, but that's not the case for Long Beach State's Justin Bibbins.  The sophomore guard is making a name for himself with the 49ers and has plans to make a name for the Beach in the conference as well.

Playing behind senior Mike Caffey, Bibbins completed his first collegiate campaign averaging 1.3 points and 0.8 assists per game.  Sitting the bench was unknown territory for the high school standout who received the John R. Wooden Award as the CIF Division IV player of the year.  The guard led Bishop Montgomery to a 28-6 record and an appearance in the Division IV State Finals.

"Coming off of high school and being the guy that never came off the floor, to coming to college and being the guy that never got on the floor much, that really sparked something in me to work harder," said the 49er.

Bibbins used to offseason to improve, spending everyday in the gym over summer.  The workouts included: lifting, learning to anticipate where teammates would be on the court and hitting open shots.

“The ability to hit an open shot, that was a big one.  Also leading the team, being more vocal on the court.  Last year I wasn’t that talkative."

Following in the footsteps of two LBSU greats in Casper Ware and Caffey, Bibbins said, "I just had to take the pressure off of myself.  Learn as much as I can from Mike for the year he was here.  After that I just have to play within myself, trust my hard work and not try to fill their shoes, but make my own path.”

At the close of last season coach Dan Monson left Bibbins with lasting words saying, "You earn it off of the court as well as on it."

Taking that advice to heart, Bibbins makes sure he's there for his team on and off the floor and he isn't just making noice in the locker room this season, but in the boxscores as well.

The guard is averaging 11.4 points per game and leads the Beach shooting 44.4 percent from the three.  With 11 games in double digits, Bibbins has had three outings with 20 or more points in the last six contests.

"After last year not playing that much you get both sides of it," said Bibbins.  "You really enjoy every moment because you don’t know what might happen next.  You’ve been on the bench and on the court, and that’s humbling."

Like those before him, Bibbins want to be remembered as a winner and according to Bibbins, the key for LBSU to be the last team standing at Honda Center in March is getting on the same page.  What's working in the Beach's favor?  The fact that  they have yet to peak as a squad.

"That’s why I love this team so much," said Bibbins.  "We have’t peaked yet.  Teams tend to peak too early and then they go downhill.  Last year’s team we were 7-1 in league.  We peaked really early and this team hasn’t peaked yet so we haven’t seen out best game yet.  I think that’s exciting.”

Bibbins said of LBSU, "We're not done yet."

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Story by Olivia Phelps (@OliviaGPhelps).