Men's Hoops Set to Visit Portland, #17 Gonzaga
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 02/17/2009
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Game Notes
UPCOMING — Riding its first three-game winning streak of the season, the rapidly improving Pepperdine men’s basketball team heads to the Pacific Northwest to meet the top two teams in the West Coast Conference. The Waves battle Portland on Thursday and #17 Gonzaga on Saturday, with the latter game being shown on ESPNU. Pepperdine, which has its most conference wins (five) since the 2005 season, has won four of the last five games. Kenpom.com rates the Waves as having the eighth least-experienced team in the country, and freshmen and sophomores are combining for more than 84% of the points. Freshman guard Keion Bell was named the WCC Player of the Week on Monday.
GAME #27 — Thursday (Feb. 19) at the Chiles Center in Portland, Ore.: Pepperdine (8-18, 5-5, fifth place) at Portland (16-9, 7-3, second place) at 7 p.m.
GAME #28 — Saturday (Feb. 21) at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash.: Pepperdine at #17 Gonzaga (19-5, 10-0, first place) at 8:30 p.m.
ON THE WEB — Subscribers to "Wave Casts" can catch all Pepperdine men’s basketball games on the internet at www.pepperdinesports.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, now in his 24th season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Non-televised home games will have live audio and video, while road games and home TV games will be audio only. Go to the Pepperdine Athletics website and look for the WaveCasts link. An annual pass costs $69.95 and monthly subscriptions are also available. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team’s website when the Waves are on the road.
ON TELEVISION — The Pepperdine-Gonzaga game will be televised live by ESPNU. Greg Heister and Krista Blunk will call the game.
PORTLAND — Pepperdine is 52-26 all-time against Portland. The Waves won two of the three meetings last year, but the Pilots won in Firestone Fieldhouse earlier this season. Last season’s road victory in Portland was the Waves’ first there since 2004. Tom Asbury went 11-3 against Portland during his first go-round at Pepperdine.
LAST TIME VS. PORTLAND — Back on Jan. 24 ... Another slow start cost Pepperdine as the Waves lost at home to Portland, 73-58. The Waves fell behind 12-2 after a little more than four minutes and never caught up. Pepperdine closed the gap to as few as three points, but trailed 44-23 at halftime and got no closer than 13 points in the second half. Keion Bell and Taylor Darby each scored 12 points for the Waves.
GONZAGA — Pepperdine is 31-35 all-time against Gonzaga. The bulk of the Waves’ success came during Tom Asbury’s first stint, as he was 16-4 against the Bulldogs as an assistant coach and 10-3 as a head coach. But the Zags have won 30 of the last 35 meetings, including 15 straight overall and 10 consecutive in Spokane. The last Pepperdine win came in 2002 at home and the last road win was in 1998.
LAST TIME VS. GONZAGA — Back on Jan. 22 ... Pepperdine beat then-#23 Gonzaga over the final 34 minutes, but a big start by the Bulldogs gave helped them to an 83-69 victory in Malibu. The Waves fell behind 17-0 after six minutes, but outscored the Bulldogs by three the rest of the way. However, the closest Pepperdine got was 10 points in the first half and 11 points in the second half. Keion Bell recorded his first career double-double and posted team highs of 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Mychel Thompson added 14 points and Mike Hornbuckle had a season-high 12 points.
LAST GAME — Keion Bell and Ryan Holmes combined for 35 points to lead Pepperdine to a Homecoming and Valentine’s Day victory over San Diego, 57-52, on Saturday (Feb. 14). Bell had game highs of 18 points, 10 rebounds and five steals and collected his third double-double of the season. Holmes added 17 points and three assists. The Waves trailed by 11 points early and earned their second straight double-digit comeback victory. Pepperdine led 30-28 at halftime and for nearly the entire second half, but had to hold off a USD rally that saw the Toreros take a potential go-ahead three-point attempt with 16 seconds left. Bell and Holmes scored Pepperdine’s final 15 points of the game and 18 of 27 second-half points. The victory ended a nine-game losing streak to the Toreros.
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 02/17/2009
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Game Notes
UPCOMING — Riding its first three-game winning streak of the season, the rapidly improving Pepperdine men’s basketball team heads to the Pacific Northwest to meet the top two teams in the West Coast Conference. The Waves battle Portland on Thursday and #17 Gonzaga on Saturday, with the latter game being shown on ESPNU. Pepperdine, which has its most conference wins (five) since the 2005 season, has won four of the last five games. Kenpom.com rates the Waves as having the eighth least-experienced team in the country, and freshmen and sophomores are combining for more than 84% of the points. Freshman guard Keion Bell was named the WCC Player of the Week on Monday.
GAME #27 — Thursday (Feb. 19) at the Chiles Center in Portland, Ore.: Pepperdine (8-18, 5-5, fifth place) at Portland (16-9, 7-3, second place) at 7 p.m.GAME #28 — Saturday (Feb. 21) at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash.: Pepperdine at #17 Gonzaga (19-5, 10-0, first place) at 8:30 p.m.
ON THE WEB — Subscribers to "Wave Casts" can catch all Pepperdine men’s basketball games on the internet at www.pepperdinesports.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, now in his 24th season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Non-televised home games will have live audio and video, while road games and home TV games will be audio only. Go to the Pepperdine Athletics website and look for the WaveCasts link. An annual pass costs $69.95 and monthly subscriptions are also available. Live statistics will be available for all home matches free of charge, and links are provided to the home team’s website when the Waves are on the road.
