CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

 

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEDIA NOTES

 

2004-05 CPP Record: 6-3. CCAA Record: 1-1

 

Broncos Look To Continue Their Recent Momentum: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team, which has won five games in a row, will try to extend its season-best streak this week when California Collegiate Athletic Association play resumes in earnest. The Broncos are coming off an 84-70 victory over No. 9 BYU-Hawaii Monday night in Kellogg Gym, which is Cal Poly Pomona’s biggest non-conference, regular-season victory in several years. Cal Poly Pomona, which is off to a 1-1 start in CCAA play, will play its final 18 games over the next nine weeks in conference action. The Broncos will be at Cal State L.A. on Friday and at Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday. Cal Poly Pomona will also be on the road next weekend for games at Chico State on Friday, Jan. 14 and at Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday, Jan. 15 before returning home for Pack the Gym Night against Cal State San Bernardino on Friday, Jan. 21. 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 posted a pair of wins over the past seven days beginning with a much-needed 75-61 win over NAIA program Dominican University last Wednesday in Kellogg Gym. Cal Poly Pomona overcame a slow start and outscored the Penguins, 48-30, in the second half. Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) had 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead the Broncos, while David Sybesma (Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) had 10 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Hervey Malone II (Jr., Pittsburg, Pittsburg HS) and Dion Cook (So., Canoga Park, Chaminade HS) had 10 points each for Cal Poly Pomona. The Broncos shot just 30 percent in the first half, but came alive in the second half and hit 58 percent of their attempts. A 3-pointer by Malone gave the Broncos the lead for good, 44-43, with 10:46 to go. Malone’s basket started a 17-5 run over a five-minute span. Cal Poly Pomona then beat No. 9 BYU-Hawaii, 84-70, Monday night in Kellogg Gym. Malone poured in a career-high 22 points and knocked down four 3-pointers. Sybesma also had a tremendous game, scoring 21 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Cook had a career-high 15 points, while Bonds had 12 points and five rebounds. Both teams came out firing in a fast-paced first half. The Broncos shot 54 percent, BYU-Hawaii shot 65 percent and Cal Poly Pomona emerged with a 46-40 halftime lead. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Malone in the final minute of the first half broke a 40-40 tie. Cal Poly Pomona led the entire second half and took a 13-point lead after a 3-pointer by Sybesma with 15:05 to go. BYU-Hawaii sliced the lead down to seven points, 60-53, with 12:06 left, but the Broncos went on a 6-1 run capped by a three-point play by Kevin Neveu (Fr., San Leandro, St. Joseph Notre Dame HS) after he rebounded a missed free throw, got fouled and made the put-back basket. BYU-Hawaii got the lead back down to nine points, but the Broncos got another 3-pointer by Malone and led by double-digit margins the rest of the way.

 

Head to Head: Cal Poly Pomona is 39-37 all-time against Cal State L.A. and won both games last season. The Broncos recorded a 65-50 victory on Jan. 23 in Kellogg Gym behind 19 points and six rebounds from Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) and beat the Golden Eagles, 68-56, in Los Angeles on Feb. 14 behind 19 points from Jonathan Williams. Cal Poly Pomona has won the last nine meetings between the two programs. Cal Poly Pomona is 21-47 all-time against Cal State Bakersfield. The teams split a pair of games last season. The Roadrunners beat the Broncos, 57-45, on Jan. 30 in Bakersfield, while the Broncos beat Cal State Bakersfield, 64-61, on Feb. 7 in Kellogg Gym behind 19 points and six rebounds from David Sybesma (Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS). The Broncos have won six of the last seven meetings between the two programs.

 

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 85-36 overall record. His winning percentage of .702 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 1,413 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 eighth on the all-time scoring list with 1,026 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: Went scoreless in three minutes against Dominican University last Wednesday; DNP-CD against BYU-Hawaii on Monday.

2004-05: Averaging 0.4 points, 0.6 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 six points, two rebounds and five assists against Dominican University last Wednesday; had eight points, six rebounds and four assists against BYU-Hawaii.

2004-05: Averaging 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Tied for the team lead in assists and leads in 3-point field-goal shooting percentage (.560). Also shares team lead in 3-pointers made (14).

Season Highs: Points – 12 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds – 6 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Assists – 6 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. Seattle University (12-14-04).

 

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

Last Week: Had nine points, four rebounds and one assist against Dominican University last Wednesday; went scoreless with two rebounds and two assists against BYU-Hawaii on Monday.

2004-05: Averaging 7.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Is fifth on the team in scoring and is third on the team in 3-point field goals made (13).

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 10 points, three rebounds and one assist against Dominican University last Wednesday; had a career-high 22 points, six rebounds and two assists against BYU-Hawaii on Monday.

2004-05: Averaging 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Is fourth on the team in scoring and tied for the team high in 3-point field goals made (14).

Season Highs: Points – 22 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Rebounds – 7 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 3 at Western Washington (11-27-04).

Career Highs: Points – 22 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); 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 10 points, five rebounds and two assists against Dominican University last Wednesday; had a career-high 15 points, four rebounds and two assists against BYU-Hawaii on Monday.

2004-05: Averaging 9.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Is third on the team in scoring and fourth in 3-pointers made (12),

Season Highs: Points – 15 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Rebounds – 5 vs. Dominican University (12-29-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Assists – 4 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04), at Western Washington (11-27-04).

Career Highs: Points – 15 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); 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: Went scoreless with one rebound against Dominican University last Wednesday; went scoreless with two rebounds against BYU-Hawaii on Monday.

2004-05: Averaging 2.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.9 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 23 points, seven rebounds and season-high five assists against Dominican University last Wednesday; had 12 points, five rebounds and three assists against BYU-Hawaii on Monday.

2004-05: Averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Leads the team in scoring, rebounding and steals. Has been named CCAA Player of the Week twice this season.

Season Highs: Points – 26 at Western Washington (11-27-04); Rebounds – 14 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 5 vs. Dominican University (12-29-04).

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 10 points, a career-high 12 rebounds and six assists against Dominican University last Wednesday; had 21 points, five rebounds and four assists against BYU-Hawaii on Monday.

2004-05: Averaging 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Is second on the team in scoring and rebounding. Shares the team lead in assists and is also second in steals.

Season Highs: Points – 26 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04); Rebounds – 12 vs. Dominican University (12-29-04); Assists – 6 vs. Dominican University (12-29-04), vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04).

Career Highs: Points – 27 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: DNP-CD 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: Had seven points, three rebounds and two assists against Dominican University last Wednesday; had six points, two rebounds and one assist against BYU-Hawaii on Monday.

2004-05:  Averaging 2.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 7 vs. Dominican University (12-29-04); Rebounds – 3 vs. Dominican University (12-29-04); Assists – 2 vs. Dominican University (12-29-04).

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.