Jan. 7, 2007
Spokane, Wash. -
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A LOOK AT THE WAVES: The Pepperdine men's basketball team concludes its two-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest on Monday when it visits defending West Coast Conference (WCC) champion Gonzaga at the McCarthey Athletic Center in a nationally-televised game beginning at 9 p.m.
The Waves enter Monday's game with a 4-13 record, including an 0-1 mark in WCC play, after falling 73-69 to Portland Saturday night in its conference-opener. For the third straight game, senior guard Chase Griffin led Pepperdine with 17 points.
MEDIA COVERAGE: The Pepperdine-Gonzaga game can be heard live on the Internet at www.PepperdineSports.com. It will also be televised live nationally by ESPN2 with Terry Gannon and Stephan Bardo describing the action.
Every men's basketball game throughout the 2006-07 season can be heard live on the Internet at www.PepperdineSports.com with veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein calling the action.
WALBERG ERA BEGINS: The 2006-07 season marks the beginning of the Vance Walberg Era. Walberg takes over as Pepperdine's 12th head coach after being hired on April 19 following four highly successful seasons at Fresno City College. During his tenure there, Walberg guided the Rams to a 133-11 (.924) record and won the California State Junior College Championship in 2005 after posting a 34-0 record. In 26 seasons as a junior college and high school coach, Walberg has compiled an overall record of 614-170 (.783).
PORTLAND RECAP: Senior guard Darren Cooper scored a game-high 19 points to lead Portland to a 73-69 victory over Pepperdine in both teams' West Coast Conference (WCC) opener Saturday night at the Chiles Center in Portland. The loss was the Waves' seventh by five points or less on the season and third straight setback to the Pilots dating back to last year. Senior guard Chase Griffin led Pepperdine with 17 points while senior guard Marvin Lea and junior guard Kingsley Costain each scored 15 points. Trailing 71-69 with :45 remaining, the Waves forced a turnover and had an opportunity to tie the game but could not convert on the offensive end as Willie Galick had his shot blocked and the Pilots hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the win. A slow start hurt Pepperdine as it opened the game two of 10 from the field and committed seven turnovers in the first seven minutes of the game and trailed 36-35 at halftime. Throughout the game, the Waves were forced to hit their outside shots as Portland utilized a zone defense eliminating Pepperdine's opportunities to drive to the basket. The Waves shot just 35.5 percent from the field, their second poorest shooting night of the season. Pepperdine opened the second half three of 18 from the field and trailed by eight points at 56-48 with 7:45 remaining. Pepperdine's lack of ability to hit from the outside combined with Portland connecting on 24 of 32 free throws resulted in another tough loss for the Waves. Joining Cooper in double figures for the Pilots were Ben Sullivan (14), Sherrard Watson (13) and Jamie Jones (12).
ABOUT GONZAGA: Gonzaga enters Monday's game against Pepperdine with 10-6 overall record and a 1-0 mark in West Coast Conference play. The Bulldogs snapped a four-game losing streak with a 97-62 victory over Loyola Marymount on Saturday that extended their home winning streak to 46 consecutive games. The Bulldogs are averaging 80.8 points a game while allowing 71.1 points a contest. Gonzaga has three players scoring in double figures and is led by senior guard Derek Ravio, who leads the WCC with 19.4 points a contest. Head coach Mark Few is in the midst of his eighth season leading the Bulldogs and has compiled an overall record to date of 198-47 (.808).
SERIES VERSUS GONZAGA: Monday's game marks the 62nd meeting between Pepperdine and Gonzaga and the Waves lead the all-time series, 31-30. The Bulldogs have won 10 in a row dating back to 2002. Gonzaga defeated Pepperdine 81-64 in Spokane and 97-83 in Malibu last season. The Waves last win over the Bulldogs came during the first meeting in 2002 when they posted an 88-79 victory at Firestone. That season, Pepperdine and Gonzaga tied for the WCC regular season title an the Bulldogs went on to defeat the Waves, 96-90 in the championship game of the conference tournament.
NEXT OPPONENT: The Waves return to Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday, January 13, when they host San Diego. The Toreros are currently 9-6 on the season and will host UC Riverside on Wednesday before visiting Malibu.
