Thursday, November 27, 2008

The Next Wave!!!



Former Pioneer hoop stars form strong bond at Pepperdine Jackson, a freshman with the Waves, is mentored by Coach Wilson

ELIAV APPELBAUM/Acorn Newspapers NEXT IN LINE—Simi Valley High graduates Marty Wilson, left, and Lorne Jackson are coach and player, respectively, at Pepperdine University. Wilson will take over as head coach of the Waves when current coach Tom Asbury eventually retires. Marty Wilson and Lorne Jackson joke around with each other as if they've been friends for years.
Wilson, an associate head coach for the Pepperdine men's basketball team, is talking about his Simi Valley High record—one that's still up on the gym wall— for owning the fastest time running a double suicide sprint.
"That record's been up there for 25 years," Wilson says with a Cheshire cat grin. "I remember it like it was yesterday."
Jackson, who graduated from Simi in the spring and is a freshman point guard for the Waves, never ran double suicides in high school, just regular suicides.
"What did you finish them in? Fiftyfour seconds?" an incredulous Jackson asks.
"Don't try to cheap me out of a few seconds," Wilson responds in a genial laugh. "It was 52 seconds."
That connection between coach and player has been forged in only a short amount of time. But it's only fitting that Jackson and Wilson landed at Pepperdine together.
The similarities between the two are almost eerie.
Wilson, who also played point guard throughout his career, won the Marmonte League's MVP award as a senior in 1983-84. Jackson was co-MVP of the Marmonte in 2007-08.
The coach played his college ball at Pepperdine, graduating in 1989. Jackson is starting his first season at Pepperdine.
Wilson spent 1990-96 as an assistant coach with the Waves. When Tony Fuller abruptly resigned after a practice in January '96, Wilson took over as an interim head coach for the final 13 games. That stretch included a memorable upset victory against Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference Tournament—Steve Nash's last college contest.
After 11 years and stops at the University of San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and Utah, Wilson has returned to his roots.
"This is home," Wilson said in his modest office on Monday afternoon. "I'm excited to hopefully get this thing—in a hurry—back in the right direction."
Wilson was honored at Simi Valley's alumni game on Wednesday, and had a chance to catch up with some old friends and teammates.
Part of the allure of returning to Pepperdine was that Wilson will take over the head coaching position when Tom Asbury retires.
Asbury, who coached Wilson during the Pacoima native's senior season with the Waves, spent six years guiding Pepperdine to five postseason appearances, and another nine as an assistant coach.
Asbury brought in Wilson and former Pepperdine players Damin Lopez and Will Kimble as assistants to help the program return to glory.
The Waves went 11-21 last year and have lost at least 20 games in each of the last three seasons.
"It's been comfortable, but I wouldn't say it's been smooth," Wilson said.
"We had some very successful teams when I was here, but it's diminished quite a bit since then.
That's the challenge of coming back: trying to build it up again."
This is clearly a rebuilding year or, as Wilson puts it, "a building year." The Waves have eight freshmen or walk-ons, three sophomores, three seniors and no juniors. Jackson is adjusting to the next level with help from Wilson and the other coaches.
"The physical aspect is different," said Jackson, whose twin brother, Langston, plays football at UC Berkeley.
"I'm not as big, and everybody's just as quick as you are, and that makes the game a whole lot harder."
Wilson has encouraged Jackson, an unselfish pass-first guard who relishes playing Superglue defense, to look more for his jump shot.
The coach didn't hesitate when asked why he recruited Jackson.
"He's a Simi guy," said Wilson, who played with current boys' basketball coach Christian Aurand. "I know what he went through, and I know the discipline (Aurand) demanded from him and his teammates. I always want to get a guy from a winning program and a disciplined program."
Although Pepperdine is off to a 1-4 start, Jackson is enjoying his first year on the Malibu campus.

Jackson has lofty goals before he's finished: He wants to win at least two WCC titles and make the NCAA Tournament twice.
Wilson nodded his head in approval.
So, who's the better player?
"He shoots it better than I did," Wilson said, "but he didn't defend like me."
"I'm a lot better than he used to be," Jackson said.
The two hoops junkies bust up in laughter, like long-lost friends reunited.
Men's Hoops Beaten in OT by Cal State Bakersfield
Courtesy: Pepperdine Athletics MALIBU, Calif. ­— Freshman guard Keion Bell scored a season-high 23 points but the Pepperdine men’s basketball team suffered a 79-72 overtime loss to Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday night at Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Roadrunners (3-2) overcame a 16-point deficit in the second half and got two big three-pointers in overtime from Bryan Emanuel. The Waves (1-5) were handed their fifth straight loss.
Bell ( Los Angeles , Calif. /Pasadena HS) also shared the team high in rebounds with freshman forward Taylor Darby ( San Marcos , Calif. /Mission Hills HS), as both grabbed eight. Freshman guard Lorne Jackson ( Simi Valley , Calif./Simi Valley HS) also had a season high with 17 points.
The Roadrunners got 15 points apiece from Trent Blakley and Donald Lee. Lee also pulled down 13 rebounds. Emanuel had 14 points and made four three-pointers.

