Category Archives: Cal State San Bernardino

Top 10 athletes I’m going to miss

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The college season is about done. It’s always fun to go back and think about who did what to make it a memorable school year.

So I’m going to kick out a series of lists, just for amusement. Today it’s the top 10 athletes I’m going to miss covering – I’m talking seniors at four-year schools or sophomores finishing up at a local community college.

Got to start at 10 and work my way up . . . build the suspense. Hopefully those not making the cut won’t be offended. I truly enjoy what I do, every game I cover (that doesn’t go overtime) and every athlete I meet.

10. Annie Lydens, Pomona-Pitzer track/cross country

The last two years have been tough on her (injuries). But she was the subject of a feature her sophomore year. She has interned at the United Nations and her goal is to visit another different country for every year she has been alive. That tells you all you need to know. Nice to see great athletes with such a different perspective. Every interview with a Pomona-Pitzer athlete is an enlightening one.

9. Sarah Beeman, University or Redlands softball

A great player who finally got through a season injury-free and had impressive numbers to show for it. Bonus points for saving me from getting drowned by a celebratory water bucket a few years ago when the Bulldogs won the SCIAC Tournament. Coach Laurie Nevarez was the intended target.

8. Jordan Richard, Cal State Los Angeles basketball

So he doesn’t “play” for a local school. He qualifies as a local because he went to Los Osos and played at CS San Bernardino as a freshman, Riverside as a sophomore. And he played many a game against Cal State and Cal Poly. His game improved each year he ended up being the top shot blocker in the country this season. That’s a good way to go out.

7. Stacey Howard, San Bernardino Valley football

He made just some ridiculous catches this year for the Wolverines. Don’t know how opponents left him so open sometimes, especially on the halfback option. He was the subject for my season preview story and it’s always nice when those guys deliver. Almost makes it seem like I know what I’m doing. (Headed to University of Hawaii).

6. Luke Sweeney, Pomona-Pitzer football

Some times guys pile up lofty statistics against garbage teams or they just because they get a ton of carries but Sweeney is legit. He’s pretty small by running back standards and took a beating. Injuries really limited him last season but he still became the school’s all-time leading rusher. I have to wonder what numbers he would have put up with more talent around him.

5. Jordan Garcia, University of Redlands football

Not a big guy by any stretch but had a nose for the football and always seemed to come up with the big play on defense. Also the only athlete to ever email me and thank me for a story after the interview and before it was even published.

4. Camille Smith, Cal State San Bernardino volleyball

The latest in a line of great Coyote standouts and maybe the MOST interviewed player on the list because of the team’s high profile and her major role in her time there. She’s tough, real tough. And she has always been quite articulate, win or lose. Bonus points for always keeping us guessing what color her hair was going to be next.

3. Sango Niang, Chaffey College basketball

The reason he makes the list is because I can’t remember the last time I saw a player improve so much from one season to the next. Sango excelled in track growing up. That comes from his father being an Olympian. He barely played basketball in high school. He was good as a freshman, phenomenal the past season. He’s small and quick but absolutely fearless. (He’s headed to Division II Simon Fraser next year).

2. Mitchel Anderson, Cal Poly Pomona basketball

He won a national championship with the Broncos in 2010 as a freshman. That is indicative enough of his talent. He’s just a smooth, consistent player. He may not be flashy but by the end of the night he is going to have his 15 pts, 8 rebs, 5 assists and a couple of steals.

1. Kwame Alexander, Cal State San Bernardino basketball

This was an easy choice. Who doesn’t like rim-rattling dunks? Kwame had some of the most ferocious ones I have seen at any level. Go ahead, Google him and check out the dunks on You Tube. Definitely the most exciting player to come along in the CCAA in the last decade.

Kwame Alexander vs. Chico State

JC basketballers make decisions

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It has been an eventful week  as many of the area’s top community colleges players have made decisions on four-year schools.

