Bell Named to Preseason All-WCC First Team
Click on the above video player for an interview with associate head coach Marty Wilson.
October 22, 2009
MALIBU, Calif. ­- Sophomore guard Keion Bell of the Pepperdine men's basketball team was named to the preseason All-West Coast Conference first team, the league office announced today.
Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Pasadena HS) was selected to the WCC's All-Freshman team last season, as the 6-foot-3 guard averaged team highs of 12.9 points, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals. His showing at the Say No Classic summer league prompted one local sportswriter to call him arguably the best college player in all of Southern California. (Click here for Keion's famous Blue & Orange Madness dunk).
Additionally, the preseason coaches' poll was released and the Waves were picked to finish seventh. Pepperdine was predicted to place eighth last season but finished two spots higher in the end. Gonzaga earned the nod over Portland as the league favorite.
A young Pepperdine team made great strides last season under the leadership of Tom Asbury, who returned to Malibu to begin his second stint as the head coach of the Waves. The squad went 9-23 overall and 5-9 for sixth place in the WCC, but three of the top four scorers were freshmen and the other one was a sophomore. The 2009-10 Waves have 11 returning lettermen, among the most in school history.
The Waves play their lone exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 6, against Westmont at 7 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse. The regular season begins with a home game against Pacific on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Season tickets are now on sale. Prices are $544 for a courtside seat, $204 for lower reserved seating and $163 for upper reserved seating, respectively. Season-ticket holders will enjoy benefits including reserved parking and admission to "At the Half" for halftime snacks. Those that make a minimum recommended donation - $150 for courtside reserved seating and $125 for either lower or upper reserved seating - will also become members of the Waves Club and be privy to those exclusive benefits as well. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the athletic offices in Heritage Hall, calling (866) WAVE-TIX or by visiting www.pepperdinesports.com, accessing the ticket brochure PDF and mailing it in.
2009-10 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Gonzaga - 48 (6)
2. Portland - 44 (2)
3. Saint Mary's - 34
4. San Francisco - 26
Santa Clara - 26
6. San Diego - 21
7. Pepperdine - 13
8. Loyola Marymount - 12
(First place votes)
2009-10 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference
Keion Bell, PEP
Matt Bouldin, GON
T.J. Campbell, POR
Jared DuBois, LMU
Kevin Foster, SCU
Steven Gray, GON
Brandon Johnson, USD
Dior Lowhorn, USF
Nik Raivio, POR
Omar Samhan, SMC