Pepperdine shot a blistering 51.9% in the first half but finished the game at 39.1%. CSUB finished at 33.3% shooting, but was 4-for-7 (57.1%) in the overtime period. The Roadrunners committed eight fewer turnovers (14 to 22), which led to a 22-13 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Waves got off to a good start, jumping out to a 14-7 lead with 13:45 to play after sophomore forward Mychel Thompson (Ladera Ranch, Calif./Stoneridge Prep) nailed a jumper from the free throw line.

But just like that, Pepperdine went cold, hitting just one field goal over the next eight minutes. That allowed Cal State Bakersfield to take a 19-16 lead after Blakley’s jump shot with 7:02 to play.

Bell sank a three-pointer with 5:40 left to end the drought and tie the game at 19-19. That woke up the Waves, who outscored the Roadrunners 20-7 in the final six minutes to go into halftime with a 36-26 lead. Bell had one of the highlights during the run, hitting a leaning jumper from the left side. He drew a foul and made the free throw for the traditional three-point play.
The Waves scored the first four points of the second half as Bell followed his own miss to score, and sophomore forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Marshall HS) converted on the fast break to make it 40-26. Later on, Jackson made a lay-up, was fouled and hit the free throw to extend the lead to its biggest of the game at 48-32 with 15:21 left.

Pepperdine led 50-36 with less than 13 minutes to play, but like the first half, the Waves went through an extended cold spell. The Waves didn’t score again for more than five minutes, the Roadrunners went on a 12-0 run and pulled to within 50-48 before freshman center Corbin Moore ( Cypress , Calif. /Los Alamitos HS) ended the streak with an offensive rebound and putback at 8:12.

Still, CSUB went on another 7-0 run and took their first lead of the game at 53-52 with 7:40 to go on Lee’s basket. A dunk by Lee made the score 55-52 in the Roadrunners’ favor.

Another three-point play by Pepperdine’s Jackson tied the game at 55-55, but Blakley’s three pointer put Cal State Bakersfield back up 58-55 with less than six minutes to play.
Pepperdine eventually tied the game again at 63-63 with 2:07 left after two free throws by sophomore center Denis Agre ( Sofia , Bulgaria /Central Arizona JC). Both teams failed to score on their next two possessions apiece. On their final possession, the Roadrunners missed their first three-point attempt, and on their second, Pepperdine’s Darby blocked Patrick Carlson’s three-point shot.
In the overtime period, Emanuel’s first three-pointer gave CSUB a 68-65 lead, and his second from the right baseline was a dagger that put the Roadrunners up 73-67 with 1:35 left. The Waves got no closer than five points the rest of the way.
Of the 10 players that saw action for the Waves, eight were freshmen or sophomores, and seven weren’t on the roster last year. The Waves played their second game without Ryan Holmes ( Phoenix , Ariz. /Millennium HS/Phoenix CC), their starting point guard and one of just three seniors, who is sidelined by a knee injury.

The Waves next play at Long Beach State on Wednesday (Dec. 3) at 7 p.m.

Roadrunners rally, beat Waves in OT
BY JEFF EVANS , Californian staff writer jevans@bakersfield.com Saturday, Nov 29 2008 11:07 PM
Last Updated: Saturday, Nov 29 2008 11:10 PM
MALIBU -- Bryan Emanuel's defensive intensity puts smiles on the faces of the Cal State Bakersfield coaching staff.

