Recently in Men's Basketball Category
Here's what's happening in local college sports this week
MONDAY
Women's basketball -
San Bernardino Valley at Cerro Coso, 6 p.m.
Chapman at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
Men's basketball
San Francisco State at Cal Poly Pomona, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
San Francisco State at Cal Poly Pomona, 5:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Men's basketball
Rio Hondo at Chaffey, 7 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at Barstow, 7 p.m.
Victor Valley at Mt. San Jacinto, 7 p.m.
Whittier at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Pomona-Pitzer, 7:30 p.m.
Redlands at Occidental, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
San Bernardino Valley at Barstow, 5 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Chaffey, 5 p.m.
Victor Valley at Mt. San Jacinto, 5 p.m.
THUSRDAY
Women's basketball
Occidental at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7:30 p.m.
La Verne at Caltech, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Men's basketball
Humboldt State at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Dominguez, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
Humboldt State at Cal State San Bernardino,5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Dominguez, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball
Sonoma State at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Chaffey, 3 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at College of the Desert, 3 p.m.;
Barstow at Victor Valley, 3 p.m.
Clarmeont-Mudd-Scripps at Whittier, 7 p.m.
Redlands at Caltech, 7 p.m.
La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer, 7 p.m.
Women's basketball
Sonoma State at Cal State San Bernardino, 5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Chaffey, 1 p.m.;
Victor Valley at Barstow, 1 p.m.
La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer, 5 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Whittier, 5 p.m.
Redlands at Caltech, 5 p.m.
The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team moved up a spot from 22nd to 21st in the D3Hopps.com Top 25 poll. The Stags (9-0) have 114 points, just one fewer than No. 20 Marietta (Ohio).
CMS is the only SCIAC school to be mentioned.
Middlebury (Vt.) remains No. 1.
CMS returns to action on Dec. 30 when it will host Babson College (Mass.) at 7:30 p.m.
The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team has moved into the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll at No. 22. The Stags improved to 9-0 with a win on Saturday over Point Loma Nazarene.
CMS is the only SCIAC team earning mention.
The Stags have been bolstered by the return of two-time SCIAC Player of the Year Chris Blees who sustained a season-ending knee injury in the second game last season. He is averaging 15 points and 8.8 rebounds to lead the way.
Here's the Top 25 rundown:
| # | School (1st votes) | Rec | Pts | Prev. |
| 1 | Middlebury (24) | 7-0 | 624 | 1 |
| 2 | Virginia Wesleyan (1) | 6-1 | 560 | 3 |
| 3 | Augustana | 7-1 | 556 | 4 |
| 4 | MIT | 11-0 | 511 | 7 |
| 5 | Emory | 8-0 | 490 | 9 |
| 6 | Amherst | 8-1 | 480 | 2 |
| 7 | Williams | 8-1 | 477 | 8 |
| 8 | Whitworth | 6-1 | 417 | 6 |
| 9 | Marietta | 6-1 | 396 | 10 |
| 10 | Franklin and Marshall | 9-0 | 392 | 11 |
| 11 | Cabrini | 7-0 | 360 | 12 |
| 12 | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 6-0 | 305 | 13 |
| 13 | UW-Whitewater | 8-0 | 279 | 19 |
| 14 | St. Thomas | 7-1 | 235 | 16 |
| 15 | Puget Sound | 8-0 | 227 | 20 |
| 16 | Birmingham-Southern | 7-0 | 214 | 18 |
| 17 | Wabash | 8-0 | 212 | 25 |
| 18 | Hope | 8-1 | 189 | 23 |
| 19 | Wooster | 5-2 | 188 | 5 |
| 20 | WPI | 8-1 | 124 | 15 |
| 21 | Buffalo State | 6-1 | 85 | 14 |
| 22 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | 9-0 | 84 | -- |
| 23 | Rochester | 8-2 | 82 | 24 |
| 24 | Oswego State | 8-1 | 75 | -- |
| 25 | UW-Stevens Point | 6-2 | 63 | 21 |
Dropped out: No. 17 Wheaton (Ill.), No. 22 William Paterson.
Others receiving votes: Edgewood 60, Washington U. 60, Wittenberg 60, Rhode Island College 53, Wheaton (Ill.) 52, William Paterson 35, Ohio Wesleyan 27, Western Connecticut 27, Grinnell 22, Bethany 21, St. Mary's (Md.) 18, Hardin-Simmons 16, Transylvania 14, Texas-Dallas 9, UW-River Falls 8, Rose-Hulman 7, Hobart 5, New Jersey City 4, Hartwick 1, Salem State 1.
The D3hoops.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly.
The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team will play for a national championship for the second straight year.
The Broncos advanced to Saturday's nationally televised title tilt with a 71-63 win over Bentley (Mass.) in an NCAA Division II semifinal on Thursday at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.
It was just a year ago that the eluisive national championship slipped away when the underdog Broncos lost to undefeated Findlay (Ohio) 56-53 on a 3-pointer in overtime by a guy that didn't score any other points in the game.
The Broncos will play Indiana (Penn.) which defeated St. Cloud State (Minn.) 76-70 in the other semifinal.
The Broncos played with poise down the stretch like they have done all season. It was Bentley that got the yipps, missing free throws and no fewer than five point blank layups in the last few minutes.
Austin Swift led the way with 22 points and seven rebounds. Dahir Nasser and Tobias Jahn had 11 while Mitchel Anderson chipped in with 10. Donnelle Booker snagged a team-high eight rebounds.
The Broncos finished with a 34-26 advantage on the boards. They outscored the Falcons in the paint 30-14 and had a 23-10 in points off the bench.
It was a workman-like effort.
One more to go and redemption will be theirs.
The season ended for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps basketball teams as the Stags were turned back by Chapman 58-47 on Thursday in a first round playoff game. The win avenged an earlier loss as the Panthers were beaten by CMS by a one point early on.
It was a great atmosphere for college basketball. The Hutton Sports Center was packed with fans from both schools. Students on the Chapman side didn't sit down even once.
SCIAC Player of the Year Chris Blees had a particularly bad night scoring just seven points on 2-for-13 shooting from the field. He shot an air ball on a 3-pointer in the first half and pretty much heard it from the crowd every time he touched the ball after that.
Welcome to playoff basketball on the road.
The CMS followers returned the favor when one of the Chapman players did the same.
The game was even at 44-all but CMS managed just three points in the last seven minutes., It was a combination of everything - turnovers, missed free throws, not getting the key rebound.
CMS coach Ken Scalmanini was going for his 200th career win in his 12 years at the school. He'll have to wait until next year. CMS ends a still-solid season at 21-7. Chapman improves to 24-2.
Chapman has a couple of area players, both pretty good ones. Griffin Ramme had 21 points while Justin Riley had six points, seven rebounds, three steals and a monster block. Both are out of Damien High School.
The Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team, coming off an appearance in the NCAA national championship game a year ago, is ranked No. 4 in the 2009-10 Division II Bulletin Preseason Top 25 poll that was released this week.
The ranking comes a day after the Broncos received a No. 9 ranking by The Sporting News.
Cal Poly Pomona, which finished last season 25-8 and played for the national title in Springfield, Mass., earned its first preseason ranking since opening the 2005-06 season No. 15 (NABC) and 13th (Division II Bulletin).
Cal Poly Pomona, tied Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Dominguez Hills for the regular-season California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title last season.
The Broncos are led by first team All-CCAA senior guard Austin Swift and second team All-CCAA junior forward Tobias Jahn.
BYU-Hawaii, which concluded the 2008-09 season with a 27-2 record and return two All-Americans, is ranked No. 1 in the poll. Findlay is No. 2 and is followed by Soutwest Baptist, Cal Poly Pomona and Bellarmine, which rounds out the Top 5.
San Francisco State will be the first CCAA team to get its 2009-10 season underway when it takes part in the Disney Tip-Off West Coast Classic that begins Oct. 30 in Anaheim.
2009-10 Division II Bulletin Preseason Top 25 Poll
1. BYU-Hawaii
2. Findlay
3. Southwest Baptist
4. Cal Poly Pomona
5. Bellarmine
6. Tusculum
7. Merrimack
8. Augusta State
9. Florida Southern
10. Bentley
11. Valdosta State
12. Southwest Minnesota
13. Metro State
14. Central Missouri
15. Winona State
16. Kutztown
17. Central Oklahoma
18. Grand Valley State
19. Philadelphia
20. Northern Kentucky
21. Delta State
22. Rollins
23. J.C. Smith
24. West Virginia State
25. Incarnate Word
The 11-institution CCAA, comprised of 10 California State University programs and one from the University of California system, compiled a cumulative record of 1,344-1,146-61 (.539) in eight sports, played in three national championship games and won two national titles.
The Cal State Dominguez Hills men's soccer team captured its second men's soccer national championship while Sonoma State won its first-ever men's golf national title. The Cal State San Bernardino women's volleyball team and Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball finished as national runner-up in their respective sports.
Additionally, the Cal State San Bernardino men's golf team tied for first at the NCAA Championships before losing in a playoff to Sonoma State.
A total of six teams - Cal State Dominguez Hills (men's soccer), Cal State San Bernardino (women's volleyball), Chico State (men's and women's cross country), Cal Poly Pomona (men's basketball) and UC San Diego (baseball) - captured West Regional Championships.
The two national championships marked the first time CCAA member institutions have captured multiple titles in the same academic year in conference-sponsored sports since 2002-03 when Sonoma State and UC Davis claimed Division II championships in men's soccer and softball, respectively.
This year's national championships brought the CCAA's total to 148, tops among all NCAA Division II conferences. Sonoma State's title in men's golf marked the CCAA's 100th men's national championship.
The CCAA was well represented in postseason play as 61 teams participated in the NCAA Championships, competing in either regional or national championship play. A total of 21 CCAA teams finished the year ranked in the national Top 25 of their respective sports' polls, including 10 that garnered Top 10 rankings.
The 2008-09 athletics season was also a successful one for a number of individuals as CCAA student-athletes won a total of five individual national championships. Scott Bauhs (Chico State, men's cross country), Christine Merrill (UC San Diego, women's 400 meter hurdles), Linda Rainwater (UC San Diego, women's high jump), Danielle Thu (UC San Diego, women's hammer throw) and Kasey Burlingham (Cal State Stanislaus, men's pole vault) were best in their respective events.
Individually, three student-athletes - Scott Bauhs (Chico State, men's cross country), Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills, men's soccer) and Vance Albitz (UC San Diego, baseball) were named national players of the year. Albitz was selected the ABCA/Rawlings National Defensive Player of the Year. Cal State Dominguez Hills' Joe Flanagan (men's soccer), Cal State San Bernardino's Kim Cherniss (women's volleyball) and UC San Diego's Dan O'Brien (UC San Diego were selected National Coach of the Year.
Additionally, 67 players were honored with All-American recognition, while five student-athletes garnered Academic All-American recognition, including Cal State Dominguez Hills baseball player Jon Alia, who was named the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA All-America of the Year. UC San Diego women's tennis player Ina Dan received the ITA/Arthur Ashe National Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.
Eleven individuals received West Region Player of the Year honors, while four coaches were tabbed Coach of the Year and two others were selected Assistant Coach of the Year.
2008-09 CCAA Highlights
National Champions (2):
Cal State Dominguez Hills (Men's Soccer)
Sonoma State (Men's Golf) - (100th men's CCAA title)
NCAA Runner-Ups (3):
Cal State San Bernardino (Women's Volleyball)
Cal Poly Pomona (Men's Basketball)
Cal State San Bernardino (Men's Golf)
NCAA Semifinalist (1):
UC San Diego (Baseball)
NCAA Individual Champions (5):
Men: Scott Bauhs (Chico State, men's cross country)
Women: Christine Merrill (UC San Diego, women's 400 meter hurdles), Linda Rainwater (UC San Diego, women's high jump), Danielle Thu (UC San Diego, women's hammer throw) and Kasey Burlingham (Cal State Stanislaus, men's pole vault)
National Top 25 Finishes:
19 Top 25 Finishes
Eight Top 10 Finishes
National Players of the Year (3):
Scott Bauhs (Chico State, cross country)
Kevin Gallaugher (CSU Dominguez Hills, men's soccer)
Vance Albitz (UC San Diego, baseball) - National Defensive Player of the Year
National Coaches of the Year (3):
Joe Flanagan (Cal State Dominguez Hills, men's soccer)
Kim Cherniss (Cal State San Bernardino, women's volleyball)
Dan O'Brien (UC San Diego, baseball)
All-Americans (67)
West Region Champions (6):
Cal State Dominguez Hills (men's soccer)
Chico State (men's and women's cross country)
Cal State San Bernardino (women's volleyball)
Cal Poly Pomona (men's basketball)
UC San Diego (baseball)
West Region Individual Champions (2):
Scott Bauhs (men's cross country, Chico State)
Jarin Todd (men's golf, Sonoma State)
Teams in NCAA postseason play (61)
CCAA Athletes of the Year:
Male: Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Female: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino)
CCAA Scholar-Athletes of the Year:
Male: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Female: Meghan Haas (Cal State San Bernardino)
Commissioner's Cup Winner:
UC San Diego (Fourth year in a row)
The following is a sport-by-sport recap:
Men's Cross Country
CCAA Champion: Chico State
CCAA Individual Champion: Scott Bauhs (Chico State)
CCAA Athlete of the Meet: Scott Bauhs (Chico State)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Clint Hostetler (Cal Poly Pomona)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Jersain Torres (Cal Poly Pomona)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Gary Towne (Chico State)
NCAA West Region Champion: Chico State
NCAA West Region Individual Champion: Scott Bauhs (Chico State)
NCAA Individual Champion: Scott Bauhs (Chico State)
NCAA Male Athlete of the Year: Scott Bauhs (Chico State)
All-Americans: Scott Bauhs (Chico State), Angel Marquez (Chico State), Beau Rogers (Chico State), Michael Wickman (Chico State)
All-Academic Team: UC San Diego
Academic All-Americans: Angel Marquez (Chico State), Manny Mejia, Jr. (Chico State), Gabriel LaMothe (UC San Diego)
Women's Cross Country
CCAA Champion: Chico State
CCAA Individual Champion: Vivien Wadeck (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Athlete of the Meet: Vivien Wadeck (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Elena Inouye (UC San Diego)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Vivien Wadeck (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Gary Towne (Chico State)
NCAA West Region Champion: Chico State
All-Americans: Brianna Schofield (UC San Diego), Tori Tyler (Chico State), Vivien Wadeck (CSULA)
All-Academic Teams: Cal State San Bernardino, San Francisco State, UC San Diego
Men's Soccer
CCAA Champion: Sonoma State
CCAA Most Valuable Offensive Player: Ross Middlemiss (Sonoma State)
CCAA Most Valuable Defensive Player: Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Andrew Ruiz (Cal State Stanislaus)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Cam Vickers (Sonoma State)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Felipe Restrepo (Chico State)
West Regional Champion: Cal State Dominguez Hills
Daktronics West Region Player of the Year: Ross Middlemiss (Sonoma State)
National Champion: Cal State Dominguez Hills
NSCAA National Player of the Year: Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
NSCAA National Coach of the Year: Joe Flanagan (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
NSCAA All-Americans: Doug Carr (Sonoma State), Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Ross Middlemiss (Sonoma State), Kyle Holland (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Daktronics All-Americans: Kevin Gallaugher (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Kyle Holland (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Doug Carr (Sonoma State), Ruben Hansen (Cal State L.A.)
Academic All-American: Ross Middlemiss (Sonoma State)
Women's Soccer
CCAA Champion: UC San Diego
CCAA Most Valuable Offensive Player: Natasha Belak-Berger (UC San Diego)
CCAA Most Valuable Defensive Player: Amanda Esquivel (UC San Diego)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Taylor Edmonds (Sonoma State)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Melanie DeSalvo (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Jack Hyde (San Francisco State)
Daktronics All-Americans: Lindsay Catton (Sonoma State), Jessica McGovern (UC San Diego), Amanda Esquivel (UC San Diego)
NSCAA College Team Academic Award: Cal State Stanislaus
Women's Volleyball
CCAA Champion: Cal State San Bernardino
CCAA Most Valuable Player: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Hillary Williamson (UC San Diego)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Bear Grassl (Sonoma State)
West Region Champion: Cal State San Bernardino
Daktronics West Region Player of the Year: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino)
AVCA West Region Freshman of the Year: Makenzie Snyder (Chico State)
AVCA West Region Coach of the Year: Kim Cherniss (Cal State San Bernardino)
NCAA Division II National Runner-Up: Cal State San Bernardino
Daktronics All-Americans: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino), Meghan Haas (Cal State San Bernardino), Gabriela Bulawcyzk (Cal State L.A.), Sara Hoffman (Cal State San Bernardino)
AVCA All-Americans: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino), Sara Hoffman (Cal State San Bernardino), Vanessa Williams (Cal Poly Pomona), Rebecca Bailey (UC San Diego), Gabriela Bulawcyzk (Cal State L.A.), Eric Brick (Chico State), Meghan Haas (Cal State San Bernardino), Sara Rice (Cal State San Bernardino), Kristi Sather (Sonoma State), Ursula Vieira (Cal State L.A.)
