CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2004
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2003-04 CPP Record: 18-5. 2003-04 CCAA Record:
14-4
2003-04 Regional
Ranking: 6
2003-04 National
Ranking: 24
2002-03 NCAA Division
II West Region Champions
Nationally-Ranked Broncos Head North For Big Trip:
Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team, the 2002-03 NCAA Division II West
Region champion, will carry a season-best seven-game winning streak and a
national ranking of 24 into this weekend’s games at UC Davis and Chico
State. The Broncos, who have won 12
of their last 13 game and 15 of their last 17, are tied for second place in the
California Collegiate Athletic Association with Cal State Bakersfield. Chico
State and UC Davis are one game
behind the Broncos and Roadrunners. The Broncos will be at UC Davis on Friday
and at Chico State
on Saturday. The Broncos climbed up one spot in the NABC/Division II rankings
to 24th in the latest poll released on Tuesday. Cal Poly Pomona
slipped to sixth in the NCAA Division II West Region poll last week with a new
ranking set to come out on Wednesday. The Broncos are coming off one of the
best seasons in the program’s history. Cal Poly Pomona won the West Regional
and advanced to the national quarterfinals for only the second time in the
program’s history and the first time since 1964. The 23 wins tied the program
mark for most victories, also set by the 1964 squad. Cal Poly Pomona returns all
five starters and its top six scorers from last year’s regional championship
team. Jeff Bonds (Jr., Compton, Mayfair HS), the Most Outstanding Player of the
West Regional, has been selected by Street & Smith’s as a preseason
honorable mention All-American. He was a first-team All-CCAA pick last season. David Sybesma (Jr., Corona, Corona
Centennial HS) and Jonathan Williams (Sr., Pasadena, John
Muir HS), who both earned second-team All-CCAA honors, are also back.
About Last Week:
The Broncos ran their winning streak to seven after posting big wins in Kellogg
Gym over San Francisco State and Sonoma State. Cal Poly Pomona completed season
sweeps over both squads. The Broncos opened the weekend with a 73-45 win over San
Francisco State on
Friday. Cal Poly Pomona roared to a 23-5 lead in the first 12 minutes of the
game and held a 37-16 halftime advantage. The Broncos led by at least 20 points
for the entire second half. Jeff Bonds (Jr., Compton, Mayfair
HS) led the Broncos with 18 points and seven rebounds, while David Sybesma (Jr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) had 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Hervey Malone II (So., Pittsburg,
Pittsburg HS) had 12 points and two rebounds. Cal Poly
Pomona had a more competitive game on Saturday night, but broke the game open
in the second half and won going away, 68-52. The Broncos led by just two
points at halftime, 30-28, but used a game-breaking 15-0 run in the second half
to break a 34-34 tie. The lead eventually grew to 24 points, 66-42, with 3:26 left. Jonathan Boyd (So., Fontana,
Etiwanda HS) led the Broncos with a career-high 15
points, three rebounds and two assists. Bonds notched his first double-double
of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Jonathan Williams (Sr., Pasadena,
John Muir HS) had 10 points and four assists.
Head To Head: Cal
Poly Pomona is 13-12 all-time
against UC Davis, including a 69-67 overtime win over the Aggies
on Jan. 3 in Kellogg Gym. The Broncos rallied from a 33-24 halftime deficit and
eventually won the game on a layup by Jonathan
Williams (Sr., Pasadena, John Muir HS) with four seconds left in overtime. Jeff Bonds
(Jr., Compton, Mayfair HS) had 16 points and seven
rebounds to lead the Broncos. The Broncos won both games last season, 77-64 in Davis
behind 21 points and six rebounds from Michael Ridgway
(Sr., Houston, TX,
Lamar University)
and in Kellogg Gym, 65-43, behind 13 points and eight rebounds from Bonds. Cal
Poly Pomona is 10-9 all-time against Chico
State, including an 89-75 win in
Kellogg Gym on Jan. 2. Bonds had 19 points to lead four Bronco players in
double figures. Chico State
won both games last season, 88-84, in Chico
despite 18 points each from David Sybesma (Jr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) and Williams. The Wildcats won
again in Kellogg Gym, 73-72, despite 19 points from Guy Beahm
(Sr., Willow Glen, West Valley JC).
Pomona Is Title Town: Cal Poly Pomona basketball
teams have won regional basketball championships three straight seasons. The
Bronco women won regional titles in 2001 and 2002 on their way to NCAA Division
II championships. The Bronco men captured the regional title in 2003 on their
way to the Elite Eight. No other basketball program in the West Region can
match that success.
