Hayward’s Cal State East Bay (CSUEB) is not only on the top of a hill, but was on top of the world last weekend.
The CSUEB Pioneers’ men’s basketball team won the NCAA Division II West Regional tournament beating Humboldt, Dominguez Hills and Point Loma, punching their ticket to the NCAA Division II National Championships.
Remarkably, the team’s advancement to the state finals is only part of their season’s incredible feats.
The team made history in their regular season as the first team to go undefeated in a 22-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season and one of only five programs since 1939 to have completed a perfect CCAA schedule.
“We certainly didn’t know what our record would be, but we knew we had a special group,” said head coach Bryan Rooney. “They’re very connected, one of the most unselfish groups that I have ever coached. As we got into games, one thing that really started to show itself was how committed these guys are on the defensive end.”
As the Pioneers stacked their wins, they hosted the NCAA DII Western Regional tournament on March 13-16, making their home court wins that much sweeter.
A group of Pioneer basketball alumni who played almost 40 years ago—the last time the school won the west regional title—were a few of the supporters who filled the stands on Monday, March 16, when the team won their regional title.
“The final buzzer was great, to look up at the scoreboard knowing we had won,” said Rooney. “But honestly, what’s even better has been the connections that’ve been made with our team, with our department, the campus community and beyond.”
Rooney has already had much success in his career with CSUEB basketball. In February 2025, he reached his 100th win with the Pioneers and 300th win of his career. But even with his personal achievements, he credits it all to the team and coaches he has worked alongside.
One of those is assistant coach Craig Ashmore of Newark. Ashmore is a former Pioneer himself, and coached Newark Memorial High School’s boys’ basketball team for 31 seasons, leading them to two NorCal championships, four CIF section titles and 16 Mission Valley League titles.
“He is one of the most brilliant basketball minds that I’ve ever been around in my career,” said Rooney. “And the beauty is he’s an even better person.”
With all the team’s accomplishments, their mentality has been simple. “We didn’t talk about going 33-0. One of the things we talked about was 1-0,” said Rooney. “We have a sign in our team room that says, ‘Win the next game on the schedule’ and that’s been our focus.”
As the team travels to Pittsburg for the national championship tournament for the first time in the university’s history, Rooney and his team’s mentality remains unshaken.
“We know we’re playing an excellent opponent in Oklahoma Baptist…Our preparation has to be very singularly focused on that goal of where we are,” said Rooney. “If we give ourselves that ability to stay connected, then when it tips up Wednesday at 2:30pm East Coast Time, we feel that we’ll have a good shot.”
