Three new head coaches joined the Pepperdine family this past summer, each coming from a multifaceted journey across the country as they bring their past successes and experience to the Malibu campus, eager to unleash their vision upon Pepperdine.
At a Division I level collegiate athletic program, pressures and stakes are high as each new season brings forth new challenges and anticipation. Director of Athletics Tanner Gardner recently introduced three new head coaches to the athletics program: Men’s Basketball Head Coach Ed Schilling, Women’s Basketball Head Coach Katie Faulkner and Men’s Baseball Head Coach Tyler LaTorre. Each new head coach embodies a sense of ambition and commitment to the integrity of their mission.
“You look at the people, Tanner and President [Jim] Gash, and just the leadership here, the other coaches in this community. There’s just amazing integrity and character here,” Faulkner said. “Pepperdine’s mission and people, when they’re tethered together, I think that’s a very powerful force.”
Ed Schilling: Authenticity Is His Guide
A new era unfolds for each athletic division, and it’s no different for the Men’s Basketball team. Last season, the program underwent major changes as the previous Head Coach Lorenzo Romar took his leave, according to Pepperdine Athletics, leaving a hole of uncertainty and instability to be filled.
Schilling welcomes the challenge, revealing the vision that Pepperdine offered him.
“They’ve had some lean years and this was a great challenge and it’s at some place that if you can get it going, it could be really, really special,” Schilling said. “So when you look at the location, what I knew about the program and the opportunity for growth, and then with The Mountain that is coming, those things were very attractive.”
Schilling comes from an impressive record of experience with top conference powerhouses. His high-road can be traced back to first being a student-athlete at Miami University as a point-guard for four years and captain for two years (’85-’88), his career high assist records still stands to this day.
His coaching abilities stem from his background as an assistant coach at University of California, Los Angeles, Indiana University, University of Massachusetts, Grand Canyon University and University of Memphis. He was the youngest assistant coach in the NBA for the Brooklyn Nets and the second youngest Division I head coach at Wright State University.
“Now, I’m a little bit older, my gray hairs give me away. But hopefully, over the years, I’ve gained some experience, I’ve seen different ways of doing things,” Schilling said. “I’ll be able to utilize that experience to help each player to maximize their abilities and be able to put together a system of basketball that we can compete at a high level.”
His capabilities evolve from years of experience, growth and learning in the presence of fellow coaches that are the best of the best. That has led to his unique perspective on tackling the team, often thinking outside the box.
“Being with coaches like John Calipari, the winningest active coach with over 850 wins. Steve Alford, a head coach for 25 years with well over 500 wins, and Bryce Drew at Grand Canyon is climbing the ladder as a Division I head coach,” Schilling said. “So being around those type of coaches, hopefully will help me to utilize our players in the best way possible.”
Despite the hope to sculpt the Men’s Basketball team, the challenges the program is facing cannot be ignored. For one, Firestone Fieldhouse supports all the present Pepperdine athletic departments, community events and intramural sports.
Since the gym is in constant use, issues arise with time management, specifically struggles to allocate enough time to all who use the facility. This struggle has made it especially hard for the players to have enough practice time.
“Now, we’re working on using different facilities to be able to get them places to workout and get the hours that we want in the gym but it’s challenging,” Schilling said.
Another factor addressed is the academic aspect of the student-athletes. Being a student at Pepperdine is very competitive, and Schilling makes it known that even his best players can struggle academically, and he challenges them to grow.
Schilling is embracing the current journey that consists of learning curves that the players will face as they grind daily to create a system for success on and off the court.
“It’s an entirely new team. So the biggest thing we’re trying to do is getting them to play well together and to develop that chemistry on the court,” Schilling said. “It’s a whole lot of learnings going on. We’re trying to institute a whole new system with all new players that have never played together.”
In addition to building up a well-oiled team that can electrify the crowd with their game, Schilling hopes the players will develop a team culture of respect that will shine throughout to the community.
