Broncos sign two high school basketball stars

By Michelle Gardner

Staff Writer

Cal Poly Pomona got off to a good start with its recruiting class signing a pair of players coach Greg Kamansky thinks can make an impact right away.

Kevin Ryan, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward out of El Segundo High School, and Dwayne Fells, a 235-pound forward out of Fullerton High School, are the first to sign letters of intent.

“I am very pleased. This gets us off to a great start,” Kamansky said. “They’re guys that can be program changers. You never know how guys are going to progress but they have that kind of potential.”

Ryan averaged 22 points and 15 rebounds, earning Pioneer League Most Outstanding Player honors this past season.

Fells averaged 20 points and 14 rebounds, earning first-team all-Freeway League honors. He was the league’s Most Valuable Player as a junior in 2007 and was a two-time, all-CIF selection.

Those additions address one of the Broncos biggest needs with the departure of center Kaelen Daniels and his backup Kein Neveu.

Kamansky said he is still looking to add three or four more players, with the biggest emphasis now going to the guard position. While the Broncos recruiting focus has typically been on high school graduates, he might look to fill that void with a more experienced transfer.

Cal Poly graduates shooting guard Angelo Tsagarakis but does already have a quality player in the fold in Austin Swift, a Division I transfer who redshirted last year because of an ankle injury.

“We never seem to have a problem with the big men but we never get enough guards,” he said.

The Broncos finished 13-15 this past season and just missed their fifth NCAA Division II postseason berth in six seasons by finishing second in the CCAA Tournament.

“We’re hoping these guys can get us back to where we’re challenging for a conference title and back up there with the elite teams,” he said.