CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2005
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2004-05 CPP Record: 18-5. CCAA Record: 13-3
2004-05 National
Ranking: 22
2004-05 Regional
Ranking: 4
Broncos Prepare For Final Chase
To The Title: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team, which posted two more
big home victories in Kellogg Gym last week, will continue its quest for a
first California Collegiate Athletic Association title since 1981 with two
important contests this weekend. The Broncos, who are tied with Cal State San
Bernardino for first place in the CCAA, will square off against the Coyotes in
a showdown Saturday night in San Bernardino.
The Broncos, who have moved back into the national rankings at No. 22, will
open the weekend with a road game Friday night at dangerous UC San Diego, which
has upset Cal Poly Pomona three of the past four years in La Jolla.
Cal Poly Pomona has won six straight games and has been victorious in 11 of its
last 12 and 17 of its last 19 contests. The Broncos and Coyotes now lead Chico
State and Sonoma
State by two games with four to
play. The game Saturday night with Cal State San Bernardino has regional
implications as well. The Broncos are ranked fourth and the Coyotes sixth in
the most recent NCAA Division II West Region rankings. New rankings will come
out on Wednesday and will include losses by No. 2 Western Washington, No. 3
Seattle Pacific and No. 5 Chico State. Cal Poly Pomona has clinched its 11th
consecutive winning season and is two wins away from its third straight 20-win
season. The Broncos are coming off another successful season. Cal Poly Pomona,
which has made the NCAA Division II playoffs in consecutive years for the first
time in the program’s history, went 21-7 last season and notched its second
straight 20-win season for the first time ever. The Broncos were 17-5 in the
California Collegiate Athletic Association last year and set a new program
standard for most conference wins in a season. The Broncos had a successful
follow-up to their 2002-03 season, which ranks as one
of the best in the program’s history. Cal Poly Pomona won the 2003 West Regional and
advanced to the national quarterfinals for only the second time in the
program’s history and the first since the 1964. The 23 wins tied the program
mark for most victories, also set by the 1964 squad. Cal Poly Pomona returns three
starters and seven players overall from last year’s squad, including preseason
All-American Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) and
All-CCAA and All-West Region selection David Sybesma
(Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial
HS).
Broncos Are Moving On
Up: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team has moved back into the
NABC/Division II national rankings this week in the latest poll published on
Tuesday. The Broncos are ranked 22nd in the nation. Three NCAA
Division II West Region teams are ahead of the Broncos: Hawaii Hilo is No. 13, Western
Washington is No. 19 and Seattle Pacific is No. 21. Cal Poly
Pomona is the lone California Collegiate Athletic Association to be included in
this week’s rankings. The Broncos were No. 22 in the NABC preseason rankings,
but fell out of the Top 25 after starting the season with a 1-3 record. Since
then, Cal Poly Pomona has won 17 of its last 19 games to improve to 18-5 this
season. The Broncos are also 13-3 in the CCAA and tied for the conference lead
with defending champion Cal State San Bernardino.
About Last Week:
The Broncos put some distance between the California Collegiate Athletic
Association co-leaders and the rest of the pack by beating Cal State Stanislaus
and Chico State in Kellogg Gym last weekend. Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San
Bernardino lead Chico State
and Sonoma State
by two games with four games remaining. The Broncos started the weekend by
rallying for a 95-80 win over Cal State Stanislaus. The Warriors made a strong
upset bid in the first half and had a 37-33 halftime lead. The Broncos, though,
erupted for 62 second-half points and recorded their highest point total of the
season. Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) tied a
season high with 26 points and eight rebounds to lead four Broncos in double
figures. Dion Cook (So., Canoga
Park, Chaminade HS) had a career-high 17 points, four
rebounds and three assists, David Sybesma (Sr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) had 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists and Hervey Malone II (Jr., Pittsburg,
Pittsburg HS) had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists. The Broncos shot
64 percent in the second half. Cal Poly Pomona then roared to a 44-25 halftime
lead and held off Chico State on Saturday, 68-64. Bonds had 14 points to again
lead four Broncos in double figures. Jonathan Boyd (Jr., Fontana,
Etiwanda HS) had 12 points, including four clutch free
throws in the final minute to thwart a Chico
State comeback bid. Sybesma had 11 points, six rebounds and eight assists and
Cook had 10 points and three rebounds.
