January 2011 Archives
University of Redlands assistant football coach Ejiro Evero is going back to the NFL as quality control specialist for the San Francisco 49ers. It is the same position he held with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2007 to 2009 before joining the Bulldogs staff.
Evero, a product of Alta Loma High School and resident of Rancho Cucamonga, is excited about the opportunity.
``I enjoyed my time at Redlands,'' he said. ``It was never meant to be permanent but I made some great friends here. I'm excited about getting back in the NFL.''
Evero, 30, said his old coach at UC Davis Bob Biggs helped pave the way because he has had a long-standing relationship with 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh. Evero said he almost had an opportunity to work with Harbaugh at Stanford but it didn't quite materialize.
Evero finished up his playing career at Davis in 2003, earning Division II All-American honors twice. He went on to coach the secondary there for four years, ending his run there in 2006.
Evero coached the Bulldogs defensive backs and worked with the kicking game last season, helping Redlands to an 8-1 mark. Veteran coach Mike Maynard will start looking for another assistant immediately.
"We are all very pleased for Coach Evero. He has truly earned the respect of our coaches and players here at the University of Redlands. We will remember Coach Evero as a man of great integrity who coached with passion and exceptional knowledge. Certainly, there will be many successful seasons ahead for him and we wish him all the best."
As quality control specialist Evero will be responsible for key behind the scenes duties such as breaking down game film and putting together the playbooks.
``All the little things the head coaches don't have time to do,'' he said.
Evero will leave today and start work with the team on Monday.
Victor Valley College baseball coach Bob Smith has resigned after accepting an assistant baseball position at Division II Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore.
Smith had been part of the program since 2003, serving as head coach since 2008. He led the gradual improvement of the program, going from 7-30 in 2008 to 11-32 in 2009 and 15-21 in 2010 despite having modest resources with which to work. He was recipient of the Howard Lowder Award presented annually to a coach for his long-standing dedication to the program.
Smith was also the school's equipment manager, so he was a fixture off the diamond as well.
Smith and wife Melissa have family in Oregon. Smith's stepson Robert Lloyd works as a fireman just minutes from the school's campus. Other immediate family are in the area as well so it's a nice move for him.
Smith was also a fixture at the high school level as well with stints at both Hesperia and Granite Hills.
Jesus Beltran will take over in the interim with the start of the regular season just a coupe of weeks away.
The Cal Poly Pomona Broncos surged out to a big lead and held on to beat rival Cal State San Bernardino 69-61 at Kellogg Gymnasium on Tuesday,
The Broncos did it again with their trademark zone defense. They pulled out to an early lead with Cal State unable to penetrate the zone and having to settle from lower percentage perimeter shots.
The Broncos led by as many 21 at 45-24 five minutes into the second half, only to have the Coyotes got on a 12-0 run and cut it to 45-36 with 10:36. Then came the key. The Coyotes came up empty on their next four possessions.
They were within eight with 4:05 left 51-43 and got within four at 65-61 with 18 seconds but it was too little too late.
'
Credit Coyotes assistant coach Robert Tossetti with managing the team late when head coach Jeff Oliver was kicked out after drawing a second technical a minute into the second half. It has been Paul Trevor serving as Oliver's right-hand man for seven years but he is now heading the San Francisco State program.
Tossetti and Anthony Jones are both relative newbies on the Coyotes staff and Tossetti has not headed a college team before. But he did a solid job directing the charge.
But the Broncos are back!
This battle between Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona is NOT living up to billing.
The Broncos have been in control from the opening tipoff and now lead 41-24 five minutes into the second half.
Cal State Coach Jeff Oliver has had enough and won't be around to watch what is sure to be an ugly finish. He picked up his first technical with a couple of minutes left in the first half after one of his players got pounded under the basket and didn't get a call.
Then he got the second a minute into the second half.
It's 45-29 Broncos with 13:34. It was 35-20 at the half so they haven't made a dent in that lead.
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The Cal State San Bernardino women's basketball team got off to a 9-1 start but for most the jury was still out. The Coyotes non-conference schedule was not particularly tough and most of the teams they had beaten in CCAA play were average at best.
But coach Kevin Becker's team picked up an impressive win, beating Chico State 61-56 tonight at Coussoulis Arena. That's a quality victory over one of the perennial conference powerhouses often in the national picture as well.
It was an entertaining game, not one that sometimes happens on the women's side where it's more about missed shots and turnovers than big buckets.
Both teams played well. The Wildcats shot 47.9 percent and had one more field goal than the Coyotes who shot 33.8. But Cal State made up for that with a 41-33 advantage on the boards which included a huge 20-7 cushion on the offensive glass.
Cal State also had just 7 turnovers to 14 for Chico State.
Eisha Sheppard was the star once again with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Sabrina Gonzalez and Amber Glasser tallied 14 and 13 respectively, each hitting three 3-pointers.
This is the most balanced and well-rounded team Becker has had in awhile and it's worth watching!
The San Bernardino Valley College basketball team is back. Forget the 4-8 start, The Wolverines are rounding back into form as evidenced by a 74-59 win over host Chaffey.