ON TELEVISION — The Pepperdine-Gonzaga game will be televised live by ESPNU. Greg Heister and Krista Blunk will call the game.
PORTLAND — Pepperdine is 52-26 all-time against Portland. The Waves won two of the three meetings last year, but the Pilots won in Firestone Fieldhouse earlier this season. Last season’s road victory in Portland was the Waves’ first there since 2004. Tom Asbury went 11-3 against Portland during his first go-round at Pepperdine.
LAST TIME VS. PORTLAND — Back on Jan. 24 ... Another slow start cost Pepperdine as the Waves lost at home to Portland, 73-58. The Waves fell behind 12-2 after a little more than four minutes and never caught up. Pepperdine closed the gap to as few as three points, but trailed 44-23 at halftime and got no closer than 13 points in the second half. Keion Bell and Taylor Darby each scored 12 points for the Waves.
GONZAGA — Pepperdine is 31-35 all-time against Gonzaga. The bulk of the Waves’ success came during Tom Asbury’s first stint, as he was 16-4 against the Bulldogs as an assistant coach and 10-3 as a head coach. But the Zags have won 30 of the last 35 meetings, including 15 straight overall and 10 consecutive in Spokane. The last Pepperdine win came in 2002 at home and the last road win was in 1998.
LAST TIME VS. GONZAGA — Back on Jan. 22 ... Pepperdine beat then-#23 Gonzaga over the final 34 minutes, but a big start by the Bulldogs gave helped them to an 83-69 victory in Malibu. The Waves fell behind 17-0 after six minutes, but outscored the Bulldogs by three the rest of the way. However, the closest Pepperdine got was 10 points in the first half and 11 points in the second half. Keion Bell recorded his first career double-double and posted team highs of 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Mychel Thompson added 14 points and Mike Hornbuckle had a season-high 12 points.
LAST GAME — Keion Bell and Ryan Holmes combined for 35 points to lead Pepperdine to a Homecoming and Valentine’s Day victory over San Diego, 57-52, on Saturday (Feb. 14). Bell had game highs of 18 points, 10 rebounds and five steals and collected his third double-double of the season. Holmes added 17 points and three assists. The Waves trailed by 11 points early and earned their second straight double-digit comeback victory. Pepperdine led 30-28 at halftime and for nearly the entire second half, but had to hold off a USD rally that saw the Toreros take a potential go-ahead three-point attempt with 16 seconds left. Bell and Holmes scored Pepperdine’s final 15 points of the game and 18 of 27 second-half points. The victory ended a nine-game losing streak to the Toreros.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK — Keion Bell averaged 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals in leading Pepperdine to the victories over Santa Clara and San Diego was rewarded with WCC Player of the Week honors. He had 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals against Santa Clara. As the Waves rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit, his two free throws gave Pepperdine the lead for good with 1:56 left. He then collected his third double-double of the season with game highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds against San Diego, as well as five steals and four assists. Bell scored 12 of Pepperdine’s final 15 points of the game as the Waves held off the Toreros. The five steals were the most by a Pepperdine player this season. Bell is Pepperdine’s first WCC Player of the Week honoree since Chase Griffin won the award in February 2007. He’s the first Pepperdine freshman to win the award since Shaun Davis in December 2003.
GOOD NEWS — The return of Tom Asbury and his staff and the immediate impact they have made has led to some notable successes that haven’t been seen here in a while ... Pepperdine is assured of its most conference wins since at least 2005 ... The last time the Waves were at 5-5 or better at the 10-game mark of WCC play was 2004 ... The three-game winning streak is Pepperdine’s first in conference play since February 2004 (the Waves won five in a row then) ... Coupled with last Thursday’s 66-60 win over Santa Clara, Pepperdine had its first two-game weekend sweep in WCC action since January 2005.
KEION BELL — A strong candidate for WCC Freshman of the Year honors, Keion Bell has proven himself as a rising star in the conference. He is averaging team bests of 12.7 points overall (13th in the WCC and third among conference freshmen) and 16.1 points in conference play (seventh in the WCC, second among freshmen). He has scored in double-figures in nine of 10 conference games, and is averaging 17.8 ppg over the last eight games (all in double-figures). He nearly set or tied two school records in the win at San Francisco on Jan. 29. His 32 points were two shy of the Pepperdine freshman record and his 13-for-14 shooting was one field goal made short of the single-game record for field-goal percentage. Though he stands just 6-foot-3, he has three double-doubles in conference play, and his 6.2 rebounds per conference game leads the team and is 10th in the WCC (second among freshmen).
RYAN HOLMES — Pepperdine’s rapid improvement in recent weeks has a direct correlation to the return to form by senior point guard Ryan Holmes. He missed 12 straight non-conference games with a knee sprain, and the Waves missed his steady play and leadership by going 2-10 without him in the lineup. Even as he returned from the injury, Holmes only collected a total of two points, three rebounds and three assists in his first five games back on the court. But in the last five games (where Pepperdine is 4-1), Holmes is averaging 11.4 points and 4.0 assists.
DEFENSE — Pepperdine can attribute its three-game winning streak to its effort on the defensive end. The Waves are allowing just 51.7 points over the last three contests and have held those opponents to 33.3% shooting from the floor. Rebounding has also been a positive, with a combined +22 rebounding margin in the games against Santa Clara and San Diego.
CLOSE GAMES — Pepperdine has improved to 6-5 in games decided by nine or fewer points (4-2 in games decided by five or fewer points).