Head to Head: Cal
Poly Pomona is 8-5 all-time against
UC San Diego, including a 71-55 victory over the Tritons on Jan. 22 in Kellogg
Gym. David Sybesma (Sr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) had 18 points, Dion Cook (So., Canoga
Park, Chaminade
HS) had 16 points and Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) had 15 points for
the Broncos. Cal Poly Pomona split games with UC San Diego last season, losing
in La Jolla, on Jan. 9 and beating the Tritons in
Kellogg Gym, 71-66, on March 6. Cal Poly Pomona has lost to UC San Diego in La
Jolla in three of the past four years. Cal Poly Pomona is 15-14
all-time against Cal State San Bernardino, including a 60-57 victory over the
Coyotes on Jan. 21. Sybesma
hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to put the Broncos ahead for
good and two free throws by Jonathan Boyd (Jr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS) iced the
game with 11 seconds to go. The two teams are 3-3 against each other over the
past six meetings. The Coyotes swept both games last season, while the Broncos
won two of three in 2002-03, including a 91-84 victory in double overtime to
win the NCAA Division II West Region championship. Cal Poly Pomona has not
beaten Cal State San Bernardino in San Bernardino
since 1998.
Where We Stand:
Cal Poly Pomona finds itself at the
top or near the top of several key California Collegiate Athletic Association
statistics. The Broncos lead the conference in scoring margin (+11.4) and field-goal
shooting percentage (48.2 percent) and are second in assist-turnover ratio
(1.15). The team is third in scoring (72.8 per game) and first in defense (61.3
per game). The Broncos are sixth in the nation in defense. Jeff Bonds (Sr.,
Compton, Mayfair HS) is second in the conference in scoring (17.2 points per
game), while David Sybesma (Sr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) is fourth (16.5 points per game). Sybesma
is third in the conference in scoring for conference games only (17.0 per game)
and also leads the CCAA in field-goal percentage (55.4 percent). Dion Cook (So., Canoga
Park, Chaminade HS) leads the conference in free-throw
percentage (86.8 percent). Bonds is second in the conference
in blocked shots (1.39 per game) and fourth in steals (1.96 per game). Hervey Malone II (Jr., Pittsburg,
Pittsburg HS) is second in the conference in 3-point
field goal percentage (.443). Billy Hofman (So.,
Sierra Madre, La Canada HS) is sixth in assist/turnover
ratio (1.68).
The Defense Never
Rests: Cal Poly Pomona’s defense has taken the NCAA Division II by storm.
The Broncos have allowed only 61.3 points per game and have the No. 6 defense
in the country. Since unleashing the “White Cell” defense against Grand
Canyon on Dec. 18, the Broncos have allowed only 58.7 points per
game and limited opponents to 61 points or less in 11 of the last 17 games. The
Bronco coaching staff – Head Coach Greg Kamansky
and assistant coaches Steve Wachs, Damion Hill and Bill Bannon – are
noted science buffs and came up with the name during serious deliberations.
White cells, the coaches point out, are the body’s way
of fighting off infections and diseases. In basketball terms, the “White Cell”
has been a hybrid of zone and man-to-man defenses. In any event, the defense
has been good enough to top the California Collegiate Athletic Association and
jump to sixth in the country.
The Kamansky File: Cal Poly
Pomona Head Coach Greg Kamansky is beginning his
fifth season as the leader of the Broncos. Kamansky
has guided the Broncos to a 97-38 overall record. His winning percentage of
.719 is the best in the program’s history. He led the Broncos to a 21-7 record
last season and into the NCAA Division II playoffs for the second straight season.
That was a successful follow-up to the sensational season in 2002-03 when he
guided the Broncos to the West Region championship and the program’s first
appearance in the national quarterfinals in 39 years. In the 2001-02 season, Kamansky guided the
Broncos to an 18-9 overall record and a 15-7 mark in the CCAA, which was good
enough for third place in the conference. As the interim coach four years ago, Kamansky guided a team picked to finish ninth in the CCAA
to a 17-10 record and the brink of an NCAA playoff berth. The 17-10 record was
the best-ever for a first-year coach in the program’s history. Kamansky was an assistant coach at Cal Poly Pomona for two
seasons before succeeding Tim Rapp.
The Name Is Bonds; Jeff Bonds: Cal Poly Pomona’s Jeff
Bonds is well on his way to
becoming one of the best players in the history of the program. Bonds
(Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) became the program’s all-time
leading scorer during a 26-point performance against Western
Washington on Nov. 27. Bonds surpassed the old
mark of 1,302 held by Lucas LeCour and now has
1,644 points in his Cal Poly Pomona career. He is currently second in the California
Collegiate Athletic Association in scoring with 17.2 points per game. He also
leads the Broncos in rebounding, steals and blocks. He has been named CCAA
Player of the Week three times this season. Bonds led the Broncos in scoring for
a second straight year last season with a 17.3 point per game average. He
earned first-team All-CCAA honors for the second straight season and also
earned first-team NABC All-West Region honors as well. He was at his best once
again in the postseason, pouring in a team-high 26 points in the Broncos’
first-round loss to Humboldt State.
