Pepperdine

WCC Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:31:23 -0500

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Conference Rank: 10th

All-WCC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Jeremy Pargo	Gonzaga	Sr
G	Patrick Mills	St. Mary's	So
G	Brandon Johnson	San Diego	Sr
F	Diamon Simpson	St. Mary's	Sr
C	John Bryant	Santa Clara	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
High-Major All-Americans Austin Daye Matt Bouldin Josh Hetyvelt Jeremy Pargo Mid-Major All-Americans John Bryant Brandon Johnson Dior Lowhorn Patrick Mills Gyno Pomare Diamon Simpson		Points: Dior Lowhorn 20.5 Rebounds: John Bryant 9.6 Assists: Jeremy Pargo 6.0

WCC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

13	Gonzaga	WCC	1	NCAA
35	St. Mary's	WCC	2	NCAA
61	San Diego	WCC	3	NIT
151	Santa Clara	WCC	4
179	San Francisco	WCC	5
222	Portland	WCC	6
251	Pepperdine	WCC	7
274	Loy Marymount	WCC	8

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the WCC?

Other WCC Content

Conference Media Poll

WCC Poll & All-Conference Team

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Rise & Fall: The WCC

WCC Media Poll & All-Conference Team

Press Release — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 01:25:11 -0400

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - If you remember how the top three finished in the West Coast Conference men's basketball regular-season chase a year ago then you won't see anything out of the ordinary to start the 2008-09 campaign.

Gonzaga University edged Saint Mary's College and the University of San Diego in the 2008-09 WCC men's basketball pre-season poll as selected by the league coaches. The announcement was made at the 2008 WCC Basketball Media Day at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, site of the 2009 WCC Basketball Tournament.

The Bulldogs received five of the eight first-place votes - coaches couldn't vote for their teams - and garnered 46 points. The Gaels had a pair of first-place votes and 44 points and USD received the other first-place nod and 39 points.

Gonzaga, SMC and USD all advanced to the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

Rounding out this year's poll is Santa Clara University (30) in fourth, the University of San Francisco (23) picked fifth, followed by the University of Portland (22) in sixth, Loyola Marymount University (12) in seventh and Pepperdine University (11) in eighth.

The WCC Pre-season All-Conference team was also unveiled at the media day, highlighted by eight returning 2008 All-WCC first team members, the most returning all league players in conference history. Headlining the preseason all-conference list was Gonzaga's Jeremy Pargo, the reigning WCC Player of the Year, as well as Saint Mary's Patrick Mills and Diamon Simpson, last season's WCC Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

The Zags return 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from last season's squad that posted a 25-8 overall record, captured its eighth consecutive WCC regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th consecutive season. Headlining the list of returners for the Bulldogs is Pargo, the 2008 WCC Player of the Year. Pargo leads a talented backcourt that includes junior guard Matt Bouldin, a 2008 All-WCC first team member, and sophomore Steven Gray, a 2008 All-WCC freshman team selection. Austin Daye, another WCC All-Freshman selection and a WCC honorable mention pick a year ago, also returns to bolster the Gonzaga attack.

Saint Mary's, looking for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament, returns four starters and eight letterwinners overall from last season's squad that tied the school record for most wins in a season with a 25-7 overall mark. Mills, a sophomore guard, returns to the Gaels after starring for the Australian National Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mills will team with Simpson, a senior forward, to give the Gaels one of the top inside-outside tandems in the league.

Head coach Bill Grier had a successful debut season at San Diego, leading the Toreros to the 2008 WCC Tournament title and their fourth NCAA Tournament bid in program history. Once there, the Toreros pulled off one of the most memorable upsets of the tournament, knocking off No. 4 seeded University of Connecticut 70-69 in overtime in the first round. The Toreros return all five starters and 10 letterwinners overall from last season's squad. Leading the way for the Toreros is the senior duo of guard Brandon Johnson and forward Gyno Pomare, both of whom earned 2008 All-WCC first team honors.

This season, the WCC welcomes three new head coaches to the fold. Bill Bayno takes over at Loyola Marymount, while Pepperdine welcomes back Tom Asbury, who guided the Waves for six successful seasons (1988-94). Rounding out the list of new head coaches is Rex Walters, who is guiding USF.

