CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

 

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEDIA NOTES

 

2004-05 CPP Record: 4-3. CCAA Record: 1-1

 

Broncos Look To Continue Their Recent Momentum: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team, which has won three games in a row, will resume competition with a home game against Dominican University on Wednesday, Dec. 29, at 7:30 p.m. in Kellogg Gym. The Broncos will then host No. 9 BYU-Hawaii in a big regional contest on Monday, Jan. 3, before returning to California Collegiate Athletic Association play on Friday, Jan. 7 at Cal State L.A. The Broncos won both their games last week, posting a home victory over Seattle University on Tuesday and then rallying for an impressive win at Grand Canyon on Saturday. Both victories came against NCAA Division II West Region opponents. 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).

 

About Last Week: The Broncos resumed action after a 10-day break and didn’t show any signs of rust in a 72-53 victory over Seattle University last Tuesday in Kellogg Gym. Cal Poly Pomona shot 55 percent from the floor and knocked down 10 of 16 attempts from behind the 3-point arc. The Broncos also made 18 of their 22 free-throw tries. The Broncos shot 67 percent in the first half while opening up a 43-24 halftime lead. After Seattle University sliced the margin to 11 points by opening the second half on a 9-1 run, Billy Hofman (So., Sierra Madre, La Canada HS) nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to boost the advantage back to 17 points. Cal Poly Pomona led by at least 13 points the rest of the way. Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) had a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds for the Broncos, while David Sybesma (Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) had 17 points, four assists and two rebounds. Dion Cook had 11 points and three assists and Hofman had nine points and a game-high six assists. The Broncos then visited Grand Canyon on Saturday and overcame a slow start to beat the Antelopes, 59-46. The Broncos fell behind, 12-2, and were down at halftime, 26-18. Cal Poly Pomona, though, outscored Grand Canyon, 41-20, in the second half, including a game-deciding 18-0 run. The Broncos trailed, 37-33, when they went on the lengthy run to take control of the game. Jonathan Boyd (Jr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS) had 10 points during the run and started the stretch with a 3-pointer. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Hofman and Boyd and a three-point play by Sybesma kept the string going. Boyd and Bonds both had 15 points to lead the Broncos, while Hofman added 12 points and three assists.

 

Bonds Named CCAA Player Of The Week: Cal Poly Pomona’s Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) has been named the Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 13-19. It is  Bonds’ second weekly honor of the season. Bonds led the Broncos to a pair of NCAA Division II West Region victories last week. He scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Cal Poly Pomona’s 72-53 win over Seattle University last Tuesday and he added 15 points and five rebounds in the Broncos’ 59-46 win at Grand Canyon on Saturday. For the week, Bonds averaged 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He also earned the conference’s weekly honor earlier this season for the week of Nov. 15-23. Bonds averaged 23.0 points per game that week and became Cal Poly Pomona’s all-time leading scorer. He currently has 1,378 points in his Cal Poly Pomona career.

 

Head to Head: Cal Poly Pomona is 3-0 all-time against Dominican University, which is one of the top NAIA programs in the country. The Broncos last played the Penguins in the 2001-02 season and prevailed, 75-59. Cal Poly Pomona will be facing BYU-Hawaii for the first time, although the Broncos have enjoyed success on the Seasiders’ home court. The Broncos captured the 2003 NCAA Division II West Region championship at BYU-Hawaii, defeating Alaska Fairbanks, Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State San Bernardino for the title.

 

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 an 83-36 overall record. His winning percentage of .697 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 1,378 points in his Cal Poly Pomona career. 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 in scoring with 15.6 points per game average. He has also climbed to ninth on the all-time scoring list with 995 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

 

5          JASON BURRELL (G, So., Rancho Cucamonga, St. Mark’s Prep)

Last Week: Had three points and one rebound against Seattle University on Tuesday; DNP-CD against Grand Canyon on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 0.5 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 3 vs. Seattle University (12-14-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04); Assists – 1 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04), vs. Western Washington (11-27-04).