In 2003, Bonds averaged 19.5 points per game in the Broncos’ four playoff
contests. The highlight was a career-high 31-point outburst that helped the
Broncos upend Cal State San Bernardino, 91-84, in
double overtime in the regional championship game. He also scored 20 points in
a semi-final victory over Cal State Bakersfield. He was named the West Regional
Most Outstanding Player after averaging 19.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in the
three regional contests. Bonds led the team in scoring (14.4 points) and
rebounding (5.8 per game) for the season and was named to the All-CCAA first
team. He was the only CCAA player to receive honorable mention All-America
honors this season by Street & Smith’s, the second year he has been honored
by the publication.
Fired Up About Sybesmania: Cal Poly Pomona forward David Sybesma (Sr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) returns for his fourth season
with the program and he, too, will go down as one of the best players in the
program’s history. He is currently second on the team and fourth overall in the
conference in scoring with a 16.5 points per game
average. Sybesma was named the CCAA Player of the
Week for the week of Jan. 17-23 for his performances against Cal State San
Bernardino and UC San Diego. He hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 38 seconds
left to lead the Broncos past the Coyotes and he had a game-high 18 points the
following night against the Tritons. He has climbed to fourth on the all-time
scoring list with 1,265 points in his career. Sybesma
earned first-team All-CCAA honors last season after finishing second on the
team with a 14.0 points per game average. He was also
second on the team in rebounding with 5.6 boards per game. He also continued
his knack of hitting big-time shots for the Broncos, sinking a 3-pointer in the
final seconds to send a critical home game against Cal State Stanislaus into
overtime. In 2003, he made one of the biggest shots in the program’s history. Sybesma hit a 14-foot leaner in the lane to beat the buzzer
and send the West Regional championship game against Cal State San Bernardino
into overtime. Cal Poly Pomona eventually won the game in double overtime to
advance to the Elite Eight. He was the only player to start all of the Broncos’
first 30 games, only to miss the Elite Eight game against Kentucky Wesleyan
because of a severely infected toe. Sybesma was second
on the team in scoring that year with a 10.7 points
per game average and was another player who stepped up his production in the
playoffs. He averaged 16.3 points per game and led the Broncos with 7.3
rebounds per game. Sybesma was named to the All-CCAA
second team in 2003.
Look Who’s
New: The Broncos are welcoming five players to their program this season
and four of the five are freshman. The lone upperclassmen is
Matt Nelsen, a 6-foot-4 senior guard from New Mexico Highlands. The Broncos are
also excited about first-year players Kevin Neveu
(Fr., San Leandro,
St. Joseph Notre Dame HS), Bill Forelli (Fr., Gig
Harbor, WA, Gig Harbor HS),
Ryan Chisholm (Fr., Richmond, Marin
Catholic HS) and Kyle Kraus (Fr., Wasco, Wasco HS). In addition, Kaelen Daniels (Fr., Compton, Artesia HS), who redshirted last year, is expected to make major contributions
this year in his first season on the active roster.
Where We Left Off: Cal Poly
Pomona’s men’s basketball team finished the 2003-04 season with a 21-7 record
and advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the second straight season.
The Broncos, the No. 6 seed, lost a heartbreaking 86-83 decision to eventual
regional champion Humboldt State.
Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) had a
sensational game, pouring in 26 points and leading four Broncos in double
figures. Jonathan Boyd (Jr., Fontana,
Etiwanda HS) had a career-high 17 points and knocked
down five 3-pointers, while David Sybemsa (Sr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) and Jonathan Williams had 16 points each. Sybemsa also had a career-high nine assists. Humboldt
State hit an amazing 15 of its 20
attempts from behind the 3-point arc. The Broncos set a new program standard by
winning 17 California Collegiate Athletic Association games while finishing
third in the conference with a 17-5 mark. The Broncos also notched their second
straight 20-win season for the first time ever.
PLAYER NOTES:
10 BILLY HOFMAN (G, So., Sierra Madre, La Canada HS)
Last Week: Had seven points, two assists and four rebounds against Chico
State on Saturday; had seven
points, two rebounds, six assists and five steals against Cal State Stanislaus
on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 4.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per
game. Currently is second on the team in assists and leads in 3-point
field-goal shooting percentage (.452).
Season Highs: Points –
12 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds
– 6 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Assists
– 6 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05), at Cal State Stanislaus (1-15-05), vs. Seattle
University (12-14-04).
Career Highs: Points –
12 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds
– 6 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Assists
– 6 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05), at Cal State Stanislaus (1-15-05), vs. Seattle
University (12-14-04).
11 JONATHAN
BOYD (G, Jr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS)
Last Week: Had 12 points, including four huge free throws to seal
the game, two rebounds, one assist and two steals against Chico
State on Saturday; had five points,
four assists and three steals against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 7.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per
game. Is fifth on the team in scoring and is second on the team in 3-point
field goals made (31).