AVCA National Coach of the Year: Kim Cherniss (Cal State San Bernardino)
Men's Basketball
CCAA Regular Season Tri-Champions: Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State San Bernardino
CCAA Tournament Champion: Cal State San Bernardino
CCAA Most Valuable Player: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Kyle Baxter (Humboldt State)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Brandon Brown (Cal State San Bernardino)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Greg Kamansky (Cal Poly Pomona)
West Regional Champion: Cal Poly Pomona
NABC West Region Coach of the Year: Greg Kamansky (Cal Poly Pomona)
NCAA Division II National Runner-Up: Cal Poly Pomona
NABC All-American: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona)
Division II Bulletin All-American: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona)
Division II Bulletin Freshman All-American: Kyle Baxter (Humboldt State)
Women's Basketball
CCAA Regular Season Champion: UC San Diego
CCAA Tournament Champion: Cal State Dominguez Hills
CCAA Most Valuable Player: Michelle Osier (UC San Diego)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Chelsea Carlisle (UC San Diego)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Neka Mixon (Cal State Dominguez HIlls)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Charity Elliott (UC San Diego)
Daktronics West Region Player of the Year: Michelle Osier (UC San Diego)
WBCA/State Farm All-Americans: Reyana Colson (Cal Poly Pomona), Katie Franci (Humboldt State), Michelle Osier (UC San Diego)
Division II Bulletin All-Americans: Michelle Osier (UC San Diego), Reyana Colson (Cal Poly Pomona), Katie Franci (Humboldt State)
Division II Bulletin Freshman All-American: Chelsea Carlisle (UC San Diego)
Baseball
CCAA Regular Season Champion: UC San Diego
CCAA Tournament Champion: UC San Diego
CCAA Most Valuable Player: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
CCAA Most Valuable Pitcher of the Year: Gary Moran (Sonoma State)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Adam Arakawa (Chico State)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Aaron Brooks (Cal State San Bernardino)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Dan O'Brien, UC San Diego
West Regional Champion: UC San Diego
Daktronics West Region Pitcher of the Year: Gary Moran (Sonoma State)
Daktronics West Region Player of the Year: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
NCBWA West Region Pitcher of the Year: Gary Moran (Sonoma State)
NCBWA West Region Player of the Year: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
NCBWA West Region Coach of the Year: Dan O'Brien (UC San Diego)
National Semifinalist: UC San Diego
National Coach of the Year: Dan O'Brien (UC San Diego)
Daktronics All-Americans: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Gary Moran (Sonoma State), Vance Albitz (UC San Diego), Carlos Leyva (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Tim Shibuya (UC San Diego)
ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans: Vance Albitz (UC San Diego), Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Gary Moran (Sonoma State)
ABCA/Rawlings National Defensive Player of the Year: Vance Albitz (UC San Diego)
ABCA/Rawlings National Gold Gloves: Vance Albitz (UC San Diego), Josh Tanner (UC San Diego), Tim Shibuya (UC San Diego), Kevin Seaver (Chico State)
CoSIDA Division II Academic All-America of the Year: Jon Alia Cal State Dominguez Hills)
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American: Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Men's Golf
CCAA Champion: Sonoma State
CCAA Individual Champion: Ricky Stockton (CSU Monterey Bay)
CCAA Player of the Year: Lucas Delgado (Chico State)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Kyle Souza (Chico State)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Brandon Harkins (Chico State)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Travis Brown (Chico State)
NCAA Division II Central/West Regional Individual Medalist: Jarin Todd (Sonoma State)
NCAA Champion: Sonoma State
NCAA National Runner-Up: Cal State San Bernardino
Softball
CCAA Regular Season Champion: Humboldt State
CCAA Tournament Champion: Cal State Monterey Bay
CCAA Most Valuable Player: Natalie Galletly (Humboldt State)
CCAA Pitcher of the Year: Lindsay Emmel (Sonoma State)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Emiley McEwen (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Kristyn Lesovsky (UC San Diego)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Frank Cheek (Humboldt State)
West Sub-Regional Champion: Cal State Stanislaus
Daktronics West Region Player of the Year: Kristyn Lesovsky (UC San Diego)
Daktronics West Region Pitcher of the Year: Lindsay Emmel (Sonoma State)
NFCA All-Americans: Kristyn Lesovsky (UC San Diego), Marissa Slattery (Humboldt State), Natalie Galletly (Humboldt State)
Daktronics All-Americans: Kristyn Lesovsky (UC San Diego), Marissa Slattery (Humboldt State), Natalie Galletly (Humboldt State)
Women's Tennis
CCAA Champion: UC San Diego
Most Valuable Player: Verena Preikschas (Cal State Stanislaus)
Freshman of the Year: Katie Eng (Cal State Stanislaus)
Newcomer of the Year: Anita Athavale (UC San Diego)
Coach of the Year: Liz LaPlante (UC San Diego)
ITA/Arthur Ashe West Region Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Ina Dan (UC San Diego)
ITA West Region Coach of the Year: Liz LaPlante (UC San Diego)
ITA/Arthur Ashe National Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Ina Dan (UC San Diego)
Men's Track and Field
CCAA Champion: Chico State
CCAA Athlete of the Meet: Jonathan Williams (Cal Poly Pomona)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Nick Howe (UC San Diego)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Jersain Torres (Cal Poly Pomona)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Kirk Freitas (Chico State)
USTFCCCA West Region Track Athlete of the Year: Michael Wickman (Chico State)
USTFCCCA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year: Gary Towne (Chico State)
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic District VIII: David Wellman (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
NCAA Individual National Champion: Kasey Burlingham (Cal State Stanislaus, pole vault)
All-Americans: Jonathan Williams (Cal Poly Pomona, 100), Michael Wickman (Chico State, 800, 1500), Beau Rogers (Chico State, 3000M steeplechase), Ryan Bertucci (Chico State, high jump), Kasey Burlingham (Cal State Stanislaus, pole vault), Matt Jarvis (Chico State, shot put), Josh Linker (Cal State L.A., decathlon), Brian Beleue (Humboldt State, decathlon)
Women's Track and Field
CCAA Champion: UC San Diego
CCAA Athlete of the Meet: Christine Merrill (UC San Diego)
CCAA Freshman of the Year: Tuekeha Huntley (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Newcomer of the Year: Vivien Wadeck (Cal State L.A.)
CCAA Coach of the Year: Darcy Ahner (UC San Diego)
USTFCCCA West Region Field Athlete of the Year: Danielle Thu (UC San Diego)
USTFCCCA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year: Kendra Reimer (Cal State L.A.)
USTFCCCA West Region Head Coach of the Year: Darcy Ahner (UC San Diego)
NCAA Individual National Champions: Christine Merrill (UC San Diego, 400 hurdles), Linda Rainwater (UC San Diego, high jump), Danielle Thu (UC San Diego, hammer throw)
All-Americans: Moriah Jubrey (Cal State L.A., 100, 200), Brianna Schofield (UC San Diego, 1500), Vivien Wadeck (Cal State L.A., 5000), Tori Tyler (Chico State, 10,000), Alia Gray (Chico State, 10,000), Laiah Blue (UC San Diego, 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles), Chanel Parker (Cal State Dominguez Hills, 100 hurdles), Christine Merrill (UC San Diego, 400 hurdles), Shannon McVannel (Chico State, 3000 steeplechase), Karla Alburez (Cal State L.A., 3000 steeplechase), Tiffany Turner (Cal Poly Pomona, 3000 steeplechase), Cal State L.A. 4x100 meter relay team (Sierra Backus, Moriah Jubrey, Tanyshia Ridley, Shianne Smith), UC San Diego 4x100 meter relay team (Christine Merrill, Katie Skorupa, Kelly Fogarty, Laiah Blue), UC San Diego 4x400 meter relay team (Katie Skorupa, Deyna Roberson, Anna Lee McGregor, Christine Merrill), Linda Rainwater (UC San Diego, high jump, heptathlon), Rosemary Feikert (Cal State Stanislaus, pole vault), Sierra Backus (Cal State L.A., triple jump), Sarah Hendy (UC San Diego, discus), Luisa Musika (San Francisco State, discuss), Jasimen Bailey (Cal State Stanislaus, discuss), Danielle Thu (UC San Diego, hammer throw), Shianne Smith (Cal State L.A., heptathlon).
By Michelle gardner
Staff Writer
Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball coach Greg Kamansky is just now catching his breath.
A whirlwind two weeks included playoff games in three different time zones and ended with a 56-53 overtime loss to Findlay (Ohio) in the Division II national championship game in Springfield, Mass., last Saturday.
The Broncos (25-8) returned on Sunday and celebrated with the student body on Thursday. Now, Kamansky is focused on recruiting. But you won't find him complaining.
"It has been an unbelievable experience," he said. "You think of the number of teams that play college basketball and very few get a chance to play for a national championship. And to think how far we went and the obstacles we overcame to get there. It is even more rewarding."
The Broncos are graduating four seniors, the key ones being All-American Larry Gordon and third-leading scorer Walter Thompson.
Before the team left for the Elite Eight, Kamansky stopped short of calling Gordon the best player to come out of the program. He didn't hesitate when asked again.
Gordon finished as the school's all-time leading rebounder and second-leading scorer behind only Jeff Bonds. He also finishes ranked second in field goals (527), second in free throws (385), third in games played (116), fifth in steals (133), seventh in blocks (52) and 10th in 3-point field goals (94).
What sets him apart from the other four All-Americans the school has produced is his showing in the postseason. He averaged 22 points and 11.3 rebounds and shot 67.6 percent from the field in the run.
"His legacy is complete," Kamansky said. "Big-time players step up in big-time games. He did it on the national stage."
Kamansky admits it will be hard to replace his most recent All-American. But the one thing the Broncos will have is a solid nucleus of veterans returning.
Last year Gordon was the only starter back. The Broncos will be set in the front court, returning Dwayne Fells, who started 18 games this season as a true freshman, as well as sophomore forward Tobias Jahn (9.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who came into his own over the second half of the season.
They will also have Kevin Ryan, the team's top recruit last year who had to redshirt because of a knee injury. They also landed an early signee in Justin Herold, a 6-foot-7 power forward out of Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa.
The core of other returning players will include second-leading scorer Austin Swift (10.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg), heady point guard Dahir Nasser (5.7 ppg, 2.7 apg) and much-improved reserve Robert Summers (7.1 ppg).
Cajon graduate Donnelle Booker will also be back in the fold. He sustained a season-ending knee injury in October and will be the most seasoned player in the program. The coach is hoping he can provide the same veteran leadership Gordon did.
Kamansky said the biggest need right now is in the backcourt. The Broncos typically carry fewer players than most teams but are looking for three or four more players.
"I like what we'll have coming back," he said. "Yes, we're losing Larry, but we have guys that have actually played together, which is unlike last year. A couple more guards and we'll be set.
"This is a great experience to build on."
By Jeff Thomas
Correspondent
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Oh, for a few more seconds on the clock.
The remarkable run of the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team came to a sudden and shocking end Saturday afternoon at the MassMutual Center when senior guard Tyler Evans drained a fadeaway 3-pointer at buzzer in overtime to give the University of Findlay the NCAA Division II national championship.
Cal Poly Pomona fought back from a 14-point second-half deficit, only to go down 56-53 to Oilers, who concluded a perfect season at 36-0 and was ranked No. 1 wire-to-wire.
"We put ourselves in position to win the game, but tonight we didn't do it and they did," Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky said. "We feel proud of the fact that we put ourselves in position and could have won it."
The Broncos (25-8), who won 16 of their last 17 to get to this point and had traveled more than 10,000 miles in the NCAA tournament - with another 3,000 or so more to come Sunday - were the feel-good story of the tournament.
That storybook ending almost came to fruition, but a well-guarded Evans picked that point in time to make his only field goal of the afternoon.
"I think it was good defense but he hit a tough shot," Broncos senior guard Walter Thompson said. "You can't ask for any better defense out of Dahir (Nasser). It was good pressure and he had his hand in his face. He made a tough shot."
The game was tied at 53-53 after senior All-American Larry Gordon hit a 15-foot jumper with 12.5 seconds left. There was a held-ball call under Cal Poly's basket with 2.4 seconds left. Findlay's Marcus Parker inbounded the ball from the baseline to Evans, who was already a step behind the 3-point arc.
Evans took a dribble back and to his left before taking the shot that swished through the basket 25 feet away and left Nasser on his knees and holding his head in disbelief.
"We were concerned with the inbounder getting the ball back for a quick three, so they got the ball to (Evans) and he kept backing up and backing up and throws a fadeaway three from God knows how many feet," Kamansky said. "The guy hit a great shot, give him some credit. That's part of the game of basketball. Win some, lose some."
It was the second overtime win of the Elite Eight for Findlay, and just the fourth overtime championship game in Elite Eight history.
"I can't express the feeling that we have winning this game the way it was won with that unbelievable last-second shot, the way we've won the last four of our games," Findlay coach Ron Niekamp said. "It's an incredible feeling and it's also a feeling that someone up there is looking out for you when you win four like that."
The game had the look of a rout for a while, the Oilers taking a 30-20 halftime lead and pushing that lead to as many as 14 with 16:25 left in the game.
"At that time I called timeout and was pretty fired up and said you're not going down like this," Kamansky said. "I just told our guys we've done it all year and this is not the way we were gonna go down, getting beat handily.
"We got a couple of nice plays and hit a couple of nice shots and next thing you know we got our confidence going and we knew we could play with these guys," he added.
Gordon, who scored a game-high 17 points, scored on a reverse layup, followed by a Robert Summers 3-pointer. Tobias Jahn (14 points) scored at the rim and Summers made two foul shots. After Gordon scored on a drive to the basket, Jahn scored from the baseline to complete the 13-0 run and get the Broncos within one, 36-35.
After Bostic scored on a putback, Thompson hit a 3-pointer and the game was tied with 7:05 to play.
Both teams had opportunities to win in the closing minutes but neither could capitalize.
In overtime it was much of the same, the lead changing five times before Evans hit his heroic shot to end an incredible season for the Broncos.
"This will sting for a while but we'll look back in a little bit and say what a great season this was for this team," Kamansky said. "I can't tell you how proud I am of these guys. Digging in game after game after game. We've won a lot of these overtime games.
"This season I'll take and there's probably 300 coaches in Division II who would take this," he added. "There's only one coach that wouldn't and that's the coach of Findlay."
The National Association of Basketball Coaches announced their all-West Region team in NCAA Division II and Brown was voted to the first team and Montgomery to the second team.
Brown, a 6-7 postman who was all-CCAA conference first-team, the CCAA's newcomer of the year and MVP of the CCAA tournament, is now eligible to be considered for the NABC all-America teams that will be announced at the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass later this month.
Earlier last week, Brown was voted by sports information directors in the West Region to the Daktronics all-West Region first team.
Montgomery, a 6-foot guard, was an all-CCAA first-team selection.
Joining Brown on the NABC all-region first team were Larry Gordon of Cal Poly Pomona, Lucas Alves of BYU-Hawaii, Michael Hernandez of Cal State Dominguez Hills, Ira Graham of Western Washington and Jake Linton of Saint Martin's.
Along with Montgomery, the other second-teamers on the NABC all-star teams were Jerrell Smith of CSU Dominguez Hills, Zac Tiedeman of Humboldt State, Matt Penoncello of Central Washington, Kenny Barker of Alaska Anchorage and Jay DeMaestri of Hawaii Hilo.
Greg Kamansky of Cal Poly Pomona was voted coach of the year by the NABC.
Brown led the CCAA in scoring at 21.5 points per game, was No. 3 in rebounding at 8.7 rebounds per game, No.4 in field goal percentage (56.0), No. 1 in blocked shots (39 - 1.7/game) and No. 1 in offensive rebounds per game (2.8). He was the team leader in all those categories.
Montgomery was No. 6 in the CCAA in scoring (14.3 ppg), No. 12 in field goal percentage (49.8), No. 9 in assists (3.1/game), No. 7 in 3-point FG percentage (40.7). He led the team in assists (94) and averaged 2.4 rebounds a game and shot 75 percent from the foul line.
The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team escaped - again.
The Coyotes slipped past longtime nemesis UC San Diego 76-72 in a CCAA Tournament semifinal Friday night to earn a spot in tonight's 7:30 p.m. title game against unheralded Cal State Monterey Bay (16-13).
The Coyotes (19-9) nipped Sonoma State 79-77 in Tuesday's
quarterfinal and coach Jeff Oliver is pleased to see his team start knocking down some shots at crunch time, something it had trouble with earlier in the season.
``We're making the most of our opportunities and taking advantage of some mismatches," Oliver said. ``I think it's a matter of our guys better understanding their roles and feeling more comfortable in the offense. It's good to see.''
The Coyotes led by as many as 11 in the second half, that lead coming at 62-51 with 8:45 left. But the Tritons (17-11) came back as they always do. San Diego evened the game at 67 on a baseline drive by Shane Poppen, who surged past defender Brandon Brown, playing it safe after being called for his fourth foul.
The game was tied again at 70 with 1:40 to play. The Coyotes got a fadeaway jumper from Tim Denson to go up 72-70 with 1:13 left. The Tritons failed to answer as Kelvin Kim missed an open look from the top of the key, his favorite shot.
Cal State's Devin Montgomery scrambled for the rebound with 45 seconds left and sank a pair of free throw to up the lead to four, 74-70.
Montgomery was at the line twice more and delivered two with 18.2 seconds left and one of two later to seal the outcome.
``I was just trying to relax and make them,'' Montgomery said. ``I
was in that position before and didn't come through. I wasn't really thinking about it, but I was thinking about it. I didn't want to fail in that position again.''
The Coyotes, ranked seventh in the West Region, shot 57.4 percent (27-for-47) from the field with Brown's 22 leading the way. Montgomery and Denson contributed 15 and 13 respectively. DuBois Williams had a steady game with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
San Diego came in needing to win the tournament to advance to the West Region Tournament, something it did last year. The Tritons got 24 from Jordan Lawley and 16 each from Alan Husted Poppen.
The Coyotes entered the tournament seeded third despite claiming a share of the regular season title for the eighth time in 10 years. Monterey Bay was the seventh seed but it upended No. 2 Cal State Dominguez Hills on Tuesday, then followed with an ugly-but-effective win over the top-seeded Broncos.
Cal State swept both regular season meetings against the Otters.
``That's going to be another tough one,'' Oliver said. ``They play
hard and don't quit and they have the momentum right now.''
It looks like Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball coach Greg Kamansky will be the one getting the last laugh.
He is the first to admit his team hardly looks imposing when it takes the court for pregame warmups. He has been down to eight players for much of the year and those eight don't look like the most athletic bunch.
But the Broncos (19-6, 15-5) finished tied for first in the CCAA with more physically imposing teams from Cal State San Bernardino (17-9, 15-5) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (21-6, 15-5).
Cal Poly got the tiebreaker and will enter this week's CCAA Tournament as the top seed. It will host No. 8 San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kellogg Gymnasium. Friday's semifinals and Saturday's championship game will be at Coussoulis Arena on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino.
"It's actually pretty funny," Kamansky said. "We're out there with our seven, eight guys and we're clanking shots all over the place. Other coaches are laughing at us. Fans are laughing at us. I know. I've seen it."
Six weeks ago the Broncos were in desperation mode. They were 9-6 overall and 5-5 in conference play. Kamansky was just hoping to get in the conference tournament. He never imagined being the top seed. But the Broncos swept the back half of their schedule, a significant feat in such a depp conference.
They will head into Tuesday's game riding a 10-game win streak.
"It just goes to show what can happen when you have good team chemistry and guys believe in the system and their teammates," Kamansky said.
The Broncos are led by senior Larry Gordon (14 ppg, 10.3 rpg), a mainstay in the lineup for his four years. Austin Swift (10.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and Walter Thompson (11.6 ppg) have emerged as good complimentary players.
But Kamansky credits the team's hot streak up to the improved play of his young post players - true freshman Dwyane Fells (5.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and sophomore Tobias Jahn (8.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg).
"They have given us a presence in the paint we didn't have early on" he said. "It adds another dimension to this team."
While the Broncos have pretty much clinched a spot in the West Region tournament no matter how they fare this week, they still have something to play for.
They are currently ranked third in the region and could move up to second since No. 2 Dominguez Hills lost last week.
If they can finish second they would likely host a four-team sub-regional if the NCAA decides to use that format rather than the traditional eight-team regional at one site.
"Who would have thought?" Kamansky sighed.
CAL POLY WOMEN GET CHICO STATE
The men's game will follow the 5:30 p.m. women's game as coach Scott Davis' team also earned a home game.
The No. 4 seeded Broncos (16-13, 12-8) will host No. 5 Chico State (15-12, 11-9). The teams split during the regular season with each winning on its home floor.
On the season the Broncos are 9-3 at Kellogg Gymnasium.
