CALIFORNIA STATE
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Feb. 6, 2002
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2001-02 CPP Record: 13-6. CCAA Record: 10-4
2001-02 Regional Ranking: 8
On The Road Again: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team, fresh off taking the brooms to Cal State Bakersfield, will play two tough conference road games this week against dangerous Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A. The Broncos and Toros will square off on Friday at 7:30 p.m., while the Broncos and Golden Eagles will do battle on Saturday, also at 7:30 p.m. Cal State Dominguez Hills is riding a four-game winning streak that includes a big win over UC Davis, an overtime victory over Chico State and back-to-back victories over Cal State L.A. The Toros are 5-2 in their seven conference home games. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, beat Chico State last Friday and then lost on a buzzer-beater to UC Davis on Saturday.
Head To Head: Cal Poly Pomona is 26-26 all-time against Cal State Dominguez Hills and beat the Toros, 71-62, in Kellogg Gym on Dec. 15. Jeff Bonds (Fr., Compton, Mayfair HS) had a team-high 20 points and six rebounds to lead the Broncos, while Lucas LeCour (Sr., Las Vegas, Las Vegas HS) had 14 points. Cal Poly Pomona has a five-game winning streak against the Toros. Cal Poly Pomona is 34-37 all-time against Cal State L.A. and defeated the Golden Eagles, 54-50, in a Dec. 14 game in Kellogg Gym. LeCour had 17 points to lead the Broncos, while Bonds had 12 and Raymond Hubbard (Sr., Chicago, Cuyamaca CC) had 11. The Broncos have beaten the Golden Eagles in their last four meetings.
About Last Week: The Broncos bounced back nicely from their two emotionally draining defeats to Cal State San Bernardino and swept past Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State Bakersfield. Against the Warriors, Lucas LeCour (Sr., Las Vegas, Las Vegas HS) led 13 Broncos in scoring with 18 points, while Jonathan Williams (So., Pasadena, Muir HS) and T.J. Williams (Sr., Dana Point, Santa Margarita HS) had nine points each. Jonathan Williams also had five assists, while T.J. Williams had five rebounds. Jeff Bonds (Fr., Compton, Mayfair HS) and David Sybesma (Fr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) had eight points each. The following night, the Broncos had enough left in the tank to upend Cal State Bakersfield for a second straight time, 70-65. Earlier in the season, Cal Poly Pomona had handed the Roadrunners a 67-47 setback, the most lopsided home defeat to an NCAA Division II team in Cal State Bakersfield history. Unlike the first meeting, the Roadrunners were competitive in this matchup, but the Broncos took the lead seven minutes into the game and maintained it the rest of the way. Cal Poly Pomona led by as many as 11 points before settling for a 34-28 halftime edge. The lead ballooned to 12 points, 62-50, with 3:32 to go and a late Cal State Bakersfield run only made the final score more respectable. Raymond Hubbard (Sr., Chicago, Cuyamaca CC), who was the CCAA’s Player of the Week the first time the two teams met, was dominant again on Saturday with a game-high 19 points.
The Kamansky File: Cal Poly Pomona Head Coach Greg Kamansky is in his second season leading the Broncos. As the interim coach last year, 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. Kamansky’s current record with the Broncos is 30-16.
Leading With Lucas: Senior guard Lucas LeCour is leading the Broncos for a second straight season. LeCour is tops on the team in scoring (13.8 points per game), minutes played (29.3 per game), assists (3.2 per game) and steals (2.5 per game). LeCour leads the conference in steals, is seventh in assists and ninth in scoring. LeCour led the Broncos with 18 points in the win over Cal State Stanislaus and was solid against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, scoring nine points to go along with five assists and two steals. He equaled a season high with 24 points in the Broncos’ 66-63 loss to Cal State San Bernardino on Jan. 23. LeCour also had 24 points and grabbed a season-high eight rebounds in the win over Grand Canyon on Jan. 12. It was the second week in a row he had set a new season high for scoring. Previously, LeCour scored 22 points in a win over Chico State on Jan. 5. He also scored 20 points in wins against La Verne on Nov. 28 and at Cal State Stanislaus on Dec. 8. LeCour has scored in double figures in 12 of the Broncos’ first 19 games. LeCour flourished last season as a junior when he became a full-time starter for the first time at Cal Poly Pomona. He led the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game and earned second-team All-CCAA and All-West Region honors. LeCour also shot a sizzling 82 percent from the free-throw line. He led the team in minutes played (839) and reached double figures in 22 of the Broncos’ 27 games.
