By Kyle Jorrey
Sports Editor
It’s been almost a year now since Pepperdine center Will Kimble’s heart condition forced him to walk away from the game, and the Waves have yet to find a proper replacement. Last season, playing without a true center, the team was continually beat up on the boards and on the inside by the bigger and stronger teams in the conference like Gonzaga and San Diego. Averaging four less rebounds a game than their opponents and allowing a staggering 48 percent from the field, the Waves entered this off-season knowing changes had to be made.
The responsibility this year falls on an unlikely quartet, featuring Glen McGowan, Jesse Pinegar, Derick Grubb and Yakouba Diawara. And while this group may differ in personality and appearance, they are all focused on the same goal – stopping the other team from scoring and then getting the rebound.
“We just have a whole different attitude on defense,” McGowan said. “You can see on the team that pretty much anybody can score, for us, it’s all about stopping teams, being a good, aggressive defense.”
Headlining the group is McGowan, who played only one game all of last season because of a blood clot that resulted from off-season knee surgery.
“My first game back was my last game back, I couldn’t believe it,” McGowan said, speaking of last year. “I just remember when I was in the hospital bed, not knowing if I was ever going to play again, not knowing what was wrong with me … I have to give all the credit to God.”
According to McGowan, who spent a portion of the summer banging under the boards against NBA star Kevin Garnett here in Malibu, he will bring the same aggression and intensity that made him a fan favorite, but also a new, more mature approach to the game.
“You won’t see me yelling at refs when they make a bad call on me, you’ll see more smiles on my face, less stupid fouls,” he said. “In the past I’ve been expected to contribute scoring, but this year I’ll be looking more to find the open guy when I’m double teamed and just trying to be a floor general.”
One player who’s waited even longer for his time on the court is Pinegar. A transfer from BYU a year ago, injuries have kept him from seeing any NCAA action during his time in college. In fact, Pinegar said, aside from a couple weeks he spent in Europe over the summer, it’s been four years since he’s played in a competitive basketball game.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “I mean, I talked to my dad about it just last night. I’m a little nervous, but really I’m just excited to be on the court again.”
Despite his lack of game experience, coaches have been enthusiastic about Pinegar since his arrival. At 6-foot-10 inches, he might be the team’s best shooter.
“He was very impressive in practice last year and is a good offensive rebounder,” Head Coach Paul Westphal said. “He is a tremendously skilled player and can score inside and outside.”
But both Pinegar and his head coach know, his impact on the defensive side of the board will be crucial.
“We’ve been working a lot on zone (defense),” Pinegar said. “With that strategy, it’s going to be about us all working together every night.”
Diawara, after only a few months on campus, has already created a buzz around Firestone Fieldhouse for his aggressive style of basketball. After averaging 15.7 points and 7.4 rebounds a game at the College of Southern Idaho, this transfer, originally from France, is expected to have an immediate impact.
“He’s a real strong player,” Westphal said. “People are going to like this guy.”
And those people include Diawara’s teammates, who have taken to his balance between being a nice guy and a not-so-nice defender and rebounder.
“He’s just an animal, but he always has a smile on his face,” McGowan said. “He goes hard, he doesn’t complain, he’s just a guy you like playing with. You can tell he likes to win and he wants to win every time he’s out there.”
Pinegar agreed.
“Yakouba (Diawara) is an amazing offensive rebounder,” Pinegar said. “He’s big, tough, and can play defense.”
This French import, who intrestingly enough started in front of Gonzaga forward Ronnie Turiaf on the French national team, will definitely be one to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Rounding out the group looking to lock up the paint is Grubb, who returns leaner and meaner than a year ago when he saw limited action off the bench in trying to fill Kimble’s vacancy.
“Derrick Grubb has come back with much-improved conditioning,” Westphal said. “He’s probably been our best rebounder so far.”
After playing in 24 games last season, Grubb will again add bulk and toughness to a defensive front line in dire need for hard-nosed defender.
“I know my job is to rebound and defende, and to provide a presence,” Grubb said. “If I score, that will just be a bonus.”
When asked about his propensity to get in quick foul trouble last season, the 6’10” sophomore said his off-season work has helped his overall defensive game.
“I’ve worked on foot speed a lot, it was my main focus during the summer,” he said. “I’m trying to stay lower on defense, so I can get in good position and don’t have to make the foul.”
Because of their lack of depth at the forward and center positions, all four will be expected to stay out of foul trouble, and hopefully, stay healthy.
And though these four big men are just getting to know each other as teammates, they are well aware what is expected of them this season in helping the Waves return to the WCC title game, and finally fill up the void left by Kimble’s premature exit.
“It’s plans and simple, if we don’t play defense, we don’t win” McGowan said. “Sometimes it’s tough when you’re giving up three or four inches on a guy,” he added. “But you just have to go hard and want to get that basketball. That’s what it’s about.”
November 06, 2003