CALIFORNIA STATE
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Jan. 15, 2002
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2001-02 CPP Record: 9-4. CCAA Record: 6-2
2001-02 Regional Ranking: 10
Kellogg Gym Is The Place To Be: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team, ranked 10th in the latest West Region poll, will play its first two games in 2002 this weekend when the Broncos entertain San Francisco State on Friday night and Sonoma State on Saturday night in Kellogg Gym. The Broncos just completed a stretch of nine road games in their first 13 contests of the 2001-02 season. The Broncos are currently in third place in the CCAA with a 6-2 conference record. San Francisco State, one of the surprise teams so far, is 5-4 in conference and is an impressive 4-1 away from home in CCAA play. The Gators are 7-8 overall. Sonoma State is also 5-4 in conference and sports a 7-7 record overall mark.
Head To Head: Cal Poly Pomona is 14-5 all-time against San Francisco State and swept two games last year against the Gators. The Broncos won in San Francisco, 70-67, in the CCAA opener last season on Dec. 8 behind 15 points from Lucas LeCour (Sr., Las Vegas, Las Vegas HS). The Broncos won again, 65-37, on Feb. 3 in Kellogg Gym behind 22 points and eight rebounds from Steve Lambert (Jr., Covina, Charter Oak HS). The 37 points were the fewest allowed by Cal Poly Pomona since a 123-36 win over California Christian in 1993. Cal Poly Pomona is 11-6 all-time against Sonoma State and won both games last year. The Broncos have a four-game winning streak against the Cossacks. The Broncos prevailed, 77-73, on Dec. 9 behind 19 points from LeCour. Cal Poly Pomona also won in Kellogg Gym, 56-51, on Feb. 2 behind a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds by David Erickson (Sr., Newbury Park, Newbury Park HS.
About Last Week: The Broncos, for the second straight week, split a pair of conference games on the road. The Broncos lost at UC San Diego, 70-64, on Friday night and then bounced back for a 93-66 victory at Grand Canyon. Cal Poly Pomona slipped two games behind first-place Cal State San Bernardino and one-half game behind second-place Cal State Bakersfield. In the loss to UC San Diego, the Broncos trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half and led only once, 54-52, after a basket by Lucas LeCour (Sr., Las Vegas, Las Vegas HS). The Broncos, though, endured a seven-minute scoring drought and couldn’t recover. A three-point play by Rafael Zielonka (Sr., Anaheim Hills, Servite HS) pulled the Broncos to within three points with 1:11 to go, but Cal Poly Pomona couldn’t get any closer. Jeff Bonds (Fr., Compton, Mayfair HS), in his first start for the Broncos, led the team with 15 points. Cal Poly Pomona responded impressively the next night at Grand Canyon. LeCour scored a season-high 24 points and also had a season-high eight rebounds. The Broncos led at halftime, 36-26, and then broke the game open with 57 second-half points. Bonds had 13 points and nine rebounds, while Raymond Hubbard (Sr., Chicago, Cuyamaca CC), who missed Friday’s game because of illness, had 11 points. David Sybesma (Fr., Corona, Corona Centennial) and T.J. Williams (Sr., Dana Point, Santa Margarita HS) scored nine points each.
The Kamansky File: There is no more “interim” tag for Cal Poly Pomona Head Coach Greg Kamansky, who 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 26-14.
Leading With Lucas: Senior guard Lucas LeCour is leading the Broncos for a second straight season. LeCour is tops on the team in scoring (14.8 points per game), minutes played (28.4 per game), assists (3.2 per game) and steals (2.2 per game). He scored a season-high 24 points and grabbed a season-high eight rebounds in the win over Grand Canyon last Saturday. 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 10 of the Broncos’ first 13 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.