WAVES LOOK TO IMPROVE IN WCC: After suffering through a 3-11 record and first eighth-place finish since the 1995-96 season a year ago, Pepperdine will be looking to improve its fortunes in 2007. The Waves haven't finished eighth in back-to-back seasons since the 1956 and 1957 seasons, their first two as members of the WCC. Since the 1997-98 campaign, Pepperdine has finished first or second in six of the last nine seasons.
INJURY REPORT: Senior guard Jason Walberg is lost for the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury during practice on November 24. Walberg played in five games and averaged 14.0 points and 2.4 rebounds a contest. Sophomore guard Tomas Pranciliauskas suffered a dislocated shoulder during the second half of Pepperdine's game against Binghamton on December 28 and is hopeful of returning to action next weekend.
WALBERG THE INNOVATOR: First-year head coach Vance Walberg was named one of college basketball's most innovative coaches, according to SI.com's Grant Wahl. "The first-year Waves coach is from Cupertino, Calif., the birthplace of Apple Computers and an apt source for one of the most innovate coaches in today's hoops racket. Walberg's high-speed offensive scheme is called AASAA (Attack, Attack, Skip, Attack, Attack), and he's shared it with legions of coaches from the high school level to the college ranks (including John Calipari at Memphis). What's more, unlike the freakshow-fast attacks at Grinnell and VMI, Walberg wins big. (In his previous job Walberg owned a .924 winning percentage over the past four years at Fresno City College.) Give Walberg some time to assemble the right personnel in Malibu, and I expect he'll make things even more interesting in the West Coast Conference." Other coaches on the list included Bob Knight (Texas Tech), Roy Williams (North Carolina), John Beilein (West Virginia), Mike Anderson (Missouri) and Bo Ryan (Wisconsin).
LEA POSTS CAREER NIGHT: Senior guard Marvin Lea turned in a career night Thursday against Long Beach State as he scored a career-high 34 points. The senior guard also contributed four rebounds, three assists and two steals in Pepperdine's 95-90 loss to the 49ers. Lea's 34-point output was the most by a Waves player since Tashaan Forehan-Kelly scored 35 against Loyola Marymount last January. It also marked the most points scored by West Coast Conference (WCC) player this season, eclipsing the previous mark of 32 scored by Loyola Marymount's Brandon Worthy against Pacific on November 24.
RAINING THREE'S: Pepperdine leads the West Coast Conference (WCC) in three-point field goal attempts (488) and three-point field goals made (186). San Francisco is second with 288 attempts and tied with Gonzaga with 107 made three-pointers. Pepperdine already has surpassed last season's total of 124 made three-pointers. The Pepperdine single-season record for made three-pointers is 237 set during the 1999-2000 season. The Waves have set new marks for three-point field goal attempts in a game. One night after taking a school-record 36 three-point field goal attempts against Northern Iowa, Pepperdine broke that mark with 43 against Nicholls State on November 14. The Waves also made a program-best 21 three-pointers against Nicholls State to eclipse the previous mark of 17 set against Santa Clara on February 23, 2002.
Pepperdine also set a new mark for most three-point field goals in one half with 12. The Waves' 21 three-pointers tie for the second-most in West Coast Conference history. Gonzaga made 22 from behind the arc against San Francisco in 1995 to hold the WCC mark. The Waves are tied with Loyola Marymount, which made 21 against Michigan in the 1990 NCAA Tournament.
PEPPERDINE FOURTH IN NATION IN THREE-POINTERS: Pepperdine began the week ranked fourth in the country in three point field goals made per game with 10.9. Virginia Military Institute leads the nation with 14.8 three-pointers a contest.
PEPPERDINE 16TH IN SCORING OFFENSE: Pepperdine, which leads the West Coast Conference in scoring, entered the week 16th nationally with 82.5 points a game. After Saturday's game against Portland, the Waves are averaging 81.9 points a contest. Virginia Military Institute is the country's top-scoring team, averaging 102.1 points a game.
