GREG BARNETT
Sports Editor
Just six days after becoming interim head coach following Vance Walberg’s departure, Eric Bridgeland sat down with the Graphic to dicuss his first weekend leading the Pepperdine men’s basketball team.
Bridgeland and the Waves continue conference play this weekend when they play host to rival Loyola Marymount on Saturday night at Firestone Fieldhouse.
How do you feel the team performed last weekend?
“Great. All positive. The first thing was to get our team back together and feeling good about themselves. Things couldn’t have gone any better, guys are feeling good about each other, very positive and very encouraging. All that’s back and we needed that bad.
So that’s No. 1 and No. 2 was to see if we could be competitive. Saint Mary’s was ranked No.-24 in the country and we were with them the whole way. We were down three with two to go and one to go and we just couldn’t get a stop or else we could of tied it or won the game. In that environment and the adversity we were going through last week, that was amazing.
Then on Monday we weren’t ready to play. We came out and we were a little bit soft. They were on fire and we were playing horribly and they were playing well. We got down 20 and that’s a great indicator because from that point on we got it back to being down three or four twice in the last four or five minutes. I think that’s a great sign for where we’re at to make that kind of run. We fouled 17 times in the second half and they fouled only five, and they never missed a free throw so for us to battle back despite that is a great indicator for where we’re at.”
Did anything from your past coaching experience help in the last week?
“I think with the teams I’ve been a part of and especially as a head coach it was all built around trust and respect and being positive and encouraging. And the no-blame game, we take it on us and look at what’s positive. I think that’s exactly what the team needed at the right time.
As a coach I’m much more confident than I ever have been because I’ve seen it work at my old programs as a head coach. I know it’s just a matter of time before we really start clicking on the floor with X’s and O’s of things, but in terms of the culture, that’s already beginning right now. And it’s not a deal where you wonder if it will work, I know it works and so I’m jumping on board with that.”
What about Walberg’s system? Are you going to run his system or get rid of it?
“No, not at all. I mean, Coach Walberg is one of the greatest offensive minds that’s probably ever been in basketball. It was just very structured at the time and so our team is in the same spacing principles. Every offense has got great spacing and we’re using that more as plays rather than just an offense. And we’re giving them a little bit more freedom in terms of the mid-range shot. We’re all trying to make shots. If you miss it, don’t worry about it, we’ll get it back.”
Do you look at this as an opportunity to get the head coaching job here?
“No, I don’t. My whole goal is to repair our group and make them feel as good as possible about themselves. To see if we can win some games and have a lot of fun doing it and just make their experience awesome. That’s all I’m worried about right now.”
What brought you to Pepperdine in the first place?
“Coach Walberg, to learn from him and his offense. I had been at Puget Sound for five years, and we were on a really good roll there, and so it was a new challenge and a chance to work with [Walberg].”
Why do you believe Watson chose you to be interim coach?
“I think probably because I had been here the last two years. Both Coach Campbell and Coach Hicks were new this year, and I think it just made sense. I also had been a head coach before for seven years and that was just interim through the weekend, all of that hasn’t been determined yet.”
Seeing as how the Pepperdine community doesn’t know you very well, what can you say about yourself as a person?
“Basketball and team athletics made me, end of story. It gave me confidence and taught me how to handle adversity. Without team athletics I would be nowhere. From the eighth grade I wanted to coach so I could give that gift back to the players I would coach and be the same mentor to them that my previous coaches had been to me.
So my entire motivation is to help breed leaders, build confidence, and that’ll show on the floor hopefully. I just want them to play hard, play together and believe in each other. Play with confidence and play positive, and I think if things turn out the way we hope they will you’ll see that product on the floor.”
What do you like to do when you’re away from basketball?
“I have a beautiful wife, Brie, and we have a baby on the way that’s due in March. We also have a puppy named Kaya, and that’s exactly where my life is.”
How was your experience playing with the Canadian national team?
“Awesome, we played in the Dean Dome against Carolina and played in Europe. I also played with the Winnipeg Thunder, a pro franchise up in Canada.
But my claim to fame is I was Steve Nash’s roommate on the national team, and so that was fun. At the time I was a little bit better but then he got a lot better. He was just driven, great personality, intense, and his work ethic was just insane. He deserves every single thing he gets.”
How is Jarrad Henry doing? Do you expect him back soon?
“I’m thinking he’s coming back. That’s my hope. He had a bad thumb so he wasn’t going to play this last weekend anyway. We miss him, the team misses him. He’s a huge part of this group, and we’re hoping he comes back today.”
01-24-2008