Pepperdine’s Stacy Davis on Cusp of Waves’ Scoring Record

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Pepperdine men’s basketball player Stacy Davis is on the cusp of beating the current record of all-time lead scorer set by former Wave player Dane Suttle. 

Lou and Kathy Colombano have witnessed some important moments in Pepperdine Waves men’s basketball history — an NCAA tournament qualification, a team trip to Italy and many big wins. 

Kathy said that she and her husband will be at Pepperdine’s two home games this week to see another great achievement in the university’s hoop history: senior Waves basketball player Stacy Davis becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer.

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Kathy said. “I know the crowd will be super excited for Stacy and to see history being made. It will be amazing.” 

The 6-foot-6 Davis is nine points away from out-scoring former Waves player Dane Suttle — the current record holder. Suttle tallied 1,701 points during his college basketball career at Pepperdine. Davis, currently sitting at 1,693 career points, will have plenty of chances to put the ball in the basket as 16-10 Pepperdine hosts West Coast Conference (WCC) foe San Francisco on Thursday, Feb. 18, and WCC opponent Santa Clara on Saturday, Feb. 20.

Davis said he is excited about the chance to make Waves’ history in front of Pepperdine’s students and fans. 

“[The emotion of the situation] will probably really hit me on game day,” he said. “I haven’t really thought about the record much during the regular season. When it happens, I’ll be graced in the presence of people I love and care about.” 

Kathy, a Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame member along with her husband, said that when Davis achieves the scoring mark, the crowd will go wild. 

“Stacy is a real favorite among the students and fans,” she said. “There will be a lot of cheering and maybe some tears. He is really special.” 

Davis credited changing the mechanics of his jump shot after his freshman year, practicing yoga and spending time honing his skills with putting him in the position to be the top scorer in Pepperdine history. 

“It’s been a lot of late nights and early mornings,” the forward said. “It’s been a painful but beautiful process. Just to see how development, trust, a lot of hard work, a lot of sweat, some blood here, some blood there, nights when you miss out on doing some things with your friends … make yourself better.

“To see that all pay off in the aspect of being in the books as one of the all-time greats at the school is something that no player would ever forget.”

Pepperdine enters the home stand on a two-game winning streak. Pepperdine beat Pacific 69-63 in overtime on Feb. 13 in Stockton, Calif. Two days earlier, the Waves defeated Saint Mary’s in Morago, Calif. Davis scored 12 and 13 points, respectively, in each of the contests. 

Davis said that heading into recent contests, he has been aware of how many points he was away from the historic scoring mark, but he was not going to let chasing the record dictate how he played. 

“I wasn’t going to force anything for the sake of getting points,” the Arizona native shared. “I just stay level-headed and take rhythm shots —  shots that I usually take. I just told myself, ‘I’m just going to go out there and play basketball and whatever happens, happens.’” 

With three games left in the regular season, Davis, also one of the top rebounders in Pepperdine history, is averaging 14.8 points and 8.7 rebounds a game. 

Davis is not the only Wave racking up points this season. Six-foot-five junior Lamond Murray Jr. is Pepperdine’s leading scorer, averaging 15.8 points per contest. 

Murray has had several 20-point games and one 30-point game for Pepperdine this year. 

Davis said Murray has always been an explosive wing player. 

“He can go off for a big night, any night,” he said. 

Six-foot-seven senior Jett Raines is averaging 12.5 points per game for Pepperdine, while Jeremy Major, Shawn Olden and Kameron Edwards are posting between seven and eight points per contest. 

After Pepperdine’s two home games, the team will play at Loyola Marymount on Saturday, Feb. 27. The Waves will play in the WCC Championships from March 3-8 in Las Vegas. 

Davis said it’s important for Pepperdine to head into the five-day tournament with positive momentum and a winning record in order to qualify for a postseason season tournament. 

Kathy said she believes the Waves have the ability to make a strong run through the WCC tourney. 

“Hopefully that will impress people,” she said. “Pepperdine has got the talent.”