For the first time since the 2010-2011 season, the CSUDH men’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The team’s strong 22-7 overall record and 17-5 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference record earned them an at-large berth in the tournament.
The Toros will start their quest for a national championship on Friday, March 15, against Central Washington University at 7:30 p.m. Their first- and second-round games will be played at Cal State L.A., the number one seed in the eight-team regional round. CSUDH is the fourth seed in the regional.
The weekend brought more exciting news for the Toros when the CCAA announced its awards for the 2023-2024 season. As expected, sophomore guard Jeremy Dent-Smith was named CCAA Player of the Year. He becomes the first Toro since 1988-89 to win the award, and just the third in program history.
Dent-Smith ranked second in the CCAA in scoring, at 16.9 points per game. He also ranked second in three-pointers per game (1.96) and fifth in field goal percentage (46%). The Hawthorne, Calif., native also led the Toros in steals and assists.
Meanwhile, guard Jakob Alamudun was named CCAA Newcomer of the Year for his strong season. Alamudun, a transfer student from Lehigh University, ranked fifth in the CCAA in scoring (at 15.1 points per game) and led the conference in free throw shooting. He scored 20 or more points six times and led the Toros in rebounding.
Both Dent-Smith and Alamudun were named to the CCAA All-Conference First Team. Teammate Andre Ball won second-team CCAA honors, while Alex Garcia and D.J. Guest earned Honorable Mention all-conference status.
Finally, head coach Steve Becker was named the CCAA Coach of the Year for his role in leading the Toros to a share of the conference title—their first since 2008. In his eleventh season as head coach, Becker led the Toros to a 10-2 road record, and the team finished among the top ten in the NCAA in field goal defense (.402).
The CSUDH men’s basketball team opens the NCAA Tournament against Central Washington University on Friday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m., at the Cal State L.A. University Gym.