Feb. 4, 2007
Malibu, Calif. -
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A LOOK AT THE WAVES: The Pepperdine men's basketball team will attempt to break a two-game losing streak when it hosts Portland Monday night at Firestone Fieldhouse beginning at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live by FSN Prime Ticket.
Pepperdine is currently 6-18 overall and 2-6 in WCC play and has lost two in a row after losing 82-57 to Gonzaga Saturday afternoon in Malibu. Senior guard Chase Griffin led the Waves with 22 points.
A win on Monday will equal Pepperdine's entire win total from a year ago when the Waves went 7-20, including a 3-11 mark in WCC play.
MEDIA COVERAGE: The Pepperdine-Portland game can be heard live on the Internet at www.PepperdineSports.com. It also will be televised live by FSN Prime Ticket with Paul Sunderland and Jack Haley 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).
GONZAGA RECAP: Sophomore forward Josh Heytvelt set career-highs with 27 points and 22 rebounds, while totaling six blocked shots, to lead Gonzaga to an 82-57 victory over Pepperdine Saturday afternoon at Firestone Fieldhouse. Senior guard Derek Raivio added 21 points and junior guard David Pendergraft contributed 10 points and five rebounds for the Bulldogs, who won their 12th straight game over the Waves dating back to the 2001-02 season. Pepperdine senior guard Chase Griffin scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half to lead the Waves. The Bulldogs on two big runs - an 18-0 surge in the first half and a 27-3 explosion in the second that put the game out of reach after they held just a 36-32 halftime. Pepperdine was done in by season-low 29.2 percent (19-65) shooting from the field and was out-rebounded by a 49-20 count. After trailing by as many as 12 points in the first half, Pepperdine mounted a late-first half rally with an 11-2 spurt to cut the deficit to four points at the break. Gonzaga opened the second half with a 15-9 run to build a 10-point lead with 14:37 remaining and were never threatened the remainder of the game. The Bulldogs' biggest lead came with 2:58 remaining when they led 78-47.
ABOUT PORTLAND: Portland is 6-18 overall and 2-6 in WCC play. After opening WCC play with two straight victories, the Pilots have lost six in a row, including a 74-59 setback at Loyola Marymount Saturday night. Portland is averaging 60.5 points a game while allowing 69.3 points a contest. The Pilots have two players scoring in double figures and are led by senior guard Darren Cooper, who is contributing 12.7 points a contest. Head coach Eric Reveno is in his first season leading Portland.
SERIES VERSUS PORTLAND: Monday's contest will mark the 74th meeting between Pepperdine and Portland and the Waves lead the all-time series, 50-23. The Waves have lost three in a row to the Pilots for the first time in a series that dates back to the 1954-55 season. Portland posted a 73-69 victory over Pepperdine earlier this season at the Chiles Center.
NEXT OPPONENT: Following this weekend's action, Pepperdine returns to the hardwood on Saturday, February 10, when it travels to the Bay Area to take on San Francisco at Memorial Gymnasium. The Dons play at San Diego and Santa Clara this weekend.
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.
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 innovative 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 also contributed four rebounds, three assists and two steals in Pepperdine's 95-90 loss to 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 (668) and three-point field goals made (238). San Diego is second with 442 three-point attempts while Gonzaga is second with 159 made three-pointers. With its nine three-pointers made against Gonzaga on Saturday, Pepperdine established a new single-season record for most three-pointer with 238. The previous mark was 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 SIXTH IN NATION IN THREE-POINTERS: Pepperdine entered the weekend sixth in the country in three point field goals made per game with 10.0. Virginia Military Institute leads the nation with 14.6 three-pointers a contest.
PEPPERDINE 45TH IN SCORING OFFENSE: Pepperdine, which is currently second in the West Coast Conference in scoring, entered the weekend 45th nationally with 76.7 points a game. Virginia Military Institute is the country's top-scoring team, averaging 102.8 points a game. Entering Monday's game, the Waves are averaging 75.8 points a contest while Gonzaga is averaging 80.3 points a game to lead the WCC.
SCORING DOWN IN WCC PLAY: After averaging 82.8 points a game through its first 16 non-conference games, Pepperdine is scoring just 62.0 points a contest in WCC play. In non-conference play, the Waves connected on 44.6 percent of their field goal attempts and through eight conference games, Pepperdine is making just 37.6 percent of its field goal attempts.
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 SEVENTH IN CAREER BLOCKS: Junior center Jarrad Henry, who has totaled a single-season high 53 blocked shots this season, is currently seventh on Pepperdine's all-time career blocked shots list. He has 99 blocked shots for his career and is six shy of tying Casey Crawford (1986-89) for sixth place. Henry has averaged 1.3 blocked shots a game for his career and is fifth on the program's career blocked shots per game list. His 53 blocked shots this year to place him sixth on the program's single-season blocked shots list. He is five blocked shots shy of tying Victor Anger (1983-84) for fifth place.
COSTAIN NO. 6 IN THREE-POINTERS MADE: Junior guard Kingsley Costain currently ranks sixth on Pepperdine's all-time career three-pointers made list with 133. He is nine shy of tying Brandon Armstrong (1999-01) for fifth place. Armstrong finished his career with 142 made three-pointers. Costain also ranks seventh on the program's career attempts list with 325 and is fifth in three-point field goal percentage (40.9).
FORCING TURNOVERS: Pepperdine, which has forced a West Coast Conference (WCC)-high 482 turnovers, is forcing 20.1 turnovers a game to lead the WCC and has a league-best turnover margin of +4.0. The Waves also are leading the conference with 9.4 steals (225) per game.
LEA NO. 4 IN SCORING IN WCC: Senior guard Marvin Lea is averaging 15.5 points a game to rank fourth in the West Coast Conferene in scoring. Gonzaga's Derek Ravio (18.7) tops the WCC while Loyola Marymount's Matthew Knight (17.0) is second and San Diego's Gyno Pomare is third with 15.6 points a game.
HENRY SECOND IN WCC IN BLOCKED SHOTS: Junior forward Jarrad Henry, who has totaled a career-high 53 blocked shots this season, is second in the WCC in blocked shots. Saint Mary's Diamon Simpson leads the conference with 58 blocked shots.
COSTAIN SECOND IN MADE 3-POINTERS: Junior guard Kingsley Costain is second in the West Coast Conference (WCC) with 68 made three-pointers and third in three-pointers made per game (2.8 a game) and is third in three-point field goal percentage with a 42.9 percent mark. Gonzaga's Derek Ravio (2.9) leads the conference in made three-pointers per game while San Francisco's Danny Cavic tops the WCC with a 51.0 three-point field goal percentage.
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 80-53 (.601), trailing only Gonzaga, which has posted a 120-18 (.869) 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 6-18 (.250) 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 1090-851 (.561). 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 503-387 (.565), including a 255-132 (.659) 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 84-35 (.706) at home. Pepperdine's all-time homecourt record at Firestone Fieldhouse, dating back to the start of the 1973-74 campaign, currently stands at 322-123 (.722). Pepperdine concluded 2005-06 with a 6-6 home record. The Waves are 1-7 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 90-121 (.426), including a 27-26 mark (.509) in neutral court contests. Pepperdine is 5-11 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.
