MALIBU, California – The Pepperdine men's basketball team signed two players this week, as head coach Lorenzo Romar will bring in graduate transfer Braun Hartfield and freshman Sekou "Aladji" Gassama to the 2021-22 Waves.
 
Hartfield, a 6-foot-6 guard, hails from Cleveland, Ohio, and last played for the University of San Diego. Gassama, a 6-foot-9 forward/center, is originally from Mali and attends De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis, Missouri.
 
Hartfield notes: Sat out the 2020-21 season ... Was All-WCC honorable mention and San Diego's leading scorer in 2019-20, his only season playing for the Toreros ... Averaged 13.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.3 minutes ... Started 31 of 32 games ... Finished 11th in the WCC in scoring and 12th in rebounding ... Had 24 double-digit scoring games, including six with 20 points or more, with a season-high 27 against Pacific (2/1) ... Had a 26-point game against Pepperdine (2/13) ... Redshirted the 2018-19 season per NCAA transfer rules ... Played his first two years of college basketball at Youngstown State ... Averaged 13.6 points as a 2017-18 sophomore and 8.5 points as a 2016-17 freshman.
 
Harfield said: "The relationship I developed with Coach Romar was big on my decision. Pepperdine's a winning program, Malibu's a nice city and the chance to get a master's degree is a good accomplishment for me and my family."
 
Romar said: "We are very excited for Braun to be joining our program. Not only is he a proven scorer at our level but he has shown that he can defend and rebound from the guard position. His skill set and experience will help us immediately."
 
Gassama notes: 247 Sports lists him as a 3-star recruit ... Averaged 11.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks as a senior ... Helped De Smet win the Class 5 District 7 championship in 2021 ... Averaged 7.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks as a junior ... Averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 blocks as a sophomore.
 
Gassama said: "I chose Pepperdine because of Coach Romar's personality and the trust that I have gained from him over my recruiting process. I like the way they utilize their big players in a variety of ways."
 
Romar said: "We are very excited to have Aladji join us. He is an athletic shot-blocker with a 7-foot-1 wingspan that can also step outside and make shots. Aladji is very hard worker with great character."
 
The duo will join four other newcomers who signed in the fall: 6-foot-10 center Carson Basham (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunnyslope HS), 6-foot-5 guard Houston Mallette (Alameda, Calif./Pacifica Christian HS), 6-foot-3 guard Mike Mitchell Jr. (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty HS) and 6-foot-8 forward Jalen Pitre (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly HS).
 
Pepperdine finished the 2020-21 season with a 15-12 record and won the College Basketball Invitational championship.