DAVID NAKAGAMI
Sports Assistant
For the Pepperdine men’s basketball team, the madness was over almost as quickly as it started. The eighth-seeded Waves lost the opening round game of the West Coast Tournament to the fifth-seeded Dons of San Diego, 95-82. Pepperdine finished the 2006-2007 campaign with an 8-23 overall record, including a 4-10 resume against WCC foes.
The Waves put the first points on the board with senior Chase Griffin’s layup, followed immediately by a Gregg Barlow steal and three-pointer. Pepperdine fought to keep the lead and did so until the 12:41 mark in the opening half, when a jumper by Dons forward Gyno Pomare gave San Diego its first lead of the contest. The Dons continued to build upon their lead, stretching their advantage to as many as 16 points before Pepperdine was able to close the deficit to seven by halftime, the scoreboard reading 48-41.
Senior guard Barlow led the Waves with 10 points in the first half, and Griffin added five points and four assists. However, the Dons had two players score 12 points in the first 20 minutes of play, and shot 58.1 percent from the field as a team.
The halftime lead proved to be enough for San Diego. Although the Waves were able to close the score to within six points, the Dons made all six free throws at the end of the game to win by 13 points, 95-82.
“We didn’t play defense well,” said sophomore power forward Willie Galick. “If we limited a few more 3’s, we might’ve had a chance to win.”
Despite the outcome, graduating seniors Marvin Lea, Barlow, and Griffin ended their college careers on a positive note. Lea, a native of Riverside, led the Waves with 17 points, seven rebounds, and four steals. Barlow, a transfer from Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, tallied 12 points and a team-high five assists. Griffin, a Sammamish, Washington native, added 12 points, four boards, and four assists. The other senior, Head Coach Vance Walberg’s son Jason, suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice in late November. At the time of his injury, Walberg was averaging 14 points, three assists, and two rebounds, shooting 50 percent from the field.
“It’s tough to see the seniors go,” Walberg said.
In addition, Galick chipped in 12 points and collected seven misses, five of them on the offensive end.
In one word, Walberg summed up the recently-concluded season as “disappointing”.
“We wish we could do more,” Walberg said.
However, Walberg said the experience was rewarding, especially for the players who stayed through the season and worked hard.
Galick echoed the words of his coach, pointing to a new coach, a new system, and new players as a significant contributor to the way the season turned out.
“We were getting better and better,” Galick said. “If we had more time, we could’ve done much better.”
A much improved Pepperdine team is most assuredly around the corner, with several highly-touted recruits scheduled to join the team in Malibu next year. On Wednesday, Walberg announced the signing of 6’10” Australian big man Daniel Johnson to the squad, bringing the total to six incoming players for the upcoming 2007-2008 campaign.
“The key is making sure they do what is needed to be successful,” Walberg said.
The addition of the raw but talented recruits to the increasing familiarity of Walberg’s system on the returnees should have Pepperdine in a much better situation next season. However, Walberg stops short of giving a concrete number of wins he expects in the future.
“Our goal is to play harder and smarter,” said the rookie head coach. “Hopefully we’ll make progress.”
03-22-2007
