For the first time in Cal State LA men's basketball 76-year history, the Golden Eagles can call themselves CCAA Tournament Champions. The journey to this historic accomplishment did not come easy. Cal State LA had to win three games in three days, two over higher-seeded opponents, to earn the right to lift the hardware. It completed its feat tonight with a 73-62 comeback win over the top seed and host, Cal State San Bernardino. (Mar. 9)
All five Golden Eagle starters scored in double figures, with Eche Okeke, the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, leading the way with 19 points and nine rebounds. Corey Cofield (6'6''-F), Shane Bell (6'5''-G), and Deuce Walker (6'2''-G) had 12 points apiece, and they combined to go 12-of-14 from the free throw line. Walker added six rebounds, four assists, and five steals. A'Jahni Levias (6'6''-F) posted 10 points and three assists.
Christopher Mitchell put together a phenomenal performance in the losing effort for Cal State San Bernardino. He went 6-of-9 from the field (6-of-6 on 2-pointers) and 9-of-12 at the free throw line to score a game-high 21 points. He also grabbed 16 rebounds (14 defensive) to tie for the third-most in a game in CCAA tournament history. Sedrick Altman (6'3''-G-2001) scored 15 points and knocked down three of the Coyotes' four 3-pointers in the game (4-of-20). Robby Robinson III (6'8''-F-1999) added nine points and nine rebounds.
This was the third game of the season played between these two teams. The home team had won the earlier matchups, and it looked like the pattern would continue when CSUSB opened the game on a 9-2 run. Cal State LA began 1-of-6 from the field with two turnovers and two missed free throws. CSLA would make a 10-3 run to tie the game at 14-14.
However, the Golden Eagles would not take the lead until the final minutes of the half, a sequence coach Jim Saia would mention as critical to the win. Trailing 31-26, Cal State LA went on a 6-0 spurt with baskets by Cofield and Okeke and a pair of free throws from Levias to grab the lead and take a big momentum swing into halftime.
CSUSB would go back in front early in the second half before Cal State LA put together the run that would win it the title. From the 14-minute mark to the 8-minute mark, Cal State LA outscored CSUSB 17-2 to turn a two-point deficit into a 13-point lead. Of the 15 points scored, 11 came at the free throw line (11-of-12). Cal State LA finished 23-of-24 from the line.
Cal State San Bernardino would find some offensive rhythm and go on a 12-4 run to cut Cal State LA's lead to 59-54 with 4:28 remaining. Again, Cal State LA called Okeke's number. He made a free throw and then hit a contested layup to push the lead back to eight (62-54).
The Golden Eagles defense forced turnovers on three of the next four possessions, and Shane Bell's 3-pointer gave CSLA a 10-point lead with 2:32 left. CSUSB tried to get the ball to drop from behind the arc in the last minutes, but they were 0-for-3 from deep. A few additional free throws and dunks by Cofield and Bell sealed the win for the Golden Eagles, who outscored CSUSB in the second half 41-31.
In addition to its strong performance at the free throw line, Cal State LA also won the turnover battle 19-9 and had 10 steals to the Coyotes' two. CSUSB had the rebounding edge 41-34, including 11-7 on the offensive glass, but Cal State LA still managed to outscore the Coyotes in second-chance points 12-9.
Eche Okeke was joined on the CCAA all-tournament team by his teammates Shane Bell and Corey Cofield. Chris Mitchell represented the Coyotes. Cal State East Bay's Tyree Campbell was the fifth member.

CCAA Final: Cal State San Bernardino - Cal State LA 62-73

CCAA Semifinals:
Cal State San Bernardino - Cal State East Bay 74-67
Cal State Dominguez Hills - Cal State LA 73-75

CCAA Quarterfinals:
Cal State LA - San Francisco State 84-62
Chico State - Cal State East Bay 76-84

Courtesy of CSU LA

All-Tournament MVP: Eche Okeke (6'6''-F) of CS Los Angeles
Player of the Year: Jeremy Dent-Smith (6'1''-G) of CSUDH
Defensive Player of the Year: LeAndrew Knight (6'3''-G) of CSUSB
Freshman of the Year: Robert Diaz (6'2''-G) of Humboldt St.
Newcomer of the Year: Jakob Alamudun (6'6''-G) of CSUDH
Coach of the Year: Steve Becker of CSUDH

All-CCAA First Team 2024

Alamudun

Bell

Collins

Dent-Smith

Hamilton

Klonaras

First Team
Jakob Alamudun (6'6''-G) of CSUDH
Shane Bell (6'5''-G) of CS Los Angeles
Edwyn Collins (6'3''-G) of CSUSM
Jeremy Dent-Smith (6'1''-G) of CSUDH
Joshua Hamilton (6'2''-G-2000) of Chico St.
Dimitris Klonaras (6'6''-F-2001) of CS East Bay
Grady Lewis (6'9''-F/C) of CS East Bay
Chris Mitchell (6'4''-G) of CSUSB
Eche Okeke (6'6''-F) of CS Los Angeles
Robby Robinson III (6'8''-F-1999) of CSUSB

All-CCAA Second Team 2024

Afifi

Altman

Ball

Cofield

Escobar

Second Team
Adam Afifi (6'9''-F) of Chico St.
Sedrick Altman (6'3''-G-2001) of CSUSB
Andre Ball (6'8''-G/F) of CSUDH
Corey Cofield (6'6''-F) of CS Los Angeles
Jailen Daniel-Dalton (6'6''-F) of SF State
Dominic Escobar (6'5''-G) of CS Los Angeles
Andrew Henderson (6'5''-SG) of Sonoma St.
Charles Johnston (6'11''-C) of CS Monterey
Evan Oliver (6'0''-PG-2002) of Chico St.
Kelvin Wright Jr. (6'5''-F-2000) of Chico St.

Honorable Mention
Tyree Campbell (6'5''-G) of CS East Bay
Robert Diaz (6'2''-G) of Humboldt St.
Alex Garcia (6'4''-G) of CSUDH
DJ Guest (6'6''-G/F) of CSUDH
Charlie Henderson (6'8''-F) of CSUSM
Bam Johnson (6'0''-PG) of CPP
LeAndrew Knight (6'3''-G) of CSUSB
Jojo Murphy (6'2''-G) of Chico St.
Jonah Roth (6'9''-F) of SF State
John Wade III (6'6''-G) of CS Stanislaus
Deuce Walker (6'2''-G) of CS Los Angeles

CCAA All-Tournament Team 2024

Okeke

Bell

Cofield

Mitchell

Campbell

All-Tournament Team
Eche Okeke (6'6''-F) of CS Los Angeles
Shane Bell (6'5''-G) of CS Los Angeles
Corey Cofield (6'6''-F) of CS Los Angeles
Chris Mitchell (6'4''-G) of CSUSB
Tyree Campbell (6'5''-G) of CS East Bay