Men's Hoops Adds Two More Signees
5/9/2022 10:16:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MALIBU, California – Lorenzo Romar and the Pepperdine men's basketball team introduced their two newest signees today, as the Waves will add USC transfer Boubacar Coulibaly and incoming freshman Cord Stansberry to the roster for the upcoming season.
"We're excited about the back-to-back classes that we've signed," Romar said. "We feel they are very complementary to one another. We feel we have a great core of young players that can grow together and become something special."
Coulibaly, a 6-foot-10 forward, was at USC the last two seasons and will have three years of eligibility with the Waves. Stansberry, a 6-foot-3 guard, attends Shadow Hills High School in Indio, California.
The duo now gives Pepperdine five new scholarship players for 2022-23, joining the three incoming freshmen who signed last fall: 6-foot-5 guard Malik Moore (Simi Valley, Calif./Heritage Christian HS), 6-foot-8 forward Jalen Pitre (Long Beach, Calif./Woodstock Academy) and 6-foot-11 forward Jevon Porter (Columbia, Mo./Father Tolton Catholic HS).
Boubacar Coulibaly – 6-foot-10 forward – Bamako, Mali – San Gabriel Academy – USC
Spent the last two seasons playing for USC ... Appeared in six games in 2021-22, averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 3.8 minutes ... Played in 15 games in 2020-21, averaging 1.3 points and 0.6 rebounds in 3.1 minutes ... Saw action in three 2021 NCAA Tournament games ... Graduated from San Gabriel (Calif.) Academy in 2020 ... Averaged 25 points and 14 rebounds ... Helped school to a 22-7 record and the second round of the CIF Southern Section 2AA playoffs ... Made the 2019 All-CIF Southern Section 3AA first team, and was on the 2AA second team in 2020 ... Earned Burlison on Basketball's All-Southern California second team status ... Ranked as the #30 center in the country and the #24 player in the state ... A three-star recruit according to Rivals and 247 Sports ... Began playing basketball at the age of 14 and came to the U.S. before his sophomore year of high school.
Romar says: "Boubacar is an elite athlete who is a rim protector and rebounder. He has the potential to really expand his offensive game. He is extremely coachable. He's someone who possesses great character and is all about the team."
Coulibaly says: "I'm looking forward to developing and expanding my game at Pepperdine and pursuing my dream of playing basketball. I love Coach Romar, he's a great person, and the people around me that have known him for a long time also love him. I really like the team there, it's young and very talented, and I believe we can do something special ... I'm a rim-runner, a shot-blocker, a rebounder. I like to play hard with high energy."
Cord Stansberry – 6-foot-3 guard – Bermuda Dunes, Calif. – Shadow Hills HS
The 2022 Desert Sun Player of the Year and co-MVP of the Desert Empire League ... Averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists as a senior ... Helped Shadow Hills go undefeated in league play in 2022 ... A starter on the school's 2020 CIF Southern Section championship team ... Made the All-CIF Southern Section 3A first team as a sophomore ... A four-year varsity player and a three-year starter ... Played AAU with Los Angeles Elite.
Romar says: "We're very fortunate to get Cord this late. He's a very skilled guard, has a high basketball IQ and is athletic. He's a very good passer and has a real love for the game. He's a good student with great character. He should fit in really well with us."
Stansberry says: "Coach Romar is a great man and a great coach and he's everything you can ask for as far as someone who will help make me better as a person and a player. He's a very big reason why I chose Pepperdine. When I met the team and had conversations with them, I could see these were guys that I am going to love playing with, and that made the decision easier. The campus, the scenery, the location, that's all great too ... I can shoot, and I'm good at playmaking. I can see the floor well. I'm a leader and I like to talk a lot. People say I have swagger, and I do have confidence on the court."
Shadow Hills Coach Cory Cornelius says: "Cord is a man of God, first and foremost. Off the court he's a respectful young man that's ambitious and hungry to learn. On the court he's the ultimate competitor. He's a scorer, he attacks, and he's afraid of nothing. He's fearless. He'll bring energy to both sides of the floor at Pepperdine and will bring confidence and leadership, even as a freshman."
