Pepperdine University
Concordia Irvine
Pepperdine Hoops Tips Off 2023-24 Season in Malibu
11/3/2023 3:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MALIBU, Calif. - In the Pepperdine men's basketball program's 86th season debut, the Waves invite Concordia Irvine to Firestone Fieldhouse for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. Pepperdine has won 12-straight home openers, including last year's 106-67 rout of Rice, and will look to make a strong nonconference home stand as nine of the 15 matchups will occur in Malibu.
GAME #1: Pepperdine vs Concordia Irvine | Monday, November 6 | Firestone Fieldhouse | Malibu, Calif. | ESPN+ | 7 p.m.
MEMORIAL FUND – Monday's contest will serve as a fundraiser for the Memorial Fund honoring four Pepperdine seniors who passed in a car accident earlier this year that will support their families, friends and the broader Pepperdine community. All ticket proceeds will benefit this fund including more ways to donate on site. Students, faculty and staff will still be able to gain free entry, but are encouraged to donate online at Give.Pepperdine.edu/StudentMemorial.
MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT - Monday night will also celebrate active duty and veteran military members through promotions. For more info, head to Pepperdine.edu/Veterans.
TICKETS – Home game tickets may be purchased online at PepperdineWaves.com/Tickets. Visit the site to purchase tickets in advance and/or read spectator guidelines, including the Firestone clear bag policy. Pepperdine faculty, staff and students may show Pepperdine ID card for entry -- no ticket purchase is required. Doors open an hour before game time.
COVERAGE - In a partnership between the WCC and ESPN, all WCC-sponsored sports at Pepperdine will be streamed on the ESPN+ app or by heading to ESPN.com/Watch. Pepperdine Hall of Famer Al Epstein continues his streak of 1,159-straight men's basketball broadcasts as he enters his 39th season on the call. Joining him this season will be veteran Waves hoops staffer John Impelman, who begins his broadcast career in the color commentary seat.
ROMAR – Head coach Lorenzo Romar is in his 27th season as a collegiate head coach. This year will also be his sixth this time around in Malibu and his ninth overall with the Waves. Known around the country for his recruiting prowess, Romar has coached 27 current and former NBA players, including Pepperdine standouts Kessler Edwards (Sacramento Kings) and Maxwell Lewis (Los Angeles Lakers).
CONFERENCE CALL – Junior Houston Mallette and sophomore Jevon Porter were named to the West Coast Conference Preseason squad, announced in early October. The last time Pepperdine put two names on the preseason team was the 2020-21 season, in which the Waves' all-time leading scorer Colbey Ross and Kessler Edwards achieved the feat. The honor is also the second-straight such award for Mallette after he became the lone Wave on the preseason team last year.
ROSTER NOTES – Returning letter-winners for the Waves this season include Mallette, Porter, Jalen Pitre, Malik Moore, Boubacar Coulibaly and Aladji Gassama. They are joined by four true freshmen- Martin Gumwel, John Squire, Curtis Williams and Nils Cooper- and two transfers- Michael Ajayi and Ethan Anderson. The Waves hold the third-most returning minutes in the WCC at 54.7%.
NON-CONFERENCE SLATE — Nine of the 15 non-conference games will be at home. UNLV will make the trek to Malibu on Friday, November 17 in arguably the biggest home game on the noncon schedule. The Waves will then head to Henderson, Nev. for the inaugural Ball Dawgs Classic where they'll take on the likes of UC Irvine, Indiana State and New Mexico. Pepperdine will travel to two Power Five schools Colorado and Louisville in early December as well.
PRO WAVES – Following Max Lewis's exit into the Lakers' hands, Pepperdine currently has two former Waves in the NBA. The aforementioned Lewis was the 40th pick in the 2023 Draft and earned big minutes in the NBA Summer League. Kessler Edwards began his professional career with the Brooklyn Nets who drafted him at 44th in 2021 but has since been traded to the Sacramento Kings. Pepperdine's leading-scorer Colbey Ross currently plays for Bucucnost VOLI in Montenegro, one of the top teams in its league.
PEPPERDINE BASKETBALL — This is the 86th season of Pepperdine men's basketball, and the 51st year that the Waves have called Firestone Fieldhouse home. The Waves has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002) and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994). The Waves won the College Basketball Invitational in 2021.