Where We Left Off: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball
team finished the 2002-03 season with a 23-7 record
(Kentucky Wesleyan later forfeited its win over the Broncos in the Elite
Eight). The Broncos finished second in the CCAA with a 16-6 mark and set a new
program record for most conference wins in a season. Cal Poly Pomona, the
fourth seed in the West Region, beat No. 5 Alaska Fairbanks, 80-76, in its
first playoff game since 1976. The Broncos then beat Cal State Bakersfield in
the semifinals, 62-49, before rallying from a 19-point second-half deficit to
topple CCAA champion Cal State San Bernardino, 91-84, in double overtime in the
regional championship game. Cal Poly Pomona lost to Kentucky Wesleyan, 85-60,
in the Elite Eight in Lakeland, Fla.
How The West Was Won: Cal Poly Pomona entered the NCAA
Division II West Regional at BYU Hawaii as the fourth seed and won three
straight games to capture the title. The three postseason victories set a
single-season program record. The Broncos opened the playoffs in their first
NCAA Division II postseason game since 1976 with an 80-76 win over No. 5 seed
Alaska Fairbanks. Guy Beahm (Sr., Willow Glen, West
Valley JC) led four Broncos in double figures with 15 points and hit a key
jumper late in the game to help the Broncos preserve their lead. Cal Poly
Pomona then knocked off No. 8 seed Cal State Bakersfield, 62-49, beating the
Roadrunners for the third straight time last season and the fifth straight time
overall. The game was tied at 42-42 with 8:44
left, but the Broncos went on a 12-4 run over the next six minutes to take control
of the game. Jeff Bonds (Jr., Compton, Mayfair HS) had
20 points and six rebounds, while David Sybesma (Jr.,
Corona, Corona Centennial HS) had a
double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The tournament championship game
was a classic and Cal Poly Pomona ousted CCAA champion and No. 2 seed Cal State
San Bernardino, 91-84, in double overtime to win the regional. Sybesma’s buzzer-beater at the end of regulation capped a
miraculous comeback from a 46-27 deficit with 16:17
to go. The Broncos trailed by three points late in the first overtime, but tied
it on a 3-pointer by Bonds. In the second overtime, the Broncos outscored the
Coyotes, 17-10. Bonds had a career game, pouring in 31 points to go along with
10 rebounds. Sybesma added 17 points and Michael Ridgway (Sr., Houston, TX,
Lamar University)
hit all six of his field-goal attempts and all four of his free throws for 17
big points off the bench. Bonds was named the West
Regional Most Outstanding Player, while Sybesma was
also named to the five-player All-Tournament team.
The Kamansky File: Cal Poly
Pomona Head Coach Greg Kamansky is in his fourth
season as the leader of the Broncos. Kamansky has
guided the Broncos to a 76-31 overall record. His winning percentage of .710 is
the best in the program’s history. He led the Broncos to a 23-7 record last
season and the program’s first appearance in the national quarterfinals in 39
years. The Broncos were 16-6 in the CCAA and finished second, which is the best
finish for Cal Poly Pomona since the conference expanded five years ago. The 16
conference wins were also a new record. 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 three 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 (Jr., Compton, Mayfair HS) led the Broncos in scoring
last year with a 14.4 points per game average and he elevated his game in the
postseason, averaging 19.5 points per game in the Broncos’ four playoff
contests. The highlight was a career-high 31-point outburst that helped the
Broncos defeat Cal State San Bernardino, 91-84, in double overtime in the
regional championship game. He also scored 20 points in the 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. He was also named to the All-CCAA first team. Bonds
is one of the top players in the CCAA again this season. He is third in
the conference in scoring with a 16.6 points per game
average. He leads the team in scoring and also leads in rebounding (6.0 per
game). He had a season-high 26 points against Hope International and he had 24
points, including a miraculous buzzer-beating 3-pointer against North
Dakota State on
Nov. 28 that sent the game into overtime. He had a game-high 20 points against
Cal State San Bernardino on Dec. 13 and he had a team-high 21 points against Western
Washington on Dec. 17.
Fired Up About Sybesmania: Cal Poly Pomona forward David Sybesma (Jr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) returns for his third season
with the Broncos after making 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
stepped up again in the waning seconds of regulation on Feb. 6 against Cal
State Stanislaus, hitting a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining to send the
game into overtime. The Broncos eventually won, 75-66. Sybesma
had 22 points and 10 rebounds and followed up on the career-high 27 points he
scored against Cal State Stanislaus Jan. 31. He then had 19 points and six
rebounds in the Broncos’ 64-61 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 7. For
his efforts, Sybesma was named the Wilson California
Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 2-8. It
was Sybesma’s first weekly honor. He is second on the
team in scoring (13.3 points per game) and second in rebounding (5.6 per game).
Sybesma was second on the team in scoring last 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 contest and was named to the NCAA
Division II West Regional All-Tournament team. Sybesma
was also named to the All-CCAA second team.
