Men's Hoops Downed by San Diego
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 01/30/2010
Pepperdine-San Diego Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine men's basketball team's offense could never get going on Saturday night, and the result was a 66-44 victory for San Diego in West Coast Conference play at Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Waves (7-16, 3-4) were held to 25.5% shooting by the Toreros (9-14, 2-5), who ended a five-game losing streak.
Only junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) was able to find the mark for the Waves, as he made five of 11 shots and scored 14 points.Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) made three shots and scored eight points, but no one else for the Waves had more than four points or made more than one field goal.
San Diego, which shot 41.8%, got 17 points and 10 rebounds from Chris Manresa, 12 points from Matt Dorr and 11 points from Brandon Johnson.
Pepperdine took its largest lead of three points at 9-6 after a jumper by freshman forward Tanner Kerry (Sydney, Australia) and a basket by sophomore forward Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS). The Toreros scored the next six points, however, and didn't trail again. Though the Waves shot 29.0% from the floor in the first half, they trailed by just six at 29-23 at halftime.
Thompson had a couple of baskets early in the second half, and it was still just a six-point game at 34-28 with a little more than 17 minutes to play. But Pepperdine went nearly 15 minutes without a field goal from then on, and before freshman guard Joshua Lowery (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) ended the drought with a bucket with 2:35 left, the Toreros had pulled ahead by 26 at 64-38. The Waves shot 4-for-20 from the field in the second half.Pepperdine, which has no seniors and has a roster where 12 of the 16 players are underclassmen, has been led in scoring by its sophomore class in 23 of 23 games this season.
The Waves begin the second half of conference play at rival Loyola Marymount next Saturday (Feb. 6) at 7:30 p.m. It will be preceded by the women's game at 5 p.m. Points will be up for grabs in the newly created PCH Challenge. Fans can listen to Al Epstein's broadcast at http://www.pepperdinesports.com/?SPSID=90183&SPID=10851&DB_OEM_ID=18500 with a subscription to Wave Casts.
San Diego bounces Pepperdine to end five-game skid
MALIBU, Calif. -- Chris Manresa helped San Diego snap a five-game losing streak by scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in a 66-44 win over Pepperdine on Saturday night.
It was the best game of Manresa's career on both scoring and rebounding. Matt Dorr finished with 12 points for the Toreros (9-14, 2-5 West Coast) and Brandon Johnson added 11.
The Toreros went 23-for-55 from the field (42 percent) and made 7 of 17 tries from long distance. The Waves (7-16, 3-4) were cold from the field, shooting just 13-for-51 for 25 percent. Mychel Thompson was the only player to score double-digits with 14 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
Men's Hoops Hosts USD on Saturday Night
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 01/29/2010
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Notes
THE FACTS - The Pepperdine men's basketball team finishes off the first half of the West Coast Conference season at home against San Diego on Saturday in a game that will be televised by Prime Ticket. With a win, the Waves would keep hold of fourth place and move to 4-1 at home in conference play. That could be vital as five of the last seven games are on the road.
GAME #23 - Saturday (Jan. 30) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine (7-15, 3-3) vs. San Diego (8-14, 1-5) at 7 p.m.
TELEVISION - Saturday's San Diego game will be aired live on Prime Ticket. Paul Sunderland and Michael Cage are the announcers.
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. Most 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 Wave Casts link. 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.
PROMOTIONS - Saturday is the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers event to raise awareness in the battle against cancer ... The first 300 Pepperdine students will get a free Pepperdine cinch-up bag ... A lucky Pepperdine student will take part in a $10,000 halftime shootout ... The EA Sports NCAA Basketball 2010 Tournament Challenge will be held, with the winning Pepperdine student earning a trip to the WCC Basketball Tournament ... If the Waves are victorious and score 75 points or more in an upcoming home game, certificates will be given out afterward for a free piece of grilled chicken from the KFC in Malibu.
TICKETS - Men's basketball single-game tickets cost $15 (lower reserved), $12 (upper reserved), $10 (adult general admission) or $5 (child general admission). Call (866) WAVE-TIX to purchase tickets.
SAN DIEGO - Pepperdine is 53-32 all-time against San Diego, with a 23-7 record in Malibu. The Waves won at home last season, 57-52, ending a nine-game win streak by the Toreros. USD lost five in a row coming into Saturday's game.
