Men's Hoops Wins Tourney, Falls in OT
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information Release: 11/29/2009
Pepperdine-Wyoming Box Score
LARAMIE, Wyo. - Freshman guard Joshua Lowery hit a three-pointer with nine seconds left to send the game to overtime, but the Pepperdine men's basketball team ended up falling to host Wyoming, 86-82, on Sunday in the final game of the World Vision Challenge.
Pepperdine (3-4) had already earned the tournament title before the game tipped off, but had hoped to go through the event undefeated after earlier wins over Hampton and Monmouth. Wyoming improved to 3-4.
Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS), the tournament MVP, scored a game-high 28 points and averaged 26.7 over the three games.
Junior forward Jonathan Dupre' (Houston, Texas/Collin County CC) had 16 points, sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) had 11 points and Lowery added 10.
The Waves overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half and still trailed by 11 with less than five minutes to play when they began their comeback. Bell had a couple of baskets and Lowery also hit a three-pointer with 1:20 to play. Junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) made a lay-up with 25 seconds left to cut the Cowboy lead to 79-76, and after a Wyoming turnover, Lowery's three-pointer tied the game. Both teams missed shots in the final seconds of regulation.
In overtime, a jumper by Bell tied the score at 81-81, but the Cowboys scored five of the game's final six points.
Sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) also made the all-tournament team after averaging 15.3 points over the three games.
Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury was making his first-ever appearance at his alma mater as a visiting coach.
The Waves play their fifth straight game away from Firestone Fieldhouse next Saturday (Dec. 5) at Cal Poly at 7 p.m. Fans can listen to Al Epstein's broadcasts at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
Nov 30, 2009 2:32 am US/Pacific
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PEPPERDINE-WYOMING Davis, Wyoming turn back Pepperdine 86-82 in OTLARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — A.J. Davis scored 20 points as Wyoming edged Pepperdine 86-82 in overtime Sunday in the World Vision Basketball Challenge.The Cowboys (3-4) lost a 13-point second-half lead but outscored the Waves 7-3 in overtime for their lone victory of the tournament.Tournament MVP Keion Bell scored 28 points for the Waves (3-4), who won the event with victories over Hampton and Monmouth.The Cowboys led by 11 with 4:49 to play. But Pepperdine tied it on a 3-pointer by Joshua Lowery with 9 seconds left.Davis' steal and layup with 2:33 left in overtime put the Cowboys in front for good at 83-81.Thomas Manzano and Adam Waddell scored 15 each for the Cowboys, with Djibril Thiam adding 10.Jonathan Dupre (doo-PRAY') scored 16 for Pepperdine, followed by Lorne Jackson with 11 and Lowery with 10.
Davis, Wyoming turn back Pepperdine 86-82 in OT
Nov 29, 8:02 pm EST
Preview Box Score Recap
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP)—A.J. Davis scored 20 points as Wyoming edged Pepperdine 86-82 in overtime Sunday in the World Vision Basketball Challenge.
The Cowboys (3-4) lost a 13-point second-half lead but outscored the Waves 7-3 in overtime for their lone victory of the tournament.
Tournament MVP Keion Bell scored 28 points for the Waves (3-4), who won the event with victories over Hampton and Monmouth.
The Cowboys led by 11 with 4:49 to play. But Pepperdine tied it on a 3-pointer by Joshua Lowery with 9 seconds left.
Davis’ steal and layup with 2:33 left in overtime put the Cowboys in front for good at 83-81.
Thomas Manzano and Adam Waddell scored 15 each for the Cowboys, with Djibril Thiam adding 10.
Jonathan Dupre scored 16 for Pepperdine, followed by Lorne Jackson with 11 and Lowery with 10.
Davis, Wyoming turn back Pepperdine 86-82 in OT
The Associated Press
Posted: 11/29/2009 05:00:17 PM PST
Updated: 11/29/2009 05:55:20 PM PST
LARAMIE, Wyo.—A.J. Davis scored a career-high 20 points as Wyoming edged Pepperdine 86-82 in overtime Sunday in the World Vision Basketball Challenge. The Cowboys (3-4) lost a 13-point second-half lead but outscored the Waves 7-3 in overtime for their lone victory of the tournament.
"I thought it was a really good win for our guys, to come back after three tough days and to bounce back short-handed and gut it out for a win against a really good team," Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. "I couldn't be happier for my guys."
Tournament MVP Keion Bell scored 28 points for Pepperdine (3-4), which won the tournament based on victories over Hampton and Monmouth. The Cowboys appeared to be in control in the second half, leading by 11 with 4:25 to play. But Pepperdine chipped away and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Joshua Lowery with 11 seconds left. Wyoming's JayDee Luster missed an off-balance jumper with 2 seconds left, and Bell had a chance to win it in regulation but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Davis, who scored five of Wyoming's seven overtime points, got a steal and jumper with 2:23 left in OT to put the Cowboys in front for good 83-81. "I just trusted my teammates, and they just trusted me," Davis said. "Coach emphasizes trust, and he just wants us to come out and play as one, whether it's as a coaching staff or as a team, and that's what we did." Thomas Manzano and Adam Waddell scored 15 points each for the Cowboys, with Djibril Thiam adding 10.