"We're excited about the back-to-back classes that we've signed," Romar said. "We feel they are very complementary to one another. We feel we have a great core of young players that can grow together and become something special."
Coulibaly, a 6-foot-10 forward, was at USC the last two seasons and will have three years of eligibility with the Waves. Stansberry, a 6-foot-3 guard, attends Shadow Hills High School in Indio, California.
The duo now gives Pepperdine five new scholarship players for 2022-23, joining the three incoming freshmen who signed last fall: 6-foot-5 guard Malik Moore (Simi Valley, Calif./Heritage Christian HS), 6-foot-8 forward Jalen Pitre (Long Beach, Calif./Woodstock Academy) and 6-foot-11 forward Jevon Porter (Columbia, Mo./Father Tolton Catholic HS).
Boubacar Coulibaly – 6-foot-10 forward – Bamako, Mali – San Gabriel Academy – USC
Spent the last two seasons playing for USC ... Appeared in six games in 2021-22, averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 3.8 minutes ... Played in 15 games in 2020-21, averaging 1.3 points and 0.6 rebounds in 3.1 minutes ... Saw action in three 2021 NCAA Tournament games ... Graduated from San Gabriel (Calif.) Academy in 2020 ... Averaged 25 points and 14 rebounds ... Helped school to a 22-7 record and the second round of the CIF Southern Section 2AA playoffs ... Made the 2019 All-CIF Southern Section 3AA first team, and was on the 2AA second team in 2020 ... Earned Burlison on Basketball's All-Southern California second team status ... Ranked as the #30 center in the country and the #24 player in the state ... A three-star recruit according to Rivals and 247 Sports ... Began playing basketball at the age of 14 and came to the U.S. before his sophomore year of high school.
Romar says: "Boubacar is an elite athlete who is a rim protector and rebounder. He has the potential to really expand his offensive game. He is extremely coachable. He's someone who possesses great character and is all about the team."
Coulibaly says: "I'm looking forward to developing and expanding my game at Pepperdine and pursuing my dream of playing basketball. I love Coach Romar, he's a great person, and the people around me that have known him for a long time also love him. I really like the team there, it's young and very talented, and I believe we can do something special ... I'm a rim-runner, a shot-blocker, a rebounder. I like to play hard with high energy."
Cord Stansberry – 6-foot-3 guard – Bermuda Dunes, Calif. – Shadow Hills HS
The 2022 Desert Sun Player of the Year and co-MVP of the Desert Empire League ... Averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists as a senior ... Helped Shadow Hills go undefeated in league play in 2022 ... A starter on the school's 2020 CIF Southern Section championship team ... Made the All-CIF Southern Section 3A first team as a sophomore ... A four-year varsity player and a three-year starter ... Played AAU with Los Angeles Elite.
Romar says: "We're very fortunate to get Cord this late. He's a very skilled guard, has a high basketball IQ and is athletic. He's a very good passer and has a real love for the game. He's a good student with great character. He should fit in really well with us."
Stansberry says: "Coach Romar is a great man and a great coach and he's everything you can ask for as far as someone who will help make me better as a person and a player. He's a very big reason why I chose Pepperdine. When I met the team and had conversations with them, I could see these were guys that I am going to love playing with, and that made the decision easier. The campus, the scenery, the location, that's all great too ... I can shoot, and I'm good at playmaking. I can see the floor well. I'm a leader and I like to talk a lot. People say I have swagger, and I do have confidence on the court."
Shadow Hills Coach Cory Cornelius says: "Cord is a man of God, first and foremost. Off the court he's a respectful young man that's ambitious and hungry to learn. On the court he's the ultimate competitor. He's a scorer, he attacks, and he's afraid of nothing. He's fearless. He'll bring energy to both sides of the floor at Pepperdine and will bring confidence and leadership, even as a freshman."