LAST GAME - Keion Bell scored more than 20 points for the third game in a row but Pepperdine lost at home to Saint Mary's, 88-71, on Thursday night. The Waves lost in Firestone Fieldhouse for the first time in conference play after opening 3-0. The Gaels, who had a 56.1%-36.4% shooting edge, won for the eighth time in their last nine games and are now 18-3. Bell had 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Mychel Thompson added 16 points and Lorne Jackson scored 14. Saint Mary's led 41-36 at halftime and was ahead by double-digits for most of the second half.
ROSTER - There are no seniors on the 2009-10 squad, and 12 of the 16 players are underclassmen. The roster features four juniors, seven sophomores and five true freshmen. Pepperdine does return 11 letterwinners from last season (believed to be among the most in school history). Twelve players are on scholarship and four are walk-ons.
SOPHOMORE SCORERS - Last season, Pepperdine's eight-man freshman class scored more than half of the Waves' points (57.4%). So far, the now-sophomore class has contributed 66.8% of Pepperdine's scoring. The sophomores have been the top-scoring class in every game this season.
THE TRIO - Lately, the Waves have been at their best when Keion Bell, Mychel Thompson and Lorne Jackson are all on. In Pepperdine's six conference games, they have averaged a combined 50.3 points per game (that's more than two-thirds of all of the Waves' scoring).
KEION BELL - Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) has been one of the most exciting and prolific players on the West Coast in 2009-10. He is currently averaging 20.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He now ranks #2 in the WCC and #25 in the nation in scoring (he ranked as high as ninth nationally in early December). He is the third-highest scorer in the nation among sophomores. After a good weekend where his averages rose, he is again one of just two players in the country averaging at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists (Dominique Jones of South Florida is the other). Bell has scored more than 20 points in 12 games this season, including a career-high 37 at Gonzaga. He's been in double-figures in every game but two. At the pace he's on, he could become Pepperdine's 35th 1,000-point scorer by the end of his sophomore season (he's got 858). In the WCC rankings, he's also fourth in steals (1.6), sixth in assists, sixth in minutes (32.6) and 17th in rebounding.
BELL'S 37-POINT GAME - The 37-point performance by Keion Bell at Gonzaga on Jan. 21 was extremely memorable for many reasons: 34 of the 37 points came in the second half ... He set the McCarthey Athletic Center record for points by an opponent ... Along with his 34-point game vs. Monmouth, he has the two highest scoring games in the WCC this season ... His second-half slam dunk over Gonzaga 7-footer Robert Sacre made ESPN SportsCenter's Plays of the Day ... Bell made 14 of 21 shots, three of four three-pointers and six of eight free throws ... He scored 22 of Pepperdine's first 24 second-half points in an eight-minute span ... The last time a Pepperdine player scored more points was in January 2001 when Brandon Armstrong notched 40 against Loyola Marymount ... It tied as the 24th-best single-game performance in Pepperdine history, and by players other than scoring great Bird Averitt, it was the eighth best.
MYCHEL THOMPSON - Junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) was selected as team captain for 2009-10 after a landslide vote by his teammates. He is Pepperdine's only player that has been with the team for two full seasons. Thompson is averaging 12.2 points this season (second-best on the team) and 9.7 points for his career. He has broken into Pepperdine's career top 10 in three-pointers made this season (he's now #8 with 127, Tom Lewis is #7 at 132). Since a rough start to his season from beyond the arc (0-for-21), Thompson has made 36 of 79 (46%). He's been in double-figures in six of the last seven games and is averaging 14.5 ppg in conference play. He scored a career-high-tying 25 points in a win vs. Utah. In conference play, he has a 3.6 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio (18 to 5). Thompson's 6-for-7 three-point performance vs. LMU nearly equaled the school record for single-game percentage (6-for-6, 1.000).
LORNE JACKSON - Sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) is averaging 14.3 points per game in conference play, and he has seen his overall scoring average increase to 9.2 ppg. He's scored in double-figures in five of six conference games, including a career-high 21 vs. San Francisco. He's also averaging 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in WCC games.