COMEBACKS — Three of Pepperdine’s victories have come after rallying from double-digit deficits. The Waves trailed by 11 points in the first half vs. Coppin State, by 15 points early in the second half vs. Santa Clara (as well as by eight points with four minutes remaining) and by 11 points in the first half vs. San Diego.
FREE THROWS — Pepperdine currently leads the WCC in free throw percentage at 70.7%. The Waves would like to get there a little more, as they’ve only shot 417 free throws compared to 547 for opponents. Seven of Pepperdine’s regulars are at 70% or above, but only Keion Bell appears in the WCC individual leaders (sixth place at 75.3%). A few others have higher percentages, including Lorne Jackson at 82.6%, but don’t have enough attempts to qualify.
ROTATION — Among the 10 players that got into the game against San Diego, eight were freshmen or sophomores and six weren’t on the roster last year. Pepperdine has been starting three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior lately. Prior to that, the Waves had started four freshmen and one sophomore for nine straight games. The Waves have played five freshmen on the court at one time on an occasional basis.
FRESHMAN SCORING — Last year, freshmen scored 63.6% of Pepperdine’s points. It’s almost assured that the new group of freshmen will lead the way in 2008-09 as well. Right now they account for 57.6% of the scoring, compared to 26.5% by the sophomores and 15.9% by the seniors. The two games where freshmen contributed the most were at Hawaii and vs. Portland (76%). The freshmen have been the highest-scoring class in all but two games.
STAT LEADERS — In the WCC, Keion Bell is third in steals (1.65), sixth in free throw percentage (.753) and 13th in scoring (12.7) ... Taylor Darby is tied for seventh in rebounding (6.7) ... Andy Shannon is 10th in blocked shots (0.82) ... Dane Suttle Jr. is 12th in three-point field goal percentage (.372) ... Ryan Holmes is 14th in assists (2.29) ... Corbin Moore is 15th in rebounding (4.7) ... Mychel Thompson is 20th in scoring (10.1).
OTHER SEASON NOTABLES — The win over Cal State Monterey Bay gave the Waves their first victory in a season opener since 2001-02 ... Veteran broadcaster Al Epstein called his 700th consecutive Pepperdine men’s basketball broadcast vs. Pacific on Dec. 13 ... The game at Cal State Northridge on Dec. 18 was the 2,000th in program history ... The Waves beat Loyola Marymount in Firestone Fieldhouse for the 11th consecutive time ... Pepperdine won its conference opener (vs. LMU) for the first time since 2005 ... The season sweep of LMU was Pepperdine’s third in a row, and the Waves have now won 22 of the last 24 meetings.
ROSTER — The Waves have just five players that saw action last season. Only four of them were on the roster at season’s end, and because of injuries, only two of them played in the 2007-08 season finale at the WCC Tournament. The five returners accounted for 40.2% of last year’s scoring (950/2,365), 32.0% of the rebounding (357/1,117), 59.6% of the assists (239/401), 16.4% of the blocked shots (21/128) and 57.9% of the steals (183/316). To replenish the roster, the Waves added 10 newcomers. Two are sophomores that are junior college transfers, six are scholarship freshmen and two others are walk-on freshmen. Of the 15 players, 12 are underclassmen. The breakdown is three seniors, zero juniors, four sophomores and eight freshmen.
AGRE OUT — Sophomore center Denis Agre, in his first season at Pepperdine after transferring from Central Arizona College, became academically ineligible at the start of the semester. He averaged 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds and started seven of the first 16 games.
RETURNERS — Three players — senior Rico Tucker (10.7 ppg last season), sophomore Mychel Thompson (8.1 ppg) and senior Ryan Holmes (6.0 ppg) — were starters in 2007-08. Senior Mike Hornbuckle (5.5 ppg) saw extended playing time last season and started half of the 32 games. Sophomore Gus Clardy (1.3 ppg), a walk-on, appeared in 16 games last season.
NEWCOMERS — When Tom Asbury was hired in February 2008, he was given a very late start to the recruiting process. The three recruits that signed letters-of-intent with the previous coaching staff were given their release, and several players transferred following the season. With many holes to fill, Asbury and his staff utilized their contacts, identified the best of the remaining unsigned talent that fit their needs and put together a very impressive group under the circumstances. The Sporting News ranked Pepperdine’s recruiting class #2 in the West Coast Conference.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE — The home schedule should have been much more palatable to Waves fans in 2008-09. A year after playing just three non-conference home games, Pepperdine supporters were treated to eight this time around, including ones against such big-time opponents as Brigham Young and Georgia Tech, and in-state rivals such as Cal State Bakersfield, UC Irvine and Pacific. A few of the road games were notable too, including contests at Pac-10 foes Arizona State and USC. The Waves also took part in the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii right after Christmas.
TELEVISION — The Waves will appear on television several times once again in 2008-09. Six games will be shown locally (Nov. 21 at Arizona State on FSN Prime Ticket, Jan. 10 vs. Loyola Marymount on ESPNU, Jan. 22 vs. Gonzaga on FSN West, Feb. 14 vs. San Diego on FSN West, Feb. 21 at Gonzaga on ESPNU and Feb. 26 vs. Saint Mary’s on FSN West). A few other games will be televised out of market (Nov. 21 at New Mexico State on FSN Arizona, Dec. 28 vs. Buffalo on KFVE in Hawaii, Jan. 17 at Saint Mary’s on Comcast Sports Net California).
