CSUDH News

The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

Athletics Department

Sulaiman Bah Named West Region Player of the Year

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2022 Division II Conference Commissioners Association West Region Player of the Year Sulaiman Bah
2022 Division II Conference Commissioners Association West Region Player of the Year Sulaiman Bah

After helping to lead the CSUDH men’s soccer team to their best season in years, Toro sophomore midfielder Sulaiman Bah won the Division II Conference Commissioners Association West Region Player of the Year for the 2022 season. He became the first CSUDH player to win the award.

Bah finished the season with 18 goals and 12 assists, establishing a new CSUDH single-season scoring record. Seven of his goals were match-winners, which ranked first among all players in NCAA Division II.

A native of Sierra Leone, Bah graduated from Laguna Blanca High School in Santa Barbara, Calif., before attending CSUDH. “Winning player of the year was a special moment to me and my family,” said Bah in accepting the award.

“It shows that all the work I put in over the years is paying off,” he continued. “Not being able to have a season in 2020 [due to the COVID-19 pandemic], I still dedicated myself to work out and train every day to prepare for moments like this. I will cherish this season for the rest of my life, and will use this to inspire others, especially little kids, to always work hard and believe in themselves.”

Under head coach Eddie Soto, the Toros enjoyed their best season in years in 2022. The team finished with an overall record of 15-2-5, with a 7-0-4 record in the rugged California Collegiate Athletic Association. The team rose as high as number two in the national Division II rankings, and highlights included a 1-0 win over then-number one team Cal State Los Angeles.

The Toros made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017, eventually losing 3-2 to Northwest Nazarene University of Idaho in the third round.

CSUDH’s Men Basketball Shooting for the Top

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The 2022-23 CSUDH men’s basketball team. 
Photo courtesy Jena Rouser

According to CSUDH men’s basketball head coach Steve Becker, this year’s Toro squad is “right on the verge of something special.”

After a 2021-22 season that saw the Toros finish fifth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and advance to the semifinals of the CCAA tournament, he feels that an NCAA tournament berth is an attainable next step for the program.

“We were one of the bubble teams that just missed getting into the NCAA tournament last year, and we retained a large majority of that team,” he continues. “Last year was a building time. We had some really good players and most of them stayed. We’re really excited about the group that we have now.”

The CCAA pre-season coaches’ poll picked the Toros to finish fourth in the Division II conference, which Becker considers the best in the country. The team had some success last year against the teams chosen above them–CSU San Bernadino, CSU San Marcos and Chico State–and the coach thinks the team has what it takes to challenge them for the top this season.

“What I’m looking to accomplish is to give our student athletes a quality experience where they’re having a blast playing basketball, representing the university the right way, and enjoying competing,” Becker says. “And I think we’ve got a chance to be pretty darn good, as well!”

On the court, the Toros run a motion offense, which Becker says “allows our guys to make decisions, react, and trust their instincts, but also provides structure and discipline. We want to push in transition and play fast. I want my guys to know that we have confidence in them. We’ve got some good size, and feel like we’re going to be able to put pressure on the rim and be aggressive and athletic.”

Defense is where Becker is looking to make a big jump. “We’re really locking in on being a tough man-to-man team, to grind you down with our physicality and athleticism.” A major factor in this will be the Toros strength in depth, he adds. He says this Toro squad is “by far” the deepest he’s had in his 10 seasons at CSUDH.

“I feel like we could play 11 strong right now and not really miss a beat,” says Becker. “I’m really going to be challenged during the early part of this year to maximize our depth and utilize the guys properly.”

One of Becker’s goals this season is to increase attendance at the team’s games. “We love the students’ support. When the Torodome is packed and there’s fans and energy in there, it helps us raise our level of basketball tremendously. We have a really good record at homecoming games–the energy and the ability to bring recruits into that atmosphere is incredible.”

One of the things that Becker is most proud of is his team’s success not just on the court, but in the classroom. Their cumulative team GPA has been above 3.0 for three straight years, with the squad achieving a 3.4 GPA last semester. “That’s hard to do with 15 players on your roster,” says Becker, “but we’re striving to do even better this semester.”

He adds, “My job is to win games and help mentor our kids, but also to help them become successful in their lives after college. I take that very seriously. We take a lot of pride in recruiting good people into our program and helping them become the best versions of themselves. Our guys really break the mold of what people expect from college athletes.”

The CSUDH men’s basketball team plays their home opener against Biola University, as part of a double-header with the women’s team on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Torodome. Their complete schedule is available at https://gotoros.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule.

Toro Women’s Basketball Building on Success

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Toro Women's Basketball Building on Success
The 2022-23 CSUDH women’s basketball team.  (Photo courtesy Jena Rouser) 

For the 2022-23 CSUDH women’s basketball team, this season is all about building on the foundation of success that they established last year. With an entirely new batch pf players, the team was able to finish fourth in the ultra-competitive California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). This season, they’re looking for more.

“Last season was a pleasant surprise,” says head coach John Bonner, who is entering his seventh year in charge of the program. “We had 12 new players that we hadn’t coached before, and one returning player who had redshirted. Because we were so young and didn’t have a lot of experience, we didn’t know what to expect.”

“We wanted to utilize that time to establish the right type of culture. Hard working in the classroom, hard working on the court. I think we did that. Competitively, we thought we’d struggle, because we were relying on a lot of first-year players to lead us, but it actually turned out pretty well.”