I’m starting with Chaffey because the Panthers (27-7) were the state runner-up. Foothill Conference Player of the Year Justin Long (Rancho Cucamonga HS) is headed to Hawaii Pacific. It hasn’t been a winning program but Long (15.8 ppg, 106 3-pointers) should be able to make an immediate impact and should play a lot.

SG Ryan Nitz (Rancho Cucamonga HS) will attend Cal State Monterey Bay, so I’ll be seeing him when the Otters are in town to play Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino. Nitz (9.8 ppg) was solid all year but was less publicized than some of his teammates. But he had a great state tournament which improved his stock. Monterey, also a team that has struggled, but Nitz should be a good fit there. The teams shoots a lot of 3′s and he hits them. Have also heard good things about the Otters coaching staff.

Like the others, SG Kenny Morgan (Summit HS) is headed the Division II route. Morgan (11.4 ppg) will got to Adams State. That’s a program with a little more tradition than the others. Good for him too.

That makes four Panthers who have decided. Speedy point guard Sango Niang (Summit HS) was the first when he signed with Simon-Fraser later in February.

San Bernardino Valley had three players make up their minds. They’re all destined for the state of Idaho. Yep, Idaho.

Sophomore F Marcus Bradley and freshman PG Evann Hall are going to Idaho State while freshman F Paulin Mwape (Redlands East Valley) is headed to Idaho

 

All-CCAA Baseball team announced

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Jordan Whitman

2013 CCAA Baseball All-Conference Team

First Team
Name School Pos. Yr. Hometown
Cody Doyle Cal State L.A. C Jr. Covina, Calif.
James Wharton Cal State L.A. 1B Sr. Reseda, Calif.
Ryan Cooperstone Cal State L.A. 2B Sr. Chatsworth, Calif.
David Garcia Cal State Monterey Bay 3B Sr. Gilroy, Calif.
Jason Merjano Cal State Monterey Bay SS Sr. San Ramon, Calif.
David Castillo Cal State East Bay INF Sr. Pinole, Calif.
Mark Hurley Cal State Monterey Bay OF Jr. Hollister, Calif.
Scott Masik Cal State L.A. OF Sr. Santa Cruz, Calif.
Danny Susdorf UC San Diego OF Sr. Newhall, Calif.
Ivory Thomas Cal State Dominguez Hills OF Sr. Los Angeles, Calif.
Jordan Whitman Cal Poly Pomona OF Sr. Cypress, Calif.
Jeremy Weber Cal State L.A. DH Jr. Lancaster, Calif.
Troy Cruz UC San Diego UTL Fr. Chula Vista, Calif.
Will Anderson Cal State Monterey Bay SP Jr. Pleasanton, Calif.
Nick Baker Chico State SP Jr. La Quinta, Calif.
Harmen Sidhu Sonoma State SP Sr. Martinez, Calif.
Glenn Wallace Sonoma State SP Sr. Reno, Nev.
A.J. Quintero Cal State Monterey Bay RP Jr. Vacaville, Calif.
Second Team
Name School Pos. Yr. Hometown
Mark Lindsay San Francisco State C Sr. Upland, Calif.
Bo Walter Cal Poly Pomona 1B Jr. Lafayette, Calif.
Ronnie Fhurong Cal State Monterey Bay 2B Sr. Hollister, Calif.
Tyler Christian Cal State L.A. 3B Sr. San Jose, Calif.
Miguel Flores San Francisco State SS Sr. Union City, Calif.
Kyle Zozaya Cal State East Bay INF Sr. Hollister, Calif.
Craig Beevers Cal State Stanislaus OF Sr. Newman, Calif.
Grady Espinosa San Francisco State OF Jr. Yucaipa, Calif.
Blake Gibbs Chico State OF Sr. Bellevue, Wash.
Garrett Schwartz Sonoma State OF Jr. Salinas, Calif.
Cody Webber Chico State DH Sr. Fountain Valley, Calif.
Charlie Sharrer Cal State East Bay UTL Sr. Palmdale, Calif.
Sean Becker Cal State East Bay SP Jr. San Fernando, Calif.
Troy Neiman Chico State SP Sr. Castaic, Calif.
Jeff Owen Cal State Monterey Bay SP So. Clovis, Calif.
Jordan Sechler Cal State L.A. SP Sr. Santa Maria, Calif.
Cody Ponce  Cal Poly Pomona RP Fr. Upland, Calif.