Jonathan Dupre scored 16 for Pepperdine, followed by Lorne Jackson with 11 and Lowery with 10. "We made too many mistakes to win the game," Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury said. "We put them on the foul line too many times. I think we may have been a little tired. Three games in three days is a grind, but we all had to do it. "Overall, I'm happy with my young team's performance."
The Cowboys shot just 41 percent and hit only 4 of 18 3-pointers, but Wyoming had only three 3-pointers in 39 attempts in its previous three games, all losses. Two early 3-pointers by Ryan Dermody and Davis gave them a boost, Schroyer said. "I think the difference was just making a couple of shots from the perimeter in the first half," Schroyer said. "I could sense that the guys were more relaxed
Recap: Wyoming vs. Pepperdine
By Sports Network; The Sports Network
Published: 11/29/09 5:46 pm
A.J. Davis tallied 20 points as the Wyoming Cowboys held on for an 86-82 overtime victory over the Pepperdine Waves as part of the World Vision Basketball Challenge at Arena Auditorium in Laramie.
Adam Waddell netted 15 points for Wyoming (3-4), which got 10 points from Djibril Thiam.
Keion Bell, the MVP of the tournament, racked up 28 points in defeat for Pepperdine (3-4). Jonathan Dupre finished with 16 points for the Waves, and Lorne Jackson added 11 points.
The Cowboys, who surrendered just 37.9 percent shooting from the floor in the game, led 36-31 at intermission.
Wyoming led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but Pepperdine fought back and forced overtime with a three-pointer by Joshua Lowery with nine seconds remaining. That clutch shot tied the score at 79-79.
A layup by Davis midway through the low-scoring extra session put the Cowboys up for good.
LARAMIE, Wyo. -
The Wyoming Cowboy Basketball team will host the 2009 World Vision Challenge over Thanksgiving weekend. The tournament will be played at the Arena-Auditorium from Friday through Sunday and will feature two games each day. The Cowboys will welcome Pepperdine, Hampton and Monmouth to the tournament.
The Cowboys will open the tournament against Monmouth on Friday at 7:30 p.m., will then play Hampton on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and will finally play Pepperdine on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Schedule/Tie-Breaker Info
Multimedia coverage of each game is listed below...
Friday, Nov. 27 - Hampton vs. Pepperdine (H), 4:30 p.m. MTLive Stats Complete Game Statistics in PDF Format
Friday, Nov. 27 - Monmouth vs. Wyoming (H), 7:30 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference Complete Game Statistics in PDF Format , Game Recap
Saturday, Nov. 28 - Pepperdine vs. Monmouth (H), 4:30 p.m. MTLive Stats Complete Game Statistics in PDF Format
Saturday, Nov. 28 - Hampton vs. Wyoming (H), 7:30 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference Complete Game Statistics in PDF Format , Game Recap
Sunday, No. 29 - Monmouth vs. Hampton (H), 12 p.m. MTLive Stats Complete Game Statistics in PDF Format
Sunday, No. 29 - Pepperdine vs. Wyoming (H), 3 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference
The naming rights to the tournament were donated to World Vision by Basketball Travelers, Inc
Davis, Wyoming turn back Pepperdine 86-82 in OT
The Associated Press
Posted: 11/29/2009 05:00:17 PM PST
Updated: 11/29/2009 05:55:20 PM PST
LARAMIE, Wyo.—A.J. Davis scored a career-high 20 points as Wyoming edged Pepperdine 86-82 in overtime Sunday in the World Vision Basketball Challenge.
The Cowboys (3-4) lost a 13-point second-half lead but outscored the Waves 7-3 in overtime for their lone victory of the tournament.
"I thought it was a really good win for our guys, to come back after three tough days and to bounce back short-handed and gut it out for a win against a really good team," Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said.
"I couldn't be happier for my guys."
Tournament MVP Keion Bell scored 28 points for Pepperdine (3-4), which won the tournament based on victories over Hampton and Monmouth.
The Cowboys appeared to be in control in the second half, leading by 11 with 4:25 to play. But Pepperdine chipped away and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Joshua Lowery with 11 seconds left.
Wyoming's JayDee Luster missed an off-balance jumper with 2 seconds left, and Bell had a chance to win it in regulation but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Davis, who scored five of Wyoming's seven overtime points, got a steal and jumper with 2:23 left in OT to put the Cowboys in front for good 83-81.
"I just trusted my teammates, and they just trusted me," Davis said. "Coach emphasizes trust, and he just wants us to come out and play as one, whether it's as a coaching staff or as a team, and that's what we did."
Thomas Manzano and Adam Waddell scored 15 points each
for the Cowboys, with Djibril Thiam adding 10.
Jonathan Dupre scored 16 for Pepperdine, followed by Lorne Jackson with 11 and Lowery with 10.
"We made too many mistakes to win the game," Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury said. "We put them on the foul line too many times. I think we may have been a little tired. Three games in three days is a grind, but we all had to do it.
"Overall, I'm happy with my young team's performance."
The Cowboys shot just 41 percent and hit only 4 of 18 3-pointers, but Wyoming had only three 3-pointers in 39 attempts in its previous three games, all losses. Two early 3-pointers by Ryan Dermody and Davis gave them a boost, Schroyer said.
