Peter Bond was announced as Azusa Pacific's men's basketball head coach on May 1, 2019, after 11 years serving as an assistant coach and director of athletic development for the Cougars. He is the sixth head coach in the history of the Cougar men's basketball program. The 2024-25 season will be his sixth at the helm.
Bond led Azusa Pacific to its first ever PacWest tournament trophy, being the first six-seed in PacWest men's basketball history to win the tournament. The Cougars advanced to their third-consecutive West Regional, being the only team to represent the PacWest in the NCAA tournament. In the first round, #8 Azusa Pacific defeated #1 seed Cal State Los Angeles before moving on to defeat #5 Central Washington. The Cougars historic run came to an end in the West Regional final, falling to #2 Cal State San Bernardino, making it the furthest the team has advanced in the postseason since 2015.
In 2022-23, Bond helped lead the Cougars to a 22-8 overall record and 16-4 PacWest record. The team also made its way back to the NCAA West Regional for the second-consecutive season and third appearance in the four years that Bond has been at the helm of the program so far.
Bond led his team to a 21-10 record in the 2021-22 campaign, and the Cougars earned the No. 7-seed in the NCAA West Regional. In the first round of the regional, Azusa Pacific defeated No. 2-seed Point Loma, which was the same team that had beaten the Cougars twice in the regular season and captured the PacWest Championship. The upset victory was Bond's first coaching win in the NCAA tournament of his career.
In his first season at the helm, Bond led his team to a 25-4 overall record, with a 20-2 PacWest record that included 20-consecutive conference wins to close out the regular season, which was the second-longest win streak in program history. The Cougars were rewarded with a second-seed in the West region of the 2020 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Tournament, however, the global COVID-19 pandemic forced the NCAA to cancel the games prior to the first round. While Bond was unable to coach his first NCAA Tournament game, he was recognized as the PacWest Coach of the Year for the incredible job he did in leading the program in his first season. Azusa Pacific was ranked sixth in the final National Association of Basketball Coaches poll, which was the highest ranking in the NCAA era of Cougar men's basketball.
Prior to becoming head coach, Bond was instrumental in recruiting and developing the Cougar recruiting classes over the past nine years, helping Azusa Pacific to a record of 201-88 since joining the staff as an assistant in the 2008-09 season. He contributed to the coaching staff as Azusa Pacific claimed back-to-back Pacific West Conference regular-season titles in 2015 and 2016, which were the program’s first two seasons of active NCAA Division II membership.
Bond excels in strategizing and conducting game preparations. His strength in scouting to identify and understand opponents’ tendencies and preferences is accompanied by his demonstrated ability to recruit throughout the West Region, helping lead the Cougars' recruiting efforts to produce a roster which has included significant contributors from five different states as well as internationally.
He has helped coach and develop 16 players who have earned all-conference recognition, including two-time NAIA All-American Dominique Johnson, 2015 PacWest Player of the Year and NCAA Division II All-American Troy Leaf, and most recently, NCAA All-American and 2020 PacWest Player of the Year Selom Mawugbe. He also helped the Cougars claim consecutive GSAC Tournament titles in 2009 and 2010, which included Azusa Pacific's run to the NAIA championship game in 2010.
In addition to responsibilities in running team camps, Bond is also involved in all aspects of the program, including recruiting, player development, academics, travel, fundraising, scouting, game-planning, and individual workouts. He is also responsible for directing five high school team camps and two youth camps hosted by Azusa Pacific during the summer.
A sharp-shooting guard, Bond played three seasons for Azusa Pacific (2006-08). He appeared in 54 games as a Cougar, starting five during his 2008 senior campaign. His finest outing came in one of those starts when he poured in a career-high 16 points on five three-pointers in a game against nationally-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene University.
Noted for his ability to knock down the three-point shot, Bond's most significant contribution may have come in the second round of the 2007 NAIA National Tournament when he canned a trio of treys in just 11 minutes of play to help lead Azusa Pacific to a three-point win over Park University.
Bond was a two-time All-Century League first-team selection during his four-year varsity career at El Dorado High in Placentia, Calif. During his 2004 team-MVP campaign, he broke the school record for most three-pointers in a career and most free throws made in a season.
Bond graduated from Azusa Pacific in the spring of 2008 with a bachelor's degree in communication. He completed his master's degree in coaching and athletic administration at Concordia University in 2011.
Bond was married in 2011 to former Azusa Pacific softball player Erin (Halma), and they currently reside in San Dimas with their sons Caleb, Nolan and Jacob.
| Year |
Overall Record |
Conference Record |
| 2019-20* |
25-4 (.862) |
20-2 (1st) |
| 2020-21^ |
5-7 (.417) |
4-6 (N/A) |
| 2021-22 |
21-10 (.677) |
15-4 (2nd) |
| 2022-23 |
22-8 (.733) |
16-4 (2nd) |
| 2023-24 |
16-17 (.485) |
10-10 (6th) |
| Totals |
89-46 (.659) |
65-26 (.714) |
* - 2019-20 NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
^ - COVID-abbreviated season
