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Lost in the beginning of the spring sports season, and of course the craziness of March Madness of the NCAA Division I tournament, California State University East Bay ended its historic men’s basketball season last week.
The Pioneers advanced to the NCAA D-II Elite Eight with a 33-0 record, only to fall 78-55 to Oklahoma Baptist in the quarterfinals of the tournament March 25.
I was tracking the team’s accomplishments throughout the season as I have a lot of ties to East Bay.
My father was on the football staff back in the 1960s when it was still Cal State Hayward. As a child, I grew up around college football and loved it.
When I was 18, I blew my knee out and went through rehabilitation with iconic former Cal State Hayward trainer/coach Don Chu.
My sister would graduate from the school, as did one of my daughters. I have always had an interest in the school’s athletic departments.
Thus, this season was a joy.
The wins kept coming as the Pioneers captured the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular season title, followed by taking the CCAA playoffs with an 80-63 win over Cal Poly Humboldt.
Next up was the NCAA D-II Western Regionals that the Pioneers hosted. The first round was a rematch with Humboldt and East Bay prevailed 83-64, followed by a 76-67 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills. In the title match, they beat Point Lomas 73-58 and got their spot in the Elite Eight.
The postseason awards rolled in as well.
Pioneers coach Bryan Rooney was named NCAA D-II Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. It was the first from the West Regional since 2012.
Tyree Campbell was honored first with all district honors, then was named the D-II National Player of the Year. The two awards followed by Campbell being honored as the CCAA Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 14.5 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. This column originally appeared in Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, a weekly sports e-newsletter published by Embarcadero Media Foundation. To sign up for free, visit PleasantonWeekly.com.
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