Unlike the Cal Poly men, the women need a big effort in the tournament. They currently sit eighth in the West Region, despite having two wins over No. 6 Dominguez Hills and one over No. 7 Northwest Nazarene.
"I think we need to win it to get in even though we have those wins over teams ahead of us," Davis said.
UC San Diego (26-3, 19-1) is the top seed but Davis is most leery of No. 2 Humboldt State (21-6, 16-4) which has won eight straight games.
"They are playing the best right now and they have a lot of weapons," he said.
For the Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team the task is simple -- win the CCAA tournament or the season is over.
The Coyotes (17-9, 15-5) painted themselves into a corner with losses to Cal Poly Pomona and UC San Diego. Now, there is no margin for error.
The Coyotes open play in the CCAA tournament at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Coussoulis Arena against Sonoma State (12-15, 8-12), with whom they split during the regular season.
The good news for coach Jeff Oliver's team is that Friday's semifinals and Saturday's finals will also be at Coussoulis, where the team is 10-1 this season.
Cal State is ranked 10th in the region and needs to be eighth to secure a spot in the West Region tournament. There are a half a dozen teams in the hunt for the last few spots, a couple of whom are playing in the CCAA event.
The winner of the CCAA tournament gets the conference's automatic playoff bid.
"We need to win at least two and even that leaves room for doubt," Oliver said. "We're going in with the mindset that we have to win three."
The Coyotes were part of a three-way tie for first with Cal Poly Pomona (19-6, 15-5) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (21-6, 15-5), giving them at least a share of the conference title for the eighth time in 10 years. But the seeding for the tournament came down to a third tiebreaker.
The Broncos, who will host San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) in an opening-round game, were 2-0 against Cal State Los Angeles (the ninth-place team and the best of the teams that didn't make the tournament) compared to Cal State Dominguez Hills' 1-1 mark against the Golden Eagles.
The Coyotes were made the third seed based on their 9-5 record against tournament teams. Both Pomona and Dominguez Hills had 10-4 marks.
That logic mystifies Oliver.
"You're rewarding Dominguez and Pomona for losing to teams that are the bottom of the barrel, that didn't make the tournament. That doesn't make sense," he said.
While Sonoma State has played the Coyotes tough, it has not had an answer for big man Brandon Brown (20.6 points per game, 8.9 rebounds), who has scored 45 points in the two games against the Seawolves and is coming off a 32-point showing against San Francisco State on Friday.
"He has been dominant," Oliver said. "He has had head on straight and doing a better job of not letting adversity get to him."
Cal State women headed south
The Cal State women will need to repeat their upset of two weeks ago to get another home game as they will play their CCAA tournament opener at RIMAC Arena against top-seeded UC San Diego (26-3, 19-1), which also comes in ranked ninth nationally.
Coach Kevin Becker's team, finishing in a three-way tie for sixth, was last in the pecking order when it came to the tiebreaker, so it was left with the eighth seed.
The Coyotes (10-16, 8-12) were the only conference team to beat the Tritons, doing so 64-59 on Feb. 14, behind the scoring punch of unheralded players Lisa Takata and Ana Onaindia.
"Obviously, they're going to be ready for us," Becker said. "We're going to have to play even better than we did the last time we played them."
Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State San Bernardino all tied for the regular-season CCAA title after concluding their 20-game conference schedule Friday night.
Cal Poly Pomona (19-6, 15-5) earned the top seed in the tournament after factoring in the third tiebreaker criteria, which was best record against the highest-standing team not in the tournament. The Broncos, who will host San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) in an opening-round game, were 2-0 against Cal State L.A., compared to Cal State Dominguez Hills' 1-1 mark against the Golden Eagles.
Cal State San Bernardino was slotted as the third-seed based on its 9-5 record against tournament teams. Both Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Dominguez Hills had identical 10-4 marks.
As the No. 2 seed, Cal State Dominguez Hills (21-6, 15-5) will host No. 7 Cal State Monterey Bay (14-13, 8-12). Third-seeded Cal State San Bernardino (17-9, 15-5), will entertain No. 6 seed Sonoma State (12-15, 8-12).
Humboldt State (20-10, 13-7) and UC San Diego (16-10, 13-7) tied for fourth and the Tritons gained the No. 4 seed and a home game after a coin flip.
Sonoma State, Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco tied for sixth, and the Seawolves won the tiebreaker based on their better head-to-head record against the three tied teams.
Sonoma State was 3-1, while Cal State Monterey Bay was 2-2 and San Francisco State 1-1.
Following Tuesday's first-round games, the tournament will shift to Cal State San Bernardino's Coussoulis Arena for the semifinals and championship game on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
2009 CCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Tuesday - March 3 (At Campus Sites)
No. 8 San Francisco State (14-13, 8-12) at No. 1 Cal Poly Pomona (19-6, 15-5)
No. 7 Cal State Monterey Bay 14-13, 8-12) at No. 2 Cal State Dominguez Hills (21-6, 15-5)
No. 6 Sonoma State (12-15, 8-12) at No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino (17-9, 15-5)
No. 5 Humboldt State (20-10, 13-7) at No. 4 UC San Diego (16-10, 13-7)
2009 CCAA Tournament Ticket Prices
First Round (at campus sites)
Reserved (if available) -- $12
General Admission -- $10
Students (with ID), Seniors & Youth -- $5
Semifinals and Finals
Reserved -- $12
General Admission -- $10
Students (with ID), Seniors & Youth -- $5
*Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the Cal State Bernardino ticket office at (909) 537-5048 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team to its ninth straight game. Jahn was one of four player indouble figures. Austin Swift contributed 13, Robert Summers 12 and
Larry Gordon 11. Gordon also turned in a game-high 11 rebounds.
The win keeps the Broncos (18-6, 14-5) tied for second with Cal
State San Bernardino, one game behind Dominguez Hills, a 70-60 winner
over Sonoma State. The win also avenges a 66-62 loss to the Gators at
Kellogg Gymnasium as the Gators were the last team to beat the
Bronvos.
Cal Poly shot 48.9 percent from the field (22-for-49) and finished
with a huge 44-23 advantage on the boards.
Robert Hayes of San Francisco State (14-12, 8-11) led all scorers
with 22.
Clutch free-throw shooting and some key shots from long distance made
the difference as the Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team
turned back Cal State Monterey Bay 85-77 Thursday at the Kelp Bed.
The win keeps the Coyotes (16-9, 14-5) tied with Cal Poly Pomona one
game behind Cal State Dominguez Hills with one game left in the
regular season.
Michael Frazier came off the bench with a carer-high 27 points,
including an impressive 7-for-9 showing from long distance. Brandon
Brown added 24 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Devin
Montgomery also came up big with 14 points and eight assists.
Frazier's seventh 3-pointer of the night came with 3:21 left and gave
the Coyotes a 76-75 lead. They were up 79-77 when Brown hit a jumper
to give the visitors an 81-77 lead wth 1:47 to play.
Both teams missed shots their next possession. The Coyotes put the
game away at the free-throw line where they have had trouble in the
last four games.
The Otters' Steve Monreal shot an air ball on a
3-pointer and the Coyotes grabbed the rebound. Lawrence Tyson made a
pair of free throws and Tim Denson sealed the victory with a pair
seconds later.
The Coyotes ended up going 21-for-22 from the line. They shot 50
percent from the field (27-for-54).
Cal State San Bernardino guard Devin Montgomery has been named Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of February 16-22.
Montgomery, a 6-foot senior from Los Angeles, Calif., played a key role in helping the Coyotes to a pair of victories that enabled them to stay within one game of the CCAA lead heading into the final week of the season. The CSUSB senior averaged 27.0 points and 4.5 assists as Cal State San Bernardino posted wins over Humboldt State and Sonoma State.
In Friday's 86-84 overtime victory over Humboldt State, Montgomery scored 25 points, collected three assists and a steal in 43 minutes. He scored the Coyotes last six points of the game, making four free throws and scoring on lay-up following a steal.
Montgomery came back on Saturday to tally a career-high 29 points, including 21 in the second half, and totaled five assists in a 92-83 come-from-behind victory over Sonoma State.
Cal State San Bernardino concludes the regular season this week with road contests at Humboldt State and Sonoma State on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Wilson CCAA Men's Basketball Player of the Week:
Nov. 17-23: Matt Ibewiro (Cal State Stanislaus);
Nov. 24-30: Andy Bocian (Chico State);
Dec. 1-7: Alex Thomas (San Francisco State);
Dec. 8-14: Robert Hayes (San Francisco State);
Dec. 15-21: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona);
Dec. 29 - Jan. 3: Brandon Brown (Cal State San Bernardino);
Jan. 4-11: Joe Mitchell (Cal State Monterey Bay);
Jan. 12-18: Austin Swift (Cal Poly Pomona);
Jan. 19-25: Jerrell Smith (Cal State Dominguez Hills);
Jan. 26-Feb. 1: Brandon Brown (Cal State San Bernardino);
Feb. 2-8: Brandon Brown (Cal State San Bernardino);
Feb. 9-15: Michael Hernandez (Cal State Dominguez Hills);
Feb. 16-22: Devin Montgomery (Cal State San Bernardino).
Staff Writer
POMONA - The Cal Poly Pomona Broncos were hoping to send their
four seniors off in grand fashion. They did just that upending
visiting Humboldt State 68-59 Saturday at Kellogg Gymnasium.
It was the Broncos eighth straight win and gave coach Greg
Kamansky his 100th on his home floor in 118 tries. It also kept Cal
Poly tied for second in the CCAA with Cal State San Bernardino, one
game behind Dominguez Hills.
``It was ugly but effective,'' Kamansky said. ``We'll take it. It
was pretty physical and we got a lot of guys banged up but we might
as well learn how to play like that because when you get to the
playoffs they tend to let things go.''
The contest pitted two top-notch CCAA foes battling for position
in the West Region poll which determines the eight postseason
qualifiers. The Broncos (17-6, 13-5) started the week fourth while
the Lumberjacks (19-9, 12-6) were sixth so the win is big for Cal
Poly's postseason hopes.
``It was our last game against a ranked foe and that mean a lot,''
Kamansky added. ``We still have to go on the road for the last two
but winning this puts us in good shape if we can take care of
business the last weekend.''
Junior wing Austin Swift scored a team-high 16 points and snagged
eight rebounds. Walter Thompson, one of four seniors playing their
last home game, added 15 points, including a big 3-pointer late in
the game. Larry Gordon was held to nine but grabbed his usual 11
rebounds and had three steals.
The pivotal run came with the Broncos nursing a 43-41 lead and 7:49
to go. Cal Poly tallied the next six points, aided by two Humboldt
turnovers. A putback by Gordon off a miss by Swift made it 49-41.
Again the Lumberjacks came back via the long ball with a trey by
Zac Teidman getting the visitors closer at 49-44 with 4:26 to play.
But the Broncos answered with another, this one giving them
breathing room for good. Dwayne Fells scored on a putback and the
Broncos got a chance to add to their lead when the Lumberjacks Kyle
Baxter missed two free throws.
Seconds later Thompson drained a 3-pointer with 2:43 left to put
the Broncos up 54-44. The home team was never really threatened again.
The Broncos shot 45.2 percent and finished the game off at the
free-throw line. They made 27 of 34 tries for the game, many of those
coming late with Humboldt trying to stop the clock.
The Broncos got off to a quick start and led 12-2 five minutes
into the game. But the Lumberjacks struck back via the long ball
getting three 3-pointers in the span of 70 seconds, two of them by
Kevin Atkins, getting with one at 12-11.
The first half was later tied at 26 with 4:25 to go but the
Lumberjacks reeled off the last five points of the half and led 31-26
at the break.
The Lumberjacks tallied 19 turnovers, one night after totaling 23
in an overtime loss at Cal State San Bernardino.
The Broncos finish the season on the road, traveling to San
Francisco State on Thursday and Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday.
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - This season nothing has come easy for the Cal
State San Bernardino men's basketball team. So it probably isn't
surprising that the Coyotes lost a nine-point lead late and needed
overtime before prevailing 86-84 over visiting Humboldt State Friday
at Coussoulis Arena.
The Coyotes (14-9, 12-5) came in desperate for a win after losing
its last two games and falling out of the West Region poll. The win
move puts the Coyotes in second place in the CCAA with three games to
go but they still have to get back into the regional rankings.
``We were desperate and we're still desperate,'' Coyotes coach Jeff
Oliver said. ``It's still the little things. If we make a free throw
it doesn't come down to that.''
The Coyotes led 86-81 with just 20 seconds left but that lead was
not safe. The Jacks (19-8, 12-5) got a 3-pointer from Zac Tiedman
with seven second left to draw closer 86-84. Brown was then fouled
immediately and he missed both free throws, giving the Jacks life
because they got the loose ball.
The visitors rushed up court and got the ball into the hands of
Kyle Baxter who drove the lane and laid it in as time expired. But
the game-tying basket was waved off as Baxter was called for charging.
The Coyotes went 24-for-43 at the line, their third straight
sub-par showing from there. They missed several other tries late that
prevented them from putting the game away.
Brown, who scored 29 points but went only 5 for 13 from the
stripe, also missed two with the Coyotes up 83-77 in overtime as
well as two in regulation with the game even at 69 and a minute left.
The Coyotes went ahead 72-69 as Lawrence Tyson drained a
3-pointer from the corner with 30 seconds left. But that lead too was
shortlived as the Lumberjacks came back with Ernie Spada countering
with a trey over the outstretched arms of Tim Denson to even the
score again, this time at 72 with 12 seconds remaining.
``We didn't make it a point of telling them to no three's,''
Oliver said of the play. ``We were assuming they knew it but it was
bad to give that up.''
The Coyotes had the last shot but couldn't capitalize as Denson
turned the ball over without the home team getting a shot off,
returning possession to the Jacks with five seconds to play. Spada
again went for the last shot but his shot was short and off the front
of the rim, sending the game into overtime.
Brown also had 12 rebounds, four steals, two blocks and two
assists. Devin Montgomery added 25, four off his season-high. Denson
collected six assists as the Coyotes shot 45.2 percent from the field.
Kevin Atkins had a team-high 23 for Humboldt, ranked sixth in the
West Region. Tiedman added 18 and Spada 13. The Jacks shpot 44.8
percent from the field buit were a sparkling 23 of 27 from the line.
``They did a great job in the first half and we didn't match their energy or intensity," Oliver said.
The Coyotes will play their last home game of the regular season at
7:30 tonight against Sonoma State (11-13, 7-10). They finish with
road games at San Francisco State and Monterey Bay.
Division II West Regional basketball teams might not be headed to Hawaii or Alaska for regional play after all. At least not all of them.
Monday the NCAA announced a change in its format for all Division II postseason tournaments, effective immediately.
If all seven non-host schools would be required to fly to the host site, the eight-team regionals would be broken up into two four-team tournaments at separate sites.
That is likely to happen in basketball because Brigham Young-Hawaii (16-1) is ranked first in the West Region on the men's side while Alaska-Anchorage (22-1) is seeded first among the womens' teams.
Both would probably have to lose multiple times to not be awarded top seeds. The Seasiders are 8-0 in region with Cal State Dominguez Hills a distant second at 13-4.
The gap is a little smaller on the women's side with the Seawolves 11-0 in region and No. 2 UC San Diego 16-1.
The season isn't quite over, but if it were to end today, those teams would be the only ones from their respective states to qualify, meaning the new rule would go into play immediately.
The change didn't go over well with some coaches, most noteably Cal State San Bernardino men's coach Jeff Oliver.
The Coyotes (13-7, 11-3) are No. 10 but should move up to eighth when the next poll is released on Wednesday.
"It's a complete travesty," he said. "It's not good for any team that is a third through an eighth seed because now it is forcing you to beat two teams on their home floor. Six teams are at a huge disadvantage."
Cal Poly Pomona is ranked in both polls with the women No. 5 and the men at No. 7.
All realize the move is a cost-cutting measure.
"Do I like it? No. Do I understand it? Yes," Broncos women's coach Scott David said. "I hope at the end of the season we are still in the mix and it is something I have to think about more."
Men's coach Greg Kamansky took the news in stride. He was more worried about having enough healthy players for Wednesday's game against the Coyotes than what might happen later.
"I'll go where ever they send me," said Kamansky, who has just seven healthy players. "I will probably care more later if we're still in the picture. It's hard to think about that now."
All three coaches agree that the worst part of that scenario is that it takes away from the postseason atmosphere.
"I know if I go and I lose I still want to watch the other games. I'm getting ready for next year and I want my players to see what level they need to play at," Davis said.
"They're always talking about the student-athlete experience. This will take away from that," Oliver said. "So now you don't have the eight-team banquet where all the schools are honored. You have two dinky four-team banquets. It just won't be the same."
Kamansky was the lone coach to find the bright spot.
"At least no one will have to worry about a noon game," he said.
The regional tournament quarterfinals and semifinals would be held on March 13-14, with the winners advancing championship game on Tuesday, March 17 at the site of the highest remaining seed.
Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball coach Greg Kamansky is used to getting the most out of a small roster. But this is crunch time and he doesn't even have enough players to have a scrimmage.
It won't get any easier this week as the Broncos (13-6, 9-5) will host CCAA leader and area rival Cal State San Bernardino (13-7, 11-3) on Wednesday, then travel to La Jolla to face UC San Diego (12-8, 9-5) on Friday.
"Somehow, someway we keep plugging away. The guys we do have are playing hard," Kamansky said. "But this is getting ridiculous. It's not good when you can't have a scrimmage without using coaches."
The Broncos are coming off back-to-back road wins at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus but the victories didn't come without a price as freshman guard Matthew Rosser became the latest casualty, injuring his foot in the Friday game. He did not play Saturday.
That injury forced Kamansky to bring back Walter Thompson who had missed the last four games with a concussion.
Kamanksy said he was hoping to give Thompson just a few minutes to see how he felt but the senior guard ended up playing 15 minutes and ended up with more personal fouls (3) than points (0).
"He (Thompson) is still having headaches," Kamansky said. "That was really more minutes than I wanted to play him. I don't know what his status will be this week."
Both Thompson and Rosser will see doctors this week. If they can't go, Kamanksy would be down to seven players with two of his most formidable foes upcoming.
Three players were lost for the season, two of those before the Broncos played their first game. In addition, sophomore forward Tobias Jahn is playing with a broken finger and a sore knee.
Cal State San Bernardino center Brandon Brown has been named Wilson
California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Basketball
Player of the Week for the week of February 2-8 1.
It marks the second straight week and third time this season that Brown has been
honored.
The 6-foot-7 junior from New Orleans, La., was the pivotal player in
the Coyotes surge to first place in the CCAA. He averaged 30 points,
9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steal in road victories
at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus. He also connected on 62.5
percent of his field goal attempts, including 66.7 (4-of-6) percent
from behind the three-point arc.
In an 84-67 victory at Chico State, Brown scored a career-high 39
points, grabbed six rebounds, collected two steals, had an assist and
blocked shot. He followed that effort with 21 points, 12 rebounds, a
team-high four assists and three blocked shots against Cal State
Stanislaus.
