CALIFORNIA STATE
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Jan. 8, 2002
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2001-02 CPP Record: 8-3. CCAA Record: 5-1
2001-02 Regional Ranking: 10
The Long And Winding Road: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team, ranked 10th in the latest West Region poll, will put the finishing touches on a stretch of nine road games in its first 13 contests this weekend with a trip to La Jolla to meet UC San Diego on Friday and an excursion to Phoenix for a game against Grand Canyon on Saturday. The Broncos are currently in second place in the CCAA with a 5-1 conference mark. UC San Diego is 4-9 overall and 1-5 in the CCAA, while Grand Canyon is 4-7 overall and 2-4 in conference. The game Friday against UC San Diego is set for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff, while the game Saturday against Grand Canyon will start at 8 p.m.
Head To Head: Cal Poly Pomona is 3-3 all-time against UC San Diego and split a pair of games last season. The Broncos beat the Tritons, 91-67, on Jan. 12 in Kellogg Gym behind 24 points from Lucas LeCour (Sr., Las Vegas, Las Vegas HS). The Tritons beat the Broncos, 74-70, in the season finale on March 3 in La Jolla. LeCour had 17 points and Steve Lambert (Jr., Covina, Charter Oak HS) had 12 rebounds in that one. Cal Poly Pomona is 8-11 all-time against Grand Canyon and split the two meetings last season. The Broncos won, 80-56, on Jan. 13 in Kellogg Gym behind 20 points from LeCour and 12 rebounds from Dave Erickson (Sr., Newbury Park, Newbury Park HS). The Antelopes then beat the Broncos, 68-64, on March 2 in Arizona. LeCour had 18 points in that one. The losses to Grand Canyon and UC San Diego in the final two games of the season most likely kept the Broncos out of the postseason last season.
About Last Week: The Broncos lost for the first time in conference play this season at UC Davis, but then bounced back nicely with a victory at Chico State. The road split dropped the Broncos out of a first-place tie with Cal State San Bernardino, but it allowed Cal Poly Pomona to remain alone in second place, a game behind the Coyotes and one-half game ahead of Cal State Bakersfield and Sonoma State. The Broncos began last weekend’s trip with an 82-74 loss to a red-hot UC Davis team that shot a season-high 60.9 percent from the floor and was an astounding 7-of-9 from behind the 3-point line. Cal Poly Pomona led late in the first half before falling behind 37-33 at halftime and then trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half before making a late rally. Forward Jeff Bonds (Fr., Compton, Mayfair HS) scored a season-high 23 points in the defeat, while Lucas LeCour (Sr., Las Vegas, Las Vegas HS) and Raymond Hubbard (Sr., Chicago, Cuyamaca CC) scored 13 points each. LeCour also recorded a season-high eight assists and two steals. The following night, the Broncos recorded an 81-71 win over Chico State. Cal Poly Pomona led for most of the game and was ahead by as many as 14 points in the first half before settling for a 44-38 halftime lead. The Broncos built the lead back up to 10 points midway through the second half, but Chico State made a late run and sliced the lead to five points with 1:21 to go. LeCour, though, hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back up to seven and the Broncos led by at least six points the rest of the way. LeCour scored a season-high 22 points to lead the Broncos, while David Sybesma (Fr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) had his best game of the season, contributing 16 points, two rebounds and three steals. Hubbard added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Bonds had 10 points.
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 25-13.
Leading With Lucas: Senior guard Lucas LeCour is leading the Broncos for a second straight season. LeCour is tops on the team in scoring (14.5 points per game), minutes played (28.7 per game), assists (3.2 per game) and steals (2.2 per game). He scored a season-high 22 points in the win over Chico State and has 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 nine of the Broncos’ first 11 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 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. He had 13 points and two rebounds in the loss at UC Davis last Friday and had 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds in the win over Chico State last Saturday. Hubbard is currently third on the team in scoring with an 11.3 points per game average and he leads the team in rebounding with a 5.6 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 established himself as one of the Broncos’ top reserves and his exciting and explosive style of play has been a boost to the Cal Poly Pomona team. He poured in a season-high 23 points last Friday in the loss to 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 the win over Chico State. Bonds has scored in double figures in eight straight games. He is second on the team in scoring with a 12.7 points per game average and is third in rebounding (4.9 per game).
Another Fabulous Freshman: Cal Poly Pomona forward David Sybesma (Fr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) is coming off his best game of the season. Sybesma scored a season-high 16 points in the win Saturday night over Chico State. He also had two rebounds and three steals. Sybesma made four of his seven field-attempt and six of his eight free-throw attempts, including two late in the game to help the Broncos preserve their lead. Sybesma has now reached double figures in two of Cal Poly Pomona’s first 11 games and is averaging 4.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game.