TOM ASBURY — It was announced on Feb. 19, 2008, that the architect of one of the best stretches in Pepperdine history, Tom Asbury, was returning to Malibu to become the Waves’ head coach again. Asbury was previously at Pepperdine for 15 seasons, the first nine as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He then served as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was most recently an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first six seasons with the Waves and 210-147 (.588) in his first 12 seasons overall as a head coach. The Waves went to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, ’92, ’94) and two in the NIT (1989, ’93). Pepperdine won three regular-season West Coast Conference titles, finished no worse than second in any of his six seasons and compiled a league record of 66-18 (.786). Pepperdine’s only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury.
ASSISTANTS — Tom Asbury wanted to find assistants with a passion for Pepperdine and an understanding of its mission, so he turned to three former student-athletes. It’s believed that Duke and Pepperdine have the only two college basketball staffs where the assistant coaches are all alums. Associate head coach Marty Wilson (1985-89) and assistant coaches Damin Lopez (1990-94) and Will Kimble (2001-03) played in three different eras, all successful. In the 13 seasons that made up their playing careers, Pepperdine went a combined 261-135 (.659), had 12 winning seasons, won six WCC regular-season titles and three WCC tournament titles, and made six NCAA Tournaments and four NITs.
RECRUITS — The Waves signed two players to letters-of-intent for 2009-10 during the early-signing period. They are 6-foot-3 point guard Josh Lowery (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) and 6-foot-9 forward/center Tanner Kerry (Sydney, Australia).
WCC PRESEASON POLL — Thankfully, the coaches got it wrong. Pepperdine is assured of doing better than predicted, as the Waves were picked to finish eighth in the conference’s preseason poll, done by a vote of the coaches. The predicted order of finish went Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Portland, Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.
LAST SEASON — The midseason resignation of Vance Walberg and several player departures that followed contributed to Pepperdine’s third straight losing season, as the Waves finished 11-21 overall and sixth in the WCC at 4-10. They defeated Portland in the first round of the WCC Tournament before falling to eventual champion San Diego in the quarterfinals.
PEPPERDINE HISTORY — This is the 71st season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2008-09 with an all-time record of 1,102-887 (.554). Pepperdine has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002), and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994).
BEST IN THE WEST — Over the 30-season period from the 1978-79 season through the 2007-08 campaign, Pepperdine has proven itself as one of the top Division I programs on the West Coast. Of the 31 schools that currently play Division I basketball in California, Oregon or Washington, the Waves began the 2008-09 season ranking third overall in postseason appearances (16) and fifth in both wins (516) and winning percentage (.575) over the past 30 years.
WCC HALL OF HONOR — Pepperdine great Doug Christie will be among the first class inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor at the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas in March. Christie was a two-time All-American and WCC Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992. The other seven set to be inducted are Hank Gathers (Loyola Marymount), Frank Burgess (Gonzaga), Clive Charles (Portland), Carroll Williams (Santa Clara), Tom Meschery (Saint Mary’s), Bernie Bickerstaff (San Diego) and Joe Ellis (San Francisco).
WAVES IN THE PROS — Several former Pepperdine players have gone on to play in the NBA, most notably Dennis Johnson (the 1979 NBA Finals MVP) and Doug Christie (a 15-year NBA veteran who was a mainstay on the All-Defensive Team). This is the 33rd consecutive season where at least one Pepperdine alum has been on an NBA roster. Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his third season overall and his first with the Miami Heat. Alex Acker began the season with the Detroit Pistons but has come home after being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Some recent players have been playing in foreign countries, including Brandon Armstrong (Ukraine), Casey Crawford (Mexico), Tashaan Forehan-Kelly (New Zealand), Jelani Gardner (Greece), Kelvin Gibbs (Germany), Chase Griffin (Germany), Dana Jones (Switzerland) and Glen McGowan (Dominican Republic) and Levy Middlebrooks (Mexico). Robert "Hollywood" Turner, formerly a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, is now playing in Germany.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men’s sports — one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine’s teams are ranked nationally year after year and several compete for conference and national titles.
TICKETS — Men’s basketball single-game tickets cost $15 (lower reserved), $12 (upper reserved), $10 (adult general admission) or $5 (children general admission). Call (866) WAVE-TIX to purchase tickets.
GOOD NEWS — The return of Tom Asbury and his staff and the immediate impact they have made has led to some notable successes that haven’t been seen here in a while ... Pepperdine is assured of its most conference wins since at least 2005 ... The last time the Waves were at 5-5 or better at the 10-game mark of WCC play was 2004 ... The three-game winning streak is Pepperdine’s first in conference play since February 2004 (the Waves won five in a row then) ... Coupled with last Thursday’s 66-60 win over Santa Clara, Pepperdine had its first two-game weekend sweep in WCC action since January 2005.
KEION BELL — A strong candidate for WCC Freshman of the Year honors, Keion Bell has proven himself as a rising star in the conference. He is averaging team bests of 12.7 points overall (13th in the WCC and third among conference freshmen) and 16.1 points in conference play (seventh in the WCC, second among freshmen). He has scored in double-figures in nine of 10 conference games, and is averaging 17.8 ppg over the last eight games (all in double-figures). He nearly set or tied two school records in the win at San Francisco on Jan. 29. His 32 points were two shy of the Pepperdine freshman record and his 13-for-14 shooting was one field goal made short of the single-game record for field-goal percentage. Though he stands just 6-foot-3, he has three double-doubles in conference play, and his 6.2 rebounds per conference game leads the team and is 10th in the WCC (second among freshmen).RYAN HOLMES — Pepperdine’s rapid improvement in recent weeks has a direct correlation to the return to form by senior point guard Ryan Holmes. He missed 12 straight non-conference games with a knee sprain, and the Waves missed his steady play and leadership by going 2-10 without him in the lineup. Even as he returned from the injury, Holmes only collected a total of two points, three rebounds and three assists in his first five games back on the court. But in the last five games (where Pepperdine is 4-1), Holmes is averaging 11.4 points and 4.0 assists.
