CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2005

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

 

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEDIA NOTES

 

2004-05 CPP Record: 12-5. CCAA Record: 7 -3

2004-05 Regional Ranking: 6

 

Broncos Look To Rebound After Tough Loss In Seaside: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team, which split a pair of road games last week, will try to get back on track this weekend, but the Broncos will have to be successful on one of the toughest weekend trips in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Cal Poly Pomona, which has won 11 of its last 13 games despite losing Saturday night at Cal State Monterey Bay, will face San Francisco State on Friday and Sonoma State on Saturday. The Gators are 5-5 in conference play, including a 4-1 mark at home, while the Seawolves are tied with the Broncos for third place in the conference at 7-3 and are 3-1 in conference at home. The Broncos and Seawolves trail first-place Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Bakersfield by one game. This road trip will conclude a stretch of eight road dates in 10 games for the Broncos, who will return to Kellogg Gym on Friday, Feb. 11, for “Bring Back The Pack Night” against Cal State Bakersfield. All Cal Poly Pomona students, faculty and staff will be admitted free and a free tailgate party will also be held for Cal Poly Pomona students, faculty and staff beginning at 4:30 p.m. There will be free pizza, a live disc jockey and drinks. There will be free giveaways during the games and live performances by the Cal Poly Pomona cheer squad and Bronco Pep Band as well as dance performances during the halftimes. The Broncos are coming off another successful season. Cal Poly Pomona, which has made the NCAA Division II playoffs in consecutive years for the first time in the program’s history, went 21-7 last season and notched its second straight 20-win season for the first time ever. 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).

 

About Last Week: The Broncos split a pair of California Collegiate Athletic Association games last week and remained one game behind conference co-leaders Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Bakersfield. The Broncos started the week with a 75-65 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday in Carson. David Sybesma (Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) had 19 points, five rebounds and four assists to lead the Broncos, while Jonathan Boyd (Jr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS) had 14 points and knocked down four 3-pointers. Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) recorded a double-double with 13 points and a career-high 10 assists, while Dion Cook (So., Canoga Park, Chaminade HS) had 12 points and a career-high seven rebounds. The Broncos had to rally from an early 23-12 deficit, but went on a 22-4 spurt to grab a 34-27 lead. The Broncos led at halftime, 36-32, and opened the second half on a 16-5 run to take a 52-37 lead. Cal Poly Pomona led by as many as 18 points in the second half before a late Cal State Dominguez Hills rally cut the lead to 66-60. Hervey Malone II (Jr., Pittsburg, Pittsburg HS) hit a 3-pointer with 1:47 left to put the game out of reach. Cal Poly Pomona then had a five-game winning streak snapped in a 54-53 loss to CCAA newcomer Cal State Monterey Bay. The Broncos trailed at halftime, 31-23, and fell behind by 10 points early in the second half. Cal Poly Pomona went on a 14-0 run to take a 37-33 lead, but the Otters battled back and eventually took a 54-49 lead with 2:12 to go. A pair of baskets by Sybesma made it a one-point deficit, but that was as close as the Broncos would get.

 

Head to Head: Cal Poly Pomona is 20-6 all-time against San Francisco State and posted a 70-62 victory over the Gators in Kellogg Gym on Dec. 4. David Sybesma (Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) had a game-high 26 points to lead the Broncos. Cal Poly Pomona has won the last five meetings between the two programs. Cal Poly Pomona is 16-8 all-time against Sonoma State, although the Seawolves beat the Broncos, 64-61, on Dec. 3 in Kellogg Gym. Dion Cook (So., Canoga Park, Chaminade HS) had a team-high 14 points in that one. The Broncos have won five straight times in Rohnert Park. Cal Poly Pomona had won the last three meetings between the two programs before the loss in December.

 

Where We Stand: Cal Poly Pomona finds itself at the top or near the top of several key California Collegiate Athletic Association statistics. The Broncos lead the conference in scoring margin (+9.6) and assist-turnover ratio (1.17). The team is fifth in scoring (71.2 per game) and first in defense (61.6 per game). The Broncos are 10th in the nation in defense. The Broncos are also second in the conference in field-goal percentage (47.0 percent). Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) is third in the conference in scoring (17.0 points per game), while David Sybesma (Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) is fifth (16.9 points per game). Sybesma is second in the conference in scoring for conference games only (18.0 per game). Bonds is second in the conference in blocked shots (1.18 per game) and second in steals (2.18 per game). Billy Hofman (So., Sierra Madre, La Canada HS) is seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.76).