On the season Brown is averaging 19.5 points and 8.9 rebounds.
Women's player of the week honors went to Katie Busi of Cal State Stanislaus.
The Coyotes return to action on Wednesday when it travels to Cal Poly
Pomona for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
But the Coyotes surged past Cal State Los Angeles 74-65 in front of 1,301 Saturday at Coussoulis Arena. The win allows the Coyotes (11-7, 9-3) to remain tied for first place in the CCAA.
``I think the guys did a good job of handling that,'' Oliver said.
``I didn't see a change in their style of play or their demeanor. They didn't play to the cameras. So maybe we're past the selfish thing. It was good to see.''
While Oliver admitted it was nice to have the commotion of the television came behind them, the players admitted they enjoyed their moment in the spotlight.
``TV is always good,'' beamed big man Brandon Brown, who delivered 24 points, five rebounds and four assists for family and friends watching at home in New Orleans.
Television didn't exactly bring out the best in the Coyotes. Oliver chalked that up to the physically and emotionally draining game the previous night against Dominguez Hills.
The Coyotes led 36-26 at the half but never put away the pesky Eagles (10-9, 5-7), who were playing without leading scorer Chris Field, who pulled a hamstring at Cal Poly Pomona on Friday.
Cal State's biggest lead was in the second half was 13 for the last time at 46-33 on a driving layup by Brown.
The Eagles made their move with six minutes left and both Brown and DuBois Williams on the bench with four fouls. A 3-pointer by Dwayne Jones made it 60-54. They soon got within two at 61-59 on another Jones three with 3:35 to go.
But Brown hit two free throws to up the lead to four. Christopher Hart misfired at the Eagles end and Devin Montgomery grabbed the rebound. It paid off as the Coyotes converted with Brown scoring inside to make it 65-59.
A 3-pointer by Montgomery with 1:02 left sealed it at 68-61.
``When it's that close its all about a couple of big stops at the end,'' Williams said. ``A tip here, a rebound there. Just some little things.''
The Coyotes shot 50 percent (25-for-50) while the Eagles shot 43.1 (22-for-51). Cal State was beaten on the boards 36-27 but made up for that by forcing 15 turnovers.
Brown was followed by Williams (13), Michael Frazier (11) and Montgomery (10). Williams also collected five assists. Tim Deson managed nine points and four steals.
``I thought we were just a step slow all night but we found a way,'' Oliver said. ``We just couldn't shake them. We weren't as good defensively and not as good on the glass which has pretty much been our MO when we lost. But we found a way.''
The Coyotes will finish with six of their last eight conference games on the road. Next weekend they will play at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus.
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - Maybe Cal State San Bernardino coach Jeff Oliver
should bench players more often.
One game after sitting out three athletes, two of them starters,
the Coyotes responded with one of their best outings of the season
and they needed it, turning back CCAA frontrunner Cal State Dominguez
Hills 66-51 Friday at Coussoulis Arena.
The win boosted the Coyotes (10-7, 8-3) into a tie for first place
with the Toros (14-4, 8-3) as well as UC San Diego and Humboldt
State.
What a difference a couple of months make. The last time the teams
played Dominguez won by 20.
Junior big man Brandon Brown, one of those benched, delivered his
best game in awhile with 16 points but he was an even bigger factor
on the boards with 13 rebounds and two blocks.
``We wanted to make a statement,'' Brown said. ``There was that
last game I didn't play and I felt like I had to make up for it. ''
Oliver publicly criticized Brown last week but was more than
complimentary after the most recent outing.
``He was tremendous,'' Oliver said. ``We knew that's the way he
could play and we were waiting to see it. He did it against a great
team, one that came in leading the conference in scoring.''
The Coyotes have been a slow starting team but bucked that trend
this time. The first half was tied at 14 with 8:55 left but the
Coyotes ended it with a 13-1 run, highlighted by back-to-back
3-pointers by Devin Montgomery and Lawrence Tyson.
The Toros started the second half with a 12-2 run, getting within
two points at 30-28 on a driving layup by Tim McGrath.
But the Coyotes tallied the next 10, working the ball in the paint
for all those points. A bucket by Brown made it 40-31 with 12:33 to
go and the Coyotes never looked back. A driving layup by DuBois
Williams seconds later made it 42-31 and the visitors were never
within single digits again.
Cal State led by as many as 18 at 62-3 with 4:53 left on another
bucket by Brown.
The Coyotes shot 47.2 percent from the field and outrebounded the
Toros 35-28. Joining Brown in double figures were Montgomery with 16
and Tyson with 12. Williams had nine points, four rebouds, four
assists, two steals and two blocks.
Ontario High School product Jerrell Smith has 13 points and five
rebounds to lead Dominguez.
``This was do or die for us,'' said Montgomery, another of the
players that came back afer a benching. ``Our backs were to the wall.
We have to keep playing like this.''
The Coyotes will host Cal State Los Angeles at 5:30 tonight. Th
game is being played before the women's game tonight only, to
accommodate national television (CBS College Sports Channel).
DuBois Williams sat at the end of the bench at Wells Fargo Arena on the campus of Arizona State. A sprained ankle sidelined him, and all he could do was watch as the Sun Devils battled Cal State San Bernardino, a Division II school with a solid basketball tradition.
Four years later, the most significant playing time of his career is coming at that school. There were two other stops in-between but Williams has found a home and has emerged as the jack-of-all-trades for the Coyotes (9-7, 7-3), who will host CCAA leader Cal State Dominguez Hills (14-3, 8-2) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Coussoulis Arena.
It will be the start of a big weekend for the Coyotes, who host Cal State Los Angeles (10-7, 5-5) in a nationally televised game Saturday.
"I don't know where we would be without him. He has been our most consistent player. We know what he's going to give us every night," Cal State coach Jeff Oliver said. "He is big enough he can be a forward and skilled enough to play point, if that's where we need him. He does a little bit of everything."
Williams' line in the Coyotes' most recent game confirms his all-around contribution. He scored only four points in a 63-57 win over Monterey Bay last Friday, but he also had nine rebounds, five assists and three steals -- all team highs.
On the season, he is averaging 8.5 points but he also is second on the team in rebounding (6.0) and first in assists (3.1) and steals (2.4). He said he doesn't mind the role of an unsung hero.
He ranks second in the conference in steals and seventh in rebounding and field goal percentage (.521).
"Sure, I would I like to score 20 points a game. Every player wants to be the points guy," he said before practice on Wednesday. "But it's a team and everyone has to make sacrifices. I don't mind being the guy that does the cleanup as long as we win."
Williams, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound guard, took the long road to San Bernardino. He drew considerable attention from Division I schools during his prep days at Marcos DeNiza High School in Tempe, Ariz., but it faded considerably after he broke his foot for the second time his senior year.
He settled on Arizona State because it was the local school and hoped to earn a scholarship after walking on a freshman. That never happened and he ended up using his medical redshirt.
He transferred to Fresno City College and helped the Rams reach the state semifinal, where it lost to an unbeaten Fullerton team led by current teammate Tim Denson as well as former Coyotes Michael Earl and Phil Jones.
Then it was on to Division I St. Mary's, which also recruited him out of high school. After playing sparingly for two years he decided to seek a bigger role elsewhere.
"I didn't see my role changing," he said. "They had a lot of really good players. I liked the school and the players and I didn't want to be one of those guys complaining. I just wanted to go and play my senior year where I could have an impact and make a team better."
He planned on going to Division II Grand Canyon University, also in his home state, but that school was undergoing another coaching change. The former coach there suggested Cal State because of its tradition, playing facility and coaching staff.
Williams' father Dave, a former player at Oklahoma State and current coach of the ABA's Phoenix entry, got in touch with Oliver.
"We wanted him to be in a good program close enough we would get a chance to see him play," Dave Williams said. "We also wanted a total experience, not just a good place to play basketball but a good academic environment. It was the best of both worlds."
Williams made a trip to watch the Coyotes play in a summer league game at Cal Poly Pomona, then visited the school and worked out with some of the players. Oliver was sold.
"He was great," Oliver said. "Sometimes guys don't always look that good because you're throwing them into a mix with guys they don't know. But he was super."
It wasn't quite that easy. Williams had to complete an on-line Spanish class to finish off his degree from St. Mary's before he could enroll at Cal State. That grade didn't get posted until late August.
"We got him late, real late," Oliver said. "Late enough we weren't getting anyone else if he didn't get in."
The Coyotes haven't quite lived up to expectations, but Williams has been satisfied with the move. He already has a degree in communications and is seeking another, possibly in architecture so he has something to fall back on if the right professional opportunity doesn't come up.
He doesn't regret not coming to Cal State sooner, even though it might have meant more playing time.
"You can't have regrets," he said. "You have to make a decision and live with it. I have learned something
|
By Michelle Gardner ``To me we have more talent than nay team in the league,'' Reggie |
is to have others to pick up the slack. The Cal Poly Pomona Broncos
did that and ran away with an impressive 79-60 win over visiting Cal
State Monterey Bay Friday at Kellog Gymnasium.
Senior preseason All-American Larry Gordon managed just nine
points. It was his fifth straight game in single digits after 40
straight in double digits dating back to his sophomore season.
But the Broncos had four players finish in double figures.
Walter Thompson led the way with 19 points, followed by Austin
Swift (17), Tobias Jahn (14) and Robert Summers (10).
``We got a balanced team effort, the most balanced we've had in
awhile,'' coach Greg Kamansky said. ``If we can have that balance
and run that efficient an offense, we'll do alright.''
The Broncos started strong, surging out to a 21-6 lead with
11:21 left in the half. Cal Poly maintained that double digit lead
and was up 39-29 at the half.
Gordon managed just two in the first half, that bucket coming on
a jumper with 3:35 left in the half giving his team a 37-25 lead.
That came only seconds after he missed his first field goal try of
the game, a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Gordon hit 4 of 7 tries from the field. All but three of Gordon's
field goal attempts came from the perimeter. He traditionally scores
most of his points off rebounds, drives to the basket or from the
free-throw line.
The others took advantage of their openings. It helped that so
many of the newcomers have setttled in and seem to have gotten past
the adjustment phase.
``Coach wants us to take the open shots,'' said Swift, last week's
CCAA Player of the Week. ``They were sagging off a bit since we
hadn't been hitting from outside so I had some open shots. I'm
feeling more confident taking them.''
Kamansky has been pleased with his standout's demeanor through
his uncharacteristic slump. With 7:30 left in the game Gordon broke
free and unleashed a slam dunk, only to be called for traveling. He
just smiled.
The offensive drought hasn't affected his play in other areas.
Gordon, the leading rebounder in the conference, snagged 14 boards,
all on the defensive end. He also had three steals.
Kamansky thinks it's only a matter of time before the Gordon of
old is back.
``He looked a lot better tonight,'' Kamanksy said. ``He played a
lot more in control and he made better decisions.''
Cal Poly finished with a huge 46-30 advantage on the boards.
Gordon was followed by Summers with 11 and Jahn with seven.
Fans that can't make it to Coussoulis Arena can still see the Cal
State San Bernardino men's and women's home basketball games which
are being aired this season on San Bernardino community access
channel 3.
Games are aired live with replays also aired the following week.
Right now that means games are going out to about 50,000 homes. But
Cal State athletic director Kevin Hatcher is hoping to expand that in
the future. His future goal is to have neighboring communities such
as Rialto, Redlands and Fontana pick up the games on their local
community access channels too.
"Our goal is to eventually have the games seen in all of the Inland
Empire," he said. "We can reach as many as 200,000 homes."
The project started in the fall with select volleyball matches being
aired.
The commentary is handled by Dan Hubbard and Ross French.
Hatcher said he isn't concerned that enabling residents to see the
games in their homes will prevent them from coming out in person.
"You have to expose people to your product first," he said. "We want
people to see it and then say , `Hey that looks like a fun thing to
go out and see.'"
Staff Writer
POMONA - Not even Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky is sure what is
ailing his star player Larry Gordon. But he'll have another chance to
find out as the Broncos (8-5, 4-4) complete the first round of CCAA
player with a showdown against Monterey Bay (11-4, 5-3) tonight at
Kellogg Gymnasium.
San Francisco State (8-7, 2-6) then comes in on Saturday.
The women's teams from the same schools will square off at 5:30 p.m.
on both nights.
Gordon (13.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg) is a two-time first team All-CCAA
selection and he was a preseason All-American. He scored in double
figures for 40 straight games but has managed just a total of 28 in
the last four games.
The good news is that Gordon's rebounding has not suffered. He leads
the conference in that department and has collected 46 boards in the
same four games in which he has slumped offensively.
``We can win without him but we won't win the big one,'' Kamansky
said. ``He just has to start making some shots. We don't want him to
be afraid to shoot. Hopefully it will come.''
While Gordon has struggled, a couple of others with Division I
experience have picked up the slack. Austin Swift (10.7 ppg, 5.4
rpg), who came to the Broncos from University of Montana, almost two
years ago, scored 41 points in the last two games, earning him
conference player of the week honors.
Walter Thompson (13.3 ppg), in his first year after coming over from
University of Portland, is averaging double figures and is leading
the CCAA in free-throw shooting (.931).
Kamansky's squad is also a bit depleted. He carries a small squad to
begin with but it is getting smaller as reserve forward Kyle Krause
is out with a torn tendon in his thumb.
Sophomore forward Tobias Jahn (7.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who has been
playing well of late, broke a finger in Saturday's overtime win at
Sonoma State. He will try and play but if he can't the Broncos would
be left with just one true post player - true freshman Dwayne Fells
(5.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg).
Monterey Bay (11-4, 5-3) is having its best season since joining the
CCAA five years ago. The Otters are just a win away from equaling
their win total of last season and boast one of the leading scorers
in the conference in Steve Monreal (16.5 ppg) and the second-leading
rebounder in Joe Mitchell (11.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg).
San Francisco State (8-7, 2-6) has lost six straight games but of the
team's six losses, five came on the road and five of the six came by
a combined margin of 15 points. One was in overtime.
It returns most of the players from last year's team, one of them
being Apple Valley native Will Logan (8.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg), now a senior.
The Cal Poly Pomona women (9-8, 5-3) are part of a four-way tie for
second place, two games behind UC San Diego. The Broncos have also
struggled with injuries with freshman Megan Ford out for the season
after tearing an ACL.
Staff Writer
Cal State San Bernardino coach Jeff Oliver hopes his team learned a
lesson about complacency last week when it slipped up against sub-par
Sonoma State before taking on Humboldt State.
The Coyotes (8-6, 6-2) survived the road trip and are tied for first
place in the CCAA with Humboldt State (13-5, 6-2) and Dominguez Hills
(12-3, 6-2).
That possibility looms again this week when Cal State opens with
struggling San Francisco State, then faces a Monterey Bay squad that
is just one game behind the three frontrunners. Game time both nights
at Coussoulis Arena is 7:30 p.m. with the women's teams from the same
school squaring off at 5:30 p.m.
"I would hope our guys have learned that you can't take a night off
against the quality of competition we face in this conference,'' he
said. "These two teams are both dangerous teams and we're going to
have to be ready to play.''
The two games will mark the end of the first round of conference play.
San Francisco State (8-7, 2-6) has lost six straight games but Oliver
is leery of the Gators, coached by last year's coach of the year Bill
Tressler. Of the team's six losses, five came on the road and five of
the six came by a combined margin of 15 points. One was in overtime.
It returns most of the players from last year's team, one of them
being Apple Valley native Will Logan (8.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg), now a senior.
Monterey Bay (11-4, 5-3) is having its best season since joining the
CCAA five years ago. The Otters are just a win away from equaling
their win total of last season and boast one of the leading scorers
in the conference in Steve Monreal (16.5 ppg) and the second-leading
rebounder in Joe Mitchell (11.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg).
Oliver criticized his team's lack of intensity and energy early in
the season but the Coyotes have made progress there. He credits
DuBois Williams, Lawrence Tyson and Tim Denson for leading the surge.
Denson (10.6 ppg) is coming off a season-high 25-point showing at
Humboldt State. He was also a key factor in the Coyotes defensive
effort.
``He isn't a real vocal guy. He's more the leader by example,''
Oliver said. ``They see the way he is playing and they have followed
his example.''
While Brandon Brown (17.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Devin Montgomery (13.8
ppg) are also in double figures Oliver isn't overlooking the
contribution of Williams (8.5 ppg, 5.8 rgp), whom he calls a glue
guy. He leads the team in intangible categories such as assists and
steals.
``He was tremendous in the game against Humboldt. He really set the
tone with all the things he did,'' Oliver said. ``He can score, but
it is really the other things he does well.''
The men's game can be heard live on KCAA (1050-AM). Both the men's
and women's games can also be seen on San Bernardino community access
channel 3.
Nina" size="3">Cal State San Bernardino Nina" size="3">is sponsoring the NCAA Basketball "Take a Kid to the Game" day on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, when the men will host Cal State L.A. at 5:30 pm in a nationally-televised game and the women will host Cal State L.A. at 8 p.m. in Coussoulis Arena.
Nina" size="3">Area youth are invited to attend this special event and receive a free ticket. Up to two adults Nina" size="3">accompanying the youth will receive half-priced tickets. Youth will have the opportunity to be a part of a national TV audience, see NCAA mascot JJ Jumper and watch the Coyote men and women compete for wins over the Golden Eagles.
Nina" size="3">Nina" size="3">Cal State San Bernardino Nina" size="3">is promoting one of more than 700 games that will be played across the nation as part of the Take a Kid to the Game (TAKG) program in its 12th season. The project is a grass roots initiative that attracts the nation's youth and encourages adults to take kids to area college basketball games.
Nina" size="3">Nina" size="3">"We are thrilled to invite area youth to our campus and have them cheer on the Coyotes to victory. It is our hope that adults in the community will bring their children out to experience a college athletic event at Cal State San Bernardino," said Dr. Kevin Hatcher, Athletic Director.
Nina" size="3">Nina" size="3">Tickets for this special game can be purchased in advance or distributed on game day at the Coussoulis Arena Ticket office adjacent to the arena lobby. Reserved tickets are normally $8.00 and general admission is $5.00. Parking is free in Lots G, H and the East Parking Structure.
Nina" size="3">
Nina" size="3">For ticket sales and information, contact Liza Wilson at 909-537-5048 or lwilson@csusb.edu. For more information on CSUSB basketball, go to www.csusbathletics.com
Nina" size="3">Nina" size="3">NCAA Basketball is a national sponsor of the Take a Kid to the Game program. To learn about other NCAA Men's or Women's Basketball initiatives, please visit http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=34504 for more information.