DEFENSE — Pepperdine can attribute its three-game winning streak to its effort on the defensive end. The Waves are allowing just 51.7 points over the last three contests and have held those opponents to 33.3% shooting from the floor. Rebounding has also been a positive, with a combined +22 rebounding margin in the games against Santa Clara and San Diego.
CLOSE GAMES — Pepperdine has improved to 6-5 in games decided by nine or fewer points (4-2 in games decided by five or fewer points).COMEBACKS — Three of Pepperdine’s victories have come after rallying from double-digit deficits. The Waves trailed by 11 points in the first half vs. Coppin State, by 15 points early in the second half vs. Santa Clara (as well as by eight points with four minutes remaining) and by 11 points in the first half vs. San Diego.
FREE THROWS — Pepperdine currently leads the WCC in free throw percentage at 70.7%. The Waves would like to get there a little more, as they’ve only shot 417 free throws compared to 547 for opponents. Seven of Pepperdine’s regulars are at 70% or above, but only Keion Bell appears in the WCC individual leaders (sixth place at 75.3%). A few others have higher percentages, including Lorne Jackson at 82.6%, but don’t have enough attempts to qualify.
ROTATION — Among the 10 players that got into the game against San Diego, eight were freshmen or sophomores and six weren’t on the roster last year. Pepperdine has been starting three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior lately. Prior to that, the Waves had started four freshmen and one sophomore for nine straight games. The Waves have played five freshmen on the court at one time on an occasional basis.
FRESHMAN SCORING — Last year, freshmen scored 63.6% of Pepperdine’s points. It’s almost assured that the new group of freshmen will lead the way in 2008-09 as well. Right now they account for 57.6% of the scoring, compared to 26.5% by the sophomores and 15.9% by the seniors. The two games where freshmen contributed the most were at Hawaii and vs. Portland (76%). The freshmen have been the highest-scoring class in all but two games.
STAT LEADERS — In the WCC, Keion Bell is third in steals (1.65), sixth in free throw percentage (.753) and 13th in scoring (12.7) ... Taylor Darby is tied for seventh in rebounding (6.7) ... Andy Shannon is 10th in blocked shots (0.82) ... Dane Suttle Jr. is 12th in three-point field goal percentage (.372) ... Ryan Holmes is 14th in assists (2.29) ... Corbin Moore is 15th in rebounding (4.7) ... Mychel Thompson is 20th in scoring (10.1).OTHER SEASON NOTABLES — The win over Cal State Monterey Bay gave the Waves their first victory in a season opener since 2001-02 ... Veteran broadcaster Al Epstein called his 700th consecutive Pepperdine men’s basketball broadcast vs. Pacific on Dec. 13 ... The game at Cal State Northridge on Dec. 18 was the 2,000th in program history ... The Waves beat Loyola Marymount in Firestone Fieldhouse for the 11th consecutive time ... Pepperdine won its conference opener (vs. LMU) for the first time since 2005 ... The season sweep of LMU was Pepperdine’s third in a row, and the Waves have now won 22 of the last 24 meetings.
ROSTER — The Waves have just five players that saw action last season. Only four of them were on the roster at season’s end, and because of injuries, only two of them played in the 2007-08 season finale at the WCC Tournament. The five returners accounted for 40.2% of last year’s scoring (950/2,365), 32.0% of the rebounding (357/1,117), 59.6% of the assists (239/401), 16.4% of the blocked shots (21/128) and 57.9% of the steals (183/316). To replenish the roster, the Waves added 10 newcomers. Two are sophomores that are junior college transfers, six are scholarship freshmen and two others are walk-on freshmen. Of the 15 players, 12 are underclassmen. The breakdown is three seniors, zero juniors, four sophomores and eight freshmen.
AGRE OUT — Sophomore center Denis Agre, in his first season at Pepperdine after transferring from Central Arizona College, became academically ineligible at the start of the semester. He averaged 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds and started seven of the first 16 games.
RETURNERS — Three players — senior Rico Tucker (10.7 ppg last season), sophomore Mychel Thompson (8.1 ppg) and senior Ryan Holmes (6.0 ppg) — were starters in 2007-08. Senior Mike Hornbuckle (5.5 ppg) saw extended playing time last season and started half of the 32 games. Sophomore Gus Clardy (1.3 ppg), a walk-on, appeared in 16 games last season.
NEWCOMERS — When Tom Asbury was hired in February 2008, he was given a very late start to the recruiting process. The three recruits that signed letters-of-intent with the previous coaching staff were given their release, and several players transferred following the season. With many holes to fill, Asbury and his staff utilized their contacts, identified the best of the remaining unsigned talent that fit their needs and put together a very impressive group under the circumstances. The Sporting News ranked Pepperdine’s recruiting class #2 in the West Coast Conference.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE — The home schedule should have been much more palatable to Waves fans in 2008-09. A year after playing just three non-conference home games, Pepperdine supporters were treated to eight this time around, including ones against such big-time opponents as Brigham Young and Georgia Tech, and in-state rivals such as Cal State Bakersfield, UC Irvine and Pacific. A few of the road games were notable too, including contests at Pac-10 foes Arizona State and USC. The Waves also took part in the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii right after Christmas.
