CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

 

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEDIA NOTES

 

2004-05 CPP Record: 1-2. CCAA Record: 0-0

2004-05 National Ranking: 22

 

Broncos Set To Begin CCAA Schedule This Week: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team, after winning one of its first three games to open the 2004-05 season, begins California Collegiate Athletic Association action this week with home games against Sonoma State and San Francisco State. The Broncos will host Sonoma State on Friday and entertain San Francisco State on Saturday. Cal Poly Pomona got its season off to a quick start with a home victory over Vanguard University last Tuesday, but the Broncos found the going rough in Washington and dropped both games in the Chuck Randall Thanksgiving Classic. 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 opened the 2004-05 season with an 85-61 victory over Vanguard University. Cal Poly Pomona scored the first 10 points of the second half to break the game open and won going away. Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) scored a game-high 20 points and also had four rebounds and four assists. David Sybesma (Sr., Corona, Corona Centennial HS) had 18 points, five rebounds and six assists. Hervey Malone II (Jr., Pittsburg, Pittsburg HS) had 10 points and two assists. Vanguard held a 30-28 lead with five minutes to go in the first half, but the Broncos closed the half with a 12-3 run, capped off by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Malone. Dion Cook (So., Canoga Park, Chaminade HS) scored the first five points of the second half to start the Broncos on their game-breaking spurt. The Broncos then participated in the Chuck Randall Thanksgiving Classic at Western Washington and lost both games. Cal Poly Pomona opened the tourney with a 74-68 loss to Saint Martin’s on Friday. The Broncos held a 43-25 rebounding edge, but shot just 36 percent for the game. Bonds had another strong outing, scoring a game-high 23 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Sybesma added 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Jonathan Boyd (Jr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS) had nine points, four rebounds and three assists. Cal Poly Pomona then lost to tournament host Western Washington on Saturday. The game was tied at halftime, 45-45, but the Vikings used two big second-half runs to pull away. Bonds had another impressive showing, pouring in 26 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. Sybesma added 18 points, six rebounds and six steals, Cook had 11 points and four assists and Malone II had 10 points and three assists. Western Washington held a 36-25 edge in rebounding and shot 57 percent.

 

Bonds Named CCAA Player Of The Week: Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) was named the Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 22-28. Bonds scored 69 points in the Broncos’ first three games and became Cal Poly Pomona’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Lucas LeCour’s old standard of 1,302. For the week, Bonds averaged 23.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Bonds also won a weekly award as a junior, taking conference honors for the week of Nov. 15-23, 2003 after averaging 23.0 points per game in contests against Azusa Pacific and Hope International.

 

Head to Head: Cal Poly Pomona is 16-7 all-time against Sonoma State and won both meetings last season. The Broncos posted a 74-64 victory over the Seawolves in Sonoma behind 19 points from Jeff Bonds (Sr., Compton, Mayfair HS) on Jan. 16. The Broncos also posted a 68-52 win in Kellogg Gym on Feb. 21 behind 15 points from Jonathan Boyd (Jr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS). Cal Poly Pomona is 19-6 all-time against San Francisco State and won both meetings last season. The Broncos beat the Gators, 61-49, in San Francisco on Jan. 17 behind 16 points from Jonathan Williams and won in Kellogg Gym on Feb. 20, 73-45, behind 18 points from Bonds. The Broncos have won the last six meetings with the Gators.

 

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 an 80-34 overall record. His winning percentage of .702 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 last week by scoring 69 points in games against Vanguard, Saint Martin’s and Western Washington. Bonds set the new standard in the game against Western Washington last Saturday, surpassing the old mark of 1,302 held by Lucas LeCour. Bonds now has 1,317 points in his Cal Poly Pomona career. 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. 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.

 

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

 

5          JASON BURRELL (G, So., Rancho Cucamonga, St. Mark’s Prep)

Last Week: Went scoreless with one assist against Western Washington on Saturday; went scoreless with one rebound against Vanguard on Tuesday; went scoreless against Saint Martin’s on Friday.