2009-10 NOTABLES - The Waves were down 12 to Cal State San Bernardino with 8 1/2 minutes to play but came back to win by three ... The Waves were the team champion at the World Vision Challenge in Wyoming ... Pepperdine's win over Utah came against a 2009 NCAA Tournament team ... In the 150th meeting ever with LMU, the Waves came back from a 17-point first-half deficit to post a victory in the first game of WCC play ... Pepperdine beat Santa Clara at home for the 13th time in the last 14 meetings ... Pepperdine started 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2005 and 3-0 for the first time since 2002 (a year that the Waves started 11-0 en route to a 13-1 record and a tie for first in the WCC with Gonzaga) ... At 3-0, the Waves were three games over .500 in league play for the first time since 2004 ... Although it was a loss, the Waves' seven-point defeat at Gonzaga was an excellent effort and gave them their closest margin of defeat in Spokane in the last 10 years.
2009-10 HONORS - Keion Bell was named to the preseason All-WCC first team ... Bell (26.7 ppg) was named MVP of the World Vision Challenge at Wyoming and Dane Suttle Jr. (15.3 ppg) also made the all-tournament team ... Mychel Thompson was named WCC co-Player of the Week on Jan. 11 after scoring a game-high 22 points and making six of seven three-pointers in a win vs. LMU ... Lorne Jackson was named WCC co-Player of the Week on Jan. 18 after averaging 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in victories over Santa Clara and San Francisco ... Pepperdine has two WCC POTW honors in the same season for the first time since 2004-05, and had its first back-to-back winners since December 2002.
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).
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).
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.
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.
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.
HECTOR HAROLD - There are no seniors on the roster but Pepperdine had one scholarship to offer for 2010-11. During the early signing period, they inked Hector Harold, a 6-foot-6 small forward from the Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) School. He was given a rating of 88 out of 100 by ESPN.com's recruiting site and is considered one of the top seniors in New England. He is originally from Pasadena, Calif.
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 did for the first 16 games of the season. The Waves played 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 were at home.
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 standouts 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.
San Diego (8-14) at Pepperdine (7-15)
By Sports Network - The Sports Network
GAME NOTES: A couple of slumping West Coast Conference squads clash in Malibu tonight, as the San Diego Toreros encounter the Pepperdine Waves at Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Toreros opened WCC play with a win over Santa Clara, but have failed in five straight attempts to build upon that initial victory. Most recently, the team was clipped at Loyola Marymount, 68-65, on Thursday, as San Diego fell to 8-14 overall and 2-6 on the road.
As for Pepperdine, it made headlines in the WCC with a fast 3-0 start to the conference season. The Waves however, have been brought back to reality with three consecutive defeats, including an 88-71 loss to Saint Mary's on Thursday.
Pepperdine leads the head-to-head series with San Diego, 53-32, and that includes a 23-7 record when playing in Malibu. The Toreros had three chances to either tie or take the lead in the final 19 seconds, but couldn't get any of their attempts to go down in a 68-65 loss at LMU on Thursday. San Diego, which led 33-26 at the half, shot only 38.7 percent from the over the final 20 minutes, including just a 2-of-12 effort from downtown. Chris Manresa turned in 15 points and seven boards to lead the team in the setback, while Matt Dorr and De'Jon Jackson each chipped in with 10 points. Brandon Johnson however, finished with just three points and that is well below his team-high 14.7 ppg average for the season. Jackson ranks second with 12.4 ppg and he is a 36.3 percent three-point shooter.
Pepperdine shot just 36.4 percent from the floor compared to a much better 56.1 percent effort by SMC, as it was handled on Thursday. The Waves didn't have much luck from beyond the arc either, going just 4-of-17 on the night. Keion Bell paced the team in defeat with 24 points and seven boards, while Mychel Thompson logged 16 points and five rebounds. On the season, Bell is averaging a healthy 20.3 ppg to lead the Waves and he is also collecting 5.1 rpg and dishing out 4.0 apg. Thompson is a distant second with 12.2 ppg and he adds 5.3 rpg to the mix.
Both of these teams are struggling right now, but go with the Waves, as Bell should be able to carry them to victory tonight.
January 29, 2010
Game Notes: St. Mary’s at Pepperdine
by Sean Ceglinsky
For those who haven’t heard of the name Omar Samhan, you’re not alone. The senior center from St. Mary’s, a borderline 7-footer, close to 275-pounds, is a relative unknown on the national level. That is, for the time being.