 

HONORABLE MENTION: SP: Nolan Sheridan (Fr., San Francisco State), Ryan Goodbrand (Sr., UC San Diego), Kagen Hopkins (SR., Chico State), Matt Fontaine (Sr., CS East Bay) RP: Sean Martin (Sr., Chico State); C: Ben Manlove (Sr., Chico State) 1B: Richard Seigel (Sr., UC San Diego); 2B: Eren Miravalles (Jr., CS East Bay) 3B: Pierson Jeremiah (Sr., Chico State) SS: Dillon Moyer (Jr., UC San Diego) INF: Myles Dempsey (Sr., Chico State), Cody Slader (So., Chico State), Zac Chuvala (Sr., CS East Bay); OF: Brandon Alexander (Sr., CS East Bay), Steven Filippi (Sr., Sonoma State), Kevin Logan (Jr., CS Dominguez Hills), Austin Prott (Sr., Chico State) DH: Billy Hamilton (SR., CS San Bernardinoi); UT: Jason Padlo (Fr., Cal Poly Pomona).

Most Valuable Player: Glenn Wallace, Sonoma State
Most Valuable Player: James Wharton, Cal State L.A.
Freshman of the Year: Troy Cruz, UC San Diego
Co- Newcomer of the Year: Mark Hurley, Cal State Monterey Bay; Sean Becker, Cal State East Bay
Coach of the Year: Walt White, Cal State Monterey Bay

Cal State job should draw great interest

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Kevin Becker cropped.jpg

Kevin Becker resigned today after 17 years heading the Cal State San Bernardino women’s basketball program. He was the longest-tenured coach in the CCAA. Anyone that lasts that long in a position is doing something right.

Now comes the task of finding a successor. The vacancy comes at a tough time with it being the peak recruiting period for coaches. Athletic director Kevin Hatcher says the school expects to move swiftly in filling that position. The bigger and better the pool of applicants, the faster administration can proceed.

It shouldn’t take long. The Cal State job is one of the best, maybe THE best in the 12-team conference for several reasons.

First, the facility. Coussoulis Arena is the top venue in the conference. RIMAC Arena at UC San Diego is also nice and it’s on a campus in La Jolla, so that trumps most. But no other facility can compare from a facilities standpoint.

Second, resources. Yes Cal State system is cash strapped. But the women’s program is funded better than the men’s program which annually competes for conference and regional titles. The women’s has to be funded better because of the gender equity issues and the high ratio of women’s student to men.

Third, the talent pool in the area is unmatched. It probably hasn’t been tapped as much as it should have been in recent years. Yes a lot the talented players in the area probably want to get out and go to school elsewhere. But there are plenty of talented athletes that would welcome the chance to play close to home.

Cal State volleyball coach Kim Cherniss wins with local talent, supplementing it with a few kids from elsewhere. There is no reason the same can’t be done in women’s hoops.

Fourth, it’s a quality job in a quality conference. The top teams in the CCAA pretty much contend for national titles in every sport. The travel is really pretty convenient and less tedious (with the exception of Humboldt State), compared to other conferences. And for the most part the competition within the conference is top notch no matter what the sport.

It shouldn’t be a hard sell for Hatcher.

It’s a great day for local athletes in many sports

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It was a great day for a lot of athletes who made names for themselves in the Inland Empire and continued to do so on a bigger stage.

First, there was the NFL draft where two locals were chosen in the seventh round. Southern Utah quarterback Brad Sorensen (Colton HS/SBVC) was chosen by the San Diego Chargers with the 221st overall pick.