That defense was evident again Saturday night, but it was Emanuel's offense, plus the offensive and rebounding performance of Donald Lee, that stood out in CSUB's wild 79-72 overtime win at Pepperdine University.
Emanuel, who had no more than four points in CSUB's previous four games and was only 2-of-9 on 3-pointers before Saturday, tallied 14 points and was 4-for-6 on 3s. Two of the 3s came during a 23-4 Roadrunner rally that overcame a 16-point deficit. The other 3s came in overtime.
"The thing is, Bryan shot it well all fall," CSUB coach Keith Brown said. "The way he shot in our first four games were not indicative of what he's capable of. ... Once he hit that first one, I think it gave him some confidence. He hit some big shots and made some big steals."
"It's a team thing," said Emanuel, a redshirt freshman from Bellflower who was scoreless in the first half. "I was open so I took the shots."
Lee had seven points and four rebounds this season before Saturday. Against Pepperdine, he had 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. He had zero points and two rebounds at halftime.
"The coach let me play. He told me to go in and do my thing," said Lee, whose game rekindled memories of last season's finale against Cal State Fullerton when he had 20 points and 15 rebounds, all in the second half. "I was looking to lock people up. That's my main job."
CSUB (3-2) won its third straight. The Roadrunners play host to UC San Diego on Monday in Rabobank Arena.
The Roadrunners were plagued by poor shooting in the first half and the start of the second half. Pepperdine (1-5 with five straight losses) opened a 48-32 lead on a three-point play by freshman guard Lorne Jackson.
Lee scored seven of the first nine points in the game-changing rally. Emanuel's first 3-pointer from the top of the key cut the Pepperdine lead to 50-48, his second made it 52-51 and then Lee had a three-point play that put CSUB ahead 53-52 with 7:40 left in regulation.
Pepperdine never led again, although the game was far from over.
Neither team scored in the final 2:06 of regulation. Emanuel knocked the ball away from Pepperdine guard Keion Bell as Bell tried to set up a potential game-winning shot in the Waves' final possession in regulation, which led to a 35-second clock violation. But CSUB missed two 3-point tries in the final seconds of regulation.
The Roadrunners controlled the game in overtime. Emanuel's first 3-pointer from the deep corner put CSUB ahead to stay, 68-65, and hit another from the same spot with 1:37 left to make it 73-67. The Waves failed to score on six-of-seven possessions late in OT to keep CSUB in command.
"I'm proud of the character our players showed," Brown said. "We could have mailed it in."
Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury was frustrated with the Waves' inability to put the game away.
"We self-destructed," he said. "We did not give ourselves a chance with the turnovers we had and the type of turnovers we had."
Trent Blakley added 15 points and Donavan Bragg scored 10 for CSUB. Bell had 23 points and Jackson scored 17 for the Waves.



Cal State Bakersfield beats Pepperdine
The Associated Press
Sunday, November 30, 2008
MALIBU, Calif.: Donald Lee had 15 points and 13 rebounds and Trent Blakely added 15 points as Cal State Bakersfield rallied for a 79-72 win against Pepperdine in overtime on Saturday night.
Blakely had six points and Bryan Emanuel made two 3-pointers in overtime for Bakersfield (2-3), which trailed by 16 in the second half.
Four players scored in double-digits for Bakersfield, which has won three straight.
The Roadrunners went on a 17-2 run capped by Lee's put back to put Bakersfield ahead 53-52 lead in regulation. From there, Pepperdine never led again.
Keion Bell scored a career-high 23 points and Lorne Jackson had 17 for the Waves (1-5), which have lost five straight.
Pepperdine closed the first half with a 15-5 run to take a 36-26 lead at the break..
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Exp. Hometown (High School/Last School)
50 Denis Agre F/C 6-8 230 So. TR Sofi a, Bulgaria (Central Arizona JC)
3 Keion Bell G 6-3 180 Fr. HS Pasadena, Calif. (Pasadena HS)
25 Gus Clardy # F 6-6 215 So. 1V Nacogdoches, Texas (Nacogdoches HS)
32 Taylor Darby F 6-8 200 Fr. HS San Marcos, Calif. (Mission Hills HS)
22 Jonathan Dupre’ F 6-8 210 So. TR Houston, Texas (Marshall HS/Collin County CC)
31 Ryan Holmes G 6-1 175 Sr.* 1V Phoenix, Ariz. (Millennium HS/Phoenix CC)
24 Mike Hornbuckle G 6-3 190 Sr.* 1V Westlake Village, CA. (Oaks Christian HS/Azusa Pacifi c)
20 Lorne Jackson G 6-2 185 Fr. HS Simi Valley, Calif. (Simi Valley HS)
44 Corbin Moore F/C 6-10 215 Fr. HS Los Alamitos, Calif. (Los Alamitos HS)
45 Andy Shannon C 6-10 210 Fr. HS Carmichael, Calif. (El Camino HS)
1 Dane Suttle Jr. G/F 6-6 180 Fr. HS Los Angeles, Calif. (Westchester HS/Summit College Prep)
15 Mychel Thompson F 6-7 200 So. 1V Ladera Ranch, Calif. (Santa Margarita Catholic HS/Stoneridge Prep)
14 Rico Tucker G 6-0 190 Sr.* 1V San Diego, Calif. (University HS/Minnesota)
* utilized a redshirt season
# walk-on
Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Tom Asbury, seventh season (Wyoming ‘68)
Associate Head Coach: Marty Wilson, seventh season (Pepperdine ‘89)
Assistant Coach: Damin Lopez, fi rst season (Pepperdine ‘94)
Assistant Coach: Will Kimble, fi rst season (Pepperdine ’04)
Director of Basketball Operations: Scott Coopman, first season (UC Irvine ‘96)