Nina" size="3"> Nina" size="3">| By Michelle Gardner Staff Writer SAN BERNARDINO - The most recent showdown between Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino followed the same pattern as so many others. Hard-fought from the opening tip. Low scoring. Too many dramatic shots to count. But it was the Coyotes emerging with a 67-63 win over their neighborhood rival Thursday at Coussoulis Arena. The win puts the Coyotes (6-5, 4-1) in first place for the moment. They started the night tied for first place with four other teams. ``It doesn't matter who's up or who's down and in the last seasons we've both been up,'' Cal State coach Jeff Oliver said. ``It's always going to be a battle and they hit shots and made it tough down the stretch.'' The second half was a battle the entire way. The Broncos led 29-27 at the half but the lead changed hands 10 times in the last 20 minutes. The Broncos (6-4, 2-3) had a 56-50 lead with 5:35 to go only to have the Coyotes storm back via the long ball. Reggie Brown hit the second of his three 3-pointers on the night and was fouled on the shot. He made the free throw to cut the deficit to 56-54. ``We made some mental mistakes as far as our defensive rotation,'' Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky said. ``And that four-point play was huge and put them back in the game. There were just too many times where we didn't finish.'' A turnover at the Bronco end gave the host team a chance to seize the lead and capitalize it did. Again it was Brown coming up with the shot, with another bomb putting the Coyotes back up 57-56 with 5:11 to go. It was even at 61 after Cal State's Devin Montgomery drained a 3 with 2:56 to play. Each team missed its next two shots with the opposing team coming up with the rebound. The Coyotes took the lead for good when Brandon Brown muscled his way inside for a bucket that made it 63-61. The Broncos turned the ball over seconds later with Austin Swift taking a tumble in the lane and Brandon Brown coming up with the loose ball. Lawrence Tyson followed with a fadeway jumper a few feet out, making it 65-61 with 17 seconds left that sealed the Broncos fate. ``We were fortunate enough that we finally stuck to the game plan in the last couple of minutes,'' Oliver said. ``The game plan was to get the ball in the paint. And we finally did that after 35 minutes.'' The Broncos shot 49 percent (25-for-51) in the game while the Coyotes managed 44 percent (22-for-50). One of the biggest differences came from long distance as the Coyotes made 12 of 27 tried from long distance. Cal Poly did better than it has in the past but made just five of 17. Walter Thompson led the Broncos with 16. Tobias Jahn added 15 with seven rebounds. Larry Gordon had just eight, snapping a streak of 40 straight games in double figures. Gordon also collected seven rebounds. The Coyotes were led by Montgomery's 15 points, including a 3-for-4 effort from long distance. Both Browns had 13, with Brandon snagging a team-high 10 rebounds. ``It was a great game tonight. Unfortunately we camne out on the losing end,'' Kamansky said. ``But we've come out on the winning side of those too. We played hard tonight and I'm proud of our guys.'' Both teams next get UC San Diego. The Coyotes will host the Tritons Friday at Coussoulis Arena while the Broncos will do so on Saturday. |
Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky thinks he is getting Cal State San Bernardino at a bad time - right when it is starting to play well.
"If the first three guys don't beat you, the next four will. If it's not those four, it could be the next three. They have lots of weapons," he said.
The two local teams renew their rivalry Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Coussoulis Arena. The women's game between the same two schools will tip-off at 5:30 p.m.
The Coyotes (5-5, 3-1) are close to full strength for the first time, led by 6-foot-7 junior Brandon Brown (18.8 ppg, 11 rpg). Brown was named CCAA Player of the week for his showing in the Coyotes two victories last week.
Cal State's guard trio of Devin Montgomery (14.6 ppg), Tim Denson (10 ppg) and Lawrence Tyson (10.2 ppg) are also averaging double figures individually.
Freshman Jordan Richard will be back after not being playing in the last four games, giving Oliver a full complement of players for the first time.
"We've had a good few days of practice. It's been pretty scarey," coach Jeff Oliver said.
The Coyotes are tied with four other team for first in the balanced CCAA. The competion has been so even that just four games into the 20-game conference schedule all 11 teams have at least one loss.
Oliver also expects the Broncos (6-3, 2-2) to be part of the big picture even if they're slightly off the pace now.
"We thought there was parity last year. There is even more this year," Oliver said. "We're going to beat each other up all season. It will be who can be the most consistent."
The Coyotes biggest trouble spots had been ball-handling and rebounding, although the arrival of Brown has helped with the latter. Cal State was outrebounded in the first six games it played, some bu a significant margin. Since Brown stepped in four games ago the Coyotes have not lost a battle on the boards.
Cal Poly has arguably the best individual player in the conference in senior Larry Gordon (15.9 ppg, 9.4 rpg) but it's weak spot has been outside shooting. The Broncos have made just 32 of 123 tries (.260) from 3-point range.
Opponents have been packing the paint against the Broncos and giving up the perimeter shots. Kamansky doesn't expect that to change.
"That's pretty much the book on us. I expect that from everyone that plays us," Kamansky said. "The only way it will change is if we start making some shots.
Cal Poly has a 19-17 overall edge in the series with wins in three of the last four meetings.
Despite being rivals, the coaches have a mutual respect for each other.
While the Coyotes look to have the edge, Oliver is prepared for a challenge.
"They'll play us tough. They always do," Oliver said. "They're not the deepest team but they always do a great job with what they have."
Junior center Brandon Brown scored 19 points and collected 12 rebounds and three blocks to lead Cal State San Bernardino to a 96-54 win over San Francisco Academy of the Art Sunday in the CCAA-Pac West Challenge at Valley High School in Las Vegas.
The New Orleans native was solid in his debut weekend. In Saturday's loss to Grand Canyon he tallied 21 points, 13 boards and four blocks.
"He definitely gives us a presence down low that we didn't have before," coach Jeff Oliver said. "He was the bright spot for us. No doubt."
The Coyotes (3-5) shot 54 percent (34-of-62) from the field, including a 14-for-29 from 3-point range.
Reggie Brown added 18 points, making six of his nine long distance shots. Tim Denson added 18 points while Devin Montgomery and Lawrence Tyson chipped in with 13 points each.
Tyson also collected seven rebounds and four assists while DuBois Williams contributed six rebounds and 10 of the Coyotes 26 assists.
It was a season-high in the scoring column and also marked the fewest points allowed.
The Coyotes finished with a 42-33 edge on the boards and cut their turnovers down to 15. They also hit 14 of 20 free throws, an improvement of 14-for-28 the previous night.
"It was a little better. We shared the ball better and looked for each other and it's the first time we outrebounded anyone," Oliver said. "But we still didn't execute all that well at times. But it's some progress.
The Urban Knights (0-11) shot just 32 percent (21-for-61) from the field. Sophomore point guard Weleh Dennis led them with 18 points.
The Coyotes are off until Jan 2 when they resume CCAA play with a 7:30 p.m. game against Cal State Stanislaus at Coussoulis Arena.
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For the first time since Coussoulis Arena opened in 1995, Cal State San Bernardino's men's basketball team will be playing a home game away from campus.
The Coyotes, in an effort to reach out to faculty, staff and students at CSUSB's Palm Desert campus, are hosting Azusa Pacific University in an exhibition game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night at College of the Desert, 43-500 Monterey St., Palm Desert.
CSUSB, ranked No. 20 in one national NCAA Division II poll and picked to win an eighth CCAA conference title by the conference coaches, will open the regular season on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Coussoulis Arena against University of Alaska-Fairbanks of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Although it is an exhibition game for CSUSB which does not count toward its season record, it is a regular season game for the Cougars.
The Coyotes are coming off an 83-62 win over Vanguard University in their exhibition opener last Friday night in Coussoulis Arena, led by senior guard Tim Denson with 19 points and senior forward Michael Frazier with 18 points.
APU is 1-1 after defeating Montana Western 77-69 in Salt Lake City on Nov. 7 before losing to Westminster (Utah) 83-69, also at Salt Lake City on Nov. 8. The Cougars played an exhibition game at USC on Nov. 3 and lost 85-64.
COYOTES VS. COUGARS - APU leads the all-time series 6-1, including last season's 78-75 win over overtime over the Coyotes in Coussoulis Arena. APU returning guard Mike Danielian scored 17 points and returning center Dave Burgess took down 14 rebounds in that game.
COYOTES VS. NANOOKS - Alaska-Fairbanks leads the series 2-1 and two big wins they were, too. Behind all-American Brad Oleson's 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists, the Nanooks downed the Coyotes 82-78 in overtime in the 2004 NCAA West Regional semifinals in Coussoulis Arena. Then, Oleson was present with 12 points and five assists as Fairbanks beat the Coyotes 66-59 in the 2005 West Regional quarterfinals at Western Washington.
YOTES NOTES - Coyotes shot 53 percent from the field in the win over Vanguard....Tim Denson was six-for-nine en route to 19 points and four assists and three steals....Michael Frazier hit six of 10 shots and was four-of-seven from three-point land for 18 points....DuBois Williams, a 6-6 guard, had 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals....freshman center Jordan Richard had 10 points, three rebounds and two blocked shots....junior guard Larry DeHughes had a game-high six assists.....senior Reggie Brown, who missed the Vanguard game due to a sore knee, is expected to play against APU....senior Devon Davis remains on the shelf with back problems....Devin Montgomery is still awaiting clearance by the NCAA....
PROBABLE STARTERS: For CSUSB - Lawrence Tyson, Tim Denson, Jordan Richard, Ryan Kinney and DuBois Williams. For APU - Mike Danielian, Dave Burgess, Dominique Johnson, Kimarley Williams, Mike Caffese or Mike Meza.
COUGAR CLIPS - Azusa Pacific is coming off a 24-11 season (14-6 in the GSAC conference (2nd place)....team was ranked as high as No. 8 in NAIA and finished No. 15....program has won 13 GSAC titles, made 15 NAIA tournament appearances, including the last 12 in a row....The program's all-time record for men's hoops is 945-505.....Mike Danielian is the leading returning scorer at 10.7 ppg in 2007-08...Dave Burgess averaged 9.6 points and 9.1 rebounds a game with 21 blocked shots....in the team's first two games this season, Dominique Johnson scored 18 against Montana Western and 17 against Westminster Utah....Burgess had 15 points and seven boards against Western Montana.....
NANOOKS NIBBLES - Alaska-Fairbanks has a new coach in interim head man Clemon Johnson. He has two volunteer assistants - Ted DeLeon and John Mancuso.....last year's leading scorer, 6-8 forward Colin Matteson (13.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg with 40 assists, 10 blocked shots and 21 steals) is back along with forward Mladen Begojevic (11.4 ppg, 34 assists).....Matteson had a season-high 31 points in a loss to Saint Martin's last March...Matteson's young brother, freshman Evan Matteson, 6-9, joined the team this season...UAF opens the regular season Saturday night at Cal State Dominguez Hills in a 7 p.m. match..
BROADCAST - Thursday night's game with Azusa Pacific will be broadcast live on KCAA-AM in San Bernardino and webcast at www.csusb.athletics.com (click on Listen Live on home page). Mitch McClellan and Brett Malak will be courtside with the call. Sunday's game with Alaska-Fairbanks will be webcast only.
Cal Poly Pomona senior forward Larry Gordon was named to the Division II Bulletin 2008-09 Preseason All-American team that was announced on Thursday.
Gordon was one of 16 players selected to the team that consists of two players from each of the eight regions throughout the country.
As a junior, Gordon led Cal Poly Pomona to the championship game of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) postseason tournament. The 6-foot-5 forward led the Broncos in scoring and was second in the CCAA after averaging 17.7 points and 9.1 rebounds a contest.
Cal Poly Pomona, which concluded the 2007-08 campaign with a 13-15 overall record, including a 10-10 mark in conference play, was selected to finish third in the 2008-09 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Broncos make their season debut on November 8 when they play an exhibition game at UC Irvine. Cal Poly Pomona opens its regular season on November 18 when it hosts Vanguard.
Division II Bulletin 2008-09 Preseason All-Americans
Super 16
East Kendrick Easley, Mount Olive
Ted Scott, West Virginia State
Great Lakes Jeff Bostic, Findlay (preseason player of the year)
Brandon Dagans, Lewis
Northeast Jason Westrol, Bentley
Jonathan Schmidt, C.W. Post
North Central Kevin Ratzsch, Northern State
Drake Beranek, Nebraska-Kearney
South Rob Eldridge, Florida Southern
Nick Kohs, Christian Brothers
South Atlantic Anthony Hilliard, Elizabeth City State
Chris Commons, South Carolin-Aiken
South Central Matthew Rogers, Southwest Baptist
Dejan Sencanski, Abilene Christian
West Larry Gordon, Cal Poly-Pomona
Lucas Alves, BYU-Hawaii
Honorable Mention
Malcolm Ingram, Philadelphia
Thomas Fraise, North Alabama
Antonio Houston, Catawba
Jake Morrow, Minnesota State
Hunter Henry, Northwest Missouri State
Stan Hall, Alderson-Broaddus
Ben Madgen, Augusta State
Billy Arre, Lock Haven
Lew Finnegan, Bentley
Kenny Boyd, Morehouse
Stephen Dennis, Kutztown
Garrett Siler, Augusta State
Tony Gugino, Hillsdale
Kenny Barker, Alaska Anchorage
Jesse Wagstaff, Metro State
Pierce Caldwell, Incarnate Word
Jason Genova, Lewis
Jake Linton, St. Martin's
Darren Duncan, Merrimack
Jake Beitinger, Central Washington
Cal State San Bernardino Head Coach Jeff Oliver concluded a late spring and summer season of recruiting by signing one community college player and two NCAA Division I players to compete for the Coyotes in 2008-09.
All three have the potential to be key contributors as the Coyotes prepare to compete for another California Collegiate Athletic Association title and a shot at regional and national championships.
New to the fold are:
Tavaris Gilbert, a 6-8 post player from Ventura College who started 18 games, averaging 12.5 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game and shot 49 percent from the field, 58 percent from three-point range. As a freshman at Ventura he averaged 10.6 rebounds per game and shot 78 percent from the field.
Devin Montgomery, a 6-foot point guard who was a starter at Pepperdine University in 2001-02 but has not played since breaking his hand at the start of the 2002-03 season. Montgomery averaged 11.7 points and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 51 percent from the three and led the Waves in scoring in nine games that year. He scored 27 points against sixth-ranked Gonzaga in one game, 26 against Santa Clara and 21 against West Virginia in the NCAA tournament.
DuBois Williams, a 6-6 guard who is transferring in from St. Mary's College in Moraga where he saw limited playing time in 2007-08. Williams was a key member of the Fresno City College team in 2005-06 that lost in the semifinals of the state JC playoffs. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds a game for Fresno.
"Tavaris brings added depth to our front court," said Oliver. "He's a guy who can score underneath and step out to the three. He will present a difficult matchup for our opponents."
Montgomery, Oliver said, "has the ability to be one of the premier guards in the country. He's been out of the game for awhile but we will have time to work him into shape and get to know our system. He should be an immediate impact player for us."
Montgomery was a teammate of former CSUSB point guard T.K. Reed at Moorpark College, prior to attending Pepperdine.
Williams, Oliver said, "is a point guard in a 6-6 body. He has more offensive tools than he has had a chance to display at his other schools. And, he's a tremendous rebounder for a guard."
Oliver previously announced the signings of Larry DeHughes, a 6-4 guard from Fullerton Community College; Lawrence Tyson, a 6-2 point guard from Northeastern (Colo). Junior College; Michael Frazier, a 6-4 forward-guard from Northern Colorado; and Brandon Brown, a high-scoring 6-7 forward from Holmes College in Mississippi.
The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team graduated seven players, five of whom played considerable minutes. Head coach Jeff Oliver has started rebuilding with the addition of four players to the program.
All are transfers, which has pretty much been his pattern since stepping in as head coach six years ago.
Oliver said the team's biggest needs have been addressed. The Coyotes (22-8, 15-5) led the CCAA in scoring defense but were just fifth in offense and seventh in field-goal percentage.
The Coyotes have finished with at least a share of the conference title seven of the last nine years but were bounced from the Division II West Region tournament in the quarterfinal.
"Our achillies heel was our offense and the fact that we weren't consistent from long distance," he said. "We took care of those issues. I expect us to be one of the better 3-point shooting teams."
The newcomers are 6-foot-7 junior forward Brandon Brown (Holmes CC in Goodman, Miss.), 6-4 junior guard Larry DeHughes (Fullerton JC), 6-4 senior forward-guard Michael Frazier (Mt. San Jacinto/Northern Colorado) and 6-2 junior point guard Lawrence Tyson (Northeastern JC in Colorado/Cal State Northridge).
Brown, a New Orleans native, averaged 27 points and 13 points for a team that went 16-8. He had a season high of 38 points twice.
Oliver expects him to be an impact player.
"He could be the best inside scorer we have ever had," he said. "He is an absolute presence in the paint and has 101 post moves and he's a great athlete."
Frazier last played at Northern Colorado in 2003-04 after transferring from Mt. San Jacinto. Oliver said he has unlimited range and won't affected by the move of the 3-point line back a foot.
DeHughes played at Compton as a freshman and at Fullerton last year, helping the Hornets to the state title game and earning All-Orange Empire Conference honors.
Tyson played at Cal State Northridge as a freshman and is a graduate of Quartz Hill High School.
The Coyotes have just one returning starter - defensive stopper Phil Jones. Reserves Devon Davis, Reggie Brown and Steve Gaston saw considerable time while freshman Ryan Kinney saw some playing time.
Those who redshirted last year expected to have an impact next season are guard Tim Denson, a transfer from Colorado State, and center Jordan Richard, out of Los Osos High School.
Guard Omar Krayem, who redshirted last season afer coming in from Eastern Washington, is not returning.
Oliver is still looking for a wing, a point guard and another big man.
The only other question mark is an intangible as Oliver will be looking for a floor leader to replace departed guard Marlon Pierce who filled that role.
"We really don't know yet who is going to be the take charge guy," he said.
7793 Central Avenue, just north of Fifth Street, west of Alabama. For information, contact William Chapman at the Y, (909) 425-9622, ext. 200.
WADSWORTH, Ohio -- The 2007-08 men's basketball season ended in mid-March for his teammates but Cal State San Bernardino senior guard Marlon Pierce has been racking up the frequent flyer miles while playing in two all-star events in the East and Midwest in the past month.
Pierce finished his cross-country journeys with a 13-point, three-steals performance in the third place game of the Collegiate Basketball Invitational Tournament in this Ohio city 40 miles south of Cleveland. His team -- Premier Pontiac -- won the game 102-95, last Friday night.
It was the 6-2 guard's best showing in the tournament. He hit five of nine field goals, lincluding three of five shots from three-point range and collected one assist in 28 minutes as a starter.
The teams in the tournament were made up of graduating seniors from NCAA Div. II, Div. III and NAIA universities and colleges throughout the country.
In late March, Pierce had the privilege of playing in the NCAA Div. II All-Star Basketball Game at the James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., during the Div. II national championship tournament, the same place Pierce and the Coyotes visited a year ago when they reached the Final Four.
In his other games with the Premier Pontiac team, Pierce scored four points, grabbed four rebounds and made two steals in 25 minutes in a 102-90 win over Renacci-Doraty Chevrolet on Thursday, April 24. Pierce scored eight points and grabbed two rebounds in 22 minutes in his team's 108-81 loss to First Merit. He sank two of four shots from three-point range.