"I think the difference was just making a couple of shots from the perimeter in the first half," Schroyer said. "I could sense that the guys were more relaxed and were not as uptight. We were able to knock down shots, and we guarded pretty well."
A.J. Davis scored 20 points in Wyoming's 86-82 win over Pepperdine on Sunday.
Men's Basketball Home
Nov. 29, 2009
LARAMIE, Wyo.(AP) -- A.J. Davis scored 20 points as Wyoming edged Pepperdine 86-82 in overtime Sunday in the World Vision Basketball Challenge.
The Cowboys (3-4) lost a 13-point second-half lead but outscored the Waves 7-3 in overtime for their lone victory of the tournament.
Tournament MVP Keion Bell scored 28 points for the Waves (3-4), who won the event with victories over Hampton and Monmouth.
The Cowboys led by 11 with 4:49 to play. But Pepperdine tied it on a 3-pointer by Joshua Lowery with 9 seconds left. Davis' steal and layup with 2:33 left in overtime put the Cowboys in front for good at 83-81.
Thomas Manzano and Adam Waddell scored 15 each for the Cowboys, with Djibril Thiam adding 10.
Jonathan Dupre scored 16 for Pepperdine, followed by Lorne Jackson with 11 and Lowery with 10.
HAWKS FALL 82-73 TO PEPPERDINE IN WORLD VISION CHALLENGE
Courtesy: Monmouth Sports Information
Boxscore: Pepperdine 82, Monmouth 73
LARAMIE, WYO. - Despite 20 points from Whitney Coleman, Travis Taylor's second straight double-double and five three-pointers from Justin Sofman, the Monmouth men's basketball team fell to Pepperdine University 82-73, in its second contest in the 2009 World Vision Challenge, at the Arena-Auditorium on Saturday. Coleman, who scored a team-high 24 points in the Hawks' victory over host Wyoming the night before, went 6-for-12 from the field for his second straight 20-point outing.
Taylor, who added 13 points and 10 rebounds recorded his third career double-double, while Sofman tied a season-best with his five treys, and eight rebounds. Ed Waite added 10 points for the Blue and White, while James Hett (who has played all 80 minutes in the two games so far) notched eight assists and four boards. Mike Myers Keitt chipped in nine points and three rebounds off the bench for the Hawks.Monmouth snared an early 6-3 edge as Sofman drained consecutive three-pointers within a minute, but the Waves responded with a 10-2 spurt - five of which came from the free throw line - to take a 13-8 lead with 13:50 remaining. Sofman's third trifecta off an inbounds play, pulled the Hawks within 13-11 with 9:25 showing and Myers Keitt's traditional three-point play made the score 15-14 at 8:02. Pepperdine took a 19-16 advantage on Keion Bell's offensive rebound and putback, but the Hawks answered with a Taylor basket off a feed from Coleman to tie the score at 19-19 and took a 22-21 lead on Sofman's wing trey with 4:05 left until the break. Monmouth extended its lead to 23-21 on a Taylor free throw, but the Waves outscored the Hawks 8-4 to end the stanza, and take a 29-27 lead at the half.
Pepperdine went ahead 28-23, after back-to-back three-pointers, but a Taylor dunk, and Coleman's long two-pointer with 2.0 seconds left, pulled the Hawks within a pair at the break. Both teams hit three's out of the break, and Coleman's second trey of the half trimmed the lead to 34-33 with 18:55 on the clock. The Waves then scored the next seven points to grab a 41-33 advantage with 17:11 showing.Pepperdine put together a 12-5 run to grab a 15-point advantage with 11:52 remaining, as the Waves took a 53-38 lead on Mychel Thompson's three-point play.Six points from Sofman, including his fifth three-pointer, and a layup from Myers Keitt pulled Monmouth within 55-46 with just under nine minutes to play.
After Myers Keitt's two free throws trimmed the lead to 57-48 with 8:11 left, back-to-back Bell baskets reclaimed a 61-48 advantage for the Waves. Coleman netted the next five points for the Hawks, as Monmouth climbed within 61-53 with 5:52 left in the game.Taylor, who was fouled after tracking down an offensive rebound, connected on a pair of free throws to make the score 63-56 with 4:36 showing. Coleman's three-pointer with 1:50 on the clock pulled the Hawks within 72-65, and a Waite lay-in made the tally 78-73 with 21.0 ticks left, but Pepperdine made four free throws in the final seconds to hold on for the 82-73 win. Bell, who scored 24 second-half points, netted a game-high 34 points for the Waves (3-3).Monmouth (2-4) returns to action in the 2009 World Vision Basketball Challenge, on Sunday, when the Hawks face Hampton at noon.
The naming rights to the tournament were donated to World Vision by Basketball Travelers, Inc. As a Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision aims to contribute to a 75 percent reduction in malaria cases, with the end goal of nearly zero preventable malaria deaths by 2015. World Vision works in 62 malaria-endemic countries, 23 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Bell's 34 Points Lead Waves Past Monmouth
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/28/2009
Pepperdine-Monmouth Box Score
LARAMIE, Wyo. - Behind a career-high 34 points from sophomore guard Keion Bell, the Pepperdine men's basketball team won for the second day in a row with an 82-73 victory over Monmouth at Wyoming's World Vision Challenge on Saturday.
Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) hit 11 of 16 shots from the field and went 1-for-2 on three-pointers and 11-for-12 on free throws. He surpassed his previous career high of 32 points, set last year at San Francisco. Bell also had nine rebounds, four assists and four steals today.
Pepperdine improved to 3-3 overall and is 2-0 in the tournament.
Sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Summit College Prep) contributed 16 points, one day after scoring a game-high 22 points in a 75-66 victory over Hampton. He hit four three-pointers today, bringing his two-day total to nine.
Junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) added 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Waves committed just four turnovers while forcing 14, leading to a 24-6 edge in points off turnovers. Pepperdine also outshot Monmouth (2-4), 46.3% to 40.0%.
Three-pointers by Suttle and Bell toward the end of the first half gave the Waves a 28-23 lead, one they would never relinquish. Pepperdine went into the break with a 29-27 lead.
Waves Shoot Down Hampton, 75-66
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 11/27/2009
Pepperdine-Hampton Box Score
(LARAMIE, Wyo. - Sophomore forward Dane Suttle Jr. scored a career-high 22 points and made all five of his three-pointers to help lead the Pepperdine men's basketball team to a 75-66 victory over Hampton on Friday at Wyoming's World Vision Challenge. The Waves (2-3) also got 18 points from sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS), who narrowly missed his fifth straight 20-point game.
Suttle scored 18 of his points in the first half, including all five three-pointers, as Pepperdine rallied from an early eight-point deficit to take a 31-28 lead at halftime.
Hampton (0-5) tied the game just once in the second half at 42-42 with 10:56 left, but Bell scored the game's next seven points on a three-pointer, a steal and lay-up and another lay-up to put the Waves in front to stay. Bell scored 15 of his 18 in the second half.
Hampton got as close as three points at 53-50 with under seven minutes to play, but sophomore center Corbin Moore (Cypress, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) scored five quick points, helping the Waves go up by 10 for the first time when Bell hit a free throw with 4:25 left, making it 65-55.
The Waves shot a season-best 51.0% and held the Pirates to 30.9% shooting, a low this season by a Pepperdine opponent. The Waves' bench, led by Suttle, outscored Hampton's 39-10. Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury is making his first-ever appearance at his alma mater as a visiting coach.
This was the first of three games that Pepperdine will play in the World Vision Challenge. The Waves take on Monmouth on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m. PT, and host Wyoming on Sunday at 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT. Fans can listen to Al Epstein's broadcasts at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
November 28th, 2009 by MonmouthMarcPepperdine wins 75-66 over Hampton. Monmouth schocks Wyoming 75-73 in night cap.
Pepperdine was led by Dane Suttle Jr's 5 threes and career high 22 points along with star guard Keion Bell's 18,6 and 5. Hampton again failed to win a game down the stretch, but was led by Darriem Pullem's 16.In the nightcap, it was an affair of two teams devastated by missing key players. Wyoming was missing star forward Adam Muojoke (20.8 ppg), and Monmouth was missing starting center Dutch Gaitley and 6th man/2nd leading scorer Will Campbell (12.3 ppg) due to the flu.
Also, forward Mike Myers-Keitt went down in the second half to an ankle injury and did not return. Wyoming was led by 22 points by Desmar Jackson. Monmouth relied mostly on 6 players, with Travis Taylor going for a double double (10/10), Ed Waite offerring up 11 points and 8 boards in his first career start, MMK hit for 11 before leaving with the ankle injury, James Hett had a solid floor game (3 pts, 6 rbs, 6 assts), Justin Sofman poured in 16 including 5 threes and 5th year senior guard Whitney Coleman broke out of his early season slump for 24 points, including the game winning jumper with 3.6 seconds left.
MU looks to continue this momentum tomorrow against Pepperdine, and Wyoming looks to get back on track for their home fans as they host Hampton in Day 2 of the World Vision Challenge. I couldn't be happier for Whitney Coleman. A great leader and a class act. As a team the Hawks showed some mettle and I love to see mental toughness and a will to win despite being short handed. latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-southland28-2009nov28,0,2649252.story
latimes.com
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Pepperdine beats Hampton, 75-66
November 28, 2009
MEN Pepperdine 75, Hampton 66: Dane Suttle scored a career-high 22 points for the Waves in the World Vision Challenge at Laramie, Wyo. Pepperdine (2-3) overcame an early eight-point deficit and rode hot outside shooting by Suttle, who made all five of his three-point attempts in the first half. Keion Bell scored 18 points for the Waves, who made six free throws in the final 1:23 to seal the win. Darrion Pellum and Michael Freeman each scored 16 points for the Pirates (0-4).
2009 World Vision Challenge
Four-team tournament hosted by the University of Wyoming, Nov. 27-29.
Men's Basketball Home
LARAMIE, Wyo. -
The Wyoming Cowboy Basketball team will host the 2009 World Vision Challenge over Thanksgiving weekend. The tournament will be played at the Arena-Auditorium from Friday through Sunday and will feature two games each day. The Cowboys will welcome Pepperdine, Hampton and Monmouth to the tournament.
