Three Waves Basketball Players Receive WCC Honors

A trio of Pepperdine Waves basketball players received All-West Coast Conference recognition at the end of the regular season. 

Waves men’s basketball players Colbey Ross and Kessler Edwards were named to the All-WCC first team on March 2 and women’s basketball player Malia Bambrick was named All-WCC honorable mention the same day.

Bambrick, a junior guard, was named to the All-WCC freshman team two years ago. 

Ross, a senior point guard, was selected for the conference’s first team for his third consecutive season, while Edwards, a junior forward, was a first-time first team selectee. He was on the All-WCC second team last season. The last time two Waves were named to the All-WCC first team was 2005. Pepperdine was the only team in the conference, aside from WCC champion Gonzaga, the No. 1 ranked team in the conference, to have multiple players on the league’s first team. 

Ross, an All-WCC honorable mention his freshman year, averaged 18 points and 7.5 assists per game during the regular season. He will finish his Waves career as one of the best Pepperdine and WCC players in history: He is Pepperdine’s all-time leader in points and assists, ranks in the top 10 of the WCC’s career scoring list and is in the top three of all-time assists. Ross is also the seventh player in Pepperdine history to be named to the WCC’s first team three times.

Edwards, an All-Freshman teamer his freshman year, averaged 16.6 points and 6.6 rebounds a game during the regular season. The forward was named the WCC Player of the Week on Jan. 25 after he scored a career-high 37 points against Pacific. Edwards’ scoring tally tied for most by any player in the conference this season.

Bambrick averaged 10.7 points and 3.1 rebounds a game this season. She scored a season-high 20 points in Pepperdine’s opening game of the season, a victory over Westmount.

Bambrick and the Waves women’s hoops squad finished the season with a 5-18 record. The team was downed by Loyola Marymount in the first round of the WCC tournament, 85-73, on March 4.  Bambrick scored 15 points and had three rebounds. Junior guard Cheyenne Givens led Pepperdine with 17 points and freshman forward Kendyl Carson had 14. 

The Pepperdine men’s team had a 12-11 record heading to its matchup against BYU in the WCC tournament semifinals against BYU on Monday. Pepperdine defeated Santa Clara, 78-70, in the tournament quarterfinals on March 6. Ross tallied 25 points and 12 assists in the victory, in which he became the tournament’s all-time top scorer. Edwards scored 21 points and snagged 11 rebounds. Additionally, sophomore forward Jan Zidek scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and junior guard Jade Smith had 11 points. 

Forward Kessler Edwards shooting a jumper 

Pepperdine’s Colbey Ross (right) in a game against BYU.