Editor’s note: “Who are the Greatest Athletes in the history of the Central Coast?” So far the following athletes have been featured: Ed Brown, Stephanie Brown Trafton, Chuck Liddell, Loren Roberts, Steve Patterson, Gene Rambo, Robin Ventura, Jordan Hasay, Chuck Estrada, Mike Larrabee, Ron Capps, Jamie Martin, Rusty Kuntz, Randall Cunningham, Jim Lonborg, Kami Craig, John Rudometkin, Ivan Huff, Chelsea Johnson, Michael Louis Bratz, Frank Minini, Scott McClain, Mel Queen, Napoleon Kaufmann, Katie Hicks, Mark Brunell, Gene Romero, Kenny Heitz, Thornton Starr Lee, Pat Rusco, Rusty Blair, the Lee Family, Dan Conners, John Iribarren, Jeff Powers, The Mott Family, Casey Todd Candaele, Bill Brown, Theo Dunn, Ed Jorgensen, Hamp Pool, Kevin Lucas, Mohinder Gill, Mark Conover, Tracy Compton Davis, Ozzie Smith, Gil Stork, Dr. Paul Spangler, John Jones Sr & Jr., and Robert, Karena Bonds, Paul Cummings, & Dana Nafziger. Please send nominations to Dr. Morris at dmmorris@calpoly.edu.
Basketball player Sean Chambers was born on February 27, 1965 and was a two-time NABC All-American while playing for Cal Poly. He is also a retired American basketball player best known for being a resident import professional basketball player with the Alaska Aces basketball team that won 7 Philippines Basketball Championships from 1989 to 2001. Sean was asked to try out for the United States Athletics team to play in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but preferred to stick to basketball. Chambers went to Manila with the Los Angeles Jaguars to play in the first Philippine Basketball Association World Challenge Series. (In a sideshow, Chambers topped the special slamdunk competition). In 1991, Chambers led the Alaska Milkmen to their first ever Philippine Basketball Association championship, and was named the “100 Percent Performer of the Philippine Basketball Association”. For the entire 1991 season, Chambers averaged 37.7 points in a total of 34 games. He played 10 more seasons in the PBA with Alaska, and won 7 PBA titles, the most among American imports, including a grand slam in 1996.
Sean Chambers played at Cal Poly from 1985-87 after two seasons at Cuesta College. He holds the school record for free throw attempts in a season with 214 and scored 531 points (No. 6 all-time for a single season at Cal Poly) as a senior, averaging 18.3 points per game. He also grabbed 6.4 rebounds a contest, leading the Mustangs to a share of the California Collegiate Athletic Association title and a 19-10 overall record. Chambers also averaged 15.0 points and 5.9 rebounds as a junior and led the Mustangs in assists as well with 119 points (3.8 avg.) as the Mustangs again won the CCAA title. Twice Chambers earned California Collegiate Athletic Association Co-Player of the Year honors and also was named Cal Poly’s first All-American in men’s basketball after his junior and senior seasons. At Cuesta, Chambers led his team to a 20-11 record as a sophomore, averaging 22.8 points and sinking 64.7 percent of his field goal attempts.
He is a 1983 graduate of Highlands High School near Sacramento, leading his senior-year squad to a 33-1 record and the CIF-San Joaquin Section title.
Chambers played professionally for 14 seasons in the Philippines with games in Japan, Venezuela, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia and Hong Kong. He led his team to seven championships and was named “Best American Player” in 1996. His Philippines jersey No. 20 was retired in 2002. Chambers is also known for helping multiple charities and outreach programs out of Manila in the Philippines, and doing charity work with Union Church of Manila at Tondo and Pinatubo.
He now works at Fern Bacon Middle School as the Dean of Students. Chambers is also the girls’ varsity basketball coach at Antelope High who just won the 2018 CIF San Joaquin Division II section championship and he’s the Director of the JBS girl’s basketball club team sponsored by Adidas. He also serves as a consultant/scout for his former team Alaska Aces (formerly Alaska Milkman) in the Philippines and hosts two national girls basketball certified showcases each year in Sacramento. Sean is also the owner of Just Believe sports uniform manufacturing company.