The 2021-22 team finished with a 13-12 record. Their season ended with a two-point loss to Chico State in the CCAA tournament quarterfinals. This year’s team returns all but one player from that squad, “which we hope propels us to some good things,” says Bonner.

The program was knocked on its heels a bit by the COVID pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the entire 2020-21 season. Almost every player on the team graduated and moved on to graduate school or careers, resulting in last year’s youthful squad. Bonner used the time off to take a step back and look at the program with fresh eyes.

“The year off gave us an opportunity to evaluate exactly what we were doing as a program,” says Bonner. “It gave us an opportunity to reevaluate what we were doing, to take a deeper dive into what was working and what wasn’t working. Any issues that were lingering from the past were out. We took it as an opportunity to start fresh.”

The coaching staff’s work paid off in last year’s successful season. When asked about his goals for the upcoming season, Bonner says, “You always want to win, but our goal is to make sure we continue we doing things right. Since I’ve been here, we’ve increased the GPA of our team every year, so we want to make sure we’re maintaining that.”

“On the court, we want to be competitive every day, but we want to do it the right way,” he continues. “Communication, hard work, playing for each other — if we do that, the wins are going to come. We want to win, we want to be in the playoffs, we want to compete for a conference championship, but we want to make sure that along the way, the players represent the university at the highest level.”

“Of course, if we can hang a banner, that would be big as well,” he adds.

The Toros play an up-tempo style, trying to score early in the shot clock and keeping opponents on their heels on both ends of the court. Their defense involves a lot of pressing and trapping, while offensively they look to run when possible, a style that Bonner describes as “fast and fun.”

“But where we hang our hat will be our ability to defend and rebound,” he adds. “If we can do those two things, then I think everything else will take care of itself.”

Above all, Bonner is proud of the women who make up this year’s team. “We’re built around being more than just athletes. We’re going to work hard and put on a show for anyone who comes to our games, but we’ve also got a lot of kids who are invested in this university. I think that’s what sets us apart, these women are not here just for basketball.”

“They’ve bought into this community, they want to be as involved as they can across campus. Although they’re athletes, that’s just one piece of their identity. They’re also students of Dominguez Hills and they really love this university. That’s what reverberates within our program.”

The CSUDH women’s basketball team plays their home opener against Lincoln University, as part of a double-header with the men’s team on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 5:30 p.m. at the Torodome. Their complete schedule is available at https://gotoros.com/sports/womens-basketball/schedule.

Toro Volleyball Looks to Strike Back This Season

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2022 CSUDH women's volleyball team photo
The 2022 CSUDH Toro women’s volleyball team. (Photo courtesy Jena Rouser)

After a rough 2021 season in which the team compiled a 2-21 overall record, head coach Jennifer Adeva is aiming to get the Toros back on the winning track. “I’m optimistic,” she says. “We’re young, but we’re talented. I feel like we have the talent this year that we haven’t had at CSUDH in a while.”

The 2019 CSUDH women’s volleyball team finished their season with a record of 14-10, and were looking to build on that success in 2020. But when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the entire 2020 season, the program was forced to take a step back.

“That was a really tough year,” says Adeva, who has been heading the program since 2011. “I felt we had created a pretty good team, but then we just started losing players. Several decided not to play, and others graduated and moved on. The losses and adversity of 2020 were felt in 2021.”

“It was a bummer,” she continues. “We brought in a lot of new players for 2021, but then lost two outside hitters to ACL injuries. It was a case of ‘Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.’ The team was very resilient, though, and learned a lot from it.”

Adeva kept the big picture in mind throughout the difficult season, though. “Just like anything, when you win, you don’t want to get too hung up on that, and it’s the same when you lose. You learn from it, and you move forward. That’s where we’re at this year.”

Looking at the 2022 season, Adeva is excited at the way the team has come into the year. “Our attitude and the way we approach our daily routine is enthusiastic and optimistic. I don’t think we had a lot of that last year. Seeing the way the women are responding this year has made me very happy.”

Adeva credits team captains Angelina Cabal, Jenna Sandall, and Macy Kirkwood with building team chemistry this year. “They’ve been instrumental in helping the team buy in,” says Adeva. “They’ve been a big part of creating the culture for our program, having their own meetings with the team and doing things that I haven’t seen in a couple of years. They stepped up and they’re walking the talk.”

The Toros will have their work cut out for them. Adeva feels the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is the toughest NCAA Division II conference in the nation. She lists Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State L.A., Cal Poly Pomona, and Cal State San Marcos as the top teams, but warns her players that every squad in the CCAA is a challenge.

“A lot of CCAA players have the talent to play in Division I,” says Adeva. “They hit the ball hard, they jump high, and there’s a good amount of athleticism. This conference is tough and they’re going to need to know that. This will be a challenge. Every match is going to be a battle.”

The team got off to a good start during the first weekend of their season, winning two out of three matches in an event held at CSU Monterey Bay’s Otter Sports Complex. Adeva is hopeful that with students back on campus in large numbers, they’ll take the time to check out a match or two at the Torodome, starting with their home opener on Friday, Sept. 2.

“if they want to see some competitive fire and emotion, we have it,” she says. “It’s not just the players on the court, but also the players on the sideline in the box, they’re into it, and it’s fun. If students come, they’re going to see a lot of dynamic play and a lot of fun all across the board.”

The Toro women’s volleyball team opens its home schedule with two games on Friday, Sept. 2: at 10 a.m. against Western Colorado University, and at 4:30 p.m. against Winona State. Both matches are at the Torodome. Student admission is free.