The Cowboys will open the tournament against Monmouth on Friday at 7:30 p.m., will then play Hampton on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and will finally play Pepperdine on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Schedule/Tie-Breaker Info
Multimedia coverage of each game is listed below...
Friday, Nov. 27 - Hampton vs. Pepperdine (H), 4:30 p.m. MTLive Stats
Friday, Nov. 27 - Monmouth vs. Wyoming (H), 7:30 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference
Saturday, Nov. 28 - Pepperdine vs. Monmouth (H), 4:30 p.m. MTLive Stats
Saturday, Nov. 28 - Hampton vs. Wyoming (H), 7:30 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference
Sunday, No. 29 - Monmouth vs. Hampton (H), 12 p.m. MTLive Stats
Sunday, No. 29 - Pepperdine vs. Wyoming (H), 3 p.m. MTLive Stats, Listen to live game audio, Watch live postgame video press conference
The naming rights to the tournament were donated to World Vision by Basketball Travelers, Inc. As a Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision aims to contribute to a 75 percent reduction in malaria cases, with the end goal of nearly zero preventable malaria deaths by 2015. World Vision works in 62 malaria-endemic countries, 23 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Suttle scores 22 as Pepperdine tops Hampton 75-66
7 hours, 24 minutes ago
Preview Box Score Recap
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP)—Dane Suttle scored a career-high 22 points as Pepperdine pulled away from Hampton 75-66 Friday in the World Vision Challenge.
Pepperdine (2-3) overcame an early eight-point deficit to ride hot outside shooting by Suttle, who hit all five of his 3-point attempts in the first half.
Darrion Pellmum and Michael Freeman both scored 16 points for Hampton (0-4). Charles Funches finished with 11 points and Vincent Simpson had 10 for the Pirates.
Keion Bell scored 18 points for Pepperdine, which led 31-28 at halftime and only 53-50 with 6:54 to go. Corbin Moore then scored five points and the Waves hit six free throws in the final 1:23 to seal the win.
The Waves shot 51 percent from the field (26 of 51), to just 31 percent for Hampton (17 of 55).
11/23/2009 11:12:46 PM
HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s and women’s basketball teams will have a busy week, as the Pirates and Lady Pirates take to the road for games before Thanksgiving and tournaments after the holiday.
The Pirates will head to Laramie, Wyo. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the World Vision Basketball Challenge. On top of playing the host Cowboys of the University of Wyoming, Hampton will also take on Monmouth (1-2) and Pepperdine (2-2). The Pirates will face Pepperdine on Friday at 6:30 p.m. EST, before facing Wyoming on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. EST and Monmouth on Sunday at 2 p.m. EST. The Pirates have never faced Wyoming (3-1) or Pepperdine, but are 0-2 all-time against Monmouth. The Hawks won the first meeting between the two teams on Nov. 24, 2003, beating Hampton 64-52, before taking a 71-49 win on March 14, 2006 in the opening round game in the NCAA Tournament. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at http://www.hamptonpirates.com/.
Waves Prepare for World Vision Challenge
Click on the above video player for an interview with Jonathan Dupre'.
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Notes (PDF)
November 25, 2009
THE FACTS - Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury returns to his alma mater as the Waves take part in the World Vision Challenge, hosted by Wyoming, this weekend. The four-team, round-robin tournament also includes Hampton and Monmouth. Pepperdine is in the midst of a five-game stretch away from Firestone Fieldhouse.
GAME #5 - Friday (Nov. 27) at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyo.: Pepperdine (1-3) vs. Hampton (0-3) at 4:30 p.m MT/3:30 p.m. PT.
GAME #6 - Saturday (Nov. 28) at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyo.: Pepperdine vs. Monmouth (1-3) at 4:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m PT.
GAME #7 - Sunday (Nov. 29) at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyo.: Pepperdine (1-2) at Wyoming (2-1) at 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT.
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 25th season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Home games will have live audio and video, while road 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.
WORLD VISION - The naming rights to the tournament were donated to World Vision by Basketball Travelers, Inc. As a Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision aims to contribute to a 75 percent reduction in malaria cases, with the end goal of nearly zero preventable malaria deaths by 2015. World Vision works in 62 malaria-endemic countries, 23 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. For more information, visit www.endmalaria.org.
HAMPTON - This is the first meeting between Pepperdine and Hampton. The Pirates were picked fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's preseason coaches poll.
MONMOUTH - Monmouth earned a 56-54 win in Malibu during the 1989-90 season, the only previous meeting between the two schools. The Hawks' Alex Blackwell scored on a putback with one second left for the game-winner. It was Tom Asbury's second year as head coach. Monmouth was picked ninth out of 12 teams in the Northeast Conference's preseason coaches poll.
WYOMING - Pepperdine and Wyoming have split their two previous meetings, both of which took place in Laramie. The Cowboys won 75-68 in December 1959 and the Waves won 72-69 in March 2001 in an NIT first-round matchup. Assistant coach Will Kimble appeared briefly in that game and the Waves were led by Brandon Armstrong's 29 points. Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury graduated from Wyoming in 1968 and was a three-year letterman on the men's basketball team, and was team captain his senior year when the Cowboys advanced to the NCAA Tournament. This is Asbury's first trip back to his alma mater as an opposing coach. Wyoming, which took part in the College Basketball Invitational last season, was picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West Conference's preseason media poll.