 

The Kamansky File: Cal Poly Pomona Head Coach Greg Kamansky is beginning his fifth season as the leader of the Broncos. Kamansky has guided the Broncos to a 91-38 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 (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) became the program’s all-time leading scorer during a 26-point performance against Western Washington on Nov. 27. Bonds surpassed the old mark of 1,302 held by Lucas LeCour and now has 1,537 points in his Cal Poly Pomona career. He is currently third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in scoring with 17.0 points per game. He also leads the Broncos in rebounding, steals and blocks. He has already been named CCAA Player of the Week twice this season. Bonds led the Broncos in scoring for a second straight year last season with a 17.3 point per game average. He earned first-team All-CCAA honors for the second straight season and also earned first-team NABC All-West Region honors as well. He 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 led the team in scoring (14.4 points) and rebounding (5.8 per game) for the season and was named to the All-CCAA first team. 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. He is currently second on the team in scoring with a 16.9 points per game average and he is second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in scoring in only conference games at 18.0 points per game. Sybesma was named the CCAA Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 17-23 for his performances against Cal State San Bernardino and UC San Diego. He hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to lead the Broncos past the Coyotes and he had a game-high 18 points the following night against the Tritons. He has climbed to fourth on the all-time scoring list with 1,173 points in his career. 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 senior 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.

 

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.

 

PLAYER NOTES:

 

10        BILLY HOFMAN (G, So., Sierra Madre, La Canada HS)

Last Week: Had four points, three assists, and five steals against Ca State Monterey Bay on Saturday; went scoreless with three assists against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday.

2004-05: Averaging 4.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Currently is second on the team in assists and leads in 3-point field-goal shooting percentage (.531).

Season Highs: Points – 12 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds – 6 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Assists – 6 at Cal State Stanislaus (1-15-05), vs. Seattle University (12-14-04).

Career Highs: Points – 12 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds – 6 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Assists – 6 at Cal State Stanislaus (1-15-05), vs. Seattle University (12-14-04).

 

11        JONATHAN BOYD (G, Jr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS)

Last Week: Had 14 points and one rebound against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday; had three points, two assists and two steals against Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 6.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Is fifth on the team in scoring and is second on the team in 3-point field goals made (23).

Season Highs: Points – 15 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04); Assists – 3 at Western Washington (11-27-04), vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04).

Career Highs: Points – 17 vs. Humboldt State (3-12-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04), 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)

Last Week: Had nine points, one rebound, two assists, and one steal against Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday; had nine points and two assists against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday.

2004-05: Averaging 8.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Is fourth on the team in scoring, first in 3-point field goals made (26) and second in 3-point field goal percentage (.441).

Season Highs: Points – 22 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Rebounds – 7 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 3 at Western Washington (11-27-04).

Career Highs: Points – 22 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Rebounds – 7 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04), 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)

Last Week: Had 12 points, seven rebounds, and one steal against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday; had six points, with one assist and one steal against Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 8.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Is third on the team in scoring and third in 3-pointers made (20).

Season Highs: Points – 16 vs. UC San Diego (1-22-05); Rebounds – 7 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05); Assists – 4 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05), vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04), at Western Washington (11-27-04).

Career Highs: Points – 16 vs. UC San Diego (1-22-05); Rebounds – 7 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05); Assists – 4 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05), vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04), at Western Washington (11-27-04), at UC Davis (2-27-04).

 

23        MATT NELSEN (G, Sr., Santa Clarita, New Mexico Highlands)

Last Week: Went scoreless with one rebound in limited action against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday; went scoreless in limited action against Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 7 at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05); Rebounds – 4 at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05); Assists – 4 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04).

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.

 

32        JEFF BONDS (F, Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS)

Last Week: Had a double-double with 13 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and two steals against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday; had 10 points, four rebounds and two steals against Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 17.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Is third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in scoring. Leads the team in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals. Has been named CCAA Player of the Week twice this season.

Season Highs: Points – 26 at Western Washington (11-27-04); Rebounds – 14 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 10 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05).

Career Highs: Points – 31 vs. Cal State San Bernardino (3-17-03); Rebounds – 14 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 10 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05).

 

33        DAVID SYBESMA (F, Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS)

Last Week: Had 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday; had 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal against Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Is second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in conference-games only scoring (18.0 points per game). Is second on the team in overall scoring and rebounding. Leads the team in assists and is also second in steals.

Season Highs: Points – 27 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05); Rebounds – 12 at Cal State Stanislaus (1-15-05), vs. Dominican University (12-29-04); Assists – 6 vs. Dominican University (12-29-04), vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04).

Career Highs: Points – 27 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05), at Cal State Stanislaus (1-31-04); Rebounds – 12 vs. Dominican University (12-29-04); Assists – 9 vs. Humboldt State (3-12-04).

 

34        KAELEN DANIELS (C, Fr., Compton, Artesia HS)

Last Week: Had four points, four rebounds, with two assists against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday; had one point, six rebounds and one steal against Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.

2004-05:  Averaging 4.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 8 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Rebounds – 7 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04); Assists – 3 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04).

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.

 

44        KEVIN NEVEU (F, Fr., San Leandro, St. Joseph Notre Dame HS)

Last Week: Had four points and five rebounds against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday; had four points, three rebounds, one assist, one rebound and one steal Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.

2004-05:  Averaging 3.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 9 at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05); Rebounds – 5 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05); Assists – 2 vs. Dominican University (12-29-04).

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.