Everybody Loves Raymond: Senior forward Raymond Hubbard is once again providing instant offense and rebounding muscle off the bench. Hubbard missed Friday’s loss at UC San Diego because of illness, but was back for the Broncos’ 93-66 win at Grand Canyon. Hubbard contributed 11 points and four rebounds in 20 minutes. Hubbard had a huge weekend for the Broncos in their road wins against Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 8-9 and was named the CCAA’s Player of the Week. Hubbard had a season-high 17 points and six rebounds against the Warriors and added 16 points and nine rebounds against Cal State Bakersfield. Hubbard is currently third on the team in scoring with an 11.2 points per game average and he leads the team in rebounding with a 5.5 average. He got his only start of the season so far on Dec. 14 and had 11 points and six rebounds in a 54-50 win over Cal State L.A. 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 boost to the Cal Poly Pomona team with his exciting and explosive style of play. Bonds got his first two starts for the Broncos this past weekend. He had a team-high 15 points and four rebounds in the loss at UC San Diego and he had 13 points with a season-high nine rebounds in the victory at Grand Canyon. He 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 followed that up with 10 points in a win at Chico State. Bonds has scored in double figures in 10 straight games. He is second on the team in scoring with a 12.9 points per game average and is second in rebounding (5.2 per game).
Another Fabulous Freshman: Cal Poly Pomona forward David Sybesma (Fr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) is another freshman stepping up for the Broncos. Sybesma scored nine points and grabbed a season-high seven rebounds in the win at Grand Canyon after scoring six points with four rebounds and a season-high four assists at UC San Diego. Sybesma scored a season-high 16 points in the win at Chico State on Jan. 5. He also had two rebounds and three steals. Sybesma made four of his seven field-attempts and six of his eight free-throw tries, including two late in the game to help the Broncos preserve their lead.
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 65.8 points per
game. Without the Montana State-Billings’ 105 points counted in, the Broncos
have allowed their other 12 opponents only 62.6 points per game. After Montana State-Billings, UC Davis’ 82
points are the most allowed by the Broncos this season. Cal State Bakersfield’s
47 points are the fewest. … 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 492-471 edge in rebounding so far. Jeff Bonds leads with
67 rebounds in 13 games, while Raymond Hubbard has 66 rebounds in 12 games. …
Cal Poly Pomona has 113 steals so far this season, including a season-high 12
against Chico State and 11 against Cal State Bakersfield. Lucas LeCour leads the
team with 29. Rafael Zielonka had a strong weekend for the Broncos, setting
season highs with nine points and nine rebounds at UC San Diego and
contributing seven points with one rebound at Grand Canyon. Zielonka is one of
just three players to start all 13 games.
Coach’s Corner: (About last weekend): “I thought we played very well at Grand Canyon. Against UC San Diego, we didn’t play as bad as the score would indicate. We had Hubbard out and Lucas played half a game (because of foul trouble). That’s two of our best players we were without, basically. We still had a chance to win, but we didn’t make the plays we needed to. I thought San Diego came out really intense and we didn’t match that intensity until eight minutes were left in the first half. By that time, we were down by 13. We let that one get away, but we were on the road and give San Diego credit, they played well. The difference against Grand Canyon is we came out from the start with good intensity. I liked the way we responded.”
(About the travel of the past two weeks): “It was hard, but that’s just part of the conference. You have to be able to win games on the road like that. Obviously, we would have liked to have gone 3-1, but we didn’t. We’re 6-2 now and still in the hunt.”
(About this weekend): “We will be playing against two teams that play extremely hard and are very good teams. San Francisco is very athletic and plays hard and it will be a very tough game for us. Sonoma can really shoot the ball and they’re very good. They beat Davis. Each weekend gets bigger. The more you win, the bigger the games become. Obviously, we’d like to go into the San Bernardino series at 8-2, that’s pretty critical.”
(About Jeff Bonds starting for the first time in his Cal Poly Pomona career): “He’s learning some things, learning about the intensity level right from the get-go. He’s playing well. He was hurting a little bit in the Grand Canyon game, but he hung in there. He means a lot to us. We rely on him quite a bit.”
(About the first 13 games, with nine of them on the road): “We’re O.K. If you would have told me that after 13 games we’d be 9-4, I’d have taken it in a heartbeat. Obviously, I’d like to be 10-3, but we’re not. These next two games are big.”
-- Head Coach Greg Kamansky
PLAYER NOTES
3 JONATHAN WILLIAMS (G, So., Pasadena, Muir HS)
Last Weekend: Had seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes at Grand Canyon; had four points, three rebounds and three assists at UC San Diego.
2001-02: Averaging 4.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Has made 13 of 15 free-throw attempts this season.
