Title Hopes Come in Waves

Paul Westphal got a taste of success last season in his debut as men’s basketball coach at Pepperdine, but he didn’t walk away satisfied.

If anything, the surprising run that resulted in Pepperdine tying nationally ranked Gonzaga for the West Coast Conference regular-season title and earning a berth in the NCAA tournament only whetted Westphal’s appetite for more fulfilling accomplishments.

“We want to take a step forward from what we did [last season],” the former NBA player and coach said. “That means getting to the NCAA tournament and winning some games.”

Yes, the expectations are high in Malibu. And for good reason.

The Waves have one of their most talented and balanced teams, an athletic group that runs and presses, dunks and hits three-point baskets.

“They have unbelievably great talent,” said Coach Steve Aggers of WCC rival Loyola Marymount. “With their style of play, they’re capable of going out and [scoring] 120 on you any given night.” True to form, the Waves averaged 111 points in winning two exhibition games.

Westphal says he has seven players capable of starting, including four from last season’s 22-9 team that lost to Wake Forest, 83-74, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Waves, who lost only to Gonzaga on their way to a 13-1 conference record, have their top five scorers back.

Yet, with all that, Pepperdine might not be the best team in the conference. Gonzaga won two of three games against the Waves last season, including a 96-90 victory in the conference tournament final, and again poses a big challenge for any team hoping to end its streak of four consecutive WCC tournament titles.

The No. 22-ranked Bulldogs will be tough to knock off despite the loss of WCC player of the year Dan Dickau, a sharp-shooting guard who is with the Atlanta Hawks.

“I don’t look for them to miss a beat,” Aggers said.

Gonzaga will test Pepperdine’s mettle in the middle with a physical front line that features Zach Gourde and Cory Violette, a pair of 6-foot-8, 250-pound all-conference forwards, rangy Ronny Turiaf (6-9, 230) and transfer Richard Fox (6-11, 270).

“It’s a classic clash of styles,” Westphal said. “Gonzaga has added more big guys to possibly the best group of big guys in the country, and we’ve added more athletic guys to an athletic team. It will be our slashers against their beef.”

Pepperdine hopes to cut the Bulldogs down to size with a running, pressing style. Senior all-conference forwards Jimmy Miggins and Boomer Brazzle, sophomore guard Terrance Johnson and senior point guard Devin Montgomery return.

The 6-7 Miggins is the Waves’ most consistent and competitive player, traits that rub off on the rest of the team, Westphal said.

“The key to our team is Miggins,” Westphal said. “He’s a real versatile guy with very few weaknesses.”

Will Kimble, a 6-10 junior, takes over at center for 6-11 Cedric Suitt. The Waves will miss Suitt’s low-post defense and shot-blocking ability, but Kimble is a better scorer and rebounder as well as a capable defender.

It is a testament to Pepperdine’s depth that a player who declared for the NBA draft before withdrawing his name last spring probably will be a reserve. Glen McGowan, a 6-9 junior, is a valuable contributor who can play forward or center. His availability early in the season could be limited while he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery.

Another player who figures prominently in the Waves’ plans is swingman Alex Acker, a 6-5 sophomore who sat out last season as an academic nonqualifier.

“The main thing is we have to stay together,” Westphal said. “We have a lot of guys who can score. As long as the players remember to play as a team and not go their own way, I feel the wins and losses will take care of themselves.”

Pepperdine’s nonconference schedule includes home games against UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 7, No. 11 Oregon on Dec. 14 and Utah on Dec. 20.

Those tests should help Pepperdine prepare for a conference schedule highlighted by two games with Gonzaga, and a possible third meeting in the WCC tournament. Under the new tournament format, the top two finishers in the regular season will have byes through the first two rounds and need only one victory to reach the final.

“Right now Gonzaga and Pepperdine are the lead dogs,” Loyola’s Aggers said. “Everyone else is kind of looking at them.”

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TEAM CAPSULES

GONZAGA

Coach: Mark Few.

2001-02 record: 29-4 overall, 13-1 in West Coast Conference.