Dominating efforts on both ends of the floor, similar to the one displayed Thursday night in an 88-71 victory over Pepperdine, leads us to believe that his days of receiving little, or no, recognition could be coming to an end soon.
The Waves had no answer for the big man. He scored 23 points, on 11-14 shooting from the field, to go along with 19 rebounds and 3 blocks in 34 minutes of action. By most accounts, that’s an effort worthy of a second look.
That’s where SLAMonline comes in. If we don’t give this dude some props, there’s a very good chance that no one in the country will.
On offense, the best part about Samhan’s game is he’s basketball smart, often times playing within himself and taking what the defense gives him.
That’s not to say that he can’t be decisive when called upon. Once Samhan puts his mind to it, getting to the bucket with a drop-step or a step-through isn’t much of a problem. Ask the Pepperdine big men, they can vouch for that fact.
An improving jumper tends to keep opponents honest out on the perimeter, although he doesn‘t possess great range. That facet of his game could use some work, most definitely, especially if plans on playing beyond college.
Samhan is an active defender who’s not afraid to mix it up and get after things. The opposition doesn’t matter. Undersized and quicker posts, dudes his own size or bigger, he welcomes the challenge. He’s relentless on the boards, grabbing every ball in sight. And his length and timing enables him to alter and block plenty of shots.
Sounds like a ringing endorsement right?
We’re not the only ones that think he has potential. Several scouting services agree that with continued improvement, there’s a chance Samhan could end up being selected in the 2010 NBA Draft, most likely in the second round.
For those who hadn’t heard of the name Omar Samhan before, no worries, none whatsoever. Go ahead and consider this an introduction.
PRE-GAME
*** Trivia time: Who’s the most famous basketball player to ever wear a Pepperdine jersey? Take a second to think about it. No Google searching either. Time’s almost up.
*** The answer: The late Dennis Johnson of Boston Celtics lore. If you guessed DJ, give yourself a pat on the back. The Southern California native played at nearby Dominguez High in Compton before moving onto Harbor College in Los Angeles, and ultimately, Pepperdine. In his only season in sunny Malibu, Johnson averaged 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Waves, who cracked the top 20 and ended up making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
*
** There’s a familiar face. It’s Lorne Jackson, a kid from my neck of the woods, Simi Valley, about a 40 minute drive from Pepperdine. As a senior, he was one of the top 25 high school players in the Golden State. Apparently, little has changed. The freshman will be starting at the point for the Waves tonight. It will be interesting to see how his game has developed.
*** Mickey McConnell is knocking down jumper after jumper during warm-ups. After flipping through some notes, I can see why. The St. Mary’s junior is shooting 55 percent from the beyond the three-point arc this season, a total ranking him fourth in the nation.
FIRST HALF
*** Samhan establishes himself early on. He misses his first shot, hustles for the rebound and puts it back. A layup follows, then a dunk to give St. Mary’s a 14-10 lead at 14:55.
*** Keion Bell answers with an outside shot and a pair of layups as Pepperdine manages to stay close. It‘s a one possession game. The Gaels are up two points with 8:18 left.
*** The shooting exhibition from McConnell continues. He buries his first five three-pointers, a pair of which extend the advantage to 33-27 at the 7:01 mark. Somebody better put a body on him.
*** Ben Allen gets in on the act for the Gaels. He converts four free-throws and makes a jumper. All of a sudden, the Waves trail by 10 points with 1:40 remaining before the break.
*** Bell keeps Pepperdine close down the stretch with his sheer athelticism, scoring 16 points over the course of the first 20 minutes. He’s made more than a handful of amazing plays, which reminds me of something. Anyone remember that crazy slam he pulled off during Pepperdine’s Midnight Madness? You know, the one where he jumped over five teammates.
*** Behind 8 points and 11 rebounds from Samhan, St. Mary’s takes the crowd out of the game and leads 41-36 at intermission.
SECOND HALF
*** Samhan picks up right where he left off, scoring nine points during a five-minute stretch. The Gaels go up by 11 points at 14:42.
*** St. Mary’s goes on an 8-2 run, capped by a McConnell basket. The lead balloons to 65-50 with 11:44 remaining in this one. The Waves better figure things out, and do so quickly, or this one could be over in a hurry.