Pierce was the only player from the California Collegiate Athletic Association to participate in the tournament. The championship game was telecast live on ESPNU.
Cal State San Bernardino senior David Reichel has signed with the Los Angeles Lightning of the International Basketball League which plays through June.
The IBL is made up of teams from the Midwest and West Coast along with teams from China, Canada and The Netherlands. The league is a showcase for professional leagues overseas as well the NBA, ABA and other domestic pro circuits.
The Lightning plays its home games at Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks, just a few miles from Reichel’s home in Camarillo where he played his high school ball and one year at nearby The Master’s College before coming to CSUSB.
The 6-8 Reichel scored six points in eight minutes of action in Saturday’s game against Battle Creek, Mich.
Two veteran NBA players are the marquee players for the Lightning – 11-year NBA veteran Lamond Murray and Fred Vinson, most recently an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers. Murray was a first-round draft pick of the Clippers and also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets.
“This is an opportunity for me to show what I can do and hope I can sign a contract with an international team in Europe, Australia or Asia,” said Reichel, who will get his bachelor’s degree in business from CSUSB in June.
He said the IBL has a 50 percent success rate of placing players with pro teams at higher levels and overseas.
Asked about the quality of play in the IBL compared to NCAA Division II, Reichel said, “Everyone is not that much quicker, but they are much stronger and the veterans know all the tricks of the trade.”
Reichel had an outstanding year for the Coyotes in 2006-07, averaging 5.6 points a game in 32 games, helping CSUSB post a 26-6 record and win the NCAA Div. II West Regional. The team made the Elite Eight for the third time in the history of the program and became the first to advance to the Final Four, beating Wingate 100-73 in the quarterfinals.
He averaged 14 minutes per game, shot 54 percent from the field and set a new all-time single-season record by hitting 50 percent of his three-pointers (39 of 78) in 2006-07.
His senior season was marred by a thumb injury that forced him to miss six games and affected his shooting and playing time. He averaged 5.1 points per game but shot only 36 percent from the field. Still, he averaged 15 minutes per game for a team that won a CCAA conference co-championship.
Reichel’s best performance of 2007-08 was a career-high, 17-point outing against Kentucky Wesleyan in early November in the Disney West Coast Classic. He averaged 7.4 points a game before being hurt during the Christmas break. He scored 11 points against Humboldt State in CSUSB’s 82-73 win on Jan. 26 and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds against UC San Diego in the CCAA tournament quarterfinals on March 4.
The Lightning is owned and managed by Mark Harwell, a television and film executive. The head coach is Ron Quarterman, former coach at L.A. Pierce College and an assistant with the L.A. Aftershock of the ABA.
The IBL teams include Bellingham, WA., Snohomish County, WA., Vancouver, WA.,, Portland, Ore., Tacoma, WA., Central Oregon, Las Vegas, NV., Elgin, Ill., Elkhart, Ind., Chicago, Grand Rapids, Mich, and three international teams – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Shanxi, China; and Holland.
The Lightning play most of their games at home at CLU, but will be traveling to Las Vegas, Chicago, Indiana and Michigan for games. The team is in the Southwest Division of the IBL along with Central Oregon, Portland, China and Las Vegas. The IBL is adding seven more teams in 2009, according to its website.
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.
Marlon Pierce, the senior guard from Cal State San Bernardino who has earned all-conference, all-region and honorable mention all-America honors this season, is heading to his second post-season all-star event later this month.
Pierce, the 6-2 guard from San Diego who competed in the NCAA Division II All-Star game at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., on March 28, will this time compete in the Collegiate Basketball Invitational on April 24-26.
The three-day event features eight teams of eight players representing NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA schools. Each team will play three games in the tournament, considered a showcase for pro scouts from various pro leagues including the NBA.
An all-star game, featuring 20 players chosen from the 65 that will be playing in
the tournament, will be played on Saturday, April 26, at 8 p.m. central daylight time and be televised live on cable channel ESPNU. CBI will take place at Wadsworth High School in the town of Wadsworth, Ohio, located 16 miles from Akron and 40 miles from Cleveland. Wadsworth’s roots date back to its founding in 1814 and is named for a Revolutionary War hero named Elijah Wadsworth. “I am confident that this class of players will help make the public aware of the high level of talent at the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA levels,” said CBI founder John McCarthy. “With approximately 1,000 colleges and universities within these divisions, the selection of players has truly been a challenging task. Narrowing this field to 65 players has been very difficult.” The three-day event exposes the players to professional team representatives, agents and national media while competing against many of the best non-Division I players in the nation. Each of the eight teams is sponsored by a Wadsworth business or organization and Pierce is on the Premier Pontiac-GMC team coached by Jim Tribbett of Chowan University in Murfreesboro, N.C. His teammates include 7-foot center Eder Araujo of Walsh College (NAIA), 6-8 forward Jeremy Black of Tampa, 6-3 guard Ryan Williams of Pace and 6-5 wing Sam Belt of Central Oklahoma. Other West Region Division II players playing in the tournament are: Rob Will, a 6-10 center from Seattle Pacific; 7-foot center Marko Lkoaric of Chaminade; guard Luke Cooper of West Region champion Alaska Anchorage; Also in the tournament are 6-5 guard Jonte Flowers and 6-8 forward John Smith from NCAA Div. II national champion Winona State. “This event is simply good for the game of basketball on several levels,” McCarthy said. Pierce’s team opens the tournament at 10 a.m. on April 24 against Renacci-Doraty Chevrolet led by Kolaric of Chaminade. Each team has a host family from the city of Wadsworth. Pierce averaged 12.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and nearly four assists per game for the Coyotes in 2007-08, helping them win a share of the California Collegiate Athletic Association title and a berth in the NCAA tournament. The team finished 22-8 on the season and ranked 14th in the nation. He scored a team-high 13 points with three assists in the the Coyotes’ 67-63 loss to BYU-Hawaii in the West Region quarterfinals. He earned all-CCAA first-team, all-West Region first team and Division II Bulletin all-America honorable mention. He scored a career high 29 points against UC San Diego. At the Div. II all-star game in Springfield, Mass., Pierce acquitted himself quite well, dishing out six assists and making four steals for the West All-Stars while scoring four points, making two of four shots from the field. Pierce played at Cuyamaca Community College in San Diego for two seasons before coming to CSUSB at the start of the 2006-07 season, helping the Coyotes win the West Region title and advance to the Division II Final Four for the first time in the history of the men’s basketball program. He is a graduate of Helix High School in San Diego, the same school that produced NBA and former UCLA great Bill Walton.By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
A good start was probably the worst thing that could have happened to the Cal State San Bernardino men’s basketball team.
The Coyotes were an impressive 8-0 despite a difficult schedule and they even boasted an exhibition win over Division I Youngstown State. So hopes for a return trip to the national semifinal were not unrealistic.
The Coyotes had their moments but didn’t put 40 minutes together in any game after that. They settled for a still-stellar 22-8 record and a share of the CCAA title for the seventh time in nine years, both noteworthy accomplishments. But with three Elite appearances since 1999, the bar has been raised higher at Cal State.
This year’s run ended with a 67-63 loss to Brigham Young-Hawaii in the West Region quarterfinal at Anchorage.
“I don’t think we were as good as we thought we were,” said Coyotes coach Jeff Oliver, who just wrapped up his sixth season heading the program. “We relied a little too much on our defense and that carried us because we never got it totally together at the other end of the floor.”
The Coyotes came up empty in the close games. They were just 1-3 in overtime and seven of their eight losses were by a total of 24 points. They lost three times when allowing 65 points or less.
“Most of those games we win and it isn’t even close if we have just an average offensive game,” Oliver said.
The Coyotes, who won 20 games for the ninth time in 10 years, came in to the season having lost seven players including their top four scorers.
This year’s team seemed more balanced, with 12 players getting regular playing time, but it never got the same production it got from its top two departed players - Ivan Johnson and Prentice Harris.
“I thought we had balance but it turned out to be a balance of mediocrity,” Oliver added. “We needed more production from our top guys and more production from our middle guys.”
The good news for Oliver is that the Coyotes will start next season with more players who have experience in the system than was the case this year. Seven players are leaving, four of them starters. Among those are all-conference selections Michael Earl, Lance Ortiz and Marlon Pierce.
The core of six who will be counted on heavily next year includes guard Steve Gaston, center Devon Davis, forward Ryan Kinney and guard-forwards Renardo Bass, Phil Jones and Reggie Brown. Gaston, Brown and Kinney are threats form long distance but will need to be more consistent. Jones and Bass were both top-notch defenders but will be asked to contribute more on offense.
Oliver also is high on the three players who redshirted this year. Guards Tim Denson (Colorado State) and Omar Krayem (Eastern Washington) are both Division I transfers. Jordan Richard, a 6-foot-9 center out of Los Osos, has potential to fill the void left by the departure of Earl.
Oliver said he hopes to bring at least five players into the program, at least one at every position. As has been the case Oliver will look for experienced players out of the junior college ranks.
“It never hurts to have some competition so I am hoping we get at least five, maybe as many as seven guys,” he said.
Oliver said his team is not going back to the Disney West Coast Classic in Anaheim since the event is trying to rotate representation out of the CCAA. Humboldt State will be the likely conference participant.
The Coyotes will open the season with games at Seattle Pacific against Great Northwest Athletic Conference contenders Western Washington and Seattle Pacific.
They will go back to Las Vegas but not the same event they had played in the last two years against GNAC schools. Instead they will face Grand Canyon, which once was in the CCAA and now plays out of the Pacific West Conference, and San Francisco School of the Arts, which has been accepted into the Pac West for next season.
Oliver said he will also have exhibition games against two Division I schools which should be confirmed in the next month.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky spent most of Friday watching the junior college state tournament in Stockton. He would have rather been in Alaska, where eight teams were competing in the Division II West Regional.
For just the second time in the last six years the Broncos did not make the playoffs. And for the first time in Kamansky’s eight-year tenure Cal Poly finished under .500 at 13-15. So it is back to the drawing board.
“We need to upgrade at every position,” Kamansky said, by phone from Stockton. “We need posts but we also need guards. We really need everything.”
Kamansky wasn’t surprised at the sub-par season, acknowledging that the signs were there early. Division I transfer Austin Swift injured an ankle this summer and never got well. He tried to play through it, but shut it down after just two games.
With the Broncos carrying only 10 players, about five fewer than most teams, the injury loomed large.
“Because of our depth, or lack of it, we’re always just one injury away. That is always the case. And it showed this year,” Kamansky said.
He added that the rest of the team came in out of shape, making matters worse.
It was indeed a rollercoaster ride for the Kamansky’s crew. The Broncos got off to a 2-6 start but seemingly recovered when it put together midseason wins over perennial powers Humboldt State and Cal State San Bernardino, both nationally ranked at the time. But Cal Poly hit the skids again and barely made it into the eight-team conference tournament.
It finished off the regular season with an impressive win at Humboldt, then reeled off two wins in the conference tournament before losing the final to UC San Diego.
“We were able to end on a somewhat positive note so that is something we can hold on to,” Kamansky said.
The Broncos are losing just three seniors, two of them posts in Kaelen Daniels (8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds per game) and reserve Kevin Neveau (5.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg). The other departing player is shooting guard Angelo Tsagarakis (15.1 ppg, 2.5 assists per game) who was deadly from 3-point range when he was on but also sometimes erratic.
The good news is that the Broncos have a centerpiece to build around in junior Larry Gordon (17.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg). The Montclair product was a first-team all-conference and all-region selection and likely would have been in the hunt for player of the year honors had the Broncos finished higher.
Among the other returning veterans will be junior wing Donnelle Booker (7.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg), junior guard Rich Collins (5.1 ppg), sophomore guard Isaac Waters and freshman forward Tobias Jahn, all of whom saw considerable playing time.
Kamansky said he is looking for five to six newcomers that will bring an intensity that was sometimes missing this season. He typically tries to build via the high school ranks but will be looking for some seasoned junior college players as well.
“We looked good at times but we were very average most of the time,” he said. “The team chemistry was never quite right and we didn’t always get in there and compete hard. Those are the things we have to address.”
By MATT NEVALA
For the San Bernardino Sun
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – In unfamiliar surroundings, the Coyotes found themselves in a familiar situation Friday during the NCAA Division II West Regional. Only this time, the Cal State San Bernardino men’s basketball team couldn’t get past Brigham Young University-Hawaii in the opening round.
Making their first appearance on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus, the Coyotes hustled their way back from a nine-point, second-half deficit before falling to BYU-Hawaii 67-63 at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex. Cal State’s usually sound defense from baseline to baseline disappeared too often, especially down the stretch when the Seasiders closed with one needed basket after another.
“We were horrible tonight,” Cal State coach Jeff Oliver said. “We didn’t do what we do – pressure the ball, guard the ball and rebound.
“If we don’t do that, we’re probably not going to win.”
Last season, the Coyotes cruised to the Division II Final Four after opening the postseason with a 71-68 win over BYU-Hawaii in Arcata. This season, the Seasiders dashed the team’s title dreams in Anchorage, the ride over after posting a 22-8 record.
“We knew going in that no one was going to let us win,” said Coyotes senior guard Marlon Pierce. “Right now, it’s tough to think about the season as a whole. Looking back, there will probably be some things I’ll be proud of and some things to be disappointed in.”
The Coyotes and BYU-Hawaii played the second of four games on Friday’s opening-round docket. They also played in front of a capacity crowd, despite host and top-seeded Alaska Anchorage not playing until the nightcap. While not booed or hassled, second-seeded Cal State clearly didn’t feel the love from the Anchorage fans the way BYU-Hawaii did as the game moved along. The seventh-seeded Seasiders were met with continued cheers. Maybe it had something to do with Alaska and Hawaii together not being connected to the Lower 48, the term Alaskans use to describe the contiguous portion of the country.The Coyotes, defending region champs and perennial Division II powerhouses, believed it was something else.
“We’re pretty used to that,” senior guard Lance Ortiz said.
Pierce knew what was up.
“We’ve had a pretty big target on our back all year,” he said. “Everywhere we played, even the neutral sites, we were all we had. Our 15 to 18 guys with the coaches included (are) what we had all season. It was nothing we hadn’t seen before.”
BYU-Hawaii committed 11 of its 12 first-half turnovers in the first 12 minutes. After that, it made only one turnover before halftime. The Seasiders (19-7) solved Cal State’s full-court pressure defense and began getting easy looks for their big men – 6-foot-9 sophomore center Lucas Alves and 6-7 junior Jermaine Odjegba. Each player finished with 16 points.
Alves’ emphatic slam from the left side with 4:19 to play in the first half gave BYU-Hawaii a 24-20 lead. The advantage grew to five (34-29) by the break.
“The two people that hurt us were their bigs and bigs aren’t supposed to hurt us,” Oliver said. “It was a major problem.”
And one that got worse for the Coyotes in the second half before it got a little better.
Alves shook loose for three second-half dunks, including a pair of ooh- and aah-inspiring alley oops. The second on a pass from Corey Neilson gave the Seasiders a 49-42 lead with 12:39 to play.
“(The Coyotes) tried to press the ball as much as they could so the weak side was kind of wide open,” Alves said. “The first time, I was open so I just threw my finger up (looking for the pass). Yes, I was pretty surprised it worked again after that.”
BYU-Hawaii extended the lead to 51-42 moments after Alves’ alley-oop dunk. It was then when the Coyotes found their defensive prowess and mounted the comeback.
Cal State made stop after stop and scored the next 10 points. Joseph Tillman’s long-range jumper gave his team a 52-51 lead with 6:16 remaining. The Seasiders scored, but Cal State answered with an Ortiz three-pointer and Michael Earl free throw. The Coyotes led 56-53, but they then went scoreless the next 2:37.
They also relented defensively, allowing eight consecutive BYU-Hawaii points. Pierce and Ortiz each knocked down three-pointers. Ortiz’s triple with 52 seconds left sliced the Seasiders’ lead to 63-62. Odjegba left-side leaner and a pair of Neilson free throws finished off the Coyotes.
Alves grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. BYU-Hawaii will play rival Chaminade in today’s region semifinal.
Pierce led Cal State with 13 points. Ortiz added 11. The Coyotes were beat on the boards 32-25. BYU-Hawaii shot 54.9 percent (28 of 51) from the floor.
In a classy postgame move, Oliver closed his comments by thanking his group of eight seniors, led by Pierce, Ortiz and Earl.
“Overall, this probably wasn’t the most talented team I’ve had,” said the coach in his sixth season. “But it’s probably been the most enjoyable to coach. This core group (of seniors) is the one that put us back on the map after having the one .500 year. My hat is off to those guys that got us pointed back in the right direction.”
Matt Nevala is a former Anchorage Daily News sports reporter. Contact him at nevs@gci.net.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Now that the famed Itidarod dogsled race is over, another sport will be taking center stage in the sprawling wilderness of Anchorage, Alas.
The top eight Division II men’s basketball teams in the West Region will square off at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex at University of Alaska-Anchorage starting today with a berth in the Elite Eight on the line. Jeff Oliver’s Cal State San Bernardino squad will be trying to advance to the national tournament for the fourth time.
It is the first time the Seawolves have hosted the event.
The No. 2 seeded Coyotes (22-7) face No. 7 Brigham Young-Hawaii (18-7) in the second of four quarterfinals today at 3:30 p.m.
The Coyotes changed their travel plans and left from Ontario Tuesday night, rather than from LAX Wednesday morning which helped in the preparation.
The team practiced at a local high school Wednesday and Thursday, then attended a banquet held to honor the participating teams Thursday evening.”
“I’m really glad we had that extra day. Humboldt came in Wednesday late and had the first practice Thursday. That couldn’t have felt good,” Oliver said. “We have had good practices. We’re healthier than we have been all season. We’re ready to go.”
Oliver said his team seems to be acclimating to the conditions. It was snowing when the Coyotes arrived but had warmed up to a balmy 33 by Thursday afternoon. There hasn’t been much time for sightseeing but Oliver said athletic director Kevin Hatcher and trainer Laura Watkins took a side trip in search of wildlife.
“We actually saw the sun today and were able to open the sunroof on the rental car,” he quipped. “When we got here it was kind of flat. you couldn’t see much because of the fog but it is quite scenic.”
The Coyotes, who claimed a share of the CCAA title for the ninth time in seven years, may be enjoying their surroundings but the mood has been all business. Last year the Coyotes emerged as the regional champion, beating host Humboldt State in a dramatic title tilt.
This year’s quarterfinal is a rematch of one last year in which the Coyotes beat the Seasiders 81-78.
The Coyotes, ranked No. 14 in the most recent NABC poll, play the same style but have tweaked their defense since the last meeting and Oliver hopes that pays off. Cal State’s senior ackcourt of Marlon Pierce and Lance Ortiz have combined for 133 steals with Ortiz (76) ranking first in the conference in that department and Pierce (57) third. Ortiz was slowed by a sprained ankle recently but is back to full strength according to Oliver.
