CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
CPP Record: 0-0. CCAA Record: 0-0
2004-05 Regional Ranking:
Broncos Open 2004-05 Season This Week: Cal Poly
Pomona’s men’s basketball team, fresh off making back-to-back NCAA Division II
playoff appearances for the first time in the program’s history, begin their
season with a home game Tuesday night against Vanguard University at Kellogg
Gym. The Broncos will then head over to Washington
for the Western Washington Tournament. There they will have games against Saint
Martin’s on Friday night and host Western Washington
on Saturday night. Cal Poly Pomona went 21-7 last season and notched its second
straight 20-win season for the first time in the program’s history. 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).
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.
Head to Head: Cal
Poly Pomona is 5-0 all-time against
Vanguard University.
Last season, the Broncos defeated the Lions 68-50 at Vanguard
University. Cal Poly Pomona is 1-0
all-time against Saint Martin’s. In their first-ever
meeting two seasons ago, the Broncos defeated the Saints 75-72. Cal Poly Pomona
is 1-3 all-time against Western Washington. Last season,
the Broncos defeated the Vikings for the first time 100-91 at Kellogg Gym.
The Kamansky File: Cal Poly
Pomona Head Coach Greg Kamansky is beginning his
fifth season as the leader of the Broncos. In his first four years as the head
coach, Kamansky has guided the Broncos to a 79-33
overall record. His winning percentage of .705 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 (Jr., Compton, Mayfair HS) led the Broncos in
scoring for a second straight year last season with a 17.3 point per game
average. He enters the season third on the Broncos’ all-time scoring list and
is just 22 points behind second-place Julian Hammond and 54 points behind the
program’s all-time leading scorer, Lucas LeCour. Bonds 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 was
named to the All-CCAA first team for the second straight season and also earned
first-team NABC All-West Region honors as well. Bonds also received second-team
CoSIDA All-Region honors as well. 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. 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 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.
RETURNING PLAYER NOTES
5 JASON
BURRELL (G, So., Rancho Cucamonga, St.
Mark’s Prep)
2003-04: Averaged 1.2
points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Appeared in 23
games.
Season 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).
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)
2003-04: Averaged 1.1 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per
game. Appeared in 19 games.
Season Highs: Points – 4
vs. Western Washington (12-17-03); Rebounds
– 1 vs. Grand Canyon (3-5-04), 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: Points – 4 vs. Western Washington
(12-17-03); Rebounds – 1 vs. Grand
Canyon (3-5-04),
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).
11 JONATHAN
BOYD (G, Jr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS)
2003-04: Averaged 7.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per
game. Scored career-high 17 points in NCAA Division II West
Region playoff game. Appeared in 28 games and started eight times. Was fourth on the team in scoring.
Season Highs: Points –
17 vs. Humboldt State (3-12-04); 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 – 17
vs. Humboldt State
(3-12-04); 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, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pittsburg HS)
2003-04: Averaged 5.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists per game.
Appeared in 28 games and started 27 times. Was sixth on the
team in scoring.
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, So., Canoga Park, Chaminade HS)
2003-04: Averaged 3.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per
game. Appeared in all 28 games for the Broncos.
Season Highs: Points – 9
at Sonoma State
(1-16-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills
(1-24-04); Assists – 4 at UC Davis (2-27-04).
Career Highs: Points – 9
at Sonoma State
(1-16-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. Cal State Dominguez
Hills (1-24-04); Assists – 4 at UC Davis (2-27-04).
32 JEFF BONDS (F, Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS)
2003-04: Led the Broncos with 17.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per
game. Also averaged 1.7 assists per game. Scored a game-high
26 points against Humboldt State in NCAA Division II playoff game. Earned
first-team All-CCAA and first-team All-West Region honors.
Season Highs: Points –
26 vs. Humboldt State
(3-12-04), 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, Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS)
2003-04: Averaged 14.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per
game. Had 16 points, eight rebounds and career-high nine assists against Humboldt
State in NCAA Division II playoff
game. Earned first-team All-CCAA and second-team All-West
Region honors.
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), vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills
(1-24-04), at San Francisco State (1-17-04); Assists – 9 vs. Humboldt State (3-12-04)
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 –
9 vs. Humboldt State (3-12-04).