Freshman guard Anto Balian (left), sophomore guard Styles Phipps (middle) and redshirt sophomore forward Pavle Stošic (right) playing against each other during practice Oct. 21 in Firestone Fieldhouse. The season begins Nov. 3 in Firestone Fieldhouse against Life Pacific. Photos by Ava Walton
With the 2025-26 season officially underway, the Pepperdine Men’s Basketball team is entering a defining chapter under second-year Head Coach Ed Schilling. With a roster built to fit his system and a returning core that includes leadership voices like redshirt junior guard David Mager, the Waves are focused on building something stronger and more sustainable.
Schilling said his expectations for the season go beyond just wins and losses — he’s focused on the team’s overall growth and development.
“The biggest thing for us is that we have constant improvement,” Schilling said. “My goal as a coach is for all of them to improve as the year goes along, that we finish the year significantly better than we started.”
That growth will be fueled by a roster Schilling said is more skilled and versatile than last season. After Schilling’s first year as head coach and assembling a team on short notice, the second-year coach has had the chance to recruit with purpose — and it shows.
“We have much more skill,” Schilling said. “We have guys that can play inside, that can play outside, that can post up. I think our skill level and our size are two of our better attributes.”
Building the Foundation
Much of the early-season work has been about implementing a system, one that is complex by college basketball standards and demands discipline on both ends of the floor, Schilling said.
“We probably run a more intricate offense than most of those teams in college basketball,” Schilling said. “So there’s a whole lot to learn, especially our offense is very detailed, and it requires a lot of time.”
The Waves are also locking in defensively, aiming to complement their offense with a defensive structure that emphasizes effort, rotation and communication, Schilling said.
After enduring what Schilling described as an “extremely difficult” schedule last year, this season’s non-conference slate is more balanced and strategic. It includes a blend of high-profile matchups and games that will allow for deeper roster development, Schilling said.
“We have a very good spread of challenges from very elite to some non-DI’s where we’ll get a chance to look at the whole roster,” Schilling said. “Our schedule has much, much more continuity, and I also think there’s a nice spread of competition.”
Head Coach Ed Schilling explaining ways that the team can improve during practice Oct. 21 in Firestone Fieldhouse. Last season, the team’s cumulative statistics for the season was 12-22 overall, 4-14 in-conference, 7-9 home, 2-11 away and 4-2 neutral.
Leading from Within
This season the team has added new players to its roster. This means returning players, such as Mager, have stepped into bigger leadership roles. Mager said the transition from contributor to leader has been both intentional and organic for himself.
“I’ve taken on a bigger role coming into this year,” Mager said. “Definitely more of a leadership role, just like in practice helping out the younger guys. We have a wide variety of people from all over, so just being able to help those guys and make sure they know the plays and things like that.”
Mager’s experience is especially valuable as Pepperdine integrates a roster with international flavor. But Mager said what stands out most to him isn’t where his teammates come from — it’s how well they’ve come together.
“The fact that we’re able to click the way we are is definitely really cool,” Mager said. “We do a lot more things off the court with each other which definitely helps with team chemistry.”
A Shared Goal
Mager said his main goal for this season was to win, which is a reflection of his team-first mentality.
“I just want to win, and really just do whatever it takes to win, honestly,” Mager said.
Mager said his mindset is rooted in experience — specifically, the team’s run in last year’s West Coast Conference tournament, a stretch that still fuels Mager’s drive today.
“We ended up winning, I think, five in a row and that just kind of motivates me,” Mager said. “I want to get back to that point, and I also want to obviously get to March Madness.”
Mager said he hopes the team can build the same momentum this season, with the ultimate goal of making a deep run in March Madness. The team chemistry this season is going to help with the way they play on the court.
Sophomore forward and center Danilo Dožic (left) shoots the ball against redshirt sophomore guard Aaron Clark (right) during practice Oct. 21 in Firestone Fieldhouse. Last season, Dožic had an average of 5.8 points per game, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Identity and Unity
If the Waves are to make another deep run or build a consistent winning culture, Schilling said it will come from how the team plays together, not just how they perform.
“I want us to have great unity and togetherness that we play together well at both ends of the court,” Schilling said. “As much as anything, to see that unity and the camaraderie and how we share the basketball and how we help each other on defense.”
Mager said a similar statement when he described the team, specifically noting how unity is going to be important to the team this season.
“Togetherness — we work well together on the court, and the team chemistry off the court is really good too,” Mager said.
Ready for the Challenge
With key matchups on the horizon — including a marquee non-conference test against UCLA and intense battles with Gonzaga — the Waves will be tested early and often. Through these games Mager said they’re leaning on preparation, resilience and each other.
“There’s a lot of ups and downs, you know you’re gonna take a tough loss here and there and injuries sometimes pile up,” Mager said. “It’s just really about staying the course and trusting the process.”
Graduate guard and forward Javon Cooley (left) and redshirt sophomore guard Aaron Clark (right) during practice where Cooley was attempting to make a basket Oct. 21 in Firestone Fieldhouse. Cooley had represented Pepperdine at the Athletics in Action Men’s Captains Academy in Ohio this past summer.
For Schilling, he said part of that process involves bringing Pepperdine’s student body along for the journey.
“It’s going to be a very fun team to watch and to get behind,” Schilling said. “They play extremely hard. They’re good young men that I think will represent Pepperdine well. We hope that the student body can get behind them. I think they would have fun watching the growth with our team.”
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Contact Ava Walton via email: ava.walton@pepperdine.edu
