NCAA Tournament runs put men’s and women’s teams in the national spotlight.
By Rafael Rodriguez & Jesus Cortez, Staff Reporters
Toros basketball this year marked a milestone year for Cal State Dominguez Hills. By the time March arrived, both the men’s and women’s teams had earned national attention with deep postseason runs that reflected years of program growth and commitment. The squads weren’t just playing for a shot at championship glory, it seemed, but for the greater campus community.
Both teams ran the court in CCAA play, asserting themselves as the conference’s top contenders. The Toros’ efforts culminated in a historic sweep of the CCAA Regular Season and Conference Tournaments, marking the first time in program history that CSUDH captured both the men’s and women’s titles in the same year.
As both teams made their respective runs toward a National Championship, broadcasts on CBS and ESPN networks brought mainstream attention to both Dominguez Hills programs. But the season’s meaning extended beyond scores and highlights. It reflected the progress of two teams that reached the championship level and solidified their place in the annals of Toros Athletics.
“It put Dominguez Hills on the map and the fact that both men’s and women’s basketball got to the national championship,” said men’s head coach Steve Becker.
A tale of true grit
The men’s basketball team entered the 2024-2025 season looking to right the wrongs of the previous season. The Toros lost a close game to crosstown rival CSULA in the CCAA Championship, followed by a 90-110 loss to Central Washington in the NCAA Div. II West Regional. But with several key returners—particularly seniors who had become the foundation of the program—expectations were high.
The Toros appeared like a veteran-led squad almost immediately this year. Players who were already familiar with coach Becker’s system helped the group to focus less on fundamentals and more on refining their defensive identity.
Defense became the team’s calling card. The Toros imposed their will through physical play, forcing turnovers and crashing the boards. Graduate guard Jordan Hilstock’s defensive presence earned him CCAA Defensive Player of the Year honors, anchoring a unit that dictated tempo from tipoff to the final whistle. Their style wasn’t flashy, but it was effective.
Midseason matchups against ranked opponents and close conference games tested the team’s chemistry. Adjustments became a regular part of their routine—tweaking defensive matchups, tightening rotations, and learning how to adapt to certain opponents. These were the weeks where their identity solidified, through trial.
“How long we have been together as a team, especially with transfers, is rare,” said graduate student guard Alex Garcia. “It factors into how good of a team we are. The togetherness of the team and how well we’ve done speaks for itself.”
The Toros finished the season 27-5, avenging last season’s losses to CSULA along the way in both games against the Golden Eagles. Over the course of the season, there were stretches where the offense sputtered or the energy dipped, but what remained consistent was their commitment to physical, disciplined basketball.
“We had an incredibly rare special group of guys, with really good players and had the best intentions and were incredibly selfless through the whole year,” Becker told The Bulletin.
The men’s bid for a National Championship run could, perhaps, be defined best by grit. From the Golden Gymnasium in San Diego, the team pulled off tough wins over Northwest Nazarene, Central Washington, and Point Loma to claim the West Regional crown and their first-ever spot among the Elite Eight. A comeback victory against West Liberty in Evansville, Indiana, placed the Toros among the Final Four, where they would square off against Dallas Baptist University.
The team rallied back from the edge of defeat once again, besting the Patriots 94-83 to secure an opportunity for the Div. II Championship.
The championship game against Nova Southeastern on Mar. 29 seemed set to play out the same way as the previous match-ups. Although Toros had battled to take the lead going into the second half, the game would be decided by the final seconds and a single point, ultimately—with the Sharks claiming victory 74-73.
It wasn’t the storybook ending the Toros had hoped for, but their run to the final showcased just how far the team had come. In a season defined by resilience, the tight-knit squad proved it could rise to the moment—together.
Five players—junior guard Jeremy Dent-Smith, senior forward Adam Afifi, and graduate guards Alex Garcia, David Cheatom, and Jordan Hilstock—earned NCAA honors, underscoring the team’s chemistry and capability.
