Long Beach State Sports : Re: Official MBB Announcement 3 signings

Acker seems to stress bball IQ and work ethic a lot in his incoming player synopses. It was a ragtag group in some regards last year. Heard about some discipline problems from multiple sources, not big time stuff but the kind that eats away team development. And some of that was on the players, some on the head coach.

I too hope Acker found guys that don't need a lot of coaxing to buy into the direction and their role, and are open to coaching and stress development as again, we got a bunch of newbies.

I think the only way we have a markedly improved season is if the team comes together quickly and get on board with the team defense concepts and can put them into action right away. It feels like that might be a team strength.

Offense, I don't know. None of these guys sticks out as a go to guy, but I'm sure a few will percolate up, and the best bet is they buy into a ball sharing movement type of basketball to get open looks. I think the shooting may be overall better but not by a lot.

I am excited to see all the new faces and start assessing what we've got, but I don't have any big expectations, just small ones.

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I hope the new roster is more in tune with Acker's coaching style and that we have a better season than last year. Teams always sound great in the summer before any games are played. After 5 or 6 OOC games we should know what kind of team we will have. I hope for the LB fans and coaches that last year was an outlier as we had limited recruiting time to get players.

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https://longbeachstate.com/news/2025/7/22/mens-basketball-mens-basketball-completes-roster-with-three-final-additions?fbclid=IwY2xjawLs71JleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHsdY5of9DobXSx-A8GzS_SzZzyPKqVD2ld2uvbyNChKthEN9ZgFfmofjh_Ap_aem_mkJqxlvNwyHea9ddEKwE0w

Long Beach State’s squad size filled out to 15 with three final additions, two transfers and a high school commitment.

By: Roger Kirk, Associate Athletics Director, Communications & Broadcast

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State Men's Basketball has filled their roster, as Chris Acker and his staff have made three more additions to the 2025-26 squad.

JJ Chaikovsky | Forward | 6-7, 220 | Manhattan Beach, Calif.

JJ Chaikovsky comes to the Beach with two years of Division I experience, including one season in the Big West. Starting his career at NJIT, Chaikovsky played in nine games with the Highlanders in 2023-24. Transferring to CSUN, Chaikovsky redshirted during the 2024-25 campaign.

Acker on Chaikovsky:
"JJ has a great basketball IQ and high-level experience, having played for multiple Division I programs. He comes to our program with lots of versatility and a great work ethic. He has put in the work over the years to deserve the opportunity to contribute to our program. We're looking forward to working with him on a daily basis and the intangibles he brings to a winning culture."

Immanuel Lewis | Guard | 6-3, 170 | Los Angeles, Calif.

The Beach adds another player with a ton of experience in Immanuel Lewis. The brother of fellow 2025 commit Isaiah Lewis, Immanuel also played at Taft High School before spending his freshman season at Glendale CC, where he was second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per game while adding 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Spending one more season at the junior college level, Lewis played in 2023-24 at Atlantic Cape before redshirting last season at Nobel University.

Acker on Lewis:
"We are thrilled to welcome Immanuel to the Beach basketball program. He comes from a basketball family and will be joining his brother on the roster. He has playing experience, having starred at the JUCO level before moving to Nobel University. He can play multiple guard positions, is a proven shooter, and has a great basketball IQ. We are looking forward to him contributing to our team."

Jayden Alexander | Guard | 6-1, 170 | Los Angeles, Calif.

Jayden Alexander comes to Long Beach State from Southern California prep powerhouse Sierra Canyon. Alexander helped the Trailblazers post a 27-7 overall record as a senior, going 6-1 in league play and winning the CIF Division I championship 58-53 over Lincoln High School.

Acker on Alexander:
"We are excited to add Jayden to our roster. He comes from a great family and a high-level high school program in Sierra Canyon. He's played in very big games and been around some great players. He's a very skilled player that can really shoot the ball and has the athleticism to compete at this level. We can't wait to get him on campus and get him acclimated to our program."

Summer workouts have started for the team, which now features 14 new faces in addition to returning starter Derrick Michael Xzavierro.