At Pomona, Chancellor Rules : Basketball: Senior battles back from a series of setbacks to lead Broncos.

POMONA —  Chancellor McCobb was named after veteran television broadcaster John Chancellor.

Perhaps that explains why the Cal Poly Pomona senior has become so adept at calmly handling and making sense of bad news. Like his namesake, Chancellor McCobb has a way of putting things into perspective.

McCobb, for example, was disappointed when his transcripts from Ontario High sent once-attentive Division I basketball recruiters into hiding. McCobb refused to whine. Instead, he enrolled at Chaffey College, completed the summer work necessary for his transfer to Division II Pomona and made an immediate impact on the Bronco program.

Last year, after a summer of weightlifting and practice in preparation for his senior season, McCobb got more bad news. Four days before the first game, he broke his jaw in practice, underwent surgery and was told he would miss the entire season. McCobb refused to quit. Instead, he continued to work toward his business degree and honed his perimeter shooting.

McCobb came back this season with an improved outside shot to complement his already effective penetrating drives.

That has been bad news for opponents, who have grown frustrated in their attempts to stop the 6-foot-3, 185-pound McCobb, who is averaging 19.8 points and 7.2 rebounds a game.

McCobb is hoping his performance will result in Pomona gaining a new season-ending perspective from atop the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. standings. The Broncos, who play at Cal State Los Angeles on Saturday, entered the week 12-7 overall and 4-2 in the CCAA, one game behind co-leaders UC Riverside and Cal State Bakersfield.

“Everything has paid off for me in the long run,” said McCobb, who expects to graduate next year. “I wanted to play Division I, but once I got here , I knew this was the place for me.

“The people here have given me a lot of support, and they’ve encouraged me to take responsibility for myself.

“I wouldn’t want to change anything.”

Pomona Coach Dave Bollwinkel was working as an assistant at San Jose State when he saw McCobb play for Ontario in 1987. Bollwinkel liked McCobb’s play in the open court, but he was aware that McCobb’s grades closed the door on scholarship opportunities.

However, when Bollwinkel became coach at Pomona in May, 1987, one of the first players he contacted was McCobb.

“(Bollwinkel) gave me like a map,” McCobb said. “He said, ‘You’re here and you have to get to this destination.’ He gave me the steps and said, ‘You’re intelligent, you can do this.’

“While I was taking classes at Chaffey, they (the Pomona staff) were keeping an eye on me. It gave me the feeling that somebody wanted me to play basketball, but they also wanted me to get an education. They were like a guardian angel making sure I got everything done.”

Bollwinkel said: “His poor performance in high school was not because of a lack of intelligence, but because of poor preparation as a youngster. Given the right opportunities in the proper setting, and with encouragement, he could succeed.”

McCobb averaged 21.6 points as a sophomore at Chaffey and earned honorable mention all-state honors.

He transferred to Pomona in 1989 and became a regular at the university’s reading and writing labs. That season, he started every game and averaged 14.9 points and 4.4 rebounds.

McCobb was primed for his final season in 1990-91 before he ran into a blind screen during practice and broke his jaw. During surgery, doctors inserted a small metal plate and told McCobb to avoid contact on the court for six months.

McCobb worked almost daily with Pomona assistant Kevin Patterson to refine his perimeter game. And McCobb’s improvement and confidence have been evident from the outset of the season.

He is second in the conference in scoring, sixth in rebounding, second in steals (2.0 a game) and eighth in assists (2.5).

McCobb was named CCAA player of the week after scoring 30 points in an 82-76 loss to Riverside on Friday and 18 points in a 76-69 victory over Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.

“Champ is a great example for youngsters in the community who say, ‘I can’t go to college, I’m too far behind,’ ” Bollwinkel said. “You’re not too far behind if you’re willing to work. Chancellor was willing to work and he’s gotten it done.”