Cal Poly-Pomona Wins 2010 Division II Basketball National Title

In 2009, Cal Poly-Pomona's season ended with a loss to the University of Findlay (OH) in the National Championship game in overtime when Findlay drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Head Coach Greg Kamansky, who was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches NCAA Division II Coach of the Year, had been adamant in telling the press that 2010 wasn't about redemption.

When he returned to the Pomona campus, however, he changed his tune. "In front of you guys, hell yes, it is!" he said to a crowd of a couple hundred students gathered to welcome the team home.

Cal Poly-Pomona started the game with an 8-9 run, and never looked back. By the time Indiana University of Pennsylvania found their rhythm, Cal Poly-Pomona had cemented a double-digit lead.

Cal Poly's 53.2 percent shooting held IUP at bay for the rest of the game. IUP's offense, which was averaging nearly 80 points per game, was held to 30.2 percent from the floor, the fourth lowest percentage in Elite Eight history.

Despite only shooting 28.6 percent from the floor in the first half, IUP was only down by 10 at the half, thanks to making 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. Unfortunately, that was about as close as IUP would come.

Every IUP attempt at a rally was met by superb shooting and a barrage of 3-point baskets by Cal Poly, who never led by less than eight points in the second half. The result was never really in doubt.

The championship win means more to Pomona than the school's first men's basketball title. The school has been hit hard with the signs of the economic crisis and budget woes in California. Cal Poly-Pomona, like all public institutions in California, is facing severe budget cuts as state aid dwindles. Dozens of programs and many professor positions are in jeopardy.

The economic woes were felt at the Elite Eight, as well. In Springfield's fifth-straight year of hosting the tournament, the championship game was decided in front of only 3,672 fans—the lowest total in the current five-year span. That number is well off the 14-year high set in 2008, when over 5,600 fans attended the championship game.

The total attendance for the seven games was 10,145—a drop of more than 4,000 from 2009.

Pomona's distance from the championship site—a 2,900-mile drive—also hurt attendance.

Pomona is already gearing up for its title defense, at least when it comes to the fans. "Next year, I want to see all of you at the games," said Dahir Nasser, senior point guard. "We expect that now."