*** Bell provides a spark with a high-flying dunk to cut the deficit to 11 points at 10:29. Fans at Firestone Fieldhouse go crazy. Absolutely crazy. Bell has some bounce, some serious bounce off the floor. He can get up, straight up.
*** Any momentum the Waves might have had disappears quickly, due in part to the efforts of Samhan. A rebound and basket, and a block on the other end of the floor, essentially demoralizes Pepperdine. The Gails lead 75-56 at 8:35.
*** Another Samhan rebound and bucket makes it a 19-point game with 2:33 left. Seconds later, he heads to the bench for good after a job well done. The Gaels win, 88-71.
POST-GAME
*** Didn’t talk much about Allen, but maybe I should have. The Australian was efficient, finishing with a career-high 19 points for the Gaels. He was 5-10 from the field and 7-7 from the free-throw line. Not too shabby.
*** Bell was one of the few bright spots for Pepperdine. He ended up with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 38 minutes of play. Without much help, the Waves didn’t stand much of a chance against Samhan & Co.
MALIBU, Calif. -- Chris Manresa helped San Diego snap a five-game losing streak by scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in a 66-44 win over Pepperdine on Saturday night.
It was the best game of Manresa's career on both scoring and rebounding. Matt Dorr finished with 12 points for the Toreros (9-14, 2-5 West Coast) and Brandon Johnson added 11.
The Toreros went 23-for-55 from the field (42 percent) and made 7 of 17 tries from long distance. The Waves (7-16, 3-4) were cold from the field, shooting just 13-for-51 for 25 percent. Mychel Thompson was the only player to score double-digits with 14 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
Men's Hoops Hosts USD on Saturday Night
Courtesy: Pepperdine Sports Information
Release: 01/29/2010
Pepperdine Men's Basketball Notes
THE FACTS - The Pepperdine men's basketball team finishes off the first half of the West Coast Conference season at home against San Diego on Saturday in a game that will be televised by Prime Ticket. With a win, the Waves would keep hold of fourth place and move to 4-1 at home in conference play. That could be vital as five of the last seven games are on the road.
GAME #23 - Saturday (Jan. 30) at Firestone Fieldhouse: Pepperdine (7-15, 3-3) vs. San Diego (8-14, 1-5) at 7 p.m.TELEVISION - Saturday's San Diego game will be aired live on Prime Ticket. Paul Sunderland and Michael Cage are the announcers.
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. Most 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 Wave Casts link. 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.
PROMOTIONS - Saturday is the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers event to raise awareness in the battle against cancer ... The first 300 Pepperdine students will get a free Pepperdine cinch-up bag ... A lucky Pepperdine student will take part in a $10,000 halftime shootout ... The EA Sports NCAA Basketball 2010 Tournament Challenge will be held, with the winning Pepperdine student earning a trip to the WCC Basketball Tournament ... If the Waves are victorious and score 75 points or more in an upcoming home game, certificates will be given out afterward for a free piece of grilled chicken from the KFC in Malibu.TICKETS - Men's basketball single-game tickets cost $15 (lower reserved), $12 (upper reserved), $10 (adult general admission) or $5 (child general admission). Call (866) WAVE-TIX to purchase tickets.
SAN DIEGO - Pepperdine is 53-32 all-time against San Diego, with a 23-7 record in Malibu. The Waves won at home last season, 57-52, ending a nine-game win streak by the Toreros. USD lost five in a row coming into Saturday's game.LAST GAME - Keion Bell scored more than 20 points for the third game in a row but Pepperdine lost at home to Saint Mary's, 88-71, on Thursday night. The Waves lost in Firestone Fieldhouse for the first time in conference play after opening 3-0. The Gaels, who had a 56.1%-36.4% shooting edge, won for the eighth time in their last nine games and are now 18-3. Bell had 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Mychel Thompson added 16 points and Lorne Jackson scored 14. Saint Mary's led 41-36 at halftime and was ahead by double-digits for most of the second half.
ROSTER - There are no seniors on the 2009-10 squad, and 12 of the 16 players are underclassmen. The roster features four juniors, seven sophomores and five true freshmen. Pepperdine does return 11 letterwinners from last season (believed to be among the most in school history). Twelve players are on scholarship and four are walk-ons.SOPHOMORE SCORERS - Last season, Pepperdine's eight-man freshman class scored more than half of the Waves' points (57.4%). So far, the now-sophomore class has contributed 66.8% of Pepperdine's scoring. The sophomores have been the top-scoring class in every game this season.
