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

Basketball

Athletics Offers ‘Wider Lens’ on Academic Excellence, Says CSUDH AD Eric McCurdy

June 1, 2023 By Kandis Newman

Athletics Offers 'Wider Lens' on Academic Excellence, Says CSUDH AD Eric McCurdy

For CSUDH Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Eric McCurdy, intercollegiate athletics are more than just an entertaining diversion–they’re a way for universities to spread the good news about what they’re doing everywhere on campus.

“Athletics are the front porch of any university,” says McCurdy. “There’s an entire section of the newspaper dedicated to what we do. Any time we get a chance to highlight our athletic success, it gives people an opportunity to look deeper and see the university through a wider lens.”

McCurdy sees the athletic department as an extension of the CSUDH mission. Successful teams bring alumni and the community onto campus, maybe for the first time in years. “Athletics gives you an opportunity to showcase the remarkable things that are happening on campus. We want people in Carson and the surrounding communities to stay home and say, ‘This is my number one educational choice.’”

“When you talk about sports, people get excited,” he adds. “We want to make sure that we’re doing things the right way, so that we can showcase everything else going on at the university, far beyond what we’re doing in athletics.”

Born in Waco, Texas, McCurdy grew up in Tulsa, Okla., with his parents and sister. His grandfather and father (a doctor of veterinary medicine), attained degrees at the Tuskegee Institute, known today as Tuskegee University. As McCurdy puts it, “Education is the foundation within my family.”

McCurdy’s father instilled a strong work ethic in both of his children. “My father was an average student who studied hard to get straight A’s. He believed that for every hour of class time, you would study for two and a half hours. He took that same philosophy in sports to develop my sister and I.”

That effort and attention to detail resulted in both McCurdy and his sister becoming top-flight soccer players and athletes. “I’m dating myself here,” he laughs, “but we would watch VHS tapes on soccer skills, and for every hour we watched, we put in two and a half hours practicing those techniques.”

All of that hard work paid off, as McCurdy became one of the top high school soccer players in Oklahoma. He was the state’s leading scorer during his senior year, which led to a scholarship to play at the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB).

Even with that success, McCurdy says he still wasn’t the best athlete in his family. “I don’t say it often, but my sister was a better athlete than I was,” he laughs. “She broke a state record in track, played softball, and was an All-American in soccer.”

McCurdy graduated from UAB with a BS in psychology and a minor in physical education. (He later went on to graduate cum laude with a master’s degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University.) He went right to work in the UAB athletic department after graduating, where he was mentored by legendary basketball coach Gene Bartow, the school’s athletic director at the time.

“He was known as Clean Gene,” says McCurdy. “He made sure that everything I learned was aligned with character and integrity. He was all about doing things the right way and making sure that you really were student-athlete centered.”

McCurdy brought the same nose-to-the-grindstone approach to his work as he did to his soccer career. “For me, success is all about two things that have nothing to do with athletic ability – attitude and effort,” he says.

After a few years at UAB, McCurdy moved to Houston to work with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, spearheading their youth soccer programs. He helped develop a club soccer program called the Houstonians for the city’s top “at risk” youth players. “I’m very proud that during my time there, we were able to get 18 student-athletes on full-ride university scholarships,” he says.

He then moved up the street to the University of Houston, where he served as the men’s basketball director of operations/athletics. “The last six years I was there, we had the highest men’s basketball GPA for a semester and a year in the history of the university. And we didn’t just excel academically, but athletically. We went to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 years. Now they’re a powerhouse!” he adds.

In 2010, McCurdy moved to Seattle, where he took the executive director of athletics position for Seattle Public Schools. He also served as the President of the city’s Metro League basketball program, a hotbed of talent that has put several players into the NBA, including 2023 Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero, and current Denver Nuggets starter Michael Porter, Jr.

McCurdy credits his time in Seattle with helping him better understand the needs of modern students. “We created a forum for student-athletes, where they had a voice and were able to tell us what was happening in their world,” he says. “This is where education and the NCAA are moving now. You’re outdated if you don’t listen to students and understand them and their needs.”

Before coming to CSUDH, McCurdy spent four years founding and running his own consulting firm, aiding mission-oriented organizations and advising on improving learning and working environments. He also provided guidance for potential student-athletes and their families through the NCAA recruitment and transfer portal process.

McCurdy sees himself as the perfect fit for the role of CSUDH associate vice president/director of athletics, due to its focus on student success. “As I look around this university, everybody cares about one thing – the students,” he says. “The leadership here is phenomenal, and I appreciate how faculty and staff collaborate to support the students in every way. I’ve worked at three Division I schools but haven’t seen anything like it.”

While acknowledging that attaining resources will always be an uphill battle at a Division II school, he is thrilled at the potential he sees at CSUDH. He is excited about the university’s plans for a new health and wellness center, which will give students a place to exercise and work out without leaving campus.