LAST GAME - Keion Bell continued his exceptional start, but UCLA pulled away in the final eight minutes as the Waves lost in Pauley Pavilion, 71-52, on Monday night. Bell had a game-high 22 points, 19 of which came in the second half, for his fourth straight game with 20 or more points. Unfortunately, no one else on Pepperdine had more than six points as UCLA outshot the Waves 54.3% to 41.3%. UCLA led by eight at halftime (28-20) but Bell's big second half helped Pepperdine stay close for a while. It was still just a five-point game (48-43) with a little more than eight minutes left before UCLA went on a 12-1 run to break away.
SUPER SOPHS - Last season, Pepperdine's eight-man freshman class scored more than half of the Waves' points (57.4%). After four games, the now-sophomore class has contributed 74.0% of Pepperdine's scoring.
BELL'S BIG START - Keion Bell scored 20 points against Pacific, 21 against Long Beach State and 22 against both Cal State San Bernardino and UCLA. Last year as a freshman, despite being Pepperdine's leading scorer (12.9 ppg), he had a total of only three 20-point games the entire season (none that were back-to-back). The last Pepperdine player to score 20 or more points in four straight games was Glen McGowan in January 2005. The last to do in in five straight was Terrance Johnson in February/March 2003. The last member of the Waves to start a season with four 20-point games was Dane Suttle Sr. in 1982-83 (his streak ended at six).
MORE ABOUT BELL - Keion Bell is saving his best for last. He's averaged 5.3 points in the first half and 16.0 points after halftime ... He needs just three points for 500 in his career ... In the WCC's statistical rankings, he is #2 in scoring (21.3), tied for #6 in assists (3.8), tied for #7 in steals (1.8) and tied for #10 in rebounding (6.5).
TEAM CAPTAIN - Mychel Thompson was selected as team captain for 2009-10 after a landslide vote by his teammates. The junior forward is Pepperdine's only player that has been with the team for two full seasons. Now in his third year as a starter, he is averaging 8.7 points for his career and made 91 three-pointers.
YOUTUBE SENSATION - Keion Bell, a preseason All-WCC first team selection, got Pepperdine a ton of publicity in mid-October. At Blue & Orange Madness, Pepperdine's event to kick off the start of practice, the sophomore guard finished up the dunk contest by leaping over five teammates and slamming it home. A Pepperdine fan happened to record the dunk on his iPhone and uploaded it onto YouTube. It quickly spread around the internet and at last check had nearly 1.1 million hits. ESPN's SportsCenter picked up the video and made the dunk the #2 Play of the Day.
WCC PRESEASON POLL - According to the WCC's coaches, the Waves are predicted to finish seventh in the conference. Their poll went in the following order: Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Francisco and Santa Clara (tied), San Diego, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. Several national publications and websites have differing opinions on the Waves, including fourth (The Sporting News), fifth (The Sports Network), sixth (Athlon and Lindy's) and seventh (Rivals.com, CBSSports.com and CollegeHoops.net).
ROSTER - Pepperdine returns 11 letterwinners from last season (believed to be among the most in school history). There are also five newcomers, bringing the roster total to 16. There are no seniors on the squad, and 12 of the 16 players are underclassmen. The roster features four juniors, seven sophomores and five true freshmen. Twelve are on scholarship and four are walk-ons.
RETURNERS - Four of the five starters from last year's team return (Keion Bell, Taylor Darby, Corbin Moore and Mychel Thompson). Pepperdine's returning players account for 82.5% percent of last year's scoring (1629/1974), 88.3% of the rebounds (919/1041), 65.4% of the assists (223/341), 95.0% of the blocked shots (96/101) and 77.2% of the steals (166/215).
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - Tom Asbury believes in preparing his team for league play with a difficult non-conference slate of games, and so that's what the Waves are in the midst of. The Waves play six games against non-conference teams that took part in the postseason last year: Portland State, UCLA and Utah made the NCAA Tournament, Miami (Fla.) was in the NIT, Wyoming was in the College Basketball Invitational and Pacific was in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Nine of the 16 non-conference games are at home.
TELEVISION - The Waves are slated to appear on television several times once again in 2009-10. Six games will be shown locally - Nov. 23 at UCLA on Fox Sports West, Jan. 14 vs. Santa Clara on ESPNU, Jan. 21 at Gonzaga on Prime Ticket (delayed), Jan. 30 vs. San Diego on Prime Ticket, Feb. 18 vs. Portland on Prime Ticket and Feb. 20 vs. Gonzaga on Fox Sports West.
TOM ASBURY - Now in his second stint in charge of the Waves is coaching great Tom Asbury. He returned to Malibu prior to the 2008-09 campaign to become the Waves' head coach again after 14 seasons away. Asbury was previously at Pepperdine for nine years as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He went on to serve as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first head coaching job at Pepperdine and took the Waves 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 WCC titles and the school's only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury. Prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, his seven-year record at Pepperdine was 134-82 (.620) and his 13-year record as a head coach was 219-170 (.563).
ASSISTANTS - Upon his return, 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.