TELEVISION — The Waves will appear on television several times once again in 2008-09. Six games will be shown locally (Nov. 21 at Arizona State on FSN Prime Ticket, Jan. 10 vs. Loyola Marymount on ESPNU, Jan. 22 vs. Gonzaga on FSN West, Feb. 14 vs. San Diego on FSN West, Feb. 21 at Gonzaga on ESPNU and Feb. 26 vs. Saint Mary’s on FSN West). A few other games will be televised out of market (Nov. 21 at New Mexico State on FSN Arizona, Dec. 28 vs. Buffalo on KFVE in Hawaii, Jan. 17 at Saint Mary’s on Comcast Sports Net California).
TOM ASBURY — It was announced on Feb. 19, 2008, that the architect of one of the best stretches in Pepperdine history, Tom Asbury, was returning to Malibu to become the Waves’ head coach again. Asbury was previously at Pepperdine for 15 seasons, the first nine as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He then served as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was most recently an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first six seasons with the Waves and 210-147 (.588) in his first 12 seasons overall as a head coach. The Waves went to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, ’92, ’94) and two in the NIT (1989, ’93). Pepperdine won three regular-season West Coast Conference titles, finished no worse than second in any of his six seasons and compiled a league record of 66-18 (.786). Pepperdine’s only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury.
ASSISTANTS — Tom Asbury wanted to find assistants with a passion for Pepperdine and an understanding of its mission, so he turned to three former student-athletes. It’s believed that Duke and Pepperdine have the only two college basketball staffs where the assistant coaches are all alums. Associate head coach Marty Wilson (1985-89) and assistant coaches Damin Lopez (1990-94) and Will Kimble (2001-03) played in three different eras, all successful. In the 13 seasons that made up their playing careers, Pepperdine went a combined 261-135 (.659), had 12 winning seasons, won six WCC regular-season titles and three WCC tournament titles, and made six NCAA Tournaments and four NITs.
RECRUITS — The Waves signed two players to letters-of-intent for 2009-10 during the early-signing period. They are 6-foot-3 point guard Josh Lowery (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) and 6-foot-9 forward/center Tanner Kerry (Sydney, Australia).
WCC PRESEASON POLL — Thankfully, the coaches got it wrong. Pepperdine is assured of doing better than predicted, as the Waves were picked to finish eighth in the conference’s preseason poll, done by a vote of the coaches. The predicted order of finish went Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Portland, Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.LAST SEASON — The midseason resignation of Vance Walberg and several player departures that followed contributed to Pepperdine’s third straight losing season, as the Waves finished 11-21 overall and sixth in the WCC at 4-10. They defeated Portland in the first round of the WCC Tournament before falling to eventual champion San Diego in the quarterfinals.
PEPPERDINE HISTORY — This is the 71st season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2008-09 with an all-time record of 1,102-887 (.554). Pepperdine has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002), and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994).
BEST IN THE WEST — Over the 30-season period from the 1978-79 season through the 2007-08 campaign, Pepperdine has proven itself as one of the top Division I programs on the West Coast. Of the 31 schools that currently play Division I basketball in California, Oregon or Washington, the Waves began the 2008-09 season ranking third overall in postseason appearances (16) and fifth in both wins (516) and winning percentage (.575) over the past 30 years.WCC HALL OF HONOR — Pepperdine great Doug Christie will be among the first class inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor at the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas in March. Christie was a two-time All-American and WCC Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992. The other seven set to be inducted are Hank Gathers (Loyola Marymount), Frank Burgess (Gonzaga), Clive Charles (Portland), Carroll Williams (Santa Clara), Tom Meschery (Saint Mary’s), Bernie Bickerstaff (San Diego) and Joe Ellis (San Francisco).
WAVES IN THE PROS — Several former Pepperdine players have gone on to play in the NBA, most notably Dennis Johnson (the 1979 NBA Finals MVP) and Doug Christie (a 15-year NBA veteran who was a mainstay on the All-Defensive Team). This is the 33rd consecutive season where at least one Pepperdine alum has been on an NBA roster. Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his third season overall and his first with the Miami Heat. Alex Acker began the season with the Detroit Pistons but has come home after being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Some recent players have been playing in foreign countries, including Brandon Armstrong (Ukraine), Casey Crawford (Mexico), Tashaan Forehan-Kelly (New Zealand), Jelani Gardner (Greece), Kelvin Gibbs (Germany), Chase Griffin (Germany), Dana Jones (Switzerland) and Glen McGowan (Dominican Republic) and Levy Middlebrooks (Mexico). Robert "Hollywood" Turner, formerly a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, is now playing in Germany.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men’s sports — one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine’s teams are ranked nationally year after year and several compete for conference and national titles.TICKETS — Men’s basketball single-game tickets cost $15 (lower reserved), $12 (upper reserved), $10 (adult general admission) or $5 (children general admission). Call (866) WAVE-TIX to purchase tickets.
Men's Hoops Returns to Chiles Center for Final Homestand
2/16/2009 2:07:19 PM
Live Stats I Live Audio I Live Video Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game Information
The University of Portland men’s basketball team will play its final two regular season home games this week at the Chiles Center. Portland, second in the West Coast Conference standings entering the week, will host Pepperdine on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Loyola Marymount on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets for both games are available through all Ticketmaster outlets (www.ticketmaster.com, 503-224-4400) or by visiting the Pilot Box Office at the Chiles Center, Mon. – Fri., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The games will be aired live on AM 970 and streamed live at portlandpilots.com.