Look Who’s
New: The Broncos are welcoming three first-year players to their active
roster this season. Dion Cook (Fr., Canoga
Park, Chaminade
HS) is a 6-foot-4 guard who is making an immediate impact and seeing his
playing time steadily increase. Billy Hofman (Fr.,
Sierra Madre, La Canada HS) and Jason Burrell (Fr., Rancho Cucamonga,
St. Mark’s Prep) are two other talented freshman guards who have seen their playing
time increase for the Broncos this season.
This And That: The Broncos
set a new school record for defensive excellence last season for the third
straight year, allowing only 63.5 points per game. So far this season, the
Broncos are now allowing 62.8 points per game and opponents are shooting 43.1
percent (513-1191). The Broncos return their top six scorers from last season:
Jeff Bonds (14.4 points per game), David Sybesma
(10.7 points per game), Jonathan Williams (9.7 points per game), Michael Ridgway (8.6 points per game), Guy Beahm
(7.4 points per game) and Hervey Malone II (6.7
points per game). In all, Cal Poly Pomona returns 87.8 percent of its scoring
from a year ago. In conference statistics, the Broncos are fourth in the CCAA in
scoring, third in defense and second in rebounding. Jeff Bonds (Jr., Compton, Mayfair HS) is third in scoring, ninth in rebounding, 10th
in steals, seventh in field-goal percentage and 13th in free-throw
percentage. David Sybesma (Jr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) is ninth in scoring, 12th in
rebounding, second in field-goal percentage, 14th in field-goal
percentage and 15th in steals. Jonathan Williams (Sr., Pasadena,
John Muir HS) is 27th in scoring, eighth in
assists, ninth in 3-point field goals made, 11th in 3-point
field-goal percentage and 18th in assist/turnover ratio. Michael Ridgway (Sr., Houston, TX,
Lamar University)
is 15th in assist/turnover ratio.
PLAYER NOTES
3 JONATHAN
WILLIAMS (G, Sr., Pasadena,
Muir HS)
Last Week: Had 10 points,
two rebounds and four assists against Sonoma
State on Saturday; went scoreless
with five assists and two rebounds against San
Francisco State on
Friday.
2003-04: Averaging 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Is third on the team in scoring and steals, and leads in assists. Also leads
the team in 3-pointers made with 41.
Season Highs: Points
– 20 vs. Western Washington (12-17-03); Rebounds
– 6 at Hope International (11-22-03);
Assists – 6 at Hope International (11-22-03).
Career Highs: Points
– 20 vs. Western Washington (12-17-03), at Cal State L.A. (2-7-03); Rebounds
– 7 at Cal State L.A. (2-7-03), at Cal State San Bernardino (12-21-02); Assists
– 8 at UC San Diego (3-3-01).
5 JASON BURRELL (G, Fr., Rancho Cucamonga, St. Mark’s Prep)
Last Week: Had two points, two rebounds and two assists against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had two points and one assist against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 1.1 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per
game. Made Cal Poly Pomona debut against Azusa Pacific on
Nov. 21.
Season Highs: Points – 5
at Cal State
Stanislaus (1-31-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. San
Francisco State (2-20-04); Assists – 2 vs. San Francisco State (2-20-04), vs. Cal State
Dominguez Hills (1-24-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
10 BILLY HOFMAN (G, Fr., Sierra Madre, La Canada HS)
Last Week: Had three points, one rebound and one assist against San
Francisco State on Friday; had three points and one rebound against Sonoma
State on Saturday. Hit both 3-point attempts last week.
2003-04: Averaging 1.1 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per
game. Made Cal Poly Pomona debut against Hope International
on Nov. 22.
Season Highs: Points – 4
vs. Western Washington (12-17-03); Rebounds
– 1 vs. Sonoma State (2-21-04), vs. San Francisco State (2-20-04), at Grand
Canyon (1-10-04), vs. Chico State (1-2-04), vs. Western Washington (12-17-03), at
Cal State San Bernardino (12-2-03); Assists
– 3 vs. Chico State (1-2-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
11 JONATHAN
BOYD (G, So., Fontana, Etiwanda HS)
Last Week: Had career-high 15 points, three rebounds and two
assists against Sonoma State
on Saturday; had two points and three rebounds against San
Francisco State on
Friday. Hit all five field-goal attempts against Sonoma
State.
2003-04: Averaging 6.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per
game. Has started eight times in the Broncos’ first 23 games.
Is fifth on the team in scoring and assists and third in
3-point field goals made with 22.
Season Highs: Points – 15
vs. Sonoma State
(2-21-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. Chico
State (1-2-04), vs. Western Washington (12-17-03), vs. North
Dakota State (11-28-03). Assists – 4 at UC San Diego (1-9-04).