LAST SEASON - Tom Asbury's return to Pepperdine brought much-needed stability to the program in his first season back. With only five players returning, Asbury and his new staff brought in 10 newcomers well after the regular letter-of-intent signing period. The young Waves posted a 9-23 overall record but got much better as the year went on, placing sixth in the WCC with a 5-9 record and winning a first-round game at the WCC Tournament. Keion Bell was named to the WCC All-Freshman team after averaging a team-best 12.9 ppg.
PEPPERDINE HISTORY - This is the 72nd season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2009-10 with an all-time record of 1,111-910 (.550). 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 - Pepperdine has long been one of the top Division I programs on the West Coast. Over the 31-season period from the 1978-79 season through the 2008-09 campaign, of the 32 schools that currently play Division I basketball in California, Oregon or Washington, the Waves began the 2009-10 season ranking third overall in postseason appearances (16) and fifth in both wins (525) and winning percentage (.565) over the past 31 years.
WAVES IN THE PROS - This is the 34th consecutive season where at least one Pepperdine alum has been on an NBA roster. Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his fourth season overall and his second with the Miami Heat. A total of 16 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). Some recent players have been playing in foreign countries, including Alex Acker (Italy), Tezale Archie (Netherlands), Brandon Armstrong (Venezuela), Gerald Brown (Poland), Jelani Gardner (Greece), Kelvin Gibbs (Germany), Chase Griffin (Germany), Dana Jones (Switzerland) and Glen McGowan (Dominican Republic). Robert "Hollywood" Turner, formerly a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, is now playing in Finland.
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 compete for conference and national titles.
Classic Cowboy returns for World Vision Classic
By BOB HAMMOND Boomerang Sports Editor:
There once was a time when basketball was considered to be mostly a finesse game. As players grew bigger, stronger and faster over the years, physical was added to the equation. Now it is a game that blends physicality with finesse. The University of Wyoming has had a number of players over the years where the physical side of the game was a big part of their repertoire.Among the first Cowboy players to receive a considerable amount of media attention for the physical part of the game was current Pepperdine head basketball coach Tom Asbury, whose Waves are among three other teams competing with Wyoming in the World Vision Basketball Classic today through Sunday in the Arena-Auditorium.
The round-robin tournament will feature two games a day in the A-A. Hampton and Monmouth are also taking part. Asbury’s physicality and non-stop hustle, along with the red shade his skin would turn during a game, made the former Denver George Washington High School star a Cowboy crowd favorite during his playing days in the mid-1960s. “I guess I considered myself a reasonably physical player. I played with a lot of guys who were more finesse players,” said Asbury, whose Cowboy teammates included UW Hall of Famers Flynn Robinson and Dick Sherman in his early years, and the likes of Harry Hall, Mike Eberle, Cliff Nelson, Bobby Wilson and Gary Van Krosigk in his senior campaign. “I don’t think I quite get as red anymore … that was kind of the way I played. Now that I’m not playing and just coaching, I probably still get a little pink in the face,”
Asbury added with a laugh. Asbury, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound forward, was recruited to Wyoming by and played under then Cowboy coach Bill Strannigan. He lettered three years (1965-67) at UW. The Cowboys posted a combined record of 48-33 in the years that he lettered.In his senior year at UW, Asbury was a team captain and earned All-Western Athletic Conference honors while leading the Cowboys to the WAC championship and into the NCAA Tournament.During that final season, center Ken Collins was suspended from the team early and the Cowboys had to make a nice run at the end to finish the year at 15-14 overall. The Cowboys won nine of their last 11 games, including the last seven, to win the WAC and get into the NCAA Tournament.One of those victories was a 65-64 win over New Mexico and former Lobo great Mel Daniels in The Pit. “That was a great moment in my Cowboy career,” Asbury said. “I think it was the first game they ever lost in The Pit when Daniels was playing. If we hadn’t upset New Mexico we wouldn’t have won the WAC or went to the NCAAs that year.”
Asbury finished his Cowboy career with 630 points and 530 rebounds in 78 games.“We had some great years … great years in football and basketball,” Asbury recalled. “My last two years there, the football team was 10-1 (and played in the Sun Bowl and Sugar Bowl).“All the athletes were close and both programs were very successful. We had a great time. My senior year we won the championship and went on to play UCLA (and Lew Alcindor, who later became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in the NCAAs.“ It was a great era for Wyoming athletics,” he added. That wasn’t the end of Asbury’s stint at Wyoming. He later returned as an assistant coach under Don DeVoe (1976-78) and then Jim Brandenburg (1978-79). Asbury also interviewed for the head basketball coaching position at Wyoming — in 1977 and again in 1993.He wasn’t offered the job in 1977 … it went to Jim Brandenburg. In 1993 he was offered the job, but turned it down. The job eventually went to Joby Wright.“
The timing wasn’t right either time,” Asbury said. Now, Asbury will be returning to Laramie this weekend for the first time in more than two decades.“I’m really looking forward to it,” Asbury said. “I haven’t been back to Laramie in a long time. I’m from Denver and I very rarely get back there anymore either. My parents are gone and so is my brother. I don’t have a lot of relatives left in the Denver area.” Still, he expects one of his nephews — his brother’s son — and a number of friends from the Denver area as well as some of his friends from school to be in town this weekend for the tournament.“It won’t be a huge crew because it’s not a very good weekend (Thanksgiving),” he added.