The Pilots (16-9, 7-3 WCC) have posted the program’s most wins in a season since advancing to the NCAA Tournament and finishing with a 19-11 record in 1996. Pepperdine (8-18, 5-5) is one of the hottest teams in the WCC having won four of their last five games, including a home sweep of San Diego and Santa Clara last weekend. Loyola Marymount (2-24, 1-9) also has some momentum after knocking off San Diego and narrowly losing to Santa Clara last week.
About The Pilots
The Pilots (16-9, 7-3) remain alone in second place in the WCC standings after splitting on the road last weekend. Portland defeated San Francisco (72-67) before losing at Saint Mary’s (77-65). Despite struggling throughout most of the first half against USF, the Pilots made 8-of-9 three-pointers after halftime to put the game out of reach. Sophomore G Jared Stohl had a game-high 16 points, including 4-for-5 from three-point range. Junior PG T.J. Campbell added 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The Pilots had a 31-29 lead at the half against the Gaels, but committed 16 turnovers and were outscored 48-34 in the second half. Junior G Nik Raivio had 16 to lead the Pilots, while Campbell added 15 and junior F Robin Smeulders 13. Portland has won nine of its last 12 games and has secured the program’s highest season win total since posting a 19-11 record and going to the 1996 NCAA Tournament. Portland has also guaranteed its first above-.500 season since finishing 14-13 in 1998.
Portland ranks third nationally as a team in three-point shooting (.411), while Stohl is fifth in the nation individually (.456, min. 2.5 per game). Stohl leads the WCC in three-pointers made (2.9), while Campbell paces the conference in three-point percentage (.541) and is second in assists (4.9). Raivio leads four Pilots averaging double figures and is fourth in the WCC in scoring at 16.2 points per game.
The Pilots lead the league in three-pointers made (8.1) and assists (15.0). The team’s 70.7 points per game average is third in the league and 7.6 points higher than last year’s average.
Portland has put itself in contention for a top half of the WCC finish and at least a first round bye at the WCC Tournament, which is to be played at a neutral site (Las Vegas, Nev.) for the first time in history. The top two seeds earn two byes and an automatic semifinals appearance. Portland currently has a half game lead over Saint Mary’s for second place in the league standings and control’s its own destiny for a second-place finish.
Head coach Eric Reveno returns 80 percent of the team’s scoring and 87 percent of its rebounding from last year’s squad. Picked to finish sixth in the WCC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Reveno’s roster features eight underclassmen and no seniors.
One of the main focuses for the program throughout the offseason was improving in the weight room. The results are noticeable, as every player has either added good basketball weight or dropped pounds, if necessary. The Pilots play 11 games this season against teams that advanced to postseason play last year.
About Pepperdine
The Waves (8-18, 5-5) have won three in a row and four of their last five games, positioning themselves in the hunt for a surprising top half finish in the WCC. Entering Thursday’s game, Pepperdine is alone in fifth place, half a game behind Santa Clara. The Waves swept Santa Clara (66-60) and San Diego (57-52) at home last weekend. Freshman G Keion Bell was named the WCC Player of the Week after averaging 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals in the two wins.
Head coach Tom Asbury returned this season to Pepperdine, where he was a former assistant and head coach. Asbury has a very young roster which features three freshman starters. Bell and sophomore forward Mychal Thompson (10.1 ppg) pace the Waves in scoring. Pepperdine is allowing opponents an average of 72.7 points per game and are shooting just 39.5 percent from the field, but have surrendered only 57.2 points in the last five contests.
Asbury was at Pepperdine for 15 seasons, the first nine as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He then served as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-00 and was most recently an assistant at Alabama from 2004-07. The Waves went to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, ’92, ’94) and two berths in the NIT (1989, ’93) during Asbury’s first run with the program.
Portland-Pepperdine Series Notes
All-Time: Pepperdine leads 52-26
At PEP: PEP leads 24-11
At UP: PEP leads 23-14
At Neutral: PEP leads 5-1
Current Streak: POR, 1 win
Last Five: UP leads 3-2
Last Meeting: Portland 73, Pepperdine 58 (1/24/09, at Pepperdine)
2/16/2009 2:07:19 PM
Live Stats I Live Audio I Live Video Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game Information
The University of Portland men’s basketball team will play its final two regular season home games this week at the Chiles Center. Portland, second in the West Coast Conference standings entering the week, will host Pepperdine on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Loyola Marymount on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets for both games are available through all Ticketmaster outlets (www.ticketmaster.com, 503-224-4400) or by visiting the Pilot Box Office at the Chiles Center, Mon. – Fri., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The games will be aired live on AM 970 and streamed live at portlandpilots.com.
The Pilots (16-9, 7-3 WCC) have posted the program’s most wins in a season since advancing to the NCAA Tournament and finishing with a 19-11 record in 1996. Pepperdine (8-18, 5-5) is one of the hottest teams in the WCC having won four of their last five games, including a home sweep of San Diego and Santa Clara last weekend. Loyola Marymount (2-24, 1-9) also has some momentum after knocking off San Diego and narrowly losing to Santa Clara last week.