He played on some great teams at Colton with the likes of Allan Bradford and Shareece Wright, who is also with the Chargers.

Going later in the round, Nebraska safety Daimion Stafford (Norco HS/Chaffey College). Stafford was second on the team with 96 tackles, including 51 solo stops. He made at least seven tackles in 10 of 14 games, including a season-high 11 stops at Michigan State. Stafford racked up 176 tackles in his two seasons with the Cornhuskers, the fourth-best total in school history among two-year players.

In baseball, third baseman Jermaine Curtis (Miller HS/UCLA) made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in a 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance.

In 17 games at Triple-A Memphis Redbirds (Pacific Coast League) this season he hit .292 with 17 RBI.

Then there’s one of the fastest-rising stars in the United States when it comes to track. Brenda Martinez (Rancho Cucamonga HS/UC Riverside) participated in the Penn Relays, running a leg for the victorious Red team in the 4×800 USA vs. the World Relay. Martinez ran a second leg of 2:00.6. The only faster leg was that of Alysia Montano who ran a 1:58.6 anchor for the same quartet.

In NBA action, Ivan Johnson (Cal State San Bernardino) helped the Atlanta Hawks to a 90-69 playoff win over the Indiana Pacers. In 26 minutes off the bench Johnson, who played for the Coyotes in 2007, contributed 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot.

 

Cal State pitcher honored

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It has been a tough season for the Cal State San Bernardino baseball team.
The Coyotes suffered a tough 2-1 13-inning loss to No. 5 Chico State on Saturday but sophomore right-hander Ruben Rios was spectacular. He was named Rawlings/California Collegiate Athletic Association Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the week of Apr. 1-7
In seven innings of work Rios, a graduate of Cajon High School, allowed just one hit and a walk, while striking out eight Wildcat batters.
Rawlings/CCAA Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Feb. 1 – 3: Ryan Goodbrand (UC San Diego)
Feb. 4 – 10: Troy Neiman (Chico State)
Feb. 11 – 17: Ryan Goodbrand (UC San Diego)
Feb. 18 – 24: Sean Becker (Cal State East Bay)
Feb. 25 – Mar. 3: Jordan Sechler (Cal State L.A.)
Mar. 4 – 10: Sean Becker (Cal State East Bay)
Mar. 11 – 17: Andrew Graham (Cal State Stanislaus)
Mar. 18 – 24: Harmen Sidhu (Sonoma State)
Mar. 25 – 31: David Armas (Cal State L.A.)
Apr. 1 – 7: Ruben Rios (Cal State San Bernardino)

Cal State softball player ineligible

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It’s unfortunate that arguably the best softball player in CaI State San Bernardino history has to have her career end in such an undignified manner.

Senior infielder Britney Butler, the school’s career leader in home runs, became academically ineligible at the end of the quarter which ends her collegiate career.

Butler, a Riverside Poly graduate, hit .512 with five doubles, two triples, five home runs, 22 RBI and 29 runs scored. She had an on-base percentage of .533 and a slugging percentage of .798.

Her 43 home runs are a career record. She also ranks first in runs scored (142), second in RBI (136), third in batting average (.375), third in stolen bases (51), third in walks (80) and fourth in hits (197).

She had earned All-CCAA honors three previous years but being ineligible will likely cost her a fourth such honor.

Anderson to play in all-star game

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Senior guard Mitchel Anderson of Cal Poly Pomona has been chosen to participate in the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-Star game to be held at 4 p.m. Friday at Louisville, Ky. in conjunction with the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

The NCAA Division II quarterfinals are Thursday with the semifinals on Saturday at Freedom Hall. This year’s NCAA Division II championship game will be played at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 7.

Anderson finished with 1,433 career points and 180 steals through his four-year collegiate career, ranking third all-time for the program in both statistics.

Anderson is the school’s leader in three-pointers, knocking down 190 while at CPP. Earlier in March, Anderson picked up California Collegiate Athletic Association Most Valuable Player honors for both the regular season and tournament. He’s also picked up NABC and Daktronics All-West Region First Team honors for the 2012-13 campaign. Anderson is the only CCAA student-athlete to be featured in this year’s Division II All-Star Game.