Asbury is in his second year and the second time around at Pepperdine. In his first stint (1988-94) he guided the Waves to an overall record of 125-59. He was the conference coach of the year twice and took Pepperdine to three NCAA Tournaments and two NIT appearances.“We kind of were where Gonzaga is now,” Asbury said. “The reason we left is that we kind of got bored. We had it pretty easy. That’s when I went to Kansas State.” Things didn’t go as well at Kansas State. The Wildcats went 85-88 in his six seasons before he was let go. After a few years in private business and then four years (2003-07) as an assistant at Alabama, he returned to Pepperdine.“We were gone 14 years and they had seven head coaches. The program was at rock-bottom when I got back,” Asbury said.
In his first season lat year, the Waves went 9-23. They are 1-3 so far this season.“We’re still a young team with two freshmen point guards, and they are 1-2. That’s like having two freshmen quarterbacks,” Asbury said. “We are primarily a freshman and sophomore team with no seniors. As young as we were last year, we really haven’t got much older.“ We are trying to rebuild this program from the grass roots up. We’re young and inexperienced although I think we may be a little better than last year. We are still one or two years away from being even remotely close to where we were when I left in 1994,” he added.
With the joyous feelings of the Big Game win and Thanksgiving break now officially over, the Bears get back to work this week in preparation for the regular season finale against Washington 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Seattle. Earlier this week, Cal running back Shane Vereen -- who has become the toast of the town after his magnificent performance against StanfordOne year is a fluke. Two years might be a little luck. Three years is a great mini-streak. But eight years? How do you explain that?
With now almost a full decade of stellar play out of the running backs, it is clear that a big reason for Cal's success on the ground has to do with position coach Ron Gould.
The list of athletes who have excelled under his tutelage stretch deep, as well as the realization that pretty much all of them buy into the "team" concept. The latest standout athlete to make waves is sophomore Shane Vereen, who put on a performance of a lifetime last week against Stanford.
BearTerritory caught up with Cal's outstanding assistant coach earlier this week to get his take on the season to date.
Chris NguonBear Territory.net Senior Writer
Vereen has been spectacular is replacement of Best
BearTerritory: In your career, have you ever had a RB carry 42 times?
COACH GOULD: It was an amazing game for Shane. I've never had a running back during my entire coaching career carry the ball 42 times. When somebody mentioned that to me? I was shocked. If I had known, I wouldn't have given him that many carries.
What does that say about Shane?
COACH GOULD: He has a tremendous work ethic. His preparation is great. I've been so fortunate because Shane is a vocal guy, who is also a leader. Just watching him out here throughout the week and throughout practice has been unbelievable.
How was Vereen's psyche leading up to the game?
COACH GOULD: When I can look into a kid's eyes and see his heart beat, that's a great thing. I was able to see that with Shane (leading up to the Stanford game). I saw how hungry he was.
Did you say anything to Shane before the game?
COACH GOULD: I told him before the game that I wanted him to play with a chip on his shoulder. After the game, we had a chance to talk and he said, "Coach, that was something I needed to do."
Where does Vereen rank in the hierarchy of D-I ball carriers?
COACH GOULD: He's one of the better 'backs in the country in my humble opinion.
Shane seems a like a "team-first" guy. True?
COACH GOULD: He's one of the most unselfish young men I've been around. Obviously, he can be playing a lot of places throughout the country because he's such a good 'back.
Why does it seem like the backup here is always ready to play?
COACH GOULD: One thing I never promise any young man is that they are going to start. I tell them that they'll get a chance to compete and if they are the best guy, they'll play. I've been fortunate because I view Shane as a starter. I don't view him as a backup. He's been a starter ever since he's been here. He's done a fabulous job.
True that your group accepts their roles on the team for the sake of the team?
COACH GOULD: There are going to be games where one guy is going to get more carries than the others. The bottom line though is that whoever goes into the game, he must be productive. That's the bottom line. Those guys do a great job of helping each other and fostering that kind of mentality and attitude. Their positive attitude is infectious. That kind of stuff permeates and spreads throughout a team because they see that this guy or that guy is so unselfish. They say, "Wow, this guy is a talent, but he never complains and always comes to work." It's amazing. I'm definitely very blessed to have those type of kids.
How about an individual player's attitude?
COACH GOULD: I want guys that want to play. If you are not a competitor and that something inside you is saying, "I can do more," then something is wrong.
COACH GOULD: One of the things that kids do is that when I'm on their butt all the time, sometimes they go in the tank. Mentally, Covaughn now understands that I'm trying to help him get better. He's really done a great job mentally and also understanding the game from a conceptual point of view.
What were your initial feelings when you saw Jahvid go down?
COACH GOULD: Very first thing I did was pray. I went over there and saw him laying down on the field, I said a prayer for him. Every one of these kids are like my surrogate sons. I do care about them and care more about them than just what happens on the football field. The first and only thing I was thinking about was Jahvid's health. The most important thing is that I just want him to be healthy from a physical, mental and emotional standpoint.
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