“I think it’s going to be a game changer for us,” he says. “We’re changing from a commuter college mentality to a destination university. We are improving our housing as well, so now students will have quality facilities for a well-rounded campus experience. Our leadership at CSUDH is changing the landscape for a student body that is one of the most diverse in the western region. Eventually, students will be able to go from class to playing a little ball, swimming, or lifting weights to the dining hall and then back to their dorm. The future is bright.”

McCurdy’s connection with students is what keeps driving him forward, and his goal is to ensure that Toro student-athletes “have the best experience in the world,” he says.

“What excites me is getting up every day knowing that we’re making a difference with students who are going to transform lives out in the world,” says McCurdy. “Students come here when they’re 18 years old, and are here until they’re 22 or 23. They become young men and women under our watch. We’re shaping young men and young women to be the future.”

Fun Facts About Eric McCurdy

Favorite movie:
The Shawshank Redemption

Favorite book
The Bible

Favorite song
“Can You Stand the Rain” by New Edition

Cats or dogs?
Dogs

Favorite food:
Tacos

Least favorite food?
Vegetables

If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play you?
Denzel Washington

Favorite childhood memory?
“Going fishing with my mom, dad and grandmother.”

What’s a place you’ve never been that you would most like to travel to?
Turks & Caicos

What’s something interesting about yourself that others may not know?
“I am a Star Wars fanatic!”

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
The power to make people happy.

Describe yourself in three words:
“Focused, structured, and routine.”

Male Success Alliance Spring Summit Brings Local Youth to Campus

May 16, 2023 By Kandis Newman

Male Student Alliance Spring Summit Brings Local Youth to Campus
Former NBA star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf speaks with Dr. Salim Faraji at the 2023 MSA Spring Summit.

The CSUDH Male Success Alliance (MSA) held its annual Spring Summit on campus, returning to full strength for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The event brought hundreds of middle- and high-school students of color to CSUDH on Friday, May 5, for a day of workshops and activities aimed at introducing them to higher education.

The theme of the 2023 summit was “UNSHAKEN,” an acronym for “Understanding Need, Struggles, Hopes, and Kinfolk, Excluding No one,” a phrase created by MSA Program Coordinator Gerardo Cuevas. “The committee was moved by the theme’s uniqueness and its relevancy to the male of color experience, not only in higher education, but in society as a whole,” said MSA Director Hakeem Croom.

The summit’s keynote speaker was former basketball star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who participated in a conversation with Dr. Salim Faraji, relating stories of his own upbringing and struggles to find his place as a devout Muslim in the NBA. Abdul-Rauf delved into his lifelong battle with Tourette’s syndrome, which was diagnosed when he was 17, and how it impacted both his life and career.

The remainder of the morning and afternoon included a resource fair on the North Lawn and workshops on everything from wellness and tech skills to reimagining masculinity and career options for college graduates. The summit concluded with remarks from Croom and a performance by Pomona rapper Nascir Tha Don – an MSA member himself.

MSA President Matthew Arrant greeted students as they arrived on campus and was impressed with the positive energy he encountered. “The atmosphere was unreal,” he said. “It was a load of fun. Seeing the kids happy and enjoying themselves was a highlight in itself.”

Vice President of Student Affairs William Franklin agreed. “Attending the MSA summit was awesome,” he said. “The pandemic significantly hampered things for a few years, but the summit is back in full force, and the young students in attendance took full advantage. When I led efforts to create and host the inaugural summit 14 years ago, I knew it was something special, but Director Croom and his team have taken the event to new heights!” 

“I really enjoyed the camaraderie and fellowship on display,” said MSA member Jeremy Dent-Smith. “It’s important to show the youth that there are lots of different resources available to help support them while in college, because we all need that support.”

MSA member Andrew Navarro served as student panelist during the summit, providing the young students with advice and motivation based on his own personal experiences as an undergraduate at CSUDH. For him, bringing the students to campus was itself a major accomplishment.

“Some of the students expressed that they had never even set foot on a university campus,” said Navarro. “Because CSUDH is such a diverse, excellent institution, the summit is a good way to plant a seed in their minds that they can attend college or university. CSUDH has done a great job at raising the consciousness of students here.”

Navarro added, “The reason I do this work is expressed in the words of brother Malcolm X: ‘Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.’ If we are not reaching out and uplifting our young boys and men, many times they will not realize their potential. Seeing the students attentively listening to the MSA brothers shows that our work is crucial, because we’re inspiring the younger generation.”

Croom was also happy with the event, the first Spring Summit since he took over as MSA Director. “The students reacted positively overall,” he said. “They were attentive and engaged during the keynote, workshops, and resource fair. They turned up for the spoken word and musical performances, and even had a dance off! Our survey results show that the majority of students are highly likely to pursue college after attending Spring Summit, which is what this is really all about.”