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 65.5 points per
game. Without the Montana State-Billings’ 105 points counted in, the Broncos
have allowed their other 10 opponents only 61.5 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 the 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 407-398 edge in rebounding so far. Raymond Hubbard leads the
team with 62 rebounds, while Jeff Bonds is next with 54. … Cal Poly Pomona has
103 steals so far this season, including a season-high 12 against Chico State
and 11 against Cal State Bakersfield. LeCour leads the team with 24.
Coach’s Corner: (About the split last weekend): “Davis played really well; they beat us. We didn’t play good enough defensively and they shot incredibly well. I was proud of the way our guys bounced back against Chico. It was very important for us to get a split. Obviously, you want to win two, but getting a split on that trip is good and keeps us in the hunt. We were disappointed we didn’t win two, but against Chico we finally got untracked shooting-wise. Our offense is beginning to click. We were 1-14 of our 3-point attempts, but we shot 48 percent from the floor. We just have to get back to playing some defense.”
(About the games this weekend): “San Diego runs the Princeton offense, which is a very difficult offense to go against. Their perimeter players step out and shoot threes, just like Davis, which is a really difficult matchup for our personnel. Grand Canyon is a more traditional power team. They have good size and good athletes. They have the conference’s second-leading scorer on the wing (Del Somers). It will be a tough weekend, but it’s a weekend we need to have.”
(About the team’s 8-3 start with so many games on the road): “We’re probably a little ahead of where we thought we’d be, but we’ll see after this weekend.”
(About some of the Broncos’ individuals): “Lucas has figured out how to play as a complete player. When he does that, he’s very hard to stop, especially when the other guys are knocking down shots. David (Sybesma) hopefully had his breakout game. We hope he can continue to get in double figures. Jeff (Bonds) has established himself as a player who needs to be stopped and that’s a big plus for us.”
-- Head Coach Greg Kamansky
PLAYER NOTES
3 JONATHAN WILLIAMS (G, So., Pasadena, Muir HS)
Last Weekend: Had eight points, four assists and two steals at Chico State and five points, two assists and two rebounds at UC Davis.
2001-02: Averaging 4.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Has made 11 of 12 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 zero points, two rebounds and two assists in win at Chico State and three points, two steals and one assists in the loss at UC Davis.
2001-02: Averaging 5.5 points, 2.3 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 four points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals at Chico State and two points, two rebounds at UC Davis.
2001-02: Averaging 4.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 10 vs. Cal State L.A. (12-14-01), Rebounds – 5 vs. Chico State (1-5-02); Assists: 3 vs. La Verne (11-28-01).
Career Highs: Points - 11 vs. CS Bakersfield (2-10-01); Rebounds – 6 vs. UC Riverside (2-5-00); Assists: 4 vs. La Verne (12-2-00).
ANDY BRATT (G, So., Tucson,
Salpointe HS)
Last Weekend: Played six scoreless minutes at UC Davis; DNP-CD at Chico State.
2001-02: Averaging 1.3 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.1 assists per game. Has appeared in seven games.
Season Highs: Points – 5 vs. La Verne (11-28-01); Rebounds – 2 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: Had six points and four rebounds in 19 minutes in win over Chico State and seven points with two rebounds against UC Davis.
2001-02: Averaging 3.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists per game. Has started all 11 games for the Broncos.
Season Highs: Points – 7 vs. UC Davis (1-4-02); Rebounds – 5 vs. La Verne (11-28-01), Assists – 2 at CS Stanislaus (12-8-01).
Career Highs: Points – 10 at Vanguard (12-30-00); Rebounds – 6 at Vanguard (12-30-00); 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 season-high 23 points at UC Davis and scored 10 points with three rebounds at Chico State.
2001-02: Averaging 12.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist per game. Has appeared in 11 games, scored in double figures in last eight games.
Season Highs: Points – 23 at UC Davis (1-4-02); Rebounds – 7 at Montana State-Billings (12-22-01); 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 a season-high 16 points at Chico State and scored two points at UC Davis.
2001-02: Averaging 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists per game. Has appeared in 11 games, reached double figures in scoring twice.
Season Highs: Points – 16 at Chico State; Rebounds – 6 vs. La Verne (11-28-01); Assists – 2 at Vanguard (11-16-01).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
JAMES CADY (C, Fr.,
Bakersfield, Stockdale HS)
Last Weekend: DNP-CD in both games.
2001-02: Averaging 0.8 points, 1.0 rebound, 0.0 assists per game. Has appeared in five 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 six points and grabbed four rebounds in 16 minutes at UC Davis; went scoreless in five minutes at Chico State.
2001-02: Averaging 4.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists per game. Has appeared in 11 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 13 points with two rebounds at UC Davis and scored 11 points with eight rebounds at Chico State.
2001-02: Averaging 11.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.7 assists. Appeared in 11 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 four points with two rebounds at Chico State and went scoreless in five minutes at UC Davis.
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).