THE TRIO - Lately, the Waves have been at their best when Keion Bell, Mychel Thompson and Lorne Jackson are all on. In Pepperdine's six conference games, they have averaged a combined 50.3 points per game (that's more than two-thirds of all of the Waves' scoring).
KEION BELL - Sophomore guard Keion Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) has been one of the most exciting and prolific players on the West Coast in 2009-10. He is currently averaging 20.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He now ranks #2 in the WCC and #25 in the nation in scoring (he ranked as high as ninth nationally in early December). He is the third-highest scorer in the nation among sophomores. After a good weekend where his averages rose, he is again one of just two players in the country averaging at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists (Dominique Jones of South Florida is the other). Bell has scored more than 20 points in 12 games this season, including a career-high 37 at Gonzaga. He's been in double-figures in every game but two. At the pace he's on, he could become Pepperdine's 35th 1,000-point scorer by the end of his sophomore season (he's got 858). In the WCC rankings, he's also fourth in steals (1.6), sixth in assists, sixth in minutes (32.6) and 17th in rebounding.
BELL'S 37-POINT GAME - The 37-point performance by Keion Bell at Gonzaga on Jan. 21 was extremely memorable for many reasons: 34 of the 37 points came in the second half ... He set the McCarthey Athletic Center record for points by an opponent ... Along with his 34-point game vs. Monmouth, he has the two highest scoring games in the WCC this season ... His second-half slam dunk over Gonzaga 7-footer Robert Sacre made ESPN SportsCenter's Plays of the Day ... Bell made 14 of 21 shots, three of four three-pointers and six of eight free throws ... He scored 22 of Pepperdine's first 24 second-half points in an eight-minute span ... The last time a Pepperdine player scored more points was in January 2001 when Brandon Armstrong notched 40 against Loyola Marymount ... It tied as the 24th-best single-game performance in Pepperdine history, and by players other than scoring great Bird Averitt, it was the eighth best.
MYCHEL THOMPSON - Junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) was selected as team captain for 2009-10 after a landslide vote by his teammates. He is Pepperdine's only player that has been with the team for two full seasons. Thompson is averaging 12.2 points this season (second-best on the team) and 9.7 points for his career. He has broken into Pepperdine's career top 10 in three-pointers made this season (he's now #8 with 127, Tom Lewis is #7 at 132). Since a rough start to his season from beyond the arc (0-for-21), Thompson has made 36 of 79 (46%). He's been in double-figures in six of the last seven games and is averaging 14.5 ppg in conference play. He scored a career-high-tying 25 points in a win vs. Utah. In conference play, he has a 3.6 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio (18 to 5). Thompson's 6-for-7 three-point performance vs. LMU nearly equaled the school record for single-game percentage (6-for-6, 1.000).
LORNE JACKSON - Sophomore guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) is averaging 14.3 points per game in conference play, and he has seen his overall scoring average increase to 9.2 ppg. He's scored in double-figures in five of six conference games, including a career-high 21 vs. San Francisco. He's also averaging 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in WCC games.
2009-10 NOTABLES - The Waves were down 12 to Cal State San Bernardino with 8 1/2 minutes to play but came back to win by three ... The Waves were the team champion at the World Vision Challenge in Wyoming ... Pepperdine's win over Utah came against a 2009 NCAA Tournament team ... In the 150th meeting ever with LMU, the Waves came back from a 17-point first-half deficit to post a victory in the first game of WCC play ... Pepperdine beat Santa Clara at home for the 13th time in the last 14 meetings ... Pepperdine started 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2005 and 3-0 for the first time since 2002 (a year that the Waves started 11-0 en route to a 13-1 record and a tie for first in the WCC with Gonzaga) ... At 3-0, the Waves were three games over .500 in league play for the first time since 2004 ... Although it was a loss, the Waves' seven-point defeat at Gonzaga was an excellent effort and gave them their closest margin of defeat in Spokane in the last 10 years.