Career Highs: Points – 5 at Cal State Stanislaus (1-31-04); Rebounds – 3 vs. UC San Diego (3-6-04); Assists – 5 vs. Grand Canyon (3-5-04).

 

10        BILLY HOFMAN (G, So., Sierra Madre, La Canada HS)

Last Week: Had 12 points, two rebounds and three assists against Grand Canyon on Saturday; had nine points and six assists against Seattle University on Tuesday.

2004-05: Averaging 5.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Leads the team in assists and 3-point field-goal shooting percentage (.625)

Season Highs: Points – 12 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds – 4 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Assists – 6 vs. Seattle University (12-14-04).

Career Highs: Points – 12 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds – 4 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Assists – 6 vs. Seattle University (12-14-04).

 

11        JONATHAN BOYD (G, Jr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS)

Last Week: Had 15 points, two rebounds and one assist against Grand Canyon on Saturday; had five points and one rebound against Seattle University on Tuesday.

2004-05: Averaging 8.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Is third on the team in scoring and leads the team in 3-point field goals made.

Season Highs: Points – 15 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04); Assists – 3 at Western Washington (11-27-04), vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04).

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 at UC San Diego (1-9-04).

 

20        HERVEY MALONE II (G, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pittsburg HS)

Last Week: Had three points, five rebounds and one assist against Grand Canyon on Saturday; had two points and two rebounds against Seattle University on Tuesday.

2004-05: Averaging 6.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Is fifth on the team in scoring and third in 3-point field goals made.

Season Highs: Points – 11 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04); Rebounds – 7 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 3 at Western Washington (11-27-04).

Career Highs: Points – 16 vs. Western Washington (12-17-03); Rebounds – 7 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04), vs. Sonoma State (2-21-04), vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-6-04); 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 11 points, one rebound and three assists against Seattle University on Tuesday; went scoreless with two rebounds and one assist against Grand Canyon on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 8.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Is third on the team in scoring.

Season Highs: Points – 14 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Assists – 4 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04), at Western Washington (11-27-04).

Career Highs: Points – 14 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04), vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-24-04); Assists – 4 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: Had five points, two rebounds and one assist against Grand Canyon on Saturday; had three points, three assists and one rebound against Seattle University on Tuesday.

2004-05: Averaging 3.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 5 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04), vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Rebounds – 3 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04); 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 22 points, nine rebounds and two assists against Seattle University on Tuesday; had 15 points and five rebounds against Grand Canyon on Saturday. Was named the Wilson CCAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

2004-05: Averaging 18.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Leads the team in scoring and rebounding.

Season Highs: Points – 26 at Western Washington (11-27-04); Rebounds – 14 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 3 at Western Washington (11-27-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04).

Career Highs: Points – 31 vs. Cal State San Bernardino (3-17-03); Rebounds – 14 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 6 vs. Montana State-Billings (12-30-02).

 

33        DAVID SYBESMA (F, Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS)

Last Week: Had 17 points, two rebounds and four assists against Seattle University on Tuesday; had nine points, five rebounds and two assists against Grand Canyon on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 15.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Is second on the team in scoring, rebounds and assists. Leads the team in steals.

Season Highs: Points – 26 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04); Rebounds – 7 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 6 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04).

Career Highs: Points – 27 at Cal State Stanislaus (1-31-04); Rebounds – 10 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-6-04), at Cal State Stanislaus (1-31-04), vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-24-04), at San Francisco State (1-17-04), vs. Cal State Bakersfield (3-15-03), vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-3-03); Assists – 9 vs. Humboldt State (3-12-04).

 

34        KAELEN DANIELS (C, Fr., Compton, Artesia HS)

Last Week: DNP-CD both games because of leg injury.

2004-05:  Averaging 5.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 8 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Rebounds – 7 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: Went scoreless with one rebound against Seattle University on Tuesday; went scoreless with one rebound against Grand Canyon on Saturday.

2004-05:  Averaging 1.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.0 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 6 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Assists – None.

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.