CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2004-05 CPP Record: 19-6. CCAA Record: 14-4
2004-05 Regional
Ranking: 3
Broncos Need Two Wins And Some Help For CCAA Title:
Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team, which fell short in its first-place
California Collegiate Athletic Association battle last weekend at Cal State
Bernardino, will try to bounce back quickly in its final two regular-season
games of the season. The Broncos trail the Coyotes by one game with two
remaining. The Broncos will host Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday and Cal
State Monterey Bay
on Friday. Cal Poly Pomona is bidding for its first CCAA title since 1981 when
it shared the crown with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal State Dominguez
Hills. Cal Poly Pomona had a seven-game winning streak snapped on Saturday
night, but has still won 12 of its last 14 and 18 of its last 21 contests. The
Broncos entered last weekend ranked third in the region. New rankings will be
released on Wednesday that will include a road win over UC San Diego and a road
loss at Cal State San Bernardino. The playoff field will be announced on Sunday
night. Cal Poly Pomona has clinched its 11th consecutive winning
season and is one win away from its third straight 20-win season. The Broncos
are also looking for a third straight playoff appearance for the first time in
the program’s history. 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 games, winning at UC San Diego on Friday, but then
losing the first-place showdown with Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday. Cal
Poly Pomona jumped out to an early lead and went on to a 70-50 win over UC San
Diego on Friday in La Jolla. The Broncos won in RIMAC
Arena for only the second time in the past five seasons. Jeff Bonds (Sr.,
Compton, Mayfair HS) had 18 points and 10 rebounds to
lead the Broncos, while David Sybesma (Sr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) had 16 points and three assists. Jonathan Boyd (Jr., Fontana,
Etiwanda HS) had 14 points and five rebounds, while Kevin Neveu
(Fr., San Leandro,
St. Joseph Notre Dame HS) had a season-high 10 points, all in the second half.
The Broncos led at halftime, 34-20, and then built leads as large as 25 points
in the second half. Cal Poly Pomona then lost to Cal State San Bernardino,
73-66, on Saturday. Bonds had 25 points, 22 of them in the second half, while Hervey Malone II (Jr., Pittsburg,
Pittsburg HS) had 18 points, three rebounds and two
assists. Sybesma had 12 points. Cal State San
Bernardino used a 15-3 run to close the first half that extended a 21-19
advantage to 36-22 at halftime. Cal Poly Pomona trailed by 15 points early in
the second half, but used a strong run to make it 45-39, with 14:44 remaining. The Coyotes then bumped the
lead back to 15 points, 65-50, with 4:03
remaining and held off another late Bronco rally.
Head to Head: Cal
Poly Pomona is 30-28 all-time
against Cal State Dominguez Hills, including a hard-fought 75-65 victory in Carson
on Jan. 26. David Sybesma (Sr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) led four Broncos in double
figures with 19 points. Jonathan Boyd (Jr., Fontana,
Etiwanda HS) had 14 points, Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton,
Mayfair HS) had 13 points and Dion Cook (So., Canoga
Park, Chaminade
HS) had 12 points. Cal Poly Pomona is 0-1 all-time against California
Collegiate Athletic Association newcomer Cal
State Monterey Bay
and dropped a 54-53 decision to the Otters on Jan. 29 in Seaside.
Sybesma had 16 points, while Bonds finished with 10
points.
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 (+11.0) and field-goal
shooting percentage (48.1 percent) and are second in assist-turnover ratio
(1.16). The team is fourth in scoring (72.4 per game) and first in defense (61.4
per game). The Broncos are seventh in the nation in defense. Jeff Bonds (Sr.,
Compton, Mayfair HS) leads the conference in scoring (17.6 points per game),
while David Sybesma (Sr., Corona,
Corona Centennial HS) is fifth (16.3 points per game). Sybesma
is second in the conference in scoring for conference games only (16.7 per
game) and is second in field-goal percentage (55.8 percent). Bonds
is second in the conference in blocked shots (1.36 per game) and fifth
in steals (1.96 per game). Hervey Malone II (Jr., Pittsburg,
Pittsburg HS) is fourth in the conference in 3-point
field goal percentage (.443). Billy Hofman (So.,
Sierra Madre, La Canada HS) is sixth in
assist/turnover ratio (1.80).
The Defense Never
Rests: Cal Poly Pomona’s defense has taken the NCAA Division II by storm.
The Broncos have allowed only 61.4 points per game and have the No. 7 defense
in the country. Since unleashing the “White Cell” defense against Grand
Canyon on Dec. 18, the Broncos have allowed only 59.0 points per
game and limited opponents to 61 points or less in 12 of the last 19 games. The
Bronco coaching staff – Head Coach Greg Kamansky
and assistant coaches Steve Wachs, Damion Hill and Bill Bannon – are
noted science buffs and came up with the name during serious deliberations.