2009-10 HONORS - Keion Bell was named to the preseason All-WCC first team ... Bell (26.7 ppg) was named MVP of the World Vision Challenge at Wyoming and Dane Suttle Jr. (15.3 ppg) also made the all-tournament team ... Mychel Thompson was named WCC co-Player of the Week on Jan. 11 after scoring a game-high 22 points and making six of seven three-pointers in a win vs. LMU ... Lorne Jackson was named WCC co-Player of the Week on Jan. 18 after averaging 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in victories over Santa Clara and San Francisco ... Pepperdine has two WCC POTW honors in the same season for the first time since 2004-05, and had its first back-to-back winners since December 2002.
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).
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).
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.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.
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.HECTOR HAROLD - There are no seniors on the roster but Pepperdine had one scholarship to offer for 2010-11. During the early signing period, they inked Hector Harold, a 6-foot-6 small forward from the Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) School. He was given a rating of 88 out of 100 by ESPN.com's recruiting site and is considered one of the top seniors in New England. He is originally from Pasadena, Calif.
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 did for the first 16 games of the season. The Waves played 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 were at home.
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 standouts 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.
San Diego (8-14) at Pepperdine (7-15)
By Sports Network - The Sports Network
GAME NOTES: A couple of slumping West Coast Conference squads clash in Malibu tonight, as the San Diego Toreros encounter the Pepperdine Waves at Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Toreros opened WCC play with a win over Santa Clara, but have failed in five straight attempts to build upon that initial victory. Most recently, the team was clipped at Loyola Marymount, 68-65, on Thursday, as San Diego fell to 8-14 overall and 2-6 on the road.
As for Pepperdine, it made headlines in the WCC with a fast 3-0 start to the conference season. The Waves however, have been brought back to reality with three consecutive defeats, including an 88-71 loss to Saint Mary's on Thursday.
Pepperdine leads the head-to-head series with San Diego, 53-32, and that includes a 23-7 record when playing in Malibu. The Toreros had three chances to either tie or take the lead in the final 19 seconds, but couldn't get any of their attempts to go down in a 68-65 loss at LMU on Thursday. San Diego, which led 33-26 at the half, shot only 38.7 percent from the over the final 20 minutes, including just a 2-of-12 effort from downtown. Chris Manresa turned in 15 points and seven boards to lead the team in the setback, while Matt Dorr and De'Jon Jackson each chipped in with 10 points. Brandon Johnson however, finished with just three points and that is well below his team-high 14.7 ppg average for the season. Jackson ranks second with 12.4 ppg and he is a 36.3 percent three-point shooter.
Pepperdine shot just 36.4 percent from the floor compared to a much better 56.1 percent effort by SMC, as it was handled on Thursday. The Waves didn't have much luck from beyond the arc either, going just 4-of-17 on the night. Keion Bell paced the team in defeat with 24 points and seven boards, while Mychel Thompson logged 16 points and five rebounds. On the season, Bell is averaging a healthy 20.3 ppg to lead the Waves and he is also collecting 5.1 rpg and dishing out 4.0 apg. Thompson is a distant second with 12.2 ppg and he adds 5.3 rpg to the mix.Both of these teams are struggling right now, but go with the Waves, as Bell should be able to carry them to victory tonight.
January 29, 2010
Game Notes: St. Mary’s at Pepperdine
by Sean Ceglinsky
For those who haven’t heard of the name Omar Samhan, you’re not alone. The senior center from St. Mary’s, a borderline 7-footer, close to 275-pounds, is a relative unknown on the national level. That is, for the time being.
Dominating efforts on both ends of the floor, similar to the one displayed Thursday night in an 88-71 victory over Pepperdine, leads us to believe that his days of receiving little, or no, recognition could be coming to an end soon.
The Waves had no answer for the big man. He scored 23 points, on 11-14 shooting from the field, to go along with 19 rebounds and 3 blocks in 34 minutes of action. By most accounts, that’s an effort worthy of a second look.
That’s where SLAMonline comes in. If we don’t give this dude some props, there’s a very good chance that no one in the country will.On offense, the best part about Samhan’s game is he’s basketball smart, often times playing within himself and taking what the defense gives him.
That’s not to say that he can’t be decisive when called upon. Once Samhan puts his mind to it, getting to the bucket with a drop-step or a step-through isn’t much of a problem. Ask the Pepperdine big men, they can vouch for that fact.
An improving jumper tends to keep opponents honest out on the perimeter, although he doesn‘t possess great range. That facet of his game could use some work, most definitely, especially if plans on playing beyond college.