The Dean Of Defense: Cal Poly Pomona has been benefiting from one of the top defenses in the country and one of the key defenders is guard Marques Montgomery (Sr., Cerritos, Valley Christian HS). Montgomery, in his fourth season with the Broncos, is having a sensational senior season. He displayed his defensive prowess last week while helping stifle the offenses of Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Stanislaus and the week before, against Cal State San Bernardino, he limited the CCAA’s Player of the Year, Bobby Burries, to just seven points in each of the two matchups. Montgomery also had a career-high 16 points in the Broncos’ 66-63 loss to the Coyotes in Kellogg Gym on Jan. 23. Montgomery is second on the team in steals and second in assists. He is averaging 25.6 minutes per game, which is also second on the team and is one of just three players to start all 19 games this season.
Everybody Loves Raymond: Senior forward Raymond Hubbard is once again providing instant offense and rebounding muscle off the bench for the Broncos and he came up big once again against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday. Hubbard was the CCAA’s Player of the Week after leading the Broncos past the Roadrunners in Bakersfield on Dec. 9 and he dominated the Roadrunners again on Saturday in a 70-65 victory. Hubbard had 19 points and three rebounds in 29 stellar minutes. Hubbard is third on the team in scoring (11.0 points per game) and second on the team in rebounding (5.0 per game). While Hubbard has usually been one of the first reserves off the bench, he has also flourished in his two starts. In his second start of the season on Jan. 19 against Sonoma State, Hubbard scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Broncos past the Cossacks, 59-54. Hubbard missed the Jan. 11 loss at UC San Diego because of illness, but was back the next night for the Broncos’ 93-66 win at Grand Canyon. Hubbard led all Bronco reserves in scoring last year with a 9.8 points per game average (third on the team) and was third on the squad in rebounding, averaging 4.7 per game.
The Name Is Bonds; Jeff Bonds: The Broncos are getting some sensational play from newcomer Jeff Bonds (Fr., Compton, Mayfair HS). Bonds has already provided a big boost to the Cal Poly Pomona team with his exciting and explosive style of play. Bonds has started the last eight games for the Broncos. He had a team-high 15 points and four rebounds in the loss at UC San Diego on Jan. 11 in his first start. He followed that up with 13 points and nine rebounds in the victory at Grand Canyon. He had 10 points and five rebounds against San Francisco State and then had 10 points and a season-high 10 rebounds against Sonoma State. Bonds poured in a season-high 23 points on Jan. 4 in a loss at UC Davis, while making seven of his eight field-goal attempts and nine of his 10 free throws. He has scored in double figures in 14 of the last 16 games. He is second on the team in scoring with an 11.9 points per game average and leads the team in rebounding (5.3 per game).
Another Fabulous Freshman: Cal Poly Pomona forward David Sybesma (Fr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) is another freshman stepping up for the Broncos. He had eight points in 14 minutes against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday and contributed eight points and a season-high eight rebounds in the win over Cal State San Bernardino. Sybesma led the Broncos in scoring for the first time this season with a 13-point performance against San Francisco State on Jan. 18. He scored a season-high 16 points in the win at Chico State on Jan. 5. Sybesma is currently fourth on the team in scoring and fourth in rebounding.
This And That: The Broncos set a new school record
for defensive excellence last year, allowing just 66.4 points per game. So far
this year, the defense has been even better, allowing only 63.6 points per
game. That figure is third in the CCAA and 12th in the nation. The Broncos have held three opponents to 50
points or less. San Francisco State’s
44 points are the lowest; Cal State Bakersfield managed just 47. … The Broncos
were 4-0 in CCAA play for the first time since 1975-76. The Broncos are hoping
that’s a good sign: that was also the last time the Broncos advanced to the
NCAA Division II playoffs. … The Broncos own a narrow 673-671 edge in
rebounding so far. Jeff Bonds leads with 101 rebounds in 19 games, while
Raymond Hubbard has 90 rebounds in 18 games. … Cal Poly Pomona has 177 steals
so far this season, including a season-high 14 against San Francisco State. The
Broncos also had 13 against Sonoma State, 12
against Chico State and 11 at Cal State Bakersfield. Lucas LeCour leads
the team with 48, including five against Sonoma State.
Coach’s Corner
(About last weekend’s games): “Last week was definitely a good follow-up to the week before. I thought we improved our level of play the week before and we came out and played well again last week. We were probably a little rusty in the first half against Stanislaus, but in the second half we got back to playing our brand of basketball. We played good defense, but even more importantly we had a more productive offense. We were sharing the ball and getting good shots. At this time of year, teams start to get tired and you can start wearing them down a little bit. If we move the basketball and stay patient, we can get good looks.”