“We’re going to try to really use each player and so everybody’s touching the ball,” Schilling said. “So that the students can say, you know, I can relate with these guys. They’re playing hard, they’re playing together, they’re unselfish, and maybe that’s something all can enjoy watching.”
There are high expectations as Schilling carries the pressure of a Division I program. However, to him, patience and integrity are virtues. He respects the uphill trek each day brings, which is necessary to reach the top of the mountain.
“We’d love to win the national championship, but we understand it’s a process. What we’re looking for is improvement on a daily basis, to make sure that we’re better today than we were yesterday,” Schilling said. “We want to maximize our players’ potential because we had to sign 11 players in two months. I don’t know [what] the potential of this team is, but we’re going to try to max it out, whatever it is. We’re going to find out, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Most importantly, Schilling brings his authenticity to the table; which he believes is the core of his coaching ability. He said that the most important thing as a coach is to believe in the style of playing you’re coaching and to believe in yourself.
Under the guidance of Ed Schilling, the future of the Men’s Basketball program is to be an uphill arc full of anticipation and expected achievements that will uphold and hopefully, exceed the prestige that Pepperdine symbolizes.
Katie Faulkner: Values Over Goals
Within the sport of basketball, there is another team at Pepperdine that shares the same love for the game: the Women’s Basketball team. This past summer, the Pepperdine community welcomed new head coach, Katie Faulkner.
Faulkner came to the Malibu campus with a commitment in mind to not only embody the humble values of Pepperdine, but also, to become a beacon of inspiration for future generations of women.
“I was looking at places that I could come and build a memorable legacy and somewhere that young women could come and find success and become leaders and win championships,” Faulkner said.
There seems to be an order of undertaking that Faulkner respects, transcending the expectations one might have of a newly-instated coach. To her, the little wins over the big win are what builds the foundation of her program toward success.
“I’m a very process-oriented person, which is kind of interesting because I’m in the results-based business. But I love the process and I’m obsessed with it,” Faulkner said. “Every day is just its own little puzzle piece to solve and add beauty to and keep building. To take what we have here, add a little bit to it in our newcomers, and then solve the puzzle.”
Faulkner highlights another element; the staff of the program that not only supports her as head coach, but helps determine the direction of the program that she is trying to establish.
“Making sure we had the right people was really important to me from the beginning. I think our staff is truly incredible,” Faulkner said. “I would put them toe to toe with anyone in the country, just from the character and leadership, and basketball knowledge standpoint. You add that with all the things that Pepperdine has to offer student-athletes, I think we are bound for an elite future.”
Through her vision, the confidence in her own purpose and the calling of Pepperdine can be directly intertwined as her words come from a place of integrity. As goals have an ending point, Faulkner said she has three values she upholds.
“Compete, grow, and serve. Those are our values as a program,” Faulkner said. “Everyday, I measure our team based on those. If we can get to a point where we are competing and pursuing excellence in all areas, if we can get to a point where we learn to grow every single day, win or loss, what’s possible for this team?”
Not only dominating on the court, but being stewards of service, kindness and humility off the court is not just an expectation, but rather, a given component for Faulkner. She understands the pressure of being a student-athlete and hopes that the players will carry it with grace and it becomes a part of who they are.
“When they look at us, they’re going to see a competitive group of young women that just does whatever it takes, right?” Faulkner said. “You want to be elite in everything. Not just on the court, but in the classroom, in the community.”
Diving into her past experience, Faulkner was a stellar student-athlete at the University of Montana. She was awarded the 2013 Big Sky Player of the Year while excelling in the classroom and graduating with a degree in health and human performance.
Her past positions include assistant head coach for the University of Washington, and assistant coach for Oregon State, University of Wisconsin and Colorado-Springs. She has established an honorable list of accomplishments that has shaped her coaching career.
“My whole career has been preparing me for this moment. I was the youngest assistant in college basketball at the Power Five level at one point. I believe I’ve worked under the best in the business, and I learned a lot from them,” Faulkner said. “I got to walk into a Pac-12 championship my first year, and to see what it was like to win at the highest level. The caliber of athlete, the level of training, the schedule, the rhythm, all of it.”