WAVES ENTER NCAA RECORD BOOKS: Pepperdine's school-record 21 three-point field goals against Nicholls State on November 14 tie for the sixth-highest total in NCAA History. Troy holds the record of three-point field goals made when it totaled 28 (28 of 74) against George Mason on Dec. 10, 1994. A team has made at least 21 three-point field goals in a game a total of 21 times.
HENRY ENTERS TIED FOR 9TH IN CAREER BLOCKS: Junior center Jarrad Henry, who has totaled a single-season high 40 blocked shots this season, is tied with Doug Christie (1989-92) for ninth place on Pepperdine's all-time career blocked shots list. He has 86 blocked shots for his career and is eight shy of tying Dexter Howard (1986-90) for eighth place. Henry has averaged 1.2 blocked shots a game for his career and currently ties for fifth on the program's career blocked shots per game list.
COSTAIN NO. 8 IN THREE-POINTERS MADE: Junior guard Kingsley Costain currently ranks No. 8 on Pepperdine's all-time career three-pointers made with 121. He is two shy of tying Shan Ferch (1987-90) for seventh place. Ferch finished his career with 123 made three-pointers.
FORCING TURNOVERS: Pepperdine, which has forced a West Coast Conference (WCC)-high 353 turnovers, is forcing 20.8 turnovers a game to lead the WCC and has a league-best turnover margin of +3.88. The Waves are also leading the conference with 9.3 steals (353) per game.
LEA, GRIFFIN RANK IN TOP 5 IN WCC IN SCORING: Senior guards Marvin Lea and Chase Griffin currently rank among the West Coast Conference's top scorers. Lea, who is averaging 17.5 points a contest, is third, while Griffin is fifth with 15.8 points a game. Gonzaga's Derek Ravio (19.4) tops the WCC while Loyola Marymount's Brandon Worthy (18.5) is second.
COSTAIN SECOND IN 3-POINT PERCENTAGE: Junior guard Kingsley Costain is connecting on 49.0 percent (50-102) of his three-point field goal attempts to rank second in the WCC. He trails Gonzaga's Derek Ravio (3.27) in percentage and tops the conference with 50 made three-pointers.
WAVES VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS: Pepperdine finished 0-3 against ranked opponents during the 2005-06 season. The 2006-07 schedule includes four teams that are currently in the Top 25 nationally. Pepperdine, which is 0-3 against ranked opponents thus far, opened the year at No. 16 Washington and suffered a 99-91 loss in Seattle. The Waves fell 90-74 at Oklahoma State on December 2. The Cowboys entered this week's rankings at No. 12. Pepperdine also lost 88-66 to then No. 11 Connecticut on December 20 and will play a pair of games against West Coast Conference (WCC) rival Gonzaga, which is No. 22.
KEEP YOUR BAGS PACKED: The Pepperdine men's basketball team will need to keep a suitcase handy as it plays 11 of 16 non-conference games on the road, including eight of its first nine. The Waves twice have stretches where they play four consecutive road games, including at the outset of the season when they play three contests in the Basketball Travelers Classic in Seattle, Washington and a game at Cal State Northridge on November 18. Pepperdine doesn't play its first home game until November 21 when it welcomes UC Santa Barbara to Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves will look to turn around their road fortunes this year after going just 1-14 away from Firestone Fieldhouse in 2005-06.
FORMER WAVE Yakhouba Diawara MAKES DENVER ROSTER: Former Pepperdine men's basketball player Yakhouba Diawara, who played for the Waves from 2003 to 2005, became an official member of the Denver Nuggets' when the team's 15-man roster was announced on Tuesday. During his two seasons at Pepperdine, Diawara appeared in 45 games, starting 40, and averaged 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds a game. He had an- outstanding junior campaign as he played in 14 games and averaged 18.9 points and 6.6 rebounds a contest en route to earning All-West Coast Conference (WCC) honors. A native of Paris, France, Diawara played in eight preseason games for the Nuggets and averaged 6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists a contest while averaging 24 minutes a contest. Diawara made his NBA debut November 2 and scored his first career points against Minnesota on November 3.