L.A. Times: Cal State Dominguez Hills Women’s Basketball Celebrates Historic Run to Elite Eight

March 20, 2023 By Lilly McKibbin

CSUDH Women's Basketball team members smiling

Source: Los Angeles Times

There wasn’t an epiphany. The realization that this group of women played basketball at a level unseen at a school forever in the shadows of USC and UCLA came gradually, one victory after another.

By the time Cal State Dominguez Hills was 19-0, it was abundantly clear unprecedented accomplishments were on the horizon, that the potential for something unimaginable in any other year was within its grasp.

The Toros (31-2) will travel to Missouri to prepare to play Catawba (28-5) – a college in Salisbury, N.C. – in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight beginning Monday. They’ve already won the West Region championship for the first time while hosting the tournament for the first time. They also won the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. title.

And they ascended to No. 4 in the national rankings, rarefied air for a program that had been ranked only once before at No. 18 in 1984-85.

“To be this special, I wasn’t sure for a while,” Dominguez Hills coach John Bonner said. “In November, even through December, wrapping up our preseason opponents, it started to become clear this was a different team, the way we were winning and our chemistry.

“We recognized something good is about to happen this year. But we couldn’t predict it’d be this good.”

On-court excellence was always secondary to the family atmosphere and camaraderie Bonner has fostered since taking the reins before the 2016-17 season. His first team was 7-20, and not until going 13-12 last season were the Toros on the sunny side of .500.

“The thing people don’t see all the time, we are much more than just athletes,” said Bonner, who holds a master’s degree in counseling and family therapy. “The team is connected, they spend a lot of time together. We talk about social justice issues, women issues. We understand how intelligent and cerebral they are and how much they want to make a difference when basketball is over.”

Senior leadership is provided by guard Dawnyel Lair, the CCAA player of the year who began her career at Wichita State and left for a community college in New Mexico before transferring to Dominguez Hills before her junior year.

Most of her Toros teammates are sophomores and freshmen, which bodes well for sustaining this season’s success.

“It’s a role I inherited, I didn’t really look for it,” Lair said, who earned Women’s Basketball Coaches Assn. first team All-American honors. “We do have a pretty young group and it turns out they want to hear from me. I just take it as a challenge. I’m the oldest of my siblings, so I’m used to people looking up to me. The team is like a family. I’m like a big sister to everybody in a way.”

During the preseason, Bonner handed dog tags to each player and asked them to present one to a teammate they regard as inspirational. Lair ended up with a large handful.

“She is a little quiet and her teammates wanted her to speak up,” Bonner said. “She is super humble. When we pick teams for intrasquad scrimmages, she chooses teammates who don’t get a lot of minutes. She’s a team-first person.”

Lair, who attended Fairfax High, averages 13.9 points, leading a balanced offense that also gets 13 points a game from sophomore forward Asia Jordan of Lakewood High and freshman Nala Williams of Long Beach Poly. Jordan was MVP of the West Regional.

“Our mantra is disrupt, defend and rebound,” Bonner said. “We will use a variety of presses depending on our opponent. We try to take people out of their flow and make them play a different way.”

The Toros have had their way with nearly every opponent so far. What do they know about Catawba? They aren’t sure it matters.

“All the games are going to come down to us keeping an eye on our identity,” Lair said. “We want to understand what they do, but the main thing is to continue doing what we’ve been doing all season.”

Toro Women’s Basketball Squad Earns Top Seed, Will Host NCAA Regionals

March 6, 2023 By Kandis Newman

Toro Women's Basketball Squad Earns Top Seed, Will Host NCAA Regionals

After a record-setting season that found the team rolling to a 28-2 record, the CSUDH women’s basketball team has earned a number one seed in the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship for the first time in the program’s history. As the top seed, the Toros will host the eight-team West Regional tournament on campus at the Torodome on March 10-13.

The Toros’ strong regular season was enough to convince the selection committee to give them a number one seed, despite a tough loss in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament final. CSUDH’s loss to second seeded Cal State San Marcos wasn’t enough to bump them from the top spot.

The Toros will kick off their tournament run with a game against number eight seed Cal Poly Pomona at the Torodome on Friday, March 10, at 7:30 PM. The Toros have already defeated CCAA rival Pomona three times this season, including a 67-61 win in the first round of the conference tournament.

The Toros are led by Dawnyel Lair, who earned the CCAA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards for her stellar play in 2022-23. The end of the regular season also saw the Toros’ Nala Williams named CCAA Freshman of the Year, while head coach John Bonner took home CCAA Coach of the Year honors.

CSUDH’s Men Basketball Shooting for the Top

November 21, 2022 By Kandis Newman

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.

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