Faulkner’s coaching experience at Washington led her to rebuild a system, year by year, resulting in the biggest upset in program history, beating No. 2 Stanford University.
“I’m constantly just going to be evolving, and that’s what I’m asking my girls to do,” Faulkner said. “I’m asking them to grow and compete. I’m going to do the same.”
Going into the season, Faulkner said she has an optimistic perspective as she prepares to unleash all the potential that the female athletes have to show for. As a new coach, there’s a new culture that can be harnessed within the team.
“I believe that this team have immense character, and I challenge that every day,” Faulkner said. “We will be prepared, and we will do it at the highest level to the best of our ability every single day. If we do that with character coupled together, again, what’s possible is kind of exciting.”
Through it all, at her core, her purpose comes from a place of ultimate genuineness.
“My philosophy has always been that I operate from love and light,” Faulkner said. “I want to do my very best to get to know you because to be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known.”
Tyler LaTorre: Relationships Is the Key
As fall passes, other seasons will join the excitement, namely the Men’s Baseball team. Tyler LaTorre, new Baseball Head Coach, meets the anticipation as he diligently prepares for the upcoming season.
“I came to Pepperdine because of the vision that President Gash has set forth. It aligns with who I am and who I want the baseball program to be,” LaTorre said. “I feel like I’m in the best position to lead this program into the future with the alignment of the vision of the university.”
To him, the baseball program is in the process of rebuilding and restrengthening to raise them back up again in hopes of proudly representing the Pepperdine mission.
“One of the reasons why I’m here is the program had fallen below standards of what Pepperdine has been and what it will be in the future,” LaTorre said. “Our players are pushing to raise our standards and raise our expectations.”
Every coach possesses a key ingredient that they believe is essential to their coaching. LaTorre is no different, as he said, regardless of any level of playing, one thing that does not change is the connections — the bonds within a team dynamic.
“I got into this occupation because of relationships. Being a head coach, it’s all about the relationships, whether it’s our players, our donors, our alumni, our athletic department. It’s about the people,” LaTorre said.
LaTorre comes from a NAIA National Championship in his first year as head coach at Division II Westmont College, where he was awarded the 2023 NAIA National Coach of the Year. His journey can be traced back to the University of California, Davis, where he led the team to the 2003 Division II World Series and then to his professional career in the San Francisco Giants organization for a decade.
He holds nine years of coaching under his belt, and through it all, he embraces his experience with humility and firmness. Right now, his focus is on waking up every day to learn how to better serve his Pepperdine athletes.
“There’s opportunities for improvement,” LaTorre said. “I think getting to know these players, I’ve only known them for two months, so building a deeper relationship with them on and off the field, getting to understand who they are and what they want out of the college baseball experience.”
Beyond just being a Pepperdine athlete, LaTorre said he wants the team to embody and represent a faith-based institution that reflects his commitment to his purpose.
To him, when the players wear the name on the front of the jersey, they should express the value of selflessness. Other programs would see a team that holds themselves to a higher standard.
“Ultimately, win or lose, our players are going to use their playing baseball here as a platform to glorify God,” LaTorre said. “That the way we carry ourselves when things are going well should be the same standard that we carry when things aren’t going well.”
Lastly, as baseball season approaches, LaTorre has a message for the Pepperdine community.
“I want the community to understand that we are a part of this community. I want our players to be a part of our community,” LaTorre said. “I want it to be one, and I want there to feel like there is a connection from our players to everybody around us so that we can use baseball as a gathering place.”
The future is bright for Pepperdine sports, but one that is sure to be filled with ups and downs as each program is on the journey of climbing up to the top of the mountain within their own individuality and vision. But, one thing that stays true is their commitment to Pepperdine’s purpose that is engrained within the community and the institution.
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Contact Christine Park by email: christine.park@pepperdine.edu