Senior center Michael Earl, a native of Pomona, has also figured prominently on defense with a conference high 56 blocks which set a school record.
“This is what we have been working for all season,” said Earl, a graduate of Diamond Ranch. “It’s a long season. We had some stumbles along the way but we’re still where we want to be.”
Junior forward-guard Philip Jones and senior forward Jason Gilzene round out the starting lineup. Jones hasn’t factored much into the offense but is one of the team’s best on-ball defenders.
The unsung hero has been junior Renardo Bass who has done what Oliver dubs the “intangible things” that have contributed to the team’s success.
BYU, the runner-up in the weak Pacific West Conference, will pose a formidable threat because of its inside presence in 6-foot-9 sophomore forward-center Lucas Alves (20.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg), a first-team All-Region selection.
Other key players are senior guard Paul Peterson (15 ppg, 3.7 apg) and junior guard Trenson Akana (11.7 ppg).
Despite the overall success, the Coyotes have come up empty in a lot of close games this season. They are 1-3 in overtime and six of their seven losses have been by a total of 20 points.
“It has been little things,” Pierce said. “We’ve been in every game we just haven’t been able to finish them off. Now we have to do it because there are no second chances.”
In helping the Lumberjacks to a share of the CCAA regular-season title, Peal topped the conference in scoring with 18.6 points a game and was seventh in rebounding with 6.3 boards a contest.
Joining Peal on the first team was Cal Poly Pomona junior forward Larry Gordon, who ranks second in the CCAA in scoring and rebounding with 17.7 points and 9.1 rebounds a game.
Four CCAA players were named to the six-man all-region second team. Cal State San Bernardino senior center Michael Earl (12.6 ppg., 5.1 rpg., 2.0 bpg.) and senior guard Lance Ortiz (11.7 ppg., 4.7 apg., 2.6 spg.) along with Cal State L.A. senior guard Vincent Camper (16.5 ppg.) and Cal State Monterey Bay junior forward Joe Mitchell, who averaged 12.9 points and a conference-best 9.9 rebounds a game, were honored.
Peal, along with Earl and Ortiz, helped their teams advance to the NCAA Division II West Regional that begins Friday in Anchorage, Alaska.
Daktronics Division II Men's Basketball West Region Team
First Team
Devin Peal (Humboldt State) - Player of the Year
Carl Arts (Alaska Anchorage)
Lucas Alves (BYU-Hawaii)
Marko Kolaric (Chaminade)
T- Luke Cooper (Alaska Anchorage)
T-Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona)
Second Team
Jake Beitinger (Central Washington)
Rob Will (Seattle Pacific University)
Michael Earl (Cal State San Bernardino)
T-Vincent Camper (Cal State Los Angeles)
T-Joe Mitchell (CSU Monterey Bay)
T-Lance Ortiz (Cal State San Bernardino)
Both Cal State San Bernardino basketball teams will be facing familiar foes this week when West Region play convenes. For the women's team the opponent is a little too familiar.
The men's team, currently ranked 14th nationally, is seeded second behind the host team University of Alaska-Anchorage and will square off against No. 7 seed Brigham Young-Hawaii in its quarterfinal on Friday at 3:30 p.m. It is the Coyotes ninth playoff appearance in 10 years.
It will be a rematch between the same teams in the same round last year. The Coyotes rallied to win that game 71-68 en route to a championship and berth in the Elite Eight.
Coyotes coach Jeff Oliver was not surprised with that draw and is pleased to be playing a nonconference opponent.
'I really didn't want to have to play a team I have seen twice already," he said. "With our defense teams have a lot better chance if they have seen it. We played it last year but we tweaked it a little and we're playing it better."
The Seasiders (18-7), runner-up in the Pacific West Conference to Chaminade, are led by a solid duo that consists of 6-9 sophomore Lucas Alves and senior guard Paul Peterson.
"They have the best big man in the region (Alves)," Oliver said. "They have a lot of the same team they had last year. We're quite a bit different. It will be a test."
The Coyotes (22-7) finshed as co-champion in the CCAA with Humboldt State, which is seeded No. 6 and will face No . 3 Chaminade. The third conference representative is No. 8 UC San Diego, which earned the automatic berth by winning the conference tournament and will play the host team.
Four CCAA teams made the women's regional, which will be hosted by top seed Seattle Pacific 27-0), ranked No. 2 nationally.
The No. 5 Coyotes (21-7) will face CCAA rival and No. 4 seed UC San Diego (4-9) in their first game Friday at 5:30 p.m.
The teams have played twice with the Tritons winning both games - 68-60 and 66-56.
It isn't a good matchup for the Coyotes who have not had an answer for the Tritons 1-2 punch of 6-footers Meaghan Noud and Michelle Osier. The two combined for 34 points in the first game between the teams and 57 in the second. They also boast a 6-2 center in Alexis Gaskin, giving the Tritons a big advantage in size and strength.
If there is any good news it is that the Coyotes have not played a good game against the Tritons.
"I don't think we can play any worse than we did the last time we played them. So it has to get better," coach Kevin Becker said.
"We need to shoot the ball better. Both times we played them we didn't lose because we didn't defend well. We held them in the 60's. We have to shoot better. If we don't it will be a long night."
The Coyotes qualified for the regional last year for the first time since 1998 but lost their quarterfinal to another conference foe - Chico State.
They had been No. 4 last week but dropped a spot this week. That failed to matter because the 4 and 5 teams play.
CCAA Tournament winner UC San Diego earned the conference's automatic berth, while regular-season co-champions Cal State San Bernardino and Humboldt State were at-large selections. All three teams will compete in the 2008 NCAA Division II West Regional scheduled for March 14-17 at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex in Anchorage, Alaska.
The Tritons (18-11) enter regional play as the No. 8 seed and will face host and No. 1 seed Anchorage Alaska (25-5) on Friday beginning at 8 p.m. Second-seeded Cal State San Bernardino (22-7) will meet No. 7 seed BYU-Hawaii (18-7) at 2:30 p.m.
Sixth-seed Humboldt State (20-8) will play No. 3 seed Chaminade (20-7) at Noon. Central Washington (21-6), the fourth seed, will square off against No. 5 Seattle Pacific (20-7) at 5:30 p.m.
The first-round winners will advance to the semifinals scheduled for Saturday with start times of 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The regional final will be played on Monday beginning at 7 p.m.
The champion of the West Regional will move on to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals and will meet the East Regional Champion on March 26.
Seven of the regional tournaments, consisting of eight teams each, will be conducted March 15, 16 and 18 at regional sites. The West regional will be conducted March 14, 15 and 17. The eight quarterfinalists will advance to the finals at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, March 26, 27 and 29.
2008 NCAA Division II West Regional Men's Basketball Championships Mar. 14, 15 & 17 - Anchorage, Alaska (Wells Fargo Sports Complex) All times Alaska Daylight Time
First Round - Friday, Mar. 14 No. 3 Chaminade (20-7) vs. No. 6 Humboldt State (20-8), Noon No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino (22-7) vs. No. 7 BYU-Hawaii (18-7), 2:30 p.m. No. 4 Central Washington (21-6) vs. No. 5 Seattle Pacific (20-7), 5:30 p.m. No. 1 Alaska Anchorage (25-5) vs. No. 8 UC San Diego (18-11), 8 p.m.
Semifinals - Saturday, Mar. 15 CU/HSU winner vs. CSUSB/BYUH winner, 5 p.m. CWU/SPU winner vs. UAA/UCSD winner, 7:30 p.m.
Finals - Monday, Mar. 17 Semifinal winners, 7 pm
It has been a topsy-turvy season in the CCAA.
So it's appropriate that the team seeded eighth is on the brink of a tournament championship and an automatic berth in the West Regional despite a record under .500.
On Friday, the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team continued its run with a 66-61 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills in the CCAA semifinals at Coussoulis Arena. The Broncos will square off with UC San Diego (17-11) in tonight's 7:30 title tilt.
"One more to go," Cal Poly coach Greg Kamansky said. "A miracle might still happen. We played very well early and I think we got a little tired but we dug in and sucked it up just enough to get the job done."
The Tritons are in the same position as the Broncos, needing a win to advance since their current regional ranking isn't good enough.
UC San Diego beat Cal Poly Pomona (13-14) both times the teams played this season -- 55-52 and 78-76.
"They have the best shooting team in the conference," Kamansky said of the Tritons. "They're tough. They're smart. It will be another tough one but at least we have a shot. We have nothing to lose."
Cal Poly had lost both games to the Toros, too, although each was by three points. But the Broncos were the better team this time from the opening tip.
They led the entire first half, the biggest advantage being 11 at 32-21 on a free throw by Kaelen Daniels with 4:07 left. The Toros cut into that a bit but still trailed 33-26 at the half.
Dominguez (17-11) went ahead 61-59 on a pullup jumper by Nonso Nibo with 1:40 left. It was the Toros' first lead since 2-0.
But the Broncos answered with Kaelen Daniels scoring and sinking a free throw to make it 62-61 with 1:35 to play. The Toros came up empty on their last possession as an alley-oop pass went awry and was corraled by the Broncos' Larry Gordon who was fouled. He made both with 23 seconds to go for a 64-61 lead.
The Toros weren't done yet. Jonathan Toliver hoisted a 3-pointer from four feet beyond the line at the top of the key. It was off the mark but Jerrell Smith grabbed the rebound. The Ontario native then threw the ball away with three seconds left, sealing the Toros fate.
Gordon led the Broncos with 23 points, highlighted by the 1,000th point of his career, which came on a bucket that gave the Broncos a 56-54 lead.
Daniels and Angelo Tsagarakis added 15 each, with Daniels having the best game of the season.
The California Collegiate Athletic Association announced its All-Conference basketball teams on Wednesday and Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona were represented on both the men’s and women’s sides.
Cal State San Bernardino senior center Vanessa Wilt was named the CCAA’s Most Valuable Player while Cal Poly’s Reyana Colson took home Freshman of the Year honors.
Wilt, a graduate of Sultana High School, averaged a CCAA-leading 19.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.46 blocks, leading the conference in those categories as well as field-goal percentage (.553).
She is the first Cal State player to earn the MVP award, at least in the 12-year tenure of coach Kevin Becker. Wilt helped the Coyotes (21-7) to a second-place regular-season finish and No. 4 West Region ranking. They were also ranked nationally earlier this season.
“She is certainly very deserving,” Becker said. “You look at the numbers she put up and it would be hard to see her not getting it. On top of everything she is also a great student and an even better person.”
Wilt’s 69 blocks set a single-season record, besting the 59 of Celeste Gude in 1994-95 and equaled by Jill Bekar in 1997-98. Her 110 blocks are four shy of the school’s career record but the Coyotes have at least one more game to play in next week’s regional tournament.
Wilt, who transferred from Cal Baptist for her junior year, has also set new school marks for rebounds with 380 this season, and her 13.6 rpg average ranks second in the country.
She earned conference player of the week honors five times and chalked up 24 double-doubles in 27 games.
“Other teams focused completely on her,” Becker said. “By the end of the season she had two and three defenders on her every night. They knew she was the one they had to stop.”
Colson, of Compton, averaged 13.2 points and 4.8 rebounds and was one of two Broncos named to the second team. She was the only freshman to make the first or second team.
“I’m very happy for her,” first-year Broncos coach Scott Davis said. “She deserved it. I didn’t get a chance to recruit players when I got here but she was the one player I was able to bring with me. I knew what kind of impact she could have on a program.”
Among the others named to the second team were: Cal State junior point guard Shanae Blake, (10.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg), a product of Chino High and Chaffey College, and Cal Poly senior forward Vanessa Dominguez (12.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg). It was the second second-team selection for Dominguez.
On the men’s side, the Coyotes (22-7) had three first-team selections in center Michael Earl (12.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and guards Marlon Pierce (12.1 ppg) and Lance Ortiz (11.7 ppg), all seniors.
The Broncos (12-14) are represented by junior forward Larry Gordon (17.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg) on the first team and senior point guard Angelo Tsagarakis (15.1 ppg) on the second team.
Player of the Year honors went to Humboldt State’s Devin Peal, who edged out Pierce and Gordon.
Rodney Yearby (10.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Jerrell Smith (11.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg) of Cal State Dominguez Hills shared the Newcomer of the Year award. The two played together at Riverside Community College. Smith is also a product of Ontario High School.
Bill Tressler of San Francisco State took home Coach of the Year honors. His team went from 6-21 to 17-11 this season. The Gators were again picked to finish last and wound up tied for third.
CCAA AWARDS
MEN
Most Valuable Player - Devin Peal, Sr., Humboldt State
Co-Newcomers of the Year - Jerrell Smith and Rodney Yearby,
Dominmguez Hills
Freshman of the Year - Robert Hayes, San Francisco State
Coach of the Year - Bill Tressler, San Francisco State
First team
Vincent Camper, Sr., G, CS Los Angeles
D'Shon Cannon, Sr., G, Monterey Bay
Michael Earl, Sr., C, CS San Bernardino
Larry Gordon, Jr., F, Cal Poly Pomona
Grayson Moyer, Sr., G, Humboldt State
Lance Ortiz, Sr., G, CS San Bernardino
Henry Patterson, Jr., F, UC San Diego
Devin Peal, Sr., F, Humboldt State
Marlon Pierce, Sr., PG, CS San Bernardino
Cy Vandermeer, Sr., C, Humboldt State
Second team
Clint Allard, Sr., PG, UC San Diego
Robert Hayes, Fr., G, San Francisco State
Augie Johnston, Jr., G, Monterey Bay
Andrew Kochevar, Sr., PG, Sonoma State
Joe Mitchell, Jr., F, Monterey Bay
Darroll Phillips, J., G, Chico State
Will Sheufelt, Sr., G, Humboldt State
Alex Thomas, Jr., G, San Francisco State
Angelo Tsagarakis, Sr., PG, Cal Poly Pomona
Rodney Yearby, Jr., F, Dominguez Hills
WOMEN
Most Valuable Player - Vanessa Wilt, Sr., Cal State San Bernardino
Newcomer of the Year - Katie Franci, Jr., Humboldt State
Freshman of the Year - Reyana Colson, Cal Poly Pomona
Coach of the Year -Molly Goodenbour, Chico State
First team
Dana Andrews, Jr., G-F, Monterey Bay
Katie Franci, Jr., G-F, Humboldt State
Jessica Liang, Sr., PG, Dominguez Hills
Krystle Mays, Jr., F, San Francisco State
Meaghan Noud, Sr., F, UC San Diego
Michelle Osier, Jr., F, UC San Diego
Jade Smith-Williams, G, So., Chico State
Audriana Spencer, Sr., G, Chico State
Danae Wellender, Sr., G, Sonoma State
Vanessa Wilt, Sr., C, CS San Bernardino
Second team
Genny Anderson, Sr., F, Sonoma State
Chelsey Armacost, Sr., G, Sonoma State
Shanae Blake, Jr., PG, CS San Bernardino
Reyana Colson, Fr., G Cal Poly Pomona
Vanessa Dominguez, Sr., F, Cal Poly Pomona
Shristy Kumar, Sr., G-F, CS Stanislaus
Alma Lopez, Sr., PG, Monterey Bay
Brio Rode, Sr., F, San Francisco State
Lysandra Williams, Jr., F, CS Stanislaus
Veronica Williams, Jr., F, CS Los Angeles
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
One can excuse Cal State San Bernardino men’s basketball coach Jeff Oliver for looking for a positive omen as his team heads into the most important game of the season.
The Coyotes (21-5, 14-4) will play at Humboldt State (18-7, 13-5) Thursday with a win over the defending champions giving the Coyotes their seventh CCAA title in nine years.
Because of the importance of the game and the 700-mile distance, the Coyotes left Tuesday - a day earlier than is typical. But a series of delays resulted in the team not arriving until noon Wednesday, not much earlier than the women’s team which left Wednesday and bussed to Oakland.
Oliver tried to take the delay in stride.
“We’re staying in the same hotel and I have the same room that I did last year when we won the West Region here,” Oliver said. “That has to be a good sign.”
The men’s team had a 7:30 p.m. flight out of LAX Tuesday. It was delayed a half hour. Then, after it did leave, had to return to Los Angeles after an emergency light went on.
The problem couldn’t be fixed and another flight was not available so the team ended up checking into a hotel after midnight.
Wednesday morning all went well until it came time to land in Arcata, located on the coast about 50 miles from the Oregon border. Heavy fog made it necessary to circle for more than an hour before finally landing.
Such are the problems when playing a school so remotely located.
The week won’t get any easier. After the tonight’s game the Coyotes will charter a bus and make a 230-mile trip to Rohnert Park to play Sonoma State Friday. That trip can take five hours, even if the weather is good. Oliver is hoping the team can arrive at the second destination by 2 a.m.
Cal Poly Pomona will play the teams in the opposite order. The Broncos (11-12, 10-8) flew into Oakland Wednesday. Coach Greg Kamansky said after tonight’s game with the Seawolves, his team will drive halfway, then make the other half of the trek Thursday morning.
“It is by far the worst trip,” Kamansky said. “It really isn’t safe to be doing it that late at night. And you really don’t want to have to do it the day you play. There is no easy way to do it.”
Last year the conference gave schools a day in between those games because of the hazards, not present in any of the other road trips between conference schools.
The situation was addressed at a meeting of athletic directors and the vote favored returning to the back-to-back nights. Cal Poly, Cal State and UC San Diego were the schools voting against that, citing safety concerns.
Cal State Los Angeles and Dominguez Hills were the lone South schools who voted for the back to backs.
“It’s tough no matter what you do,” said Cal State L.A. athletic director Dan Bridges. “We felt it was an unfair advantage for those teams to have a day between games.”
But those against the move acknowledge that those schools also have an advantage if their opponent has to drive five hours after a game.
So the schools are doing the best they can to deal with the scenario. The Coyotes usually transport their teams in vans but athletic director Kevin Hatcher got a charter bus at a cost of about $4,000 - four times the cost of rental vans.
Bridges said his school did the same, even putting both the men’s and women’s team on one bus.
“Cost is not an issue,” Hatcher said. “We felt this was the safest thing to do. We don’t want our coaches having to drive their teams that late after a game, especially with the possibility of adverse weather conditions. At least with a charter you have a paid, professional driver trained to deal with all situations.”
The stakes are a bit higher for the Coyotes, but the Broncos also need wins.
Cal Poly has qualified for the conference tournament but needs to finish in the top four to host a tournament quarterfinal at Kellogg Gymnasium Tuesday. They’re currently tied with three teams for fourth.
Several north schools loom as a possible opponent for the Broncos. If they don’t get to host they could be faced with having to head north again on Monday, two days after returning home from Humboldt.
If that happens the Broncos might decide to stay up north.
Despite the tough journey, Oliver expects a memorable game between teams establishing one of the top rivalries in Division II basketball.
“I expect it to be every bit like the game we played in the regional final last year,” Oliver said. “It is a great atmosphere for college basketball, one our kids will never forget. They are very passionate and knowledegable about their basketball.”