Top players: The Bulldogs’ imposing front line is considered among the best in the nation. All-conference forwards Zach Gourde and Cory Violette combined to average 26 points and 15 rebounds last season. Joining them is 6-foot-9 sophomore Ronny Turiaf, who’s already drawing interest from NBA teams. If that isn’t enough of a low-post presence, the Bulldogs have added 6-11 center Richard Fox, a transfer from Colorado. Junior guard Blake Stepp, whose five three-point baskets helped sink Pepperdine in the WCC tournament final, runs the show.

Outlook: If the Bulldogs can get efficient guard play and avoid costly turnovers when they run into Pepperdine’s press, they can retain their place at the top of the WCC. Gonzaga has won four consecutive WCC tournament titles.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT

Coach: Steve Aggers.

2001-02 record: 9-20, 2-12.

Top players: Sophomore forward Andy Osborn, junior guard Kent Dennis and junior forward Keith Kincade are returning starters. The 6-9 Osborn averaged 10 points as a freshman and has improved his defense and rebounding. Sophomore Charles Brown is the team’s most experienced point guard. Junior forward Jason Dickens, a 6-8 transfer from Davidson, is coming off surgery on both ankles.

Outlook: With nine new players, including seven freshmen, Loyola will experience growing pains. Aggers is hopeful the Lions mature into a competitive unit by the time conference play starts in January, but it’s more likely the process will continue into next season. “We lack game experience, so it’s going to be two steps forward and one step back,” he said.

Schedule: Friday: Loyola-Chicago, 7 p.m.; Nov. 25: Cal State Sacramento, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 28: vs. Villanova in Great Alaska Shootout, at Anchorage, 6:30 p.m.; Nov. 29-30: at Great Alaska Shootout, TBA; Dec. 4: at UC Irvine, 7 p.m.; Dec. 7: Cal State Fullerton, 7 p.m.; Dec. 14: Long Beach State, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 16: at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 7 p.m.; Dec. 19: at Cal State Northridge, 7 p.m.; Dec. 21: Montana, 7 p.m.; Dec. 29: vs. Siena at Montana State tournament, 4:30 p.m.; Dec. 30: at Montana State tournament, TBA; Jan. 3: at San Diego State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 6: Point Loma, 7 p.m.; Jan. 9: at Gonzaga, 7 p.m.; Jan. 11: at Portland, 7 p.m.; Jan. 17: San Diego, 7 p.m.; Jan. 18: Santa Clara, 7 p.m.; Jan. 25: Pepperdine, 7:30 p.m.; Jan. 31: at St. Mary’s, 7 p.m.; Feb. 1: at San Francisco, 7 p.m.; Feb. 6: Portland, 7 p.m.; Feb. 8: Gonzaga, 7 p.m.; Feb. 13: at Santa Clara, 7 p.m.; Feb. 15: at San Diego, 8:15 p.m.; Feb. 22: at Pepperdine, 6 p.m.; Feb. 28: San Francisco, 7 p.m.; Mar. 1: St. Mary’s, 7 p.m.

PEPPERDINE

Coach: Paul Westphal.

2001-02 record: 22-9, 13-1.

Top players: The Waves return their top five scorers, led by senior forward Jimmy Miggins, who ranked first on the team in scoring (14.9 points), rebounding (7.5) and steals (1.3) last season. Senior point guard Devin Montgomery made 50.6% of his three-point shots and teams in the backcourt with sophomore Terrance Johnson, last season’s WCC freshman of the year. Senior forward Boomer Brazzle and center Will Kimble, a 6-10 junior, round out a formidable starting lineup.

Outlook: Westphal expects Pepperdine to improve on last season’s accomplishments. That would mean winning the conference tournament for the first time since 1994 and posting an NCAA tournament victory for the first time since 2000. With a deep and talented team, those goals appear within reach if the Waves can avoid internal squabbles.