(About the sweep over Bakersfield): “I think what that shows is that we’re right there with San Bernardino and Bakersfield. Out of those four games, we won two of them and were right there with San Bernardino. They are both very, very good teams and we proved we can play at that level. We showed we could beat Bakersfield twice. We beat them at their place and we beat them again here. Hopefully, those wins will help us down the road, but the victories don’t mean anything if we don’t take care of business over the next month.”
(About this weekend’s tough road games): “Dominguez is playing as well as anybody in the league right now. They have four players who are probably in the top 15 in the league. Their point guard is one of the top players in the league and he didn’t play against us last time. Their center is one of the best in the league, their shooting guard is one of the best in the league and their (power forward) is one of the best in the league. They are a very scary team to play at this point. You also know you have to bring it against L.A. They have the leading scorer in the league and they play very, very hard. L.A. is always a tough place to play.”
(About the team’s confidence after the past four games): “I hope our guys gained some confidence. They realize if they play a certain brand of basketball, they can compete with anybody, but this is a team that can’t relax. If we relax, we’ll get beat. We have to grind out our wins. We can’t just show up and play.”
(About the team’s postseason aspirations): “We’re still very much alive, but this is the time of year where you have to get on a roll. It’s not going to be given to us. We’re not 18-2; the reality is we’re 13-6. We have to get on a roll and get some wins. This weekend is huge. After this, we have four home games and my attitude is we have to win our home games. If you can’t win your home games, it’s going to be very difficult to reach the playoffs. There are still a lot of games left. We’ve put ourselves in position where we can do some very good things if we can take care of business.”
-- Head Coach Greg Kamansky
PLAYER NOTES
3 JONATHAN WILLIAMS (G, So., Pasadena, Muir HS)
Last Weekend: Had nine points and tied a season high with five assists against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; had five points and one rebound against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
2001-02: Averaging 4.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Has made 20 of 24 free-throw attempts this season.
Season Highs: Points – 10 vs. San Francisco State (1-18-02); Rebounds – 5 at CS Bakersfield (12-9-01). Assists – 5 vs. CS Bakersfield (2-2-02), 5 vs. La Verne (11-28-01).
Career Highs: Points – 11 vs. UC San Diego (1-12-01); Rebounds – 5 at CS Bakersfield (12-9-01); Assists – 8 at UC San Diego (3-3-01).
2001-02: Averaging 0.8 points, 0.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Has appeared in five games.
Career Highs: Points – 26 vs. CS Stanislaus (2-9-01); Rebounds – 11 vs. UC Riverside (12-11-99); Assists – 8 vs. UC Davis (1-4-02).
T.J. WILLIAMS (G, Sr., Dana Point, Santa Margarita HS)
Last Weekend: Had nine points and five rebounds against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; went scoreless in 12 minutes against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday. Has started 12 of 19 games.
2001-02: Averaging 4.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 14 vs. La Verne (11-28-01); Rebounds – 5 vs. CS Stanislaus (2-1-02), vs. CS Dominguez Hills (12-15-01); Assists – 3 vs. CS Bakersfield (12-9-01).
Career Highs: Points – 18 vs. Cal State L.A. (1-28-00); Rebounds – 6 (Three times); Assists – 6 vs. UC Davis (2-12-00).
MARQUES MONTGOMERY (G, Sr.,
Cerritos, Valley Christian HS)
Last Weekend: Had five points, four rebounds and three assists against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; had seven points against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
2001-02: Averaging 5.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 16 vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-23-02), Rebounds – 6 at UC San Diego (1-11-02); Assists: 3 vs. CS Stanislaus (2-1-02), at UC San Diego (1-11-02).
Career Highs: Points - 16 vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-23-02); Rebounds – 6 at UC San Diego (1-11-02), vs. UC Riverside (2-5-00); Assists: 4 vs. La Verne (12-2-00).
ANDY BRATT (G, So., Tucson,
Salpointe HS)
Last Weekend: Had four points, one rebound and one assist against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; DNP-CD against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
2001-02: Averaging 2.1 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.2 assists per game. Has appeared in 11 games.
Season Highs: Points – 5 at Grand Canyon (1-12-02), vs. La Verne (11-28-01); Rebounds – 2 at Grand Canyon (1-12-02), vs. CS Dominguez Hills (12-15-01); Assists – 1 vs. CS Stanislaus (2-1-02), vs. La Verne (11-28-01).
Career Highs: Points – 7 vs. Hope International (11-25-00), Vanguard University (12-30-01); Rebounds – 4 vs. UC San Diego (1-12-01); Assists – 1 (Seven Times).
RAFAEL ZIELONKA (F, Sr.,
Anaheim, Servite HS)
Last Weekend: Had four points and two rebounds against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; had four points and two rebounds against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
2001-02: Averaging 4.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists per game. Has started all 19 games for the Broncos.