“It didn’t matter if it was the best team or the worst team, we knew that we were willing to put it all on the line for each other,” said Dent-Smith, who earned CCAA First Team honors and led the Toros in points against the Patriots and the Sharks. (Full disclosure: Dent-Smith is also a staff reporter for The Bulletin.)
“We have a really good group of guys that love each other,” Garcia said. “We are all just a big family.”
Strong to the finish
Few teams matched the women’s consistency this year. And depending on the source, some might not have expected the team to make such a strong run toward a National Championship.
The Toro women’s squad went 14-14 overall last season—a far cry from the way they dominated the court en route to their National Championship game against Grand Valley State on Mar. 28. The Toros had stumbled just once this season—a 71-75 loss to Chico State on Feb. 22. The team might have become “too comfortable” with their success, senior forward Asia Jordan told The Bulletin previously, but they refocused to go undefeated for the rest of the season.
In addition to their postseason impact, several players earned recognition from the conference. Jordan received CCAA Tournament MVP honors, while junior guard Nala Williams was named CCAA Player of the Year. Williams was also named the National Player of the Year.
In addition, guard-forward Cristina Jones was selected as CCAA Freshman of the Year, and senior forward Teagan Thurman was named to the All-CCAA Second Team. Senior guard Kya Pearson received an honorable mention.
The Toros’ NCAA Tournament performance largely mirrored their dominance in the CCAA, with only the semifinal matchup against Alaska Anchorage offering a true test. The team had otherwise scored decisive victories over Central Washington, Coker, and Union University en route to the final against the Lakers at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Toros opened with a quick lead but struggled to find their rhythm in the second quarter. Despite strong performances in the second half from Jordan, Pearson, and Williams, the team couldn’t regain control. The Toros lost to Grand Valley State 58-70, giving the Lakers their first national title in nearly two decades.
A moral victory, a look to the future
This season was undoubtedly a high point for Toros Athletics. Despite not coming back to Dominguez Hills with an NCAA chip, the historic nature of the season is not lost on the players and coaches of both teams. CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham also acknowledged the success of the season in an Apr. 11 email to The Bulletin.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our teams and the way they represented CSUDH on a national stage,” Parham said. “Their excellence, poise, grace, grit, and determination perfectly exemplified what it means to be a Toro.”
What Toros basketball looks like going forward is now something the program will have to consider. Next season, both teams will be without some of the program’s most accomplished players.
For the women’s team, that means being without veterans like Jordan and senior guard Hosanna Walker—both of whom have been with the squad since 2021.
“Those players have been here since after COVID, and they really helped elevate our program,” said women’s head coach John Bonner. “I love them to death because the trajectory of my career will never be the same after how well they did.”
Bonner, who has served at the helm of the women’s team for the past nine seasons, told The Bulletin it will be “tough” for them to move forward without such experience, but they will continue to grow together as a unit.
“These kids are with us for nine months, and what I’ve learned is that investing time in creating an environment free from judgment is the best way to earn their trust,” Bonner said.
In addition to Jones and freshman guard-forward Jada Sanders, Bonner will look to freshman guard A’moree Ferrel to help push the team forward. Ferrel, a kinesiology student from Indio, credited her teammates and coaching staff for helping her transition from high school to college basketball. She told The Bulletin that she planned to “hit the gym” and work for her spot in the line-up.
“Minutes weren’t promised, but Coach Bonner gave me many chances to prove myself this season,” Ferrel said. “The plan is to play again next season and show the university what I can do.”
The men’s team will also enter a period of transition, with several veteran players moving on after the season. Garcia and fellow graduate guard DJ Guest will participate in the EuroBasket tour in Portugal next month. Meanwhile, Dent-Smith has decided to enter the transfer portal.
For head coach Becker, that means shifting the team’s focus to keep the momentum from this year’s run.
“We have an understanding of what that looks like having been there now, and we very much have in our sights set on the National Championship,” he said.
“I think the future of (CSUDH) basketball is in great hands on the men’s and women’s side,” Dent-Smith said. “I feel like we were able to really put on for the city of Carson.”