About The Pilots
The Pilots (16-9, 7-3) remain alone in second place in the WCC standings after splitting on the road last weekend. Portland defeated San Francisco (72-67) before losing at Saint Mary’s (77-65). Despite struggling throughout most of the first half against USF, the Pilots made 8-of-9 three-pointers after halftime to put the game out of reach. Sophomore G Jared Stohl had a game-high 16 points, including 4-for-5 from three-point range. Junior PG T.J. Campbell added 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The Pilots had a 31-29 lead at the half against the Gaels, but committed 16 turnovers and were outscored 48-34 in the second half. Junior G Nik Raivio had 16 to lead the Pilots, while Campbell added 15 and junior F Robin Smeulders 13. Portland has won nine of its last 12 games and has secured the program’s highest season win total since posting a 19-11 record and going to the 1996 NCAA Tournament. Portland has also guaranteed its first above-.500 season since finishing 14-13 in 1998.
Portland ranks third nationally as a team in three-point shooting (.411), while Stohl is fifth in the nation individually (.456, min. 2.5 per game). Stohl leads the WCC in three-pointers made (2.9), while Campbell paces the conference in three-point percentage (.541) and is second in assists (4.9). Raivio leads four Pilots averaging double figures and is fourth in the WCC in scoring at 16.2 points per game.
The Pilots lead the league in three-pointers made (8.1) and assists (15.0). The team’s 70.7 points per game average is third in the league and 7.6 points higher than last year’s average.
Portland has put itself in contention for a top half of the WCC finish and at least a first round bye at the WCC Tournament, which is to be played at a neutral site (Las Vegas, Nev.) for the first time in history. The top two seeds earn two byes and an automatic semifinals appearance. Portland currently has a half game lead over Saint Mary’s for second place in the league standings and control’s its own destiny for a second-place finish.
Head coach Eric Reveno returns 80 percent of the team’s scoring and 87 percent of its rebounding from last year’s squad. Picked to finish sixth in the WCC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Reveno’s roster features eight underclassmen and no seniors.
One of the main focuses for the program throughout the offseason was improving in the weight room. The results are noticeable, as every player has either added good basketball weight or dropped pounds, if necessary. The Pilots play 11 games this season against teams that advanced to postseason play last year.
About Pepperdine
The Waves (8-18, 5-5) have won three in a row and four of their last five games, positioning themselves in the hunt for a surprising top half finish in the WCC. Entering Thursday’s game, Pepperdine is alone in fifth place, half a game behind Santa Clara. The Waves swept Santa Clara (66-60) and San Diego (57-52) at home last weekend. Freshman G Keion Bell was named the WCC Player of the Week after averaging 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals in the two wins.
Head coach Tom Asbury returned this season to Pepperdine, where he was a former assistant and head coach. Asbury has a very young roster which features three freshman starters. Bell and sophomore forward Mychal Thompson (10.1 ppg) pace the Waves in scoring. Pepperdine is allowing opponents an average of 72.7 points per game and are shooting just 39.5 percent from the field, but have surrendered only 57.2 points in the last five contests.
Asbury was at Pepperdine for 15 seasons, the first nine as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He then served as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-00 and was most recently an assistant at Alabama from 2004-07. The Waves went to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, ’92, ’94) and two berths in the NIT (1989, ’93) during Asbury’s first run with the program.
Portland-Pepperdine Series Notes
All-Time: Pepperdine leads 52-26
At PEP: PEP leads 24-11
At UP: PEP leads 23-14
At Neutral: PEP leads 5-1
Current Streak: POR, 1 win
Last Five: UP leads 3-2
Last Meeting: Portland 73, Pepperdine 58 (1/24/09, at Pepperdine)
Men's Hoops Goes Cold in Portland
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 02/19/2009
Pepperdine-Portland Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. — The coldest shooting night of the season cost the Pepperdine men’s basketball team as the Waves fell 74-45 at Portland in a West Coast Conference game on Thursday evening.
The Waves (8-19, 5-6), who shot a season-low 23.3% from the field, saw their season-high three-game winning streak come to an end. Portland (17-9, 8-3) remained in second place in the WCC with the victory.
Freshman guard Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Westchester HS/Summit College Prep) scored a team-high 13 points, his most in WCC play this season, and went 8-for-11 from the free-throw line. Freshman guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) scored 12 points, his ninth straight game in double-figures, and also had eight rebounds and three assists.
The Pilots broke out to a 39-18 halftime lead as the Waves shot just 23% (7-for-30) from the field, including 0-for-11 from three-point range. Pepperdine had a six-minute scoring drought as Portland built a 21-6 lead at the 10-minute mark. Senior guard Mike Hornbuckle (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian HS/Azusa Pacific) made a jumper with 9:59 left, but the Waves managed just four free throws over the next eight-plus minutes as the Pilots extended their lead to 32-12.
Freshman center Corbin Moore (Cypress, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) scored the first basket of the second half, but the Pilots scored the next 11 points to make it a 30-point lead at 50-20 with 15:25 to play. The Waves missed their first 16 three-point attempts before Suttle finally connected with one with 9:12 to go, but that only made the score 60-31.
The Waves entered the game as the WCC’s top free throw shooting team at 71%, but their cold shooting even extended to the charity stripe, as they went 15-for-27 (55.6%). Pepperdine finished 2-for-20 on three-pointers (10.0%). The Pilots shot 47.5% from the field and 47.1% (8-for-17) on three-pointers.
All 14 players that were available got into the game. Eleven were freshmen or sophomores and nine weren’t on the roster last year.
The Waves continue their Pacific Northwest road swing at #17 Gonzaga on Saturday (Feb. 21) at 8:30 p.m. The game will be shown on ESPNU. Subscribers to “Wave Casts” at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?DB_OEM_ID=18500 can listen to Al Epstein’s call of the action.