SBVC is now 9-8 overall, marking the first time this season it has been above .500. More importantly it is 3-0 in Foothill Conference play, with two of those wins coming over contenders.
It was actually a more competitive game than the scored indicates, It was even at 42 midway through the second half. That type of game favored the Panthers, who are relying more on patient, efficient offense and defense this season.
The Wolverines dominated the last 10 minutes, using a tenacious defense to generate fast-break opportunities. They made their free throws and Chaffey missed theirs. That always helps. SBVC also got some second-chance opportunities while Chaffey failed to block out. It all came down to fundamentals where the Wolverines were decidedly better.
For SBVD Keon Pledger was the spark plug early with four first half 3-pointers. Kirby Gardner came off the bench to add 15, with several key plays in crunch time.
Chaffey got solid efforts from Deandre Broadie and Steffon Neal but it wasn't quite enough.
In other games Barstow defeated Mt. San Jacinto 83-81. The Vikings were 14-2 overall and 2-0 coming in but this was their first real conference test. They're a definite contender too.
San Bernardino Valley College already has won two state titles - men's cross country and women's soccer. Could a third be coming soon? It's very possible, judging by the showing thus far of the women's basketball team.
Sue Crebbin has built the program into a contender in her six years but in has been in the unfortunate position of taking a back seat to a men's program that was a powerhouse long before she arrived.
But the Wolverines are currently ranked No. 1 in the state with an impressive mark of 14-1. They crushed Mt. San Jacinto 89-63 in their Foothill Conference opener on Wednesday. That is a pretty impressive showing against one of the other premier teams.
The Wolverines have veteran presence at the guards with Paige Haynes and Janelle Junior. They have two Division I players - Darshae Burnside and Jasmine Ray. Ray is head to the University of Hawaii while Burnside signed with Arkansas out of high school but did not go. She'll likely be back at a D1 before it's all over.
Crebbin has quality players on the bench too.
There doesn't appear to be a weak spot.
Next up is a 3 p.m. game on Saturday against Rio Hondo, that will be cakewalk. Then comes another game next Wednesday at Chaffey, a quality foe.
UC Riverside assistant baseball coach Randy Betten has been named head coach at Cal Poly Pomona, becoming just the fifth in the school's 51-year history. Betten, 39, had worked for the Highlanders the last six years after also serving at both Cal Baptist and Riverside Community College but this will be his first head coaching position.
``It was an attractive position, not just because of the tradition of Cal Poly Pomona and its great academic reputation but because I grew up here,'' he said. ``I am looking forward to getting back to the roots of this community because there is a lot of talent in this area.''
Betten replaces Mike Ashman who directed the Broncos program for 15 years before stepping down in August. Last year the Broncos went 26-27 overall, including an 18-22 mark within the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Broncos last made the CCAA Tournament in 2005, with the program's most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament coming in 1993.
The Broncos captured Division II national titles in 1976, 1980 and 1983.
Betten had individual meetings with each of his 31 returning players on Tuesday. The team starts practice on Thursday in preparation for its regular season opener on Feb. 3 at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Jimmy Ramos, who had served as interim head coach since Ashman's departure, will remain on staff as an assistant to Betten which should ease the transition.
``The first order of business is getting organized and familiarizing myself with the personnel we have coming back. They are all excited about getting started,'' he said. ``The first game is going to be here before we know it.''
After joining the UCR staff in September of 2004, Betten helped guide the Highlanders to the Big West Conference title in 2007 as the squad was ranked as high as 13th in the nation during the year. That championship marked the first time in 20 years that a Division I program in the UC system won its conference championship outright.
Before becoming part of the UCR program, Betten served as an assistant for Cal Baptist in 2004, when the Lancers overcame a slow start to post a 30-22 record and finished as runners-up in the Region II Tournament.
Prior to his time with the Lancers, Betten served as an assistant under Dennis Rogers at Riverside Community College (1996-2003). He was the head assistant when the Tigers won three straight California Community College state championships from 2000 to 2002.
Throughout his coaching career, Betten has had 40 position players either drafted or signed to professional contracts.
Betten played professionally for six years after being taken in the 26th round by the California Angels in the 1995 draft. He reached as high as the Triple-A level with the Angels' teams in Vancouver and Edmonton in 1998 and 1999. He began his coaching career in 2000 with the Angels Midwest League affiliate, Cedar Rapids.
Betten graduated from the now-defunct New Life Christian High School in Highland. He began his college career at RCC, earning All-American, All-Southern California and All-Orange Empire Conference honors in 1992 and 1993. He then earned a scholarship to Arizona State and was part of a team that finished third in the 1994 College World Series. In 1995, Betten earned All-Pacific 10 Conference first team honors while serving as a team captain.
Betten earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Thomas Edison State College in 1998. He also earned a master's degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific in 2002.
Betten and wife Amy and their three children live in Riverside.
About Michelle
Michelle Gardner has been a staff writer for The Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin since 2002 and has covered the local college sports scene since 2004. She ventured West after working at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale for eight years and is a graduate of the University of Florida.
E-mail Michelle here.
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