GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
Patrick Whitlock, interim coach for the men’s basketball team, has been busy the past few weeks. Along with taking over as the leader of practices, he’s been on the recruiting trail alone and helping the administration select the next men’s basketball head coach. He is this week’s guest on “10 Minutes With …”
What kinds of things have you been doing as interim coach?
Keeping in contact with recruits, working the guys out on almost a daily basis. They’re lifting three days a week and have practices two days a week. Then, between me and Maurice Hilliard, making sure they’re on top of their academics, making sure everyone will be eligible when a new coach comes in.
You had set the theme of sticking together, have any of the players had any thoughts of leaving at all?
Certain kids expressed that they’re unhappy with the decision, but like I said earlier, I don’t want to compare it to a death in the family, but basketball is your family. Each day gets a little easier. So, I think if anyone was planning on leaving, they’ll talk to the new coach and get a feel for what’s going on and make their decision. I really don’t anticipate anybody on the current team leaving.
What’s it been like for you guys throughout this whole process?
I think for the guys, it’s been easier just because they’re back in their routine of working out each day. For me, it’s definitely been a little stressful. I’ve got a baby daughter and I’m trying to figure out what to do if things don’t pan out here, because I love Pepperdine. It is getting easier, but it hasn’t been an easy stretch at all.
What’s been your role working with the administration during the search process?
I’ve had pretty much a hands-on approach. When they’ve brought in candidates, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with them and see where they stand. I think I will be depended on along with probably Julie Rousseau to give people a basketball take on where things are. Dr. Watson’s been good to me and given me an excellent role in the search for Pepperdine’s new coach.
Last year was kind of disappointing, but there were some encouraging things that happened. What are some of things you were encouraged by?
I think the progression of our four freshmen, especially since Willie (Galick), Chris (Oakes) and Mike (Gerrity) all had significant injuries throughout the year, but they were able to withstand those and still be very productive. Mike kind of tailed off at the end a little bit because of his foot, which is understandable. But to see their potential was great. Even Tomas (Pranciliauskus), right before the end of the year when he had a stress fracture in his foot, we were ready to start playing him some serious minutes, so I think the future of Pepperdine basketball is very bright. By no means will the cupboard be bare for the new coach.
What is the scholarship situation like for next season?
It kind of depends on what the next coach wants to do. Right now, Blake Wallace is still committed and if the new coach wants him, I imagine he’ll come. It just depends on what our other guys do. We have some current kids who can probably go ahead and graduate this summer if they’re ready to move on. That’ll probably be privy to the conversations they have with the new coach as to what their role will be before they make their decisions. Right now, we don’t have any (scholarships), but we could have three.
How has that affected recruiting for next season?
You know, once we signed Blake, we were kind of done with our ’06 class. We kept in touch with several junior college kids and high school kids. But with Coach Westphal, our philosophy was that if we were going to sign somebody late, it was going to be somebody who could come in and bolster our play on the wings. What the new coach chooses to do, I don’t know. I’ve kept the ball rolling with several people and hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to continue to recruit them.
Now that UCLA has become a national power again, how much more difficult will it become to get players from Southern California?
I don’t think it’s changed at all. UCLA has always been UCLA. USC, obviously, is getting much better and their recruiting efforts have been outstanding, but they’ve gone with a more national approach to try to get kids whereas UCLA has kind of put up a fence around Southern California to get the elite talent. But, not every kid can go to UCLA. There’s only 13 scholarships and I think Pepperdine is still a very attractive option for kids who want to stay close to home.
What do you think a new gym would do for recruiting?
I think it would help, but Pepperdine is what it is. You have to sell what you have and obviously there’s some sports that can use a facilities upgrade and a gym and that’ll come in due time. I don’t think it’s been a big hindrance in the overall effort. Saint Mary’s has a crappy gym and they went to the tournament last year and finished very strong. So if you want to say it’s the gym, I think that’s the wrong way to go. But it would help.
04-13-2006
