Derek Sedam
Assistant Online Editor
Three years ago, on the first day of school, Pepperdine alumnus Ben Young’s sports column welcomed me to Malibu. His column on the left side of the sport’s sections front page, where you read this now, peaked my full-of-wonder freshman interest.
At the time, Pepperdine was fresh off an exciting sports year, clinching a national volleyball championship against those UCLA Cubs in Westwood. On the court, Texas Tech Head Coach Bob Knight’s priceless reaction after losing to our scrappy, mid-major men’s basketball team was still fresh in everyone’s minds.
Local hero Paul Westphal, former head coach of Pepperdine’s men’s basketball team, still roamed the sidelines, giving our school a big name for big dreams on the hardwood.
With the column headline, “A new era begins for Pepperdine sports,” below a deceptive smirk in Young’s mug shot, I wondered how a new era could begin when the one I was getting into seemed like a good place to start. What did he have up his sleeve?
“I want to give a little bit of head’s up to the freshmen about the state of Pepperdine sports,” Young wrote in his column. “It is not at all what you think. You’ve been fed lies. Read on and find the truth.”
How could anyone pass up such a great opportunity?
Ben was a little long-winded in his response in getting back to the heart of the matter, and I don’t have as much pull as he did around here. To sum it up, he called out the basketball team.
His article made quite a bold statement and was the talk around campus for a few days. I even saw him confronted in the cafeteria a couple days later by some players. This statement was no joke.
“Freshmen. Listen up. You’re coming to Pepperdine thinking that this is a good basketball school,” Young wrote. “Wake up. It is time to stage a revolution and throw your support behind other sports at Pepperdine. The era of multi-sport domination is beginning.”
While some questioned his shock-and-awe tactics, his outlandish predictions were correct in the long run, no matter how shattering it has been to our school. I came to college with hopes of joining the rest of the student body during basketball season. I was ready to partake in the Pepperdine vs. Gonzaga games I had watched since I was little. After all, everyone has a chance to dance come March Madness.
When Westphal was canned at the end of the 2005-2006 season, I too drank the Vance Walberg Kool-Aid. This is going to stay between you and me, along with my roommate at the time (who shall remain nameless). I even made shirts commemorating the “Vanceville” era. Believe me, there is no way I’m putting it up on Facebook again.
When Tom Asbury graced our campus again last April, our third coach in three years, I was skeptical. After covering the basketball team last year, with all its corruption, back-door deals and less-than-stellar play, it’s been tough for me to get into the student spirit.
As dreadful as my assignment covering this team might be this year, I remember the words Ben wrote that first day of school.
No matter how much some Pepperdine sports have let me down over a span of three years, I always get more in return. College sports are what college is all about.
So, my gift to you, freshmen, is a toast to another sports revolution.
Throw your weight behind all sports. No matter how small the program, no matter how small the game. Escape from the everyday grind of school by rooting for your school. Celebrate the victories and learn from the defeats with each team. Learn and grow with them these four years. Your players deserve the support of everyone at this university.
08-25-2008