Pepperdine men’s basketball gains national recognition;turns attention to Malibu
By Josh Stephens/Special to The Malibu Times
Anyone who claims that Malibu isn’t spoiled would be hard pressed to explain the Pepperdine men’s basketball team. In a metro area that boasts six major league teams, two perennial Pac-10 basketball powerhouses and more sun and space than most people can handle, even tiny Malibu boasts a college basketball team good enough to be the envy of entire states.
This week the Waves begin their 2002-03 campaign with a No. 13 national ranking, in at least one poll, and the hopes of matching-and even surpassing-its 2002 West Coast Conference co-championship. Ranked first in the WCC pre-season poll, Pepperdine is poised for its finest season in recent memory, which would be no modest feat.
Last year, Pepperdine went 22-9, won 13 games in a row and lost only a single game at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves qualified for their second NCAA tournament in three years, and in all of California, only UCLA has a better lifetime winning percentage. And while even the Lakers lost to the Clippers last season, Pepperdine dispatched not only WCC doormat Loyola Marymount but also USC, Long Beach St. and the legendary Bruins to assert its dominance of Los Angeles basketball.
Nevertheless, Pepperdine represents a nearly impossible paradox in a suburb of only 12,000.
“Nationally, Pepperdine is starting to get recognized more than on a local level,” according to second-year head coach Paul Westphal.
While far larger cities across the country track every pass, dribble and shot of teams with far fewer accolades, Pepperdine’s own neighborhood, according to Westphal, turns its attention elsewhere.
“I was raised in L.A., and I know what L.A. is all about. This town follows the Lakers and the Dodgers. People appreciate it when something good happens to someone else,” but otherwise the focus is on the city’s celebrity teams.
Typically, the vast majority of the fans who occupy-and sometimes sell-out-Firestone’s modest seating bowl come from the immediate Pepperdine community of undergraduates and alumni, but Westphal hopes that the Waves can attract a few more locals who might be tired of toiling down PCH for a glimpse of big-time sports.
“People in the Malibu/Palisades/Santa Monica/Thousand Oaks area have something in their backyard that they may not know about just because of the nature of L.A.,” Westphal said.
Westphal points to his team’s talent and past performances as proof that Pepperdine has not only reached a lofty position in college basketball but also can offer excitement to any local fans who might be more accustomed to watching games at the Staples Center or Pauley Pavilion.
On the court, Pepperdine expects to play nothing like a mid-level team in a mid-level conference. The Waves will launch this season’s attack not only with an arsenal of veteran players but also with Westphal, an NBA veteran who played 12 seasons for Boston and later led strong teams in both Phoenix and Seattle as head coach.
Four starters and nine players overall return to a Waves squad that ranked 10th nationally in scoring. Despite averaging more than 80 points per game as a team, Pepperdine’s success did not depend on one or two superstars. Six Waves averaged at least 9.2 points per game, and Westphal’s balanced, team-oriented approach all but ensures that Pepperdine will only be stronger for its experience.
“We intend to pick up where we left off last year,” Westphal said. “Our roster includes four returning starters and several key reserves, and the benefit of being together for one year will be an added bonus.”
Returning senior forward and all-WCC selection Jimmy Miggins’ 14 points per game led the Wave offense while fellow senior frontman Boomer Brazzle added 11 points, five rebounds and a field goal percentage well north of 45. Additionally, Westphal is working with some “long, quick, high-jumping” underclassmen who include both new recruits as well as some he inherited from former coach Butch van Breda Koff.
A game at Firestone will feature “a top-scoring team, full-court press-an exciting brand of basketball in a collegiate, wild atmosphere,” according to Westphal.
And though he has coached in full arenas that would fit all of Malibu-with room to spare-Westphal notes that what takes place on the court differs little from the NBA.
“The level in college is a lot higher than I anticipated,” Westphal said. “My focus is on the basketball. There’s surprisingly little difference between college and the pros in that regard. If every seat is full, it’s exciting, whether the arena seats 20,000 or 4,000.”
While Westphal encourages local residents to hang out amongst the orange and navy hoards, he hopes they will also consider visiting Firestone when many students will have departed for winter break. Utah and Oregon both visit Malibu Dec 14 and 20 and Westphal noted that Oregon’s visit is historic because the Ducks will be the first Pac-10 team in 27 years bold enough to visit the Waves.
“Oregon will be a fantastic game,” Westphal said. “They’re one of the best teams in the country, and the game is during vacation.”
With every game against the likes of Oregon, Utah and Gonzaga a potential win, Westphal said, “We want to establish an identity, and Malibu can get some bragging rights.”