2008-09 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
(First-Place Votes In Parentheses)

1. Gonzaga (5) 46
2. Saint Mary's (2) 44
3. San Diego (1) 39
4. Santa Clara 30
5. San Francisco 23
6. Portland 19
7. Loyola Marymount 12
8. Pepperdine 11

2008-09 WCC Men's Pre-season All-Conference Team

Matt Bouldin, GON
John Bryant, SCU
Austin Daye, GON
Brandon Johnson, USD
Dior Lowhorn, USF
Patrick Mills, SMC
Jeremy Pargo, GON
Gyno Pomare, USD
Omar Samhan, SMC
Diamon Simpson, SMC

Clip of the Day: Pepperinde Madness: Keion Bell Dunk

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:27:35 -0400

Clip of the Day

Thanks to the genius of YouTube, the world has access to thousands of great college basketball videos to keep us busy every second of every day. We'll be featuring daily movies to whet your college basketball appetite. Even if you've seen them before, some clips are just too good not to watch again and again.

Pepperdine Midnight Madness

Freshman guard Keion Bell dunks over four people.. enjoy

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!

- Also check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- And finally the Picture of the Day!

State of '08: California

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:27:44 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: California. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

CALIFORNIA

UCLA - Not much "research" required to rank the Bruins. Three Final Fours in a row for one of the game's all-time great programs.

Stanford - Quietly in the middle of an impressive run, Stanford has made the Big Dance in 13 of 14 seasons. The future is a bit unsettled though, with a new coach (Johnny Dawkins) and the Lopez twins off to the NBA.

USC - Tim Floyd's done a nice job getting USC back on track. From 2003 to 2006, the Trojans had a sub-100 RPI every year, but have since made back to back NCAA Tournaments. This year's freshman class is also considered to be one of the Top 5 in the country.

Saint Mary's - Coming off a big 25-win season, fans are expecting the Gaels to return to the NCAA Tournament for the 3rd time in five seasons. While Gonzaga owns the WCC, Saint Mary's has been 2nd in four of the last five tries.

San Diego State - Steve Fisher has done a nice job turning SDSU into a consistent MWC contender, making the postseason 5 times in the last 7 years, and winning 20 games each of the last 3. The Aztecs should once again make a push for 20 wins in 08-09.

6. California - After a surprisingly long 12-year run, Ben Braun is out.. replaced by the man who turned Stanford into a long-time winner (Mike Montgomery). Under Braun, Cal did make five NCAA Tournaments, but just one in the last five seasons.

7. Pacific - The Tigers have found a good groove in recent seasons, winning 20 games in 4 of the last 5 years, and making the Tournament three times. Despite a rough offseason, Pacific should once again be competitive in the Big West.

8. UCSB - Despite an impressive 23 win season, the Gauchos missed out on making the NCAA Tournament. The program has averaged 16 wins over Bob Williams 10-year stint.

9. San Diego - The Toreros surprised many by winning the WCC title last year, and making the Big Dance. This is all the more impressive considering the team won just 4 total games in 2004.

10. Santa Clara - The Broncos parted ways with long-time coach Dick Davey before last season, as he could never reproduce the team's great mid-nineties success. Kerry Keating led his new squad to a mediocre 186 RPI last year, which included just 13 D1 wins.

11. Fresno State - The Bulldogs are coming off a horrible season, with just 12 D1 wins and an RPI of 243. The prior season, they made the postseason for the first time since the Tarkanian era.

12.CS Fullerton - This program has come a long way since 01-02, when the Titans combined to win 7 D1 games. Bob Burton led Fullerton to the Big Dance for the first time in three decades, winning 20 games for the third time in four seasons as well.

13. Pepperdine - Up until the end of Paul Westphal's career in 2006, Pepperdine had been a consistent winner in the 90's and early 00's. Now they've brought back Tom Asbury to try and recreate that former success following three down years.

14. UC Irvine - The Anteaters are consistently solid under Pat Douglass, but have yet to reach the Tourney in his 12 year tenure. 15-16 wins seems to be the norm recently.

15. San Francisco - The Dons had decent results under Jessie Evans (peaking at 86 in the RPI in 2005), before things went sour last year. He was replaced by Eddie Sutton, who turned the program into a circus while trying to win 800 games.

16. CS Northridge - The Matadors have had limited success since joining the Big West in 2002. Last year was one of their best seasons since then, winning 19 D1 games and finishing with an RPI of 110. Some consider Northridge to be the conference favorites in 2009.

17. LBSU - Its amazing the 49ers made the NCAA Tournament in 2007, considering how awful they were last year. Former Minnesota coach Dan Monson took over a program devoid of any returning talent, so we'll give him some time to turn things around. From 2003 to 2005, LBSU was one of the worst teams in the country.