Samhan is an active defender who’s not afraid to mix it up and get after things. The opposition doesn’t matter. Undersized and quicker posts, dudes his own size or bigger, he welcomes the challenge. He’s relentless on the boards, grabbing every ball in sight. And his length and timing enables him to alter and block plenty of shots.
Sounds like a ringing endorsement right?
We’re not the only ones that think he has potential. Several scouting services agree that with continued improvement, there’s a chance Samhan could end up being selected in the 2010 NBA Draft, most likely in the second round.
For those who hadn’t heard of the name Omar Samhan before, no worries, none whatsoever. Go ahead and consider this an introduction.
PRE-GAME*** Trivia time: Who’s the most famous basketball player to ever wear a Pepperdine jersey? Take a second to think about it. No Google searching either. Time’s almost up.
*** The answer: The late Dennis Johnson of Boston Celtics lore. If you guessed DJ, give yourself a pat on the back. The Southern California native played at nearby Dominguez High in Compton before moving onto Harbor College in Los Angeles, and ultimately, Pepperdine. In his only season in sunny Malibu, Johnson averaged 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Waves, who cracked the top 20 and ended up making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
*
** There’s a familiar face. It’s Lorne Jackson, a kid from my neck of the woods, Simi Valley, about a 40 minute drive from Pepperdine. As a senior, he was one of the top 25 high school players in the Golden State. Apparently, little has changed. The freshman will be starting at the point for the Waves tonight. It will be interesting to see how his game has developed.*** Mickey McConnell is knocking down jumper after jumper during warm-ups. After flipping through some notes, I can see why. The St. Mary’s junior is shooting 55 percent from the beyond the three-point arc this season, a total ranking him fourth in the nation.
FIRST HALF*** Samhan establishes himself early on. He misses his first shot, hustles for the rebound and puts it back. A layup follows, then a dunk to give St. Mary’s a 14-10 lead at 14:55.
*** Keion Bell answers with an outside shot and a pair of layups as Pepperdine manages to stay close. It‘s a one possession game. The Gaels are up two points with 8:18 left.
*** The shooting exhibition from McConnell continues. He buries his first five three-pointers, a pair of which extend the advantage to 33-27 at the 7:01 mark. Somebody better put a body on him.
*** Ben Allen gets in on the act for the Gaels. He converts four free-throws and makes a jumper. All of a sudden, the Waves trail by 10 points with 1:40 remaining before the break.*** Bell keeps Pepperdine close down the stretch with his sheer athelticism, scoring 16 points over the course of the first 20 minutes. He’s made more than a handful of amazing plays, which reminds me of something. Anyone remember that crazy slam he pulled off during Pepperdine’s Midnight Madness? You know, the one where he jumped over five teammates.
*** Behind 8 points and 11 rebounds from Samhan, St. Mary’s takes the crowd out of the game and leads 41-36 at intermission.
SECOND HALF*** Samhan picks up right where he left off, scoring nine points during a five-minute stretch. The Gaels go up by 11 points at 14:42.
*** St. Mary’s goes on an 8-2 run, capped by a McConnell basket. The lead balloons to 65-50 with 11:44 remaining in this one. The Waves better figure things out, and do so quickly, or this one could be over in a hurry.
*** Bell provides a spark with a high-flying dunk to cut the deficit to 11 points at 10:29. Fans at Firestone Fieldhouse go crazy. Absolutely crazy. Bell has some bounce, some serious bounce off the floor. He can get up, straight up.
*** Any momentum the Waves might have had disappears quickly, due in part to the efforts of Samhan. A rebound and basket, and a block on the other end of the floor, essentially demoralizes Pepperdine. The Gails lead 75-56 at 8:35.
*** Another Samhan rebound and bucket makes it a 19-point game with 2:33 left. Seconds later, he heads to the bench for good after a job well done. The Gaels win, 88-71.
POST-GAME
*** Didn’t talk much about Allen, but maybe I should have. The Australian was efficient, finishing with a career-high 19 points for the Gaels. He was 5-10 from the field and 7-7 from the free-throw line. Not too shabby.
*** Bell was one of the few bright spots for Pepperdine. He ended up with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 38 minutes of play. Without much help, the Waves didn’t stand much of a chance against Samhan & Co.