It’s a shame that Cal State San Bernardino’s Kwame Alexander wasn’t picked. His high-flying dunks are quite crowd pleasing and his numbers warrant a selection. But only two players from each region are chosen. The other West representative is Jobi Wall of Seattle Pacific. Whoever was doing the selection wasn’t going to take two players from the same conference, especially when the regional final was between two teams from another.

 

 

Three players and a coach earn NABC Division II region honors

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The accolades continue to roll in for three locals players and a coach as National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II All-West Region honors were announced.

Senior Mitchel Anderson and junior Terrence Drisdom of Cal Poly Pomona as well as senior Kwame Alexander of Cal State San Bernardino all earned first-team honors while Broncos coach Greg Kamansky was named Coach of the Year.

It marks the third time that Kamansky earned West Region Coach of the Year selection with the previous honors coming in 2009 and 2010. This past season – his 13th at CPP – Kamansky raised his career totals to 270-110 for a winning percentage of .711.

Anderson, a Temecula native, finished with 1,433 points and 180 steals, ranking third all-time for the program in both statistics. Anderson is now the school’s leader in three-pointers, knocking down 190 while at CPP.

Earlier Anderson picked up California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Most Valuable Player honors for both the regular season and tournament.

Drisdom, of Corona, averaged 13 points per game to rank second on the team in scoring while proving to be CPP’s top free throw shooter at 82 percent.

The 2012-13 Broncos’ squad matched the program record for wins at 28, even with the 2010 national championship team.

Meanwhile Alexander became the first Cal State player to have at least 900 points, 500 rebounds and 60 blocks in his career. This season he led the CCAA in scoring (16.7) and rebounding (8.8). He also ranks among the top 10 in eight CSUSB career categories in his three-year career – points (No. 7-919), field goals (No. 6-336), field goal attempts (No. 10-608), field goal percentage (No. 3-.553), free throws (No. 5-246), free throw attempts (No. 4-397), rebounds (2nd-562) and blocks (1st-66).

The Coyotes finished 20-9 in 2012-13 and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons and made their 12th appearance in school history.

Chalk up another one for the NCAA!

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Sometimes you have to do something just to avoid the appearance of impropriety. The NCAA, which makes a lot of curious decisions, blew that one too.

I’m going back to the NCAA Division II West regional hosted, and not surprisingly won, by Western Washington on Tuesday night. The decision to let the school, located in Bellingham,  host both the men’s and women’s eight-team regionals was a mind-boggling one on a lot of counts and I have addressed that.

But something else was brought to my attention. Turns out one of the referees who worked the semifinal game between Western Washington and Cal State San Bernardino, not only is from Bellingham, but owns a popular family restaurant  adjacent to the campus which is frequented by the students.

Not only did he work that game, won by the Vikings 86-77, but he also worked the championship game in which Western defeated rival Seattle Pacific 62-58 for a berth in the Elite Eight.

How is that right?

No I wasn’t there. But I did watch the videocast of the Cal State game and there were some curious calls, many of which even the announcers, who were from Western Washington, questioned. There were two technical fouls on the Cal State bench. Fouls were 24-18 against Cal State and one Coyote fouled out despite playing seven whole minutes.

Was that the reason the Coyotes lost? Maybe but probably not. And I hate when a losing coach starts blaming the officiating – no matter what the sport. But why put yourself in the position to be questioned. All that had to be done is put the Bellingham resident official on the earlier semifinal between Cal Poly Pomona and Seattle Pacific and have one of those official work the latter game. Problem solved.

As far as the championship game, well there were enough officials on site he didn’t have to be one of the chosen three to work that game.

I’m sure that official worked several of that school’s game during the regular season. That’s fine. But this is the postseason where much more is at stake. The other schools in the eight-team field deserved a fair shake.