18. LMU - While the legendary Paul Westhead run seems like ancient history, at least the embarrassing winless 2000 season is also moving into the distant past. Bill Bayno has his hands full taking over a team that won 5 games last year.

19. San Jose State - Consistently one of the worst teams in high-major basketball, SJSU hasn't finished above 230 in the RPI since 2001. Last year there were actually signs of progress with wins over WAC foes Nevada and Utah State.

20. Cal Poly - Not the most well-known program, Cal Poly has consistently been competitive in the Big West under coach Kevin Bromley. In 2003 & 2007, the Mustangs were a win away from making the NCAA Tournament.

21. Sacramento State - The Jerome Jenkins era ended on a down note, as the Hornets are coming off one of the all-time bad seasons.. just 2-24 against D1 opponents. From '04 to '06, it looked like Jenkins was making progress, but things regressed quickly.

22. UC Riverside - Since joining college basketball's top flight in 2001, the Highlanders haven't reached impressive heights. But in Jim Wooldridge's first season, there was some hope as UCR won their 2nd ever Big West Tournament game (knocking off Cal Poly).

23. UC Davis - Yet to experience any real success since joining D1 in 2006, the Aggies at least one-up Bakersfield by being full-fledged members of the Big West.

24. CS Bakersfield - Making the move up from D2 without a conference, the Roadrunners 8-21 record isn't half bad. They knocked off Fresno, San Diego, Long Beach State twice, and finished ahead of Sacramento in the RPI. Still, they need another season or two before moving up on this list.

Yesterday: Arkansas

State of '08: The Introduction

2008 CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major All-Freshman Team

CHN — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:56:03 -0400

Awards Week continues on CHN..

CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major Player of the Year: Patrick Mills (Saint Mary’s)

CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major All-Freshman Team

G: Patrick Mills (Saint Mary’s)

G: Marquis Weddle (UT-Martin)

G: Devin Gibson (Texas-San Antonio)

F: Tyrone Shelley (Pepperdine)

F: Matt Howard (Butler)

CollegeHoops.net Second Team Mid-Major All-Freshman

G: Vinnie McGhee (Sacramento State)

G: Darion Anderson (NIU)

G: Josh White (North Texas)

F: Omar Carter (Charleston Southern)

F: Malcolm Thomas (Pepperdine)

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention Mid-Major all-Freshman: Alvin Abreu (UNH), Nate Blank (Gardner Webb), Kenneth Faried (Morehead State), Rahmon Fletcher (UWGB), Jay Gavin (Marist), John Holland (Boston U), Rob Jones (San Diego), Mark Payne (UC Davis), Deonte Roberts (Milwaukee), Gerald Robinson Jr. (Tennessee State), Brian Rudolph (Loyola), Cameron Wells (The Citadel)

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers.

Check out all the: CHN 2007-08 Postseason Awards

All-Americans, All-Rookie, Top Coaches & more!

Daily Dribble: Friday Report Card

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:45:44 -0500

The Report Card

A new series, the Daily Report Card tells you all you need to know about the day in college hoops. From good to bad and bad to worse, I'll be laying down the law.

A - Cleveland State

Beating #12 Butler is a nice accomplishment in itself. This is something that Florida State, Ohio State, Southern Illinois, Texas Tech, and Virginia Tech couldn't do. But beyond that, the Vikings get an A for somehow managing to be 6-0 in Horizon League play, with a 2-game advantage over the Bulldogs in the loss column. This is a program that hasn't won more than 10 games in forever, so this year's 13-5 record is shocking. Transfer Cedric Jackson has been a key addition, but this is a true team success story. CSU basically goes 10 deep, and 8 guys average over 19 minutes per game (an amazing statistic).

B - Saint Louis

This is what you call a pity B. The Bills have taken their lumps nationally thanks to their 20-point game, but they did beat ranked Rhode Island last night 68-61 so I felt the need to show some love.

C - Minnesota

I haven't given the 12-4 Gophers much respect this year so they deserve some for taking #10 Indiana down to the wire. But here's why I give them a C: They forced Indiana into 26 turnovers, only committed 10, and still lost despite a crazy high +16 turnover ratio. Its hard not to win when you do that.

D - Vance Walberg

In the midst of a struggling 6-12 season, Pepperdine's head coach has resigned. I recently covered a game in Malibu where the Wave got destroyed by Gonzaga.. so maybe it was something I said? Seriously though, he cited "family issues", but for whatever reasons the media doesn't necessarily buy that. Most get the sense he simply was unhappy with the way things were going in his efforts to build a strong program. Either way, the future at Pepperdine is somewhat bright, and all it will take is a new positive coach, and more importantly, a strong set of backcourt recruits to get this program back near the top of the WCC. Of course, if all the losing and turmoil forces quality freshmen like Malcolm Thomas and Tyrone Shelley to leave, then things wont be so easy.