White cells, the coaches point out, are the body’s way
of fighting off infections and diseases. In basketball terms, the “White Cell”
has been a hybrid of zone and man-to-man defenses. In any event, the defense
has been good enough to top the California Collegiate Athletic Association and
jump to seventh in the country.
The Kamansky File: Cal Poly
Pomona Head Coach Greg Kamansky is in his fifth
season as the leader of the Broncos. Kamansky has
guided the Broncos to a 98-39 overall record. His winning percentage of .715 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
1,687 points in his Cal Poly Pomona career. He currently leads the California
Collegiate Athletic Association in scoring with 17.2 points per game. He also
leads the Broncos in rebounding, steals and blocks. He has been named CCAA
Player of the Week three times 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 and fifth overall in the
conference in scoring with a 16.3 points per game
average. 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 third on the all-time
scoring list with 1,293 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 assists, three steals and one rebound against Cal
State San Bernardino on Saturday; had two rebounds and one assist against UC San
Diego on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per
game. Currently is second on the team in assists and second in 3-point
field-goal shooting percentage (.422).
Season Highs: Points –
12 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds
– 6 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Assists
– 6 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05), 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 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05), 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, five rebounds, one assist and one steal
against UC San Diego on Friday; had five points, five rebounds, three assists
and one steal against Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 7.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per
game. Is fifth on the team in scoring and is second on the team in 3-point
field goals made (36).
Season Highs: Points –
15 at Grand Canyon (12-18-04); Rebounds
– 5 at Cal State San Bernardino (2-26-05), at UC San Diego (2-25-05), vs. Sonoma
State (12-3-04); Assists
– 4 vs. Cal State
Stanislaus (2-18-05).
Career Highs: Points –
17 vs. Humboldt State (3-12-04); Rebounds
– 5 at Cal State San Bernardino (2-26-05), at UC San Diego (2-25-05), 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 vs. Cal State
Stanislaus (2-18-05), at UC San Diego (1-9-04).
20 HERVEY MALONE II (G, Jr., Pittsburg, Pittsburg HS)
Last Week: Had 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal
against Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday; had five points, two rebounds,
three assists and one steal against UC San Diego on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 9.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per
game. Is third on the team in scoring, first in 3-point field
goals made (40) and first in 3-point field goal percentage (.430). Is fourth in the conference in 3-point shooing percentage.
Season Highs: Points –
22 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Rebounds – 9 vs. Chico State (2-19-05);
Assists – 3 at UC San Diego
(2-25-05), vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05), at San Francisco State
(2-04-05), at Western Washington (11-27-04).
Career Highs: Points –
22 vs. BYU-Hawaii (1-3-05); Rebounds – 9 vs. Chico
State (2-19-05); 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 two points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal
against Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday; went scoreless with four
rebounds, one assist and one steal against UC San Diego on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per
game. Is fourth on the team in scoring and third in
3-pointers made (29).
Season Highs: Points – 17
vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05); Rebounds
– 7 at San Francisco State (2-04-05), at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05); Assists – 4 vs. Cal State Bakersfield
(2-11-05), at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05), vs. San Francisco State
(12-4-04), at Western Washington (11-27-04).
Career Highs: Points – 17
vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05); Rebounds
– 7 at San Francisco State (2-04-05), at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05); Assists – 4 vs. Cal State Bakersfield
(2-11-05), 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: Had three points and two rebounds against UC San Diego
on Friday; DNP-CD against Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.0 points, 1.2 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 25 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal and two
blocked shots against Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday; had 18 points, 10
rebounds, two assists and one steal against UC San Diego on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 17.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per
game. Leads the California Collegiate Athletic Association in
scoring. Leads the team in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals. Has been named CCAA Player of the Week three times this season.
Season Highs: Points –
26 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05),
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 16 points, three rebounds and three assists against
UC San Diego on Friday; had 12 points, two rebounds, five assists and one steal
against Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 16.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per
game. Is second in the CCAA in field-goal percentage (55.8 percent) and is
fifth in the conference in scoring. 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
– 8 vs. Chico State
(2-19-05).
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, one rebound, two assists and three
steals against UC San Diego on Friday; had two points against Cal State San
Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 4.4
points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points –
10 at San Francisco State
(2-04-05); Rebounds – 7 at Sonoma
State (2-05-05), 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 a season-high 10 points, six rebounds and one assist
against UC San Diego on Friday; had two points, one rebound and one assist against
Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 4.1
points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 10
at UC San Diego (2-25-05); Rebounds – 7 vs. Chico State
(2-19-05); Assists – 3 vs. Cal
State L.A. (2-12-05).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.