DAVID NAKAGAMI
Assistant Sports Editor
The men’s basketball team started the season on the right foot, defeating Westmont in an exhibition game to plant seeds of hope for the upcoming campaign.
After being bounced in the first game of the WCC Tournament the previous season, the Waves enter this season ranked sixth out of eight teams in the WCC preseason poll. While it took Pepperdine three games to get their first victory last season, the Waves wasted no time in notching their first win of this year.
In their first and only exhibition game, Pepperdine stuffed Westmont of the NAIA Tuesday night by a score of 97-80. The Waves jumped out to a 47-41 lead behind 47.4 percent field goal shooting in the first half. They continued their torrid streak after halftime, making half of their field goals in the second half.
Despite an impressive win, Head Coach Vance Walberg said he was not satisfied.
“We’ve got a lot of work,” Walberg said. “Any time you get outrebounded by 20 to anybody, let alone an NAIA team, you’ve got a lot of problems. We’re young, and we’re going to make a lot of mistakes. I’ve just got to keep remembering to be patient.”
Aside from the rebounding deficit, the Waves performed well. Pepperdine was plus 13 on turnovers and forced 14 steals to the Warriors’ six. One point of improvement, besides boards, was fouls. The team committed 26 fouls, sending Westmont to the line 23 times.
The freshmen say their first game at Pepperdine was quite memorable.
“It was exciting, coming out just with my teammates,” said freshman guard/forward Tyrone Shelley. “And the atmosphere for our first game was good.”
Shelley, who paced the Waves with eight rebounds in addition to a solid 19 points and three steals, was one of five rookies to score for Pepperdine. Another first-year player, center Dennis Johnson, used his great court awareness and length to lead the team with 20 points.
All in all, freshmen accounted for nearly three-quarters of the team’s points.
“I think we did well,” Shelley said. “We got the W, the most important thing.”
For a team without two of their seniors on the court to lead, it was decidedly a strong showing.
Elder statesmen Tyler Carr and Jarrad Henry sat out the Westmont game due to injuries.
“If you think about it, Jarrad and Tyler are our two best defensive players out there: Jarrad inside, Tyler outside,” Walberg said. “So once we get them healthy, it’s definitely going to help us.”
Players and coach agree the first match was a learning experience for many on the team, Shelley in particular.
“I gotta stay out of foul trouble to stay in the game,” Shelley said. “Every time I came out, they came back.”
After losing the seniors to graduation in April, an active off-season began with the hiring of Julius Hicks as an assistant coach in May. Three months later, in August, Walberg added another assistant. With the addition of Mark Campbell, Pepperdine solidified their coaching staff for the upcoming year. Hicks, Campbell, and second-year assistant coach Eric Bridgeland will help Walberg employ his controlled-chaos approach.
“We know they’re going to be good down the line,” Walberg said of his first-year players. “But our goal is to be good now. And it’s going to take some time. But they’re also pretty good freshmen.”
Pepperdine fields nine underclassmen, including seven rookies, in their lineup. Freshmen Shelley, Malcolm Thomas, and Tyler Tucker played alongside each other on the same high school team in San Diego (Crawford). Backcourt players Jon Reed (Rancho Palos Verdes) and Mychel Thompson (Ladera Ranch) are also California prep products, while forward Gus Clardy (Nacogdoches, Tex.) and big man Johnson (Australian Institute of Sport) come from outside the west coast.
The two sophomores, Ricky Fois (Italy) and Vuk Vojinovic (Serbia), are both guards with European backgrounds.
The team will look to the six upperclassmen for leadership and direction. Juniors Rico Tucker (older brother of Tyler Tucker) and Mike Hornbuckle will finally be able to display their skills after redshirting last year due to transferring from Minnesota and Azusa Pacific, respectively. Fellow third-year player Ryan Holmes will be put to use immediately after relocating from Phoenix Community College.
The only players with previous game experience under Walberg are the seniors. Guard Carr and post presence Henry played extensively last year, logging minutes in all 31 games. Walberg’s oldest son, Jason, will be especially looked upon for stability and supervision. Jason, who was allowed a sixth year of eligibility after injuring his knee early last season, has played under his father at Clovis West High School and Fresno City College in the past. The trio rounds out an otherwise young and athletic Waves squad.
Walberg describes the difference between last year’s team and this year’s team as “a little bit more athletic ability” and “a little bit longer.” Both improvements will be displayed on the hardwood and hopefully translate to the scoreboard.
Fans and coaches will depend on this crew to refresh the stale stench left in Firestone Fieldhouse last year. Overall, the Waves posted a dismal 8-23 record, including a 4-10 mark against West Coast Conference challengers. Pepperdine gave up a conference-high 83.2 points per game, seven points more than the next highest team. They also averaged the least rebounds, grabbing a mere 29.8 boards a game. Perhaps one of the most telling stats is their 38.2 percent from behind the three-point arc, which also put them in the cellar for that category. For a team that once attempted 43 three-point field goals in a game last season, this does not reflect well.
There were several silver linings in an otherwise uninspiring 2006-2007 season. Pepperdine led the WCC in steals (9.1 spg) and was second in blocks (3.77 bpg). Offensively, the Waves put up a respectable 77.1 points per game, second in the conference.
Pepperdine heads north to take part in the Oregon World Vision Invitational at Eugene, Ore. this weekend.
The Waves will face off against preseason No.-12 Oregon Ducks Saturday, Western Michigan Sunday and Pacific Monday. Then the Waves returns home to open the regular season against Cal State Northridge Saturday, November 17.
11-08-2007