MALIBU, California – For the first time in Pepperdine men's basketball history, and for just the second time in West Coast Conference history, three players – Maxwell Lewis, Houston Mallette and Mike Mitchell Jr. – from one program made the conference's All-Freshman team.
 
The only school to previously put three players on a WCC All-Freshman team was Santa Clara in 2009. Only once before had the Waves put two players onto an All-Freshman team, and that was in 2005.
 
In league games only, the three Waves all ranked among the WCC's top five freshman scorers: Mallette was #1 at 15.9 points per game, Lewis was #3 at 12.5 and Mitchell was #5 at 9.9.
 
Lewis (Las Vegas, Nev./AZ Compass Prep) averaged 11.0 points overall this season. His year came to an unfortunate early end after suffering a wrist injury on February 12 against BYU. He had a pair of 20-point games in league play, getting 26 and 22 in the two contests against Pacific, and scored in double-figures seven times in WCC games.
 
Mallette (Alameda, Calif./Pacifica Christian HS) is Pepperdine's leading scorer at 13.7 points per game overall (10th in the WCC). He's made a Pepperdine freshman-record 69 three-pointers, which is also 10th on the Waves' overall list. He's made a three-pointer in 25 straight games, the fifth-longest streak in Pepperdine history. He scored in double-figures in each of the last eight games of the season, and 20 or more points in five of the last six, including a 31-point effort against BYU.
 
Mitchell (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty HS) ranks second in the WCC in overall assists (4.8 per game), and was third in league play (4.6). He's collected 148 assists this season, the second-most ever by a Pepperdine freshman. Mitchell scored in double-figures seven times in WCC play, including a season-high 18 in the finale at BYU. He had five or more assists in eight of the league games, with a high of eight. Mitchell is the only Wave to start all 31 games this season.
 
Mallette received two WCC Freshman of the Week awards and Mitchell got it once.
 
Due to a tie in the coaches' voting, seven newcomers made the All-Freshman squad.
 
Pepperdine is the #10 seed at the upcoming University Credit Union WCC Tournament. The Waves will face #7 San Diego on Thursday (March 3) at 8 p.m. at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The game will be shown on BYUtv, Bally Sports SoCal and the WCC Network, and there will be a live audio-only WaveCasts at PepperdineWaves.com.
 
WCC Player of the Year: Drew Timme (Gonzaga); WCC Defensive Player of the Year: Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga); WCC Newcomer of the Year: Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga); WCC Sixth Man of the Year: Tommy Kuhse (Saint Mary's); WCC Coach of the Year: Randy Bennett (Saint Mary's)
 
All-WCC first team: Alex Barcello (BYU), Jamaree Bouyea (San Francisco), Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga), Tommy Kuhse (Saint Mary's), Yauhen Massalski (San Francisco), Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga), Matthias Tass (Saint Mary's), Drew Timme (Gonzaga), Josip Vrankic (Santa Clara), Jalen Williams (Santa Clara).
 
All-WCC second team: Alex Ducas (Saint Mary's), Logan Johnson (Saint Mary's), Keshawn Justice (Santa Clara), Tyler Robertson (Portland), Eli Scott (Loyola Marymount), Khalil Shabazz (San Francisco).
 
All-WCC honorable mention: Jeremiah Bailey (Pacific), Rasir Bolton (Gonzaga), Marcellus Earlington (San Diego), Julian Strawther (Gonzaga), Moses Wood (Portland).
 
WCC All-Freshman team: Nolan Hickman (Gonzaga), Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga), Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine), Houston Mallette (Pepperdine), Wayne McKinney III (San Diego), Mike Mitchell Jr. (Pepperdine), Fousseyni Traore (BYU).