rapp

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SoCalHoops College Basketball News

More Local Coaching Changes:
Rapp Leaves Cal Poly Pomona--(Aug. 27, 2000)

We haven't been reporting on many of the coaching changes that have been taking place this summer, at least not when they occurred. We were as surprised as anyone when we heard two weeks ago that Tim Rapp, who had been the head men's coach at Cal Poly Pomona for the past two years (one as interim head coach) had decided to return to Australia with his family. Tim had played in Australia and met his wife there. The couple have two children. He was replaced by Greg Kamansky, an assistant under Rapp.

Rapp led the Broncos to records of 14-13 and 18-9 in his two years as head coach. He was an assistant coach at Cal Poly for four years before taking over for Tom Marshall before the 1998-99 season. "Tim Rapp has done an outstanding job of developing the men's basketball program here at Cal Poly Pomona," said athletic director Dan Bridges in an official press release. "His teams have been highly competitive in the CCAA, and his student-athletes have been excellent representatives of the university."

Rapp leaves a program that will have to survive a heavy hit from graduation. The Broncos' top two career scoring leaders, Julian Hammond and Terrell Davis, are gone and so is power forward Nick Alexander. The Broncos enjoyed their most successful season in 20 years and were in the running for a NCAA Division II playoff berth until the final weekend. The Broncos, though, are encouraged about their future, thanks to solid recruiting this past year. Cal Poly signed four players --6-foot-5 forward Jeff Bonds, 6-10 center James Cady, 6-4 guard/forward Jimmy Landry and 6-5 forward Earl Lewis -- in the early signing period last November. It signed two more, 6-7 forward Jesse Altamirano and 5-11 guard Jonathan Williams, in April. The Broncos also have four key players returning from last year's squad, guards T.J. Williams, Marques Montgomery, Lucas Lecour and Nathan Sinning. A redshirt freshman, 6-0 guard Andy Bratt, and 6-11 center David Erickson, who missed most of last season with a leg injury, are also expected to contribute. "We still have some growing to do, but I think we've set a good foundation," Rapp said earlier this year. "We've won the last two years, and I think we're at the point now where we should have nine or 10 players returning each year." Kamansky, who like Rapp played at UC San Diego, was an assistant men's basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Fresno Pacific from 1993-98. He was an assistant coach at UC San Diego from 1988-90.