Season Highs: Points – 9 vs. Azusa Pacific (11-24-01); Rebounds – 5 at CS Bakersfield (12-9-01). Assists – 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).
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, three rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes off the bench at Grand Canyon; had four points in 20 minutes at UC San Diego.
2001-02: Averaging 5.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 14 vs. La Verne (11-28-01); Rebounds – 5 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 two points and three assists at Grand Canyon; scored seven points and grabbed a season-high six rebounds at UC San Diego.
2001-02: Averaging 4.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 10 vs. Cal State L.A. (12-14-01), Rebounds – 6 at UC San Diego (1-11-02); Assists: 3 at UC San Diego (1-11-02).
Career Highs: Points - 11 vs. CS Bakersfield (2-10-01); 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: Equaled season-high with five points and two rebounds at Grand Canyon; had two points at UC San Diego.
2001-02: Averaging 1.8 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.1 assists per game. Has appeared in nine 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. 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: Set new season highs in points and rebounds with nine and nine at UC San Diego; had seven points and one rebound at Grand Canyon.
2001-02: Averaging 4.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists per game. Has started all 13 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).
YOUSEF ETEMADI (G, Jr., Laguna
Hills, Saddleback College)
Last Weekend: DNP-CD in both games.
2001-02: Averaging 3.5 points, 0.5 rebounds, 0.5 assist per game. Has appeared in three games.
Season Highs: Points – 9 vs. La Verne (11-28-01); Rebounds – 1 vs. La Verne (11-28-01), vs. Dominican College (12-29-01); Assists – 1 vs. La Verne (11-28-01).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
JEFF BONDS (F, Fr., Compton,
Mayfair HS)
Last Weekend Scored 15 points with four rebounds at UC San Diego in his first start of the season; had 13 points and a season-high nine rebounds at Grand Canyon.
2001-02: Averaging 12.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist per game. Has appeared in 13 games and started in the last two. Has scored in double figures in last 10 games.
Season Highs: Points – 23 at UC Davis (1-4-02); Rebounds – 9 at Grand Canyon (1-12-02); Assists – 2 vs. Dominican College (12-29-01).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
DAVID SYBESMA (F, Fr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS)
Last Weekend: Scored nine points and grabbed a season-high seven rebounds in 25 minutes at Grand Canyon; had six points and three rebounds at UC San Diego.
2001-02: Averaging 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists per game. Has appeared in 13 games, reached double figures in scoring twice.
Season Highs: Points – 16 at Chico State; Rebounds – 7 at Grand Canyon (1-12-02); Assists – 4 at UC San Diego (1-11-02).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
JAMES CADY (C, Fr.,
Bakersfield, Stockdale HS)
Last Weekend: Had two points and one rebound in five minutes at Grand Canyon; DNP-CD at UC San Diego.
2001-02: Averaging 1.0 point, 1.0 rebound, 0.0 assists per game. Has appeared in six 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: Scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds in 22 minutes at UC San Diego; had four points and two rebounds in eight minutes at Grand Canyon.
2001-02: Averaging 4.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.2 assists per game. Has appeared in 13 games; started five times.
Season Highs: Points – 13 at Azusa Pacific (11-24-01); Rebounds – 12 vs. La Verne (11-28-01); Assists – 1 at UC Davis (1-4-02).
Career Highs: Points – 32 vs. La Verne (12-2-00); Rebounds – 14 vs. La Verne (12-2-00). Assists – 2 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 11 points four rebounds in 20 minutes at Grand Canyon. Did not play (illness) at UC San Diego.
2001-02: Averaging 11.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists. Appeared in 12 games and started once. Third on the team in scoring, first in rebounding.
Season Highs: Points – 17 at CS Stanislaus (12-8-01); Rebounds – 11 at Azusa Pacific (11-24-01); Assists – 2 at UC Davis (1-4-02).
Career Highs: Points – 17 (Three times); 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: Scored two points in the victory at Grand Canyon; DNP-CD at UC San Diego.
2001-02: Averaging 3.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.0 assists. Appeared in nine games and has started five times.
Season Highs: Points – 8 vs. Dominican College (12-29-01); Rebounds – 4 at Montana State-Billings (12-22-01).
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).