Season Highs: Points –
15 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds
– 5 vs. Sonoma State
(12-3-04); Assists – 4 vs. Cal
State Stanislaus (2-18-05).
Career Highs: Points –
17 vs. Humboldt State (3-12-04); Rebounds
– 5 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04), vs. Chico State (1-2-04), vs. Western
Washington (12-17-03), vs. North Dakota State (11-28-03), at San Francisco
State (2-28-03); Assists – 4 vs. Cal
State Stanislaus (2-18-05), at UC San Diego (1-9-04).
20 HERVEY MALONE II (G, Jr., Pittsburg, Pittsburg HS)
Last Week: Had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists against
Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; had seven points, a career-high nine rebounds and
one steal against Chico State
on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per
game. Is fourth on the team in scoring, first in 3-point
field goals made (35) and second in 3-point field goal percentage (.443).
Is second in the conference in 3-point shooing percentage.
Season Highs: Points –
22 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Rebounds – 9 vs. Chico State (2-19-05);
Assists – 3 vs. Cal State Stanislaus
(2-18-05), at San Francisco State (2-04-05), at Western Washington (11-27-04).
Career Highs: Points –
22 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Rebounds – 9 vs. Chico
State (2-19-05); Assists
– 5 at Hope International (11-22-03),
vs. Alaska Fairbanks
(3-14-03).
22 DION COOK (G, So., Canoga Park, Chaminade HS)
Last Week: Had a career-high 17 points, four rebounds and three
assists against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; had 10 points, three rebounds, one
assist and one steal against Chico State
on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per
game. Is third on the team in scoring and third in 3-pointers
made (29).
Season Highs: Points – 17
vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05); Rebounds
– 7 at San Francisco State (2-04-05), at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05); Assists – 4 vs. Cal State Bakersfield
(2-11-05), at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05), vs. San Francisco State
(12-4-04), at Western Washington (11-27-04).
Career Highs: Points – 17
vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05); Rebounds
– 7 at San Francisco State (2-04-05), at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05); Assists – 4 vs. Cal State Bakersfield
(2-11-05), at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05), vs. San Francisco State
(12-4-04), at Western Washington (11-27-04), at UC Davis (2-27-04).
23 MATT NELSEN (G, Sr., Santa Clarita, New Mexico Highlands)
Last Week: Went scoreless in limited action against Cal State Stanislaus
on Friday; went scoreless against Chico
State on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 1.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 7
at Cal State L.A.
(1-07-05); Rebounds – 4 at Cal
State L.A. (1-07-05); Assists
– 4 vs. San Francisco State
(12-4-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
32 JEFF BONDS (F, Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS)
Last Week: Had 26 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three
blocked shots against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; had 14 points, six
rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot against Chico
State on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per
game. Is second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association
in scoring. Leads the team in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals. Has been named CCAA Player of the Week three times this season.
Season Highs: Points –
26 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05),
at Western Washington (11-27-04); Rebounds
– 14 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists
– 10 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05).
Career Highs: Points –
31 vs. Cal State San Bernardino (3-17-03);
Rebounds – 14 vs. Saint
Martin’s (11-26-04);
Assists – 10 at Cal State Dominguez
Hills (1-26-05).
33 DAVID SYBESMA (F, Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS)
Last Week: Had 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists against
Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; had 11 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three
steals against Chico State
on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per
game. Leads the CCAA in field-goal percentage (55.4 percent) and is fourth in
the conference in scoring. Is second on the team in overall
scoring and rebounding. Leads the team in assists and is also second in
steals.
Season Highs: Points –
27 at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-08-05); Rebounds
– 12 at Cal State
Stanislaus (1-15-05), vs. Dominican
University (12-29-04); Assists
– 8 vs. Chico State
(2-19-05).
Career Highs: Points –
27 at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-08-05), at Cal
State Stanislaus (1-31-04); Rebounds – 12 vs. Dominican
University (12-29-04); Assists
– 9 vs. Humboldt State
(3-12-04).
34 KAELEN DANIELS (C, Fr., Compton, Artesia
HS)
Last Week: Had six points, five rebounds and one blocked shot against
Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; went scoreless with one rebound and one steal against
Chico State
on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 4.5
points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points –
10 at San Francisco State
(2-04-05); Rebounds – 7 at Sonoma
State (2-05-05), vs. Sonoma
State (12-3-04); Assists
– 3 vs. Sonoma State
(12-3-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
44 KEVIN NEVEU (F, Fr., San Leandro, St. Joseph Notre Dame HS)
Last Week: Had seven points and seven rebounds against Chico
State on Saturday; had four points,
two rebounds and one steal against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 4.0
points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 9
at Cal State L.A.
(1-07-05); Rebounds – 7 vs. Chico
State (2-19-05); Assists
– 3 vs. Cal State L.A.
(2-12-05).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.