Career Highs: Points –
15 vs. Sonoma State (2-21-04); Rebounds
– 5 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, So., Pittsburgh, Pittsburg HS)
Last Week: Had 12 points, two rebounds and one assist against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had eight points, seven rebounds and one assist against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per
game. Is sixth on the team in scoring and fourth in steals.
Season Highs: Points –
16 vs. Western Washington (12-17-03); Rebounds
– 7 vs. Sonoma State
(2-21-04), vs. Cal
State Stanislaus (2-6-04); Assists – 5 at Hope International (11-22-03).
Career Highs: Points –
16 vs. Western Washington (12-17-03); Rebounds
7 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, Fr., Canoga Park, Chaminade HS)
Last Week: Had eight points, two rebounds and two assists against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had two points against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 3.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per
game. Made his Cal Poly Pomona debut against Azusa Pacific (11-21-03).
Season Highs: Points – 9
at Sonoma State
(1-16-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. Cal State Dominguez
Hills (1-24-04); Assists – 3 at Sonoma
State (1-16-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
23 GUY BEAHM (F, Sr., Willow Glen, West Valley JC)
Last Week: Had six points, six rebounds and three assists against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had six points, three rebounds and two assists against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 6.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per
game. Is fourth on the team in scoring and third in
rebounding.
Season Highs: Points –
13 at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-30-04); Rebounds
– 8 at UC San Diego (1-9-04); Assists – 5 vs. Cal
State L.A. (1-23-04), at Vanguard (11-25-03).
Career Highs: Points –
23 at Cal State
Stanislaus (3-7-03); Rebounds – 14 at Cal
State Stanislaus (3-7-03); Assists – 6 at UC Davis (1-11-03).
32 JEFF BONDS (F, Jr., Compton, Mayfair HS)
Last Week: Had 18 points, seven rebounds and one assist against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had 12 points and season-high 10 rebounds against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 16.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per
game. Leads the team in scoring, rebounding and steals.
Season Highs: Points –
26 at Hope International (11-22-03);
Rebounds – 10 vs. Sonoma
State (2-21-04); Assists
– 4 at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-30-04), at Cal
State San
Bernardino (12-2-03).
Career Highs: Points –
31 vs. Cal State
San Bernardino (3-17-03); Rebounds
– 12 vs. Montana State-Billings (12-30-02);
Assists – 6 vs. Montana
State-Billings (12-30-02).
33 DAVID SYBESMA (F/G, Jr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS)
Last Week: Had 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had six points, three rebounds and four assists against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per
game. Is second on the team in scoring and rebounding.
Season 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), at
San Francisco State (1-17-04), vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-24-04); Assists – 5 vs. Chico State
(1-2-04).
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 –
7 vs. Cal State
Stanislaus (2-1-03).
42 MELVYN NICHOLSON (F, So., Long Beach, Millikan HS)
Last Week: DNP-CD.
2003-04: Averaging 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per
game. Will miss the remainder of the season with a knee
injury.
Season Highs: Points –
10 at San Francisco State
(1-17-04); Rebounds – 4 vs. Chico
State (1-2-04); Assists
– 2 at Sonoma State
(1-16-04).
Career Highs: Points – 10
at San Francisco State
(1-17-04); Rebounds – 4 vs. Chico
State (1-2-04); Assists
– 2 at Sonoma State
(1-16-04).
44 MICHAEL RIDGWAY (F, Sr., Houston, TX,
Lamar University)
Last Week: Had eight points, four rebounds and two assists against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had four points against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 5.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per
game. Has made seven starts this season. Made beautiful length-of-the-court inbounds pass to set up Jeff
Bonds’ game-tying buzzer-beater against North Dakota State on
Nov. 28.
Season Highs: Points –
14 vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-24-04); Rebounds – 6 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (2-13-04), at Cal State
Stanislaus (1-31-04); Assists – 4
vs. North Dakota State
(11-28-03).
Career Highs: Points –
21 at UC Davis (1-11-03); Rebounds – 7 at Cal State San Bernardino
(12-14-02), vs. Cal State
San Bernardino (12-7-02); Assists –
4 vs. North Dakota State (11-28-03).
2003-04 CCAA STANDINGS (2-24-04)
CCAA Overall
W L Pct. W L Pct.
CS San Bernardino 18 0 1.000 22 1 .956
Cal Poly Pomona 14 4 .778 18 5 .783
Cal State Bakersfield 14 4 .778 18 5 .783
Chico State 13 5 .722 16 7 .696
UC Davis 13 5 .722 16 7 .696
San
Francisco
State 7 11 .389 9 13 .409
Sonoma State 7 11 .389 8 15 .348
UC San Diego 7 11 .389 7 16 .304
Cal State Stanislaus 5 13 .278 7 16 .304
Cal State L.A. 4 14 .222 7 16 .304
CS Dominguez Hills 4 14 .222 6 17 .261
Grand
Canyon 2 16 .111 3 20 .130