2004-05: Averaging 0.0 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – None; Rebounds – 1 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Assists – 1 vs. Western Washington (11-27-04).

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)

Last Week: Had eight points, four rebounds and four assists against Vanguard on Tuesday; had three points and three assists against Saint Martin’s on Friday; went scoreless with two rebounds and two assists against Western Washington on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 3.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 8 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Rebounds – 4 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Assists – 4 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04).

Career Highs: Points – 8 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Rebounds – 4 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Assists – 4 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04).

 

 

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

Last Week: Had nine points, four rebounds and three assists against Saint Martin’s on Friday; had nine points, two rebounds and one assist against Vanguard on Tuesday; had two points, two rebounds and three assists against Western Washington on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 9 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Rebounds – 4 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); 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. 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 10 points, two rebounds and three assists against Western Washington on Saturday; had 10 points, one rebound and two assists against Vanguard on Tuesday; had seven points and seven rebounds against Saint Martin’s on Friday.

2004-05: Averaging 9.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Is third on the team in scoring.

Season Highs: Points – 10 at Western Washington (11-27-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Rebounds – 7 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 3 at Western Washington (11-27-04).

Career Highs: Points – 16 vs. Western Washington (12-17-03); 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 11 points, three rebounds and four assists against Western Washington on Saturday; had eight points, one rebound and one assist against Saint Martin’s on Friday; had seven points, five rebounds and three assists against Vanguard on Tuesday.

2004-05: Averaging 8.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 per game. Is fourth on the team in scoring.

Season Highs: Points – 11 at Western Washington (11-27-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Assists – 4 at Western Washington (11-27-04).

Career Highs: Points – 11 at Western Washington (11-27-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04), vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-24-04); Assists – 4 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 five points against Vanguard on Tuesday; had three points and one rebound against Western Washington on Saturday; had two points and two rebounds against Saint Martin’s on Friday.

2004-05: Averaging 3.3 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.0 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 5 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – None.

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.

 

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

Last Week: Had 26 points, four rebounds and three assists against Western Washington on Saturday; had 23 points, 14 rebounds and one assist against Saint Martin’s on Friday; had 20 points, four rebounds and three assists against Vanguard on Tuesday. Became Cal Poly Pomona’s all-time leading scorer in game against Western Washington.

2004-05: Averaging 23.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Leads the team in scoring and rebounding.

Season Highs: Points – 26 at Western Washington (11-27-04); Rebounds – 14 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 3 at Western Washington (11-27-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04).

Career Highs: Points – 31 vs. Cal State San Bernardino (3-17-03); Rebounds – 14 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 6 vs. Montana State-Billings (12-30-02).

 

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

Last Week: Had 18 points, six rebounds and one assist against Western Washington on Saturday; had 18 points, five rebounds and six assists against Vanguard on Tuesday; had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Saint Martin’s on Friday.

2004-05: Averaging 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Is second on the team in scoring and rebounding. Leads the team in assists and steals.

Season Highs: Points – 18 at Western Washington (11-27-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Rebounds – 7 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04); Assists – 6 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04).

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).

 

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

Last Week: Had eight points and three rebounds against Vanguard on Tuesday; had seven points and two rebounds against Western Washington on Saturday; had two points and three rebounds against Saint Martin’s on Friday.

2004-05:  Averaging 5.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.0 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 8 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Rebounds – 3 vs. Saint Martin’s (11-26-04), vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Assists – None.

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.

 

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

Last Week: Had five points against Western Washington on Saturday; had went scoreless in three minutes against Saint Martin’s on Friday; went scoreless with two rebounds against Vanguard on Tuesday.

2004-05:  Averaging 1.7 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.0 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 5 at Western Washington (11-27-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. Vanguard (11-23-04); Assists – None.

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.