WALNUT CREEK – Following the program’s first-ever national championship in 2010, the Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team will begin the 2010-11 season with a Top 10 national ranking.
The Broncos, under 11th-year head coach Greg Kamansky, are ranked No. 5 in The Sporting News’ NCAA Division II preseason Top 10 poll that was released on Thursday.
Findlay (Ohio) tops the poll and is followed by Bellarmine (Ky.), Grand Valley State (Mich.), Arkansas Tech and Cal Poly Pomona. Indiana (Pa.) is sixth and the remainder of the Top 10 includes Seattle Pacific, West Liberty, Winona State (Minn.) and Bently (Mass.).
Cal Poly Pomona is coming off a 28-6 overall record in which it shared the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular-season title with Humboldt State and defeated Indiana (Pa.), 65-63, in the national championship game at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.
The Broncos’ roster is highlighted by the return of senior forward Donnelle Booker, who begins the upcoming campaign as an honorable mention All-American by The Sporting News. A second team All-CCAA selection as a junior, Booker averaged 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds a contest. He also was named to the NCAA West Region All-Tournament Team.
Humboldt State, coming off a 22-8 season a year ago, is among a group of teams listed as possible breakthroughs. Junior forward Brian Morris, a preseason honorable mention All-American, leads the list of returning Lumberjacks.
Morris averaged 15.1 points and 6.4 rebounds a contest as a sophomore and was named a first team All-CCAA honoree.
San Francisco State senior guard Marquel Hoskins also earned honorable mention All-American recognition after a standout junior season when he was named the CCAA’s Newcomer of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection. In his first year with the Gators, Hoskins averaged 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals a contest.
Cal Poly Pomona will make its 2010-11 debut on Thursday, Nov. 4 when it travels to Durham, N.C. to take Division I National Champion Duke at Cameron Indoor Arena.
The Sporting News NCAA Division II
Men's Basketball Preseason Top 10
1. Findlay (Ohio)
2. Bellarmine (Ky.)
3. Grand Valley State (Mich.)
4. Arkansas Tech
5. Cal Poly Pomona
6. Indiana (Pa.)
7. Seattle Pacific
8. West Liberty
9. Winona State (Minn.)
10. Bentley (Mass.)