Sept. 20, 2005
Malibu, Calif. -
2005-06 Pepperdine Men's Basketball Outlook in PDF Format
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For the last couple of seasons, Pepperdine men's basketball head coach Paul Westphal had worked with a familiar puzzle where he had a good idea of where all the pieces would fit.
As he begins preparing for the 2005-06 campaign, Westphal will have to familiarize himself with many new pieces as the roster has had significant turnover. The Waves lost five letterwinners from a year ago, including four starters, and have added six newcomers to the team.
The biggest pieces missing from last year's team that helped Pepperdine post a 17-14 overall record and tie for fifth in the West Coast Conference (WCC), are forwards Glen McGowan and Yakhouba Diawara along with guard Alex Acker, who left school following his junior year and became a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons.
The trio of Acker, Diawara and McGowan accounted for 66.7 percent of Pepperdine's points last season. McGowan and Acker were both named All-WCC after averaging 19.2 points and 16.6 points a game, respectively, while Diawara was third on the club with a 14.0 points-per-game average.
Despite those losses, Westphal is looking forward to the upcoming season as he likes the make-up and potential of the incoming class and returning players.
"I like the way they are willing to play with each other," Westphal said. "Some guys are extremely tough competitors which allow you the chance to get some upsets."
With just two players - sophomore guard Kingsley Costain and sophomore center Russell Hicks - returning who started the Waves' final game last season, Pepperdine enters the season as somewhat of an unknown and faces one of the most challenging schedules in school history.
The Waves will play a total of eight teams that advanced to post-season play a year ago, including five that reached the NCAA Tournament. Highlighting Pepperdine's schedule is a season-opening home contest against two-time national champion and perennial national power Connecticut. Dayton, Wisconsin, Colorado State, Kansas, UNLV and Oklahoma State are also 2005-06 opponents for the Waves.
"My biggest concern is we don't get overwhelmed by the strength of the schedule with such a young team," Westphal said. "I think we have a team that is going to get better and better as the season goes on and I like the upside of this team."
Currently on the 15-man squad, eight players are either freshmen or sophomores and junior guard Marvin Lea leads the team in terms of games started with 26, including a career-high 18 last season.
Lea along with senior forward Keith Jarbo are the most experienced players on the team and will be looked upon to provide leadership. Westphal noted Lea's intensity and leadership capabilities as strengths and Jarbo is a player who gets the most out of his ability and can get others to play better as other people see how hard he competes.
Costain, who helped Team Canada's Young Men's National Team win a bronze medal at the World Championships in Mar del Plato, Argentina, this past summer, returns as Pepperdine's leading scorer from a year ago after averaging 7.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists a contest while appearing in 29 games and starting 11.
He averaged 8.6 points a game in WCC play and was named to the conference's All-Freshman Team.
In 30 games, Hicks contributed 4.0 points, 3.1 rebounds a game and was a force on the defensive end as he led the conference during WCC play with 2.62 blocks a contest en route to being named to the conference's All-Freshman team.
Lea, who appeared in 27 games playing both guard spots, averaged 4.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and ranked fourth in the WCC with 3.74 assists per game.
Junior Chase Griffin (2.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg.) also adds experience to the backcourt after appearing in a career-high 24 games and making eight starts. Griffin provides the Waves with a clutch shooter coming off the bench.
Senior Tashaan Forehan-Kelly is another option for Westphal at both the off-guard and small forward positions and is regarded as a smart player and good defender. Forehan-Kelly looked good in early fall workouts and has a chance to earn some playing this season.
The Waves' backcourt will be further bolstered by the additions of junior college transfer Gregg Barlow (Las Vegas, Nevada / Mt. Hood Community College) and freshmen Michael Gerrity (Santa Ana, CA / Mater Dei HS) and Tomas Pranciliaskas (Vilnius, Lithuania / Walsingham Academy).
Barlow enjoyed a distinguished career at Mt. Hood Community College as he helped his team to a two-year record of 48-13, including a 25-3 league mark. As a junior, Barlow averaged 19.5 points, 7.23 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals a contest as Mt. Hood finished 27-4, was Southern Region Champions and finished fifth at the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) Tournament.
Barlow, who was tabbed Mt. Hood's and Southern Region "Most Valuable Player" and was a first team All-NWAACC selection, is a versatile player who is strong offensively and defensively and is expected to see significant playing time in the upcoming season.
Gerrity enjoyed an outstanding four-year career at nationally-ranked Mater Dei in nearby Santa Ana, California. During his four-year high school career, Gerrity helped Mater Dei to a 117-6 overall record, won three CIF Southern Section titles, two CIF Southern Division titles and one state title.
As a senior, Gerrity was named Cal-Hi Sports CIF State Division II Player of Year and CIF Southern Section "Player of the Year after averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 assists and three steals a game. He finished his career as Mater Dei's all-time assists leader with 825.
Gerrity is expected to make an immediate impact from the point guard position as a rookie.
Pranciliaskas, who was named the Virginia Gazette's Player of the Year, averaged 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals as a senior at the Walsingham Academy. He helped his team to a 26-3 record and the Tidewater Conference title before it lost in the semi-finals of the Virginia state playoffs.
Joining Hicks as returning players along the frontline are junior center/forward Derick Grubb, sophomore center Jarrad Henry, Jarbo and junior forward Cody Horning.
Grubb missed all but five games a year ago due to a back injury and appears to be healthy after extensive rehabbing during the off-season. He has the ability to play both the center and power forward positions and possesses a good shooting touch for a big man.
Henry and Hicks are expected to have a healthy competition for playing time at center. Henry, who finally appears to be healthy after battling injuries his first two seasons at Pepperdine, has been the Waves' best low-post player in practice and is a strong presence under the basket.
Horning is another player, who if healthy, has a chance to claim some playing time at the small forward position. He is an intelligent player with good defensive skills.
Freshmen Willie Galick (Nanaimo, B.C. / Cedar Community School) and Chris Oakes (Oakland, CA / Castlemont HS) are rookies who have the ability to make immediate contributions.
Galick is an explosive, strong jumper, plays very hard and has good mobility defensively for a young player. He was a member of Team Canada's Young Men's National Team that won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Mar del Plato, Argentina, this past summer.
Galick had 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in the Second Annual adidas All-Canadian Game last spring.
Oakes is an athletic player with a lot of ability that the Pepperdine coaching staff is excited about and believes has the potential to be an outstanding college player. He currently has a bad toe bruise on his right foot that will keep him out of practice until at least mid-October.
Oakes is a great shot blocker and rebounder who averaged 18.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game while helping Castlemont reach the CIF Northern California Division I championship game.
"In time, this group is going to win a lot of games," Westphal said. "I just hope it's this year."
Pepperdine begins its 26-game schedule on Friday, November 28, when it hosts perennial power Connecticut in a nationally-televised game at Firestone Fieldhouse beginning at 8:30 a.m. Also visiting Malibu this season are UC Irvine, Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge and Oklahoma State.
The Waves' non-conference road schedule includes games at Cal State Fullerton, Dayton, Wisconsin, UC Santa Barbara, Colorado State, Kansas and UNLV.
Pepperdine opens its 14-game WCC schedule on Saturday, January 7, when it entertains San Francisco beginning at 7 p.m. The Waves host defending conference champion Gonzaga on Monday, February 20.
For the first time in its history, the WCC Tournament will be hosted by Gonzaga and will take place March 3-6 at the McCarthy Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington. The tournament will feature a play in-format and the top two seeds will automatically advance to the semifinal round.