The Coyotes, who have been as high as No. 4, were No. 18 last week but fell two places after last Friday's 63-60 loss to lowly Chico State.
The poll is released every Tuesday.
February 19, 2008
| Rank | Institution (1st Place) | W-L | Pts | Previous |
| 1 | Bentley (6) | 24-0 | 198 | 1 |
| 2 | Grand Valley State (2) | 28-0 | 194 | 2 |
| 3 | Winona State | 27-1 | 184 | 3 |
| 4 | Northern State | 24-2 | 176 | 5 |
| 5 | South Carolna-Aiken | 20-2 | 166 | 6 |
| 6 | Findlay | 22-3 | 159 | 7 |
| 7 | Drury | 20-3 | 147 | 9 |
| 8 | Augusta State | 19-4 | 142 | 12 |
| 9 | Alaska-Anchorage | 20-4 | 135 | 4 |
| 10 | C.W. Post | 21-2 | 128 | 14 |
| 11 | Mount Olive | 20-4 | 118 | 16 |
| 12 | Tarleton State | 20-3 | 113 | 17 |
| 13 | Gannon | 22-3 | 110 | 8 |
| 14 | Southwestern Oklahoma State | 20-4 | 94 | 19 |
| 15 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 19-3 | 85 | 20 |
| 16 | South Dakota | 19-4 | 76 | 10 |
| 17 | Fort Lewis | 20-4 | 65 | 25 |
| 18 | Southwest Baptist | 18-5 | 61 | 15 |
| 19 | Minnesota State-Mankato | 20-5 | 39 | NR |
| 20 | Cal State-San Bernardino | 19-5 | 35 | 18 |
| 21 | California (Pa.) | 18-4 | 29 | NR |
| 22 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 22-4 | 23 | 22 |
| 23 | North Alabama | 20-7 | 20 | NR |
| 24 | Benedict | 19-4 | 18 | NR |
| 25 | Florida Southern | 19-7 | 13 | 2 |
Others Receiving Votes: West Liberty State 11, Chaminade 8, Pittsburgh-Johnstown 8, St. Rose 7, Central Oklahoma 6, Rollins 6, Wingate 6, Seattle Pacific 6, Northwest Missouri State 4, Tampa 4, Edinboro 3, Elizabeth City State 2, Nebraska-Omaha 1.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Cal State San Bernardino senior guards Marlon Pierce and Lance Ortiz stood outside the Coyotes lockerroom Saturday after their team dismantled Cal State Stanislaus. The conversation quickly turned to their next opponent - Cal Poly Pomona.
“We can’t leave here without beating them,” Pierce said, looking over at his backcourt mate. “And this is our last chance.”
The duo has one more shot. That will come tonight when the Coyotes (19-5, 12-4) entertain the Broncos (10-11, 9-7) in a 7:30 p.m. CCAA showdown at Coussoulis Arena.
Cal Poly has won four straight meetings with the Coyotes, including a 65-62 overtime game at Kellogg Gymnasium earlier this season. The Broncos swept both in 2006-07 and won the final meeting the previous season.
Even in a down year Cal Poly has had the upper hand.
“Weird things happen in rivalries,” Pierce said. “It goes in cycles. Right now they’re getting the best of us. We need to change that.”
The Coyotes are ranked No. 20 nationally and remained No. 2 in the West Region poll released Wednesday despite their inexplicable loss to last-place Chico State Friday.
The Broncos are looking to advance to the postseason for the fifth time in six years but will need to win the conference tournament to have a chance. First they have to qualify. Coach Greg Kamansky doesn’t think that is a given even though they need just one win in their last four games to do so.
“Obviously this will be a tough one,” he said. “Then we get San Diego who we have already lost to. Then we’re on the road at Humboldt State and Sonoma. So no it isn’t a given.”
But first the Broncos must deal with their neighborhood rival. The Coyotes rank first in the conference in scoring defense (62.2) while the Broncos are last in scoring offense (64.2).
The Coyotes are fifth in scoring offense (71.8) while the Broncos are second in defense (63.3).
Coyotes coach Jeff Oliver thinks they key will be pressure, both offensively and defensively. His team needs to create offense by forcing turnovers. When the teams first played his team forced 21 but they had 17 themselves.
“We have to do pressure the ball and force turnovers but we also have to do a better job handling their press which is underrated. It is very good,” he said.
The Broncos rely on one player - junior Larry Gordon (17.8 ppg, 10 rpg) with senior guard Angelo Tsagarakis (14.9 ppg) a formidable threat from long distance.
Cal State is more balanced although Pierce (13 ppg, 4 apg, 2 spg) has been carrying the Coyotes lately. Senior center Michael Earl (13 ppg) and Ortiz (12.3 ppg, 4.5 apg) are the otyhers averaging double figures.
The women’s game will tip off at 5:30 p.m. The Coyotes (19-4, 13-3) are tied with Chico State atop the CCAA standings after a stunning win over the then-No. 13 Wildcats. That win propeled the Coyotes into the national rankings at No. 24.
The Broncos (10-12, 7-9) are also playing for a CCAA tournament berth and are seventh, just one game ahead of eighth-place Dominguez Hills. Eight of the 11 will qualify.
The Coyotes are led by senior Vanessa Wilt who leads the conference in scoring (20.9), rebounding (13.7), blocks (2.35) and field goal percentage (.584).
But the team’s success depends on its perimeter shooting. The Broncos kept Wilt in check in a 78-64 loss earlier this season but junior Rachel Johnson lit them up for a career-high 24 that included five 3-pointers.
Senior reserve guard Leslie Pickron has emerged as a threat in the last week, draining a total of 10 3-pointers in the Coyotes two games last weekend. That showing earned her conference player of the week honors.
“When they’re shooting well from the outside they’re capable of beating anybody,” Broncos coach Scott Davis said of the Coyotes. “And they have a lot of players who can shoot it from out there.Iit definitely presents a problem for us.”
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Pity the Cal State Stanislaus men’s basketball team.
It was the Warriors with the misfortune of squaring off against an angry Cal State San Bernardino team that was embarrassed by lowly Chico State 24 hours earlier.
The Coyotes looked more like their normal selves, walloping the visiting Warriors 89-68 Saturday at Coussoulis Arena. The win put the Coyotes (19-5, 12-4) back in first place by a game over UC San Diego and Humboldt State.
Cal State coach Jeff Oliver admitted Friday’s 63-60 loss was the most disappointing in his six-year tenure. The Wildcats were last in the 11-team conference, on an 11-game losing streak, winless on the road and had beaten only two Division II teams this season.
It was a definite blow to the storied program which is less than a year removed from an appearance in the national semifinal.
“My mind still isn’t quite right,” Oliver said. “I still can’t stop playing that one through my mind. It will sit with me for quite some time. But it wasn ice to come back the way we did.”
Players were thinking about it too.
“It was real quite in the shootaround today,” senior point guard Marlon Pierce said. “It was like everyone saw a ghost. We couldn’t believe that happened.”
The host team sent a message from the opening tip, starting the game with an 8-0 run. The Coyotes also led 24-4 nine minutes into the contest after a 3-pointer by David Reichel.
The Warriors (5-18, 4-12) made a run to cut it to 10 at 27-17 but the Coyotes finished the half with a 19-4 and held a commanding 46-21 cushion at the intermission.
“The energy was key,” senior Lance Ortiz added. “We came out quickly and sent a message. Getting off to a good start helped us settle down.”
Several statistics told the story as the No. 18 Coyotes vaunted defense forced 16 turnovers and held the Warriors to 32 percent (8-for-25) shooting from the field. The visitors ended up with 25 turnovers, with the Coyotes ceasing the full-court pressure in the last 15 minutes.
The Coyotes shot 47.2 percent (17-for-36) and had 14 assists with six just turnovers. The ended up 47.1 percent (32-for-68) for the game with Ortiz tallying 17 with eight assists, Pierce 15 and seldom-used reserve Ryan Kinney chipping in with a carfeer high 12.
The Coyotes led by as many as 34 at 65-31 afer a shot by Renardo Bass with 12 minutes left. The game got a little ragged after that with both teams substituting freely. Oliver used 15 players, 11 of whom figured in the scoring.
“Today it didn’t matter who it was,” Pierce added. “It could have been San Diego, Humboldt, whoever. We were on a mission.”
The Coyotes remain at home to face local rival Cal Poly Pomona Thursday. Cal State lost to their nemesis 66-6 in overtime earlier this season.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
At this point of the season, Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball coach Greg Kamansky is realistic. His Broncos aren’t going to win a conference title and they aren’t likely to finish ranked in the West Region.
But they will still have some something to play for when they square off with Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State this weekend at Kellogg Gymnasium.
The Broncos (9-10, 8-6) head into play tonight against Stanislaus (4-17, 3-11) fifth in the 11-team California Collegiate Athletic Association with six games left, including three at home.
The top eight teams will make the conference tournament but the top four get to host a first-round game. That is important for the Broncos because the tournament openers will be held Tuesday and they end the regular season on the road the previous weekend far north at Humboldt State.
Winning the conference tournament is the Broncos’ only chance at a berth in the regional now.
“We’re not looking ahead,” Kamansy said. “I know the cliche and it sounds corny, but we are only thinking about one game at a time. We’re not good enough to be thinking that far ahead. We need to win this one, then worry about the next one.”
The Broncos rely on their defense, which ranks second in the conference (64 points per game). The offense has struggled, ranking last (63.9 ppg) despite having one of the conference’s premier scorers.
Junior forward Larry Gordon is still among the contenders for conference player of the year honors, although his candidacy will be hurt if the Broncos keep sinking in the standings.
The Montclair High School alum is second in the conference in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.8) and fourth in free-throw shooting (.838).
The only other player in double figures is senior guard Angelo Tsagarakis (15 ppg). Others have had some solid moments but have not been consistent.
The Broncos have lost three of their last four games, splitting last weekend’s road trip. The Broncos beat Cal State Los Angeles for the second time but lost to Dominguez Hills, also for the second time.
The biggest problem has been ballhandling.
“We had 16 turnovers in the first half of our last game. That isn’t acceptable,” Kamansky said. “If we solve that problem we can play with anyone but I don’t know if it’s solvable.”
The seventh-place Cal Poly women are playing for much the same thing under first-year coach Scott Davis. The Broncos (9-11, 6-8) have been stellar in wins over quality foes such as defending West Region champion UC San Diego and Sonoma State, both of whom were nationally ranked earlier this season.
They also played an outstanding half against undefeated Seattle Pacific, which is currently ranked first in the region.
But the Broncos also have an unexplainable loss one to Cal State Monterey Bay (2-19, 1-13).
Senior Vanessa Dominguez (13.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.2 spg) has been the Broncos’ most consistent player. Freshman Reyana Colson (11.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.9 spg) and Andrea Ohlssen (10.1 ppg) are also in double figures.
The Broncos are 10th in shooting percentage (.364) and ninth in field-goal percentage defense (.417).
Tonight’s men’s game will be simulcast on the Broncos’ athletic department Web site. The game Saturday night will not be but can be heard through the Chico State Web site.
WALNUT CREEK — Cal Poly Pomona forward Larry Gordon has been named Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 21-27. It marks the second time this week he has been honored.
Gordon, a 6-foot-5 junior from Pomona, Calif., averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds while helping the Broncos to a pair of home wins over No. 17 Humboldt State and Sonoma State over the weekend. He connected on 57.1 percent (12 of 21) of his field goal attempts and was 15 of 16 from the foul line.
In Cal Poly Pomona’s win over nationally-ranked Humboldt State, Gordon registered a double-double with a career-high 24 points and 13 rebounds. He followed that performance with 16 points and nine rebounds in a win over Sonoma State.
Gordon is currently the CCAA’s leading scorer, averaging 18.1 points a contest, and is second in rebounding with 10.6 boards a game.
The weekend sweep by Cal Poly Pomona moved it into a tie with Humboldt State for second place in the conference standings with a 7-3 league mark as the CCAA reaches its midway point. The Broncos and Lumberjacks trail conference leader Cal State San Bernardino (8-2) by one game.
Cal Poly Pomona starts second-half play on Friday when it visits Cal State Monterey Bay in Seaside. The Broncos conclude weekend action on Saturday when they play at San Francisco State.
Wilson CCAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week:
Nov. 12-18: Michael Earl (Cal State Bernardino); Nov. 19-25: Darroll Phillips (Chico State); Nov. 26 – Dec. 2: Cy Vandermeer (Humboldt State), Dec. 3-9: Andrew Kochevar (Sonoma State); Dec. 10-16: Demetrius Hazel (Cal State L.A.); Dec. 17-23: Grayson Moyer (Humboldt State); Dec. 24-30: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona); Dec. 31-Jan. 6: Chris Rodriguez (San Francisco State); Jan. 7-13: Vincent Camper (Cal State L.A.); Jan. 14-20: Vincent Camper (Cal State L.A.); Jan. 21-27: Larry Gordon (Cal Poly Pomona).
When you’re struggling, nothing is easy. So the Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team was happy with a win no matter what it looked like.
Larry Gordon and Angelo Tsagarakis combined for 41 points to lead the Broncos to a 68-64 nonconference win over LeMoyne (NY) on Sunday at Kellogg Gymnasium. The victory helped erase the memory of a poor performance in Las Vegas two weeks ago that resulted in two losses by a combined 27 points.
It also proved something to build on as the Broncos (2-5, 1-1) get back to conference play next weekend.
“We had a better fighting spirit tonight,” said Broncos coach Greg Kamansky, who has been critical of his team’s lack of heart this season. “We made some free throws down the stretch when it was close and we could have folded the tents. So that was encouraging. We just need to be more consistent.”
Gordon, a Montclair High School product, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth consecutive double-double. Tsagarakis had 20 points, six assists and four steals.
Kevin Neveau and Kyle Krause shared playing time in place of Kaelen Daniels, who was serving a one-game suspension after being ejected from the Broncos’ second game in Las Vegas. Krause scored 10 points and Neveau had six, although both fouled out.
Players said they were only concerned with what they could contol - their own effort level.
“We haven’t been doing what we needed to do,” Gordon said. “It wasn’t about what the other team was doing. It was about us playing harder and being more aggressive. You may not always be playing your best but if you play hard, things still might go your way.”
LeMoyne (6-6), a Division II school out of Syracuse, N.Y., led only once at 2-0.
The Broncos were ahead by 14 points after an 11-0 run made it 30-16 with 2:31 left in the first half. The Dolphins answered that with a 7-0 run and trailed at the half, 30-23.
Cal Poly’s biggest lead in the second half was 10 at 41-31 but the Broncos couldn’t put the game away.
Gordon scored on a putback with 4:47 left that gave the host team a 49-43 lead. The Broncos then tallied 17 of their last 19 points from the free-throw line, missing just four tries in that stretch with Tsagarakis going 6-for-6. It was a significant accomplishment since the Broncos entered the game hitting just 58 percent from the line.
The Broncos were up 64-60 when LeMoyne’s Laurence Ekperigin, who led the Dolphins witrh 23 points, hit two free throws to close the gap to two with 22 seconds left. But Pomona’s Rich Collins hit two at the other end to put the game away.
“I wasn’t surprised it was a close game because I know where we are right now,” Kamansky said. “Hopefully we can get something positive out of this and go from here.”
The Broncos shot 51.3 percent (20-for-39) while the Dolphins hit just 47.1 (24-for-51) including a woeful 39.1 (9-for-23) in the first half. The Broncos finished with a 30-25 edge in rebounds despite Daniels’ absence. Each team had 16 turnovers.
The Broncos play host to Dominguez Hills on Friday and Cal State Los Angeles on Saturday. The Dolphins played Cal State L.A. last Friday and were beaten by the Eagles by 20.
“We know that anything can happen once conference play starts again,” Gordon said. “We’re looking at it as a chance to start over because we’re still only 1-1 in conference.”
| School | CCAA | Pct. | Overall | Pct | Streak | Home | Away | Neutral | |
| 1. | Cal State San Bernardino | 2-0 | 1.000 | 9-1 | .900 | W2 | 2-1 | 1-0 | 6-0 |
| Humboldt State | 2-0 | 1.000 | 7-2 | .778 | W2 | 3-0 | 2-1 | 2-1 | |
| UC San Diego | 2-0 | 1.000 | 5-2 | .714 | W5 | 5-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | |
| 4. | Sonoma State | 1-1 | .500 | 5-1 | .833 | W2 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 2-0 |
| Cal State L.A. | 1-1 | .500 | 6-2 | .750 | W3 | 5-2 | 1-0 | 0-0 | |
| San Francisco State | 1-1 | .500 | 6-3 | .667 | W2 | 3-0 | 2-2 | 1-1 | |
| Cal State Stanislaus | 1-1 | .500 | 2-6 | .250 | L3 | 2-1 | 0-4 | 0-1 | |
| Cal Poly Pomona | 1-1 | .500 | 1-5 | .167 | L2 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 0-2 | |
| 9. | Cal State Dominguez Hills | 0-2 | .000 | 5-3 | .625 | W1 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 2-0 |
| Chico State | 0-2 | .000 | 4-5 | .444 | W1 | 3-1 | 0-3 | 1-1 | |
| CSU Monterey Bay | 0-2 | .000 | 1-7 | .125 | L3 | 0-0 | 0-6 | 1-1 |
The Coyotes even got one first-place vote. The team received 162 votes, just four votes behind No. 4 Rollins University of Florida which is unbeaten at 5-0. Just ahead of them in the No. 5 spot is last year's NCAA runnerup Winona State, 8-1 on the season.
Bentley (Mass)., a quarterfinalist last year, is ranked No. 1 in the NABC poll at 6-0 followed by Grand Valley State (8-0) and South Dakota (7-0). The only other West Coast team in the top 10 is Seattle University (5-0).
BYU Hawaii holds down the 16th spot at 2-0 while Seattle Pacific is 4-1 and ranked No. 23. Its only loss was to the Coyotes on Nov. 17.
The Coyotes are idle this week for fall quarter finals and return to action on Friday, Dec. 14, in Coussoulis Arena against Azusa Pacific University at 7 p.m.
NABC/ESPN DIVISION II TOP 25 COACHES POLL
No. Team (1st pl votes) Record Points
1. Bentley, Mass (4) 6-0 190
2. Grand Valley State (3) 8-0 188
3. South Dakota 7-0 184
4. Rollins 5-0 166
5. Winona State 8-1 163
6. COYOTES (1) 7-0 162
7. Emporia State 4-0 150
8. Drury 5-0 142
9. Findlay 4-1 113
10. Seattle 5-0 111
11. Northwest Missouri State; 12. St. Cloud State; 13. Southwest Okla. State; 14. Augusta State; 15. Virginia Union; 16. BYU Hawaii; 17. Central Oklahoma; 18. Central Missouri; 19. Fairmont State; 20. South Carolina Aiken; 21. West Georgia; 22. Nebraska Omaha; 23. Seattle Pacific; 24. Mount Olive; 25. Merrimack.
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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