PEPPERDINE AND THE WCC: Dating back to the 1997-98 season, Pepperdine has the West Coast Conference's (WCC) second-best record in league play. The Waves have compiled an overall record to date of 78-48 (.619), trailing only Gonzaga, which has posted a 114-16 (.877) record during the same time. Since 1998, Gonzaga and Pepperdine have either won or shared every WCC regular-season title. The Bulldogs claimed outright titles in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, while the Waves captured the 2000 regular season crown. The two teams shared the title in 2002.
Vance Walberg: Vance Walberg, the former head coach of Fresno City College, became the 12th head coach in Pepperdine history when he was named to succeed Paul Westphal on April 18. He made his Pepperdine coaching debut on November 12 at Washington and the Waves suffered a 99-91 to the Huskies. He is currently 4-13 (.235) at Pepperdine. During his four seasons as head coach at Fresno City College, Walberg compiled a 133-11 (.924) record, including a perfect 34-0 mark and the California State Championship in 2005. In addition to posting an undefeated season and winning the 2005 state championship, Walberg's Fresno City College teams won four straight Central Valley Conference (CVC) titles, made four consecutive trips to the Northern California Playoffs, advanced to the Final Four of the California State Championships three times and appeared in the state title game in 2003 and 2005. His teams were noted for an up-tempo style of play and during his four years in Fresno, the Rams averaged 103.5 points a contest, 107.6 points during the 2003-04 season. Walberg was twice named California Junior College Coach of the Year (2003, 2005) and was tabbed the CVC Coach of the Year four times (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006). Prior to taking over at Fresno City College, Walberg spent 22 years as a high school coach and compiled an impressive 481-159 (.751) record. His greatest success came at Clovis West High in Fresno, California, where he produced a 343-68 (.834) record in 13 seasons, winning 11 league titles and finishing second on two other occasions. Walberg earned league Coach of the Year honors nine times, Section Coach of the Year on six occasions and was tabbed the California and West Region (Section 7) Coach of the Year in 1999. In 2001, he was selected the Cal-Hi State Coach of the Year. In 26 seasons as a head coach, Walberg has a career record of 614-170 (.783). A 1978 graduate of Cal State Bakersfield, Walberg was twice named the Defensive Player of the Year and served as team captain his senior year. In two seasons at De Anza Community College, he won a conference championship and concluded his career as the school's all-time steals leader. Walberg, a 1974 graduate of Monta Vista High in Cupertino, California, was a two-year varsity letterwinner during which he was named Co-Most Valuable Player and team MVP. He helped the Matadors to a league championship.
THE PROGRAM: In the midst of its 69th season of intercollegiate competition, the Pepperdine men's basketball program has compiled an overall record to date of 1088-847 (.562). A total of 22 Pepperdine teams have posted 20-plus win campaigns. The Waves have won 19 or more games eight times in the last 15 campaigns. Pepperdine made its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001-02, and the Waves have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) a total of eight times, including the Preseason NIT in 1985 and 2000. Since the start of the 1979-80 campaign, Pepperdine teams have compiled an overall record of 501-383(.567), including a 253-128 (.664) mark in regular season West Coast Conference (WCC) play. Since the 1980-81 season, Pepperdine teams have either won or shared the WCC regular season title on 10 occasions-1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2000 and 2002-and the program has won 12 basketball championships overall. Additionally, the Waves have captured the WCC Tournament championship three times-1991, 1992 and 1994.
WAVES AT HOME: Dating back to the start of the 1997-98 campaign, the Waves are 84-32 (.724) at home. Pepperdine's all-time homecourt record at Firestone Fieldhouse, dating back to the start of the 1973-74 campaign, currently stands at 322-120 (.728). Pepperdine concluded 2005-06 with a 6-6 home record. The Waves are 1-4 at home this season.
WAVES ON THE ROAD: Pepperdine concluded the 2005-06 campaign with a 1-14 road record. Since the 1995-96 season, the Waves are 88-119 (.425), including a 27-26 mark (.509) in neutral court contests. Pepperdine is 3-9 on the road, including 2-1 in neutral court games, during the 2006-07 season.
ON THE WEB: For all of the latest news, results and schedule information concerning Pepperdine Athletics go to http://www.PepperdineSports.com.