Season Highs: Points – 9 at UC San Diego (1-11-02); Rebounds – 9 at UC San Diego (1-11-02), Assists – 2 at CS Stanislaus (12-8-01).
Career Highs: Points – 10 at Vanguard (12-30-00); Rebounds – 9 at UC San Diego (1-11-02); Assists – 3 at Vanguard (12-30-00).
YOUSOF ETEMADI (G, Jr., Laguna
Hills, Saddleback College)
Last Weekend: Had two points and one rebound against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; DNP-CD against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
2001-02: Averaging 3.2 points, 0.6 rebounds, 0.3 assists per game. Has appeared in six games.
Season Highs: Points – 9 vs. La Verne (11-28-01); Rebounds – 1 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-1-02), vs. San Francisco State (1-18-02), 1 vs. La Verne (11-28-01), vs. Dominican College (12-29-01); Assists – 1 vs. San Francisco State (1-18-02), 1 vs. La Verne (11-28-01).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
JEFF BONDS (F, Fr., Compton,
Mayfair HS)
Last Weekend: Had eight points, four rebounds and two assists against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; scored 10 points with four rebounds and one assist against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
2001-02: Averaging 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.1 assist per game. Has appeared in 19 games and started in the last eight. Has scored in double figures in 14 of the past 16 games.
Season Highs: Points – 23 at UC Davis (1-4-02); Rebounds – 10 vs. Sonoma State (1-19-02); Assists – 2 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-1-02), vs. Dominican College (12-29-01).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
DAVID SYBESMA (F, Fr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS)
Last Weekend: Had eight points and a season-high eight rebounds against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday; had eight points and one rebound against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday.
2001-02: Averaging 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists per game. Has appeared in 19 games, reached double figures in scoring three times.
Season Highs: Points – 16 at Chico State; Rebounds – 8 vs. Cal State Bakersfield (2-2-02); Assists – 4 at UC San Diego (1-11-02).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
JAMES CADY (C, Fr.,
Bakersfield, Stockdale HS)
Last Weekend: Went scoreless with two rebounds against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday; DNP-CD against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
2001-02: Averaging 0.9 points, 1.0 rebound, 0.0 assists per game. Has appeared in eight games.
Season Highs: Points – 4 at Montana State-Billings (12-22-01); Rebounds – 5 vs. La Verne (11-28-01).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
STEVE LAMBERT (F, Jr., Covina,
Charter Oak HS)
Last Weekend: Had four points and three rebounds against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday; had eight points and two rebounds against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday.
2001-02: Averaging 4.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.3 assists per game. Has appeared in 18 games; started five times.
Season Highs: Points – 13 at Azusa Pacific (11-24-01); Rebounds – 12 vs. La Verne (11-28-01); Assists – 2 vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-23-02).
Career Highs: Points – 32 vs. La Verne (12-2-00); Rebounds – 14 vs. La Verne (12-2-00). Assists – 2 vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-23-02), vs. Vanguard (12-30-00).
JESSE ALTAMIRANO (C, Sr.,
Whittier, East L.A. College)
Last Weekend: DNP-CD in both games.
2001-02: Averaging 0.0 points, 1.0 rebound. Appeared in two games.
Season Highs: Points – 0; Rebounds – 2 vs. La Verne (11-28-01)
Career Highs: Points – 5 vs. La Verne (12-2-00); Rebounds – 4 vs. La Verne (12-2-00).
RAYMOND HUBBARD (F, Sr.,
Chicago, Cuyamaca CC)
Last Weekend: Scored a game-high 19 points against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday; had seven points and five rebounds against Cal State Stanislaus.
2001-02: Averaging 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists. Appeared in 18 games and started twice. Is third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding.
Season Highs: Points – 22 vs. Sonoma State (1-19-02); Rebounds – 11 at Azusa Pacific (11-24-01); Assists – 2 at UC Davis (1-4-02).
Career Highs: Points – 22 vs. Sonoma State (1-19-02); Rebounds – 11 at Azusa Pacific (11-24-01); Assists – 3 at UC San Diego (3-3-01).
DAVE ERICKSON (C, Sr., Newbury
Park, Newbury Park HS)
Last Weekend: Had four points and two rebounds against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday; had one point and two rebounds against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday.
2001-02: Averaging 2.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.1 assists. Appeared in 16 games and has started 11 times.
Season Highs: Points – 8 vs. Dominican College (12-29-01); Rebounds – 4 at Montana State-Billings (12-22-01); Assists – 1 vs. CS Bakersfield (2-2-02).
Career Highs: Points – 15 vs. Sonoma State (1-2-01); Rebounds – 14 at Cal State Northridge (11-28-00); Assists – 2 vs. UC Davis (1-19-01).