Schedule: Friday: at Bradley; 5 p.m.; Nov. 30: UC Irvine, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 2: at Long Beach State, 7 p.m.; Dec. 4: at Cal State Fullerton, 7 p.m.; Dec. 7: UC Santa Barbara, 6 p.m.; Dec. 14: Oregon, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 16: vs. Richmond at Stanford Invitational, 4:30 p.m.; Dec. 17: at Stanford Invitational, TBA; Dec. 20: Utah, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 22: Lipscomb, 1 p.m.; Dec. 28: vs. Arkansas-Little Rock in Lobo Invitational, Albuquerque, N.M., 5 p.m.; Dec. 29: at Lobo Invitational, TBA; Jan. 2: at Brigham Young, 6 p.m.; Jan. 9: at Portland, 7 p.m.; Jan. 12: at Gonzaga, 1 p.m.; Jan. 17: Santa Clara, 7 p.m.; Jan. 18: San Diego, 6 p.m.; Jan. 25: at Loyola Marymount, 7:30 p.m.; Jan. 31: at San Francisco, 7 p.m.; Feb. 1: at St. Mary’s, 7 p.m.; Feb. 5: Gonzaga, 9 p.m.; Feb. 8: Portland, 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 13: at San Diego, 7 p.m.; Feb. 16: at Santa Clara, 1 p.m.; Feb. 22: Loyola Marymount, 6 p.m.; Feb. 28: St. Mary’s, 7 p.m.; Mar. 1: San Francisco, 7 p.m.

PORTLAND

Coach: Michael Holton.

2001-02 record: 6-24, 2-12.

Top players: Junior guards Casey Frandsen and Adam Quick propel the Pilots, who favored an up-tempo style in Holton’s first season as coach. Frandsen ranked second in the WCC in scoring with a 19.2 average and Quick averaged 5.7 assists.

Outlook: Holton, a former UCLA and NBA point guard, has his hands full trying to turn around a program that has had only three winning records in the last 20 seasons. He’ll take his lumps -- a three-game stretch against Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA, Dec. 4-14, could get ugly.

SAN DIEGO

Coach: Brad Holland.

2001-02 record: 16-13, 7-7.

Top players: Junior forward Jason Blair averaged 14.4 points and 6.8 rebounds last season. Nick Lewis, a 6-9 redshirt freshman, and 6-10 senior center Jason Keep, a transfer from Oklahoma State, are expected to play key roles. Travis Smith, a freshman from Santa Margarita High, has the early edge over sophomore Michael McGrain to play point guard.

Outlook: Under the new WCC tournament format, teams that finish third and fourth in the regular season get first-round byes. That should be a goal for the Toreros, who have the advantage of playing host to the tournament and are always dangerous at home.

SAN FRANCISCO

Coach: Phil Mathews.

2001-02 record: 13-15, 8-6.

Top players: Forward Darrell Tucker, a 6-9, 245-pound senior, could be the best player in the conference. A scoring threat, he averaged 18.9 points and a WCC-best 10.1 rebounds last season. Two other starters -- senior guard Shamell Stallworth and junior swing player John Cox -- round out San Francisco’s returning nucleus. Former St. Mary’s point guard Jovan Harris figures to contribute.

Outlook: San Francisco appears to have the best shot of crashing an anticipated Gonzaga-Pepperdine party at the top of WCC standings. The Dons have a solid starting five -- but questionable depth.

SANTA CLARA

Coach: Dick Davey.

2001-02 record: 13-15, 8-6.

Top players: The Broncos are led by junior Kyle Bailey, who is among the top point guards in the conference. The other returning starter is sophomore forward Jordan Legge, who has been slowed by a bulging disk.

Outlook: Santa Clara ended last season with a surprising overtime loss to St. Mary’s in the first round of the WCC tournament. Look for the Broncos, who haven’t had a losing conference record under Davey in eight seasons, to improve on that finish.

ST. MARY’S

Coach: Randy Bennett.

2001-02 record: 9-20, 3-11.

Top players: Junior forward Chase Poole averaged 10.2 points and 5.6 rebounds last season. The Gaels will need the 6-8 Poole to play at a high level because guard Paul Marigney, the team’s leading scorer, is expected to redshirt because he has not sufficiently recovered from surgery for a torn knee ligament.

Outlook: In its first season under Bennett, a former Pepperdine assistant, St. Mary’s ended a 23-game losing streak -- the longest in the nation at the time -- and won its first WCC tournament game since 1999.