MALIBU, California – New Pepperdine men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar completed his first recruiting class today with the announcement that M.J. Cage, a transfer from the University of Oregon, will be joining the Waves.

Cage, a 6-foot-10 forward who hails from Santa Ana, Calif., and attended Mater Dei High School, has spent the last two seasons with the Ducks. Per NCAA transfer rules, he'll sit out the 2018-19 season and then have two years to play for Pepperdine.

"We're excited to have M.J. join our program," said Romar, who is beginning his second stint as head coach of the Waves. "When we took this job one of the glaring weaknesses that we thought we had was a lack of size. He certainly helps with that at 6-foot-10. He's been part of a Final Four team and he's played some big-time basketball. Although he has to sit out a year, we're excited about what he's going to bring to the table when he's eligible."

Said Cage: "The campus is beautiful and I liked Pepperdine because it's a Christian school and close to home. Plus, I know I will get a great education there because it's a top school. As far as basketball, I like the coaching staff and I feel like I already have a great connection with them. It feels like Pepperdine has a great atmosphere. Coach Romar is a family guy, he treats everyone with respect and really gets to know his players and what works for them, and I like that."

Cage was injured and redshirted his first season (2016-17) with the Ducks, a year in which Oregon went to the Final Four and won a share of the Pac-12 Conference's regular-season title. This past season, he saw action in 11 games off the bench and averaged 1.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 6.5 minutes. He had season highs of 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting in 16 minutes against Central Arkansas (12/20), and grabbed seven rebounds in 11 minutes against Alabama State (11/17).

Cage was a four-star recruit and a top 100 player coming out of high school, according to various recruiting systems. As a 2015-16 senior, he earned USA Today all-state second team honors, was an All-CIF Southern Section Open Division second team selection and was the Trinity League co-MVP. As a junior, he helped Mater Dei to a state runner-up finish and averaged 13 points and 12 rebounds while making the All-CIF SS Open Division first team. During his sophomore year, he helped Mater Dei to the California state title and a #1 national ranking while earning All-CIF SS Open Division first team honors. The Monarchs also won a state title his freshman year.

He is the son of 15-year NBA veteran Michael Cage.

Cage is the second Oregon Duck to transfer to Pepperdine this offseason. Keith Smith, a 6-foot-7 forward, will join Cage on the sidelines this upcoming season but will also have two seasons to play for the Waves.

Cage is yet another native Southern Californian who will be joining the roster. The five incoming freshmen are 6-foot-7 forward Andre Ball (Chino Hills HS), 6-foot-7 forward Kessler Edwards (Etiwanda HS), 6-foot-9 center Victor Ohia Obioha (Hillcrest HS), 5-foot-10 point guard Darryl Polk Jr. (Long Beach Poly HS) and 6-foot-9 center Jackson Stormo (San Marcos HS).