F - Marquette

Okay, being 13-3 isn't the worst thing in the world and losing road games in league play isn't that big a deal.. but someone has to fail here, and this was as good as I could come up with. The Golden Eagles are 10-0 at home, but just 3-3 away from Milwaukee, and they haven't come close to winning their Big East road games. They lost by 15 at West Virginia and by 20 at Louisville. With a road game coming up at UCONN, they better figure things out fast or the Top 20 respect they've earned will be gone..

Previous Best / Worst

January 17th - Drake / HP Laptops

January 14th - Roy Hibbert / Michigan State

January 10th - Tony Bennett / Saint Louis

January 9th - DJ White / CSTV

January 8th - Robert Morris / Schedule Makers

January 7th - Wayne Ellington / Illinois

January 6th - Herb Sendek / Kentucky

A Night in Heaven (Malibu): Gonzaga at Pepperdine

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:16:21 -0500

One of the perks of covering college basketball is being able to sit up close to the action, watching great teams play for free. The downside is that in the case of a blowout, you’re obligated not to leave.

Thus I was forced to endure all 40 minutes of Gonzaga’s 92-57 beat down of Pepperdine. This game was featured on the debut of ESPN’s Big Monday, but I’m sure the powers at be at ESPN would rather have aired Sports Center reruns instead.

The evening started promising enough and I was more than excited for the game. I’d never been to Pepperdine, but always heard wonderful things about this campus overlooking the ocean. What I heard was spot on, as this 8,000 student school is magically located on green hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Arriving early, students clad in orange “Beat the Zags” shirts were already cheering and getting rowdy for the ESPN camera crews around Firestone Fieldhouse.

Having last covered UCLA-Washington State in Pauley Pavilion, Firestone seems more like a high school gym compared to the Bruins 12,000 seat arena. What was a bit disappointing though was that the Waves 3,104 seater wasn’t sold out. Granted, Pepperdine is struggling at 6-12 and 13-4 Gonzaga isn’t ranked like in years past, but still the game was on national television and the opponent is as exciting as you’ll ever find.

Despite some empty seats, the student sections were pretty pumped, and finishing the national anthem with a rousing “Home of the Wave” sounded good. Unfortunately, Gonzaga’s superior skill had to get in the way of the fun.

To be honest, the game was done after just a few minutes. The Zags got out to quick 6-0 and 12-4 leads thanks to solid play by David Pendergraft, and by the 8:00 minute mark the blowout was officially on. 28-8 was the score after that point, and from there on in it was simply a matter of whether the Zags would put 100 on the board for the first time all season.

Pepperdine features talented young freshmen in Tyrone Shelley, Malcolm Thomas, Dan Johnson, and Mychel Thompson. But the problem is that all of them are forwards, and college basketball has been and still is a guard’s game. Pepperdine’s backcourt, featuring the likes of Minnesota transfer Rico Tucker and Jason Walberg, the coach’s son, had little chance against Jeremy Pargo, Matt Boulding, and co.

To be honest, the result of this game was obvious before the tip. On the season, Pepperdine has a horrible ratio of just 222 assists to 318 turnovers, and only shoots 30% from three, while opponents shoot 42%. Those trends continued as the Wave had 25 whopping turnovers to just 11 assists. That ratio won’t beat middling WCC teams like Portland, let alone a fringe Top 25 team like Gonzaga.

Luckily though, there’s more than just basketball going on when you attend a college basketball game, so here are some interesting highlights & lowlights:

The Legend -
Reggie Miller, who was also at the UCLA game on Saturday, was in attendance. Perhaps if he played for the Wave, he could have knocked down some shots and opened things up for their young guys. Being the smart guy that he is, Reggie left early and I unfortunately couldn’t hitch a ride.

The Hated Son –
As the game devolved into a blowout, about the only negativity spewed from the crowd was against Jason Walberg, the son of coach Vance Walberg. You get the sense the crowd thinks he only plays as much as he does due to nepotism. Considering Walberg shoots just 37% from the floor and is 6th on the team in scoring despite playing the second most minutes, maybe they are on to something. Then again, Walber is one of only two players with a positive assist/turnover ratio so he does provide some consistency and leadership.

The Mushroom Man –
Towards the end of the game, the fans waited eagerly for Gonzaga’s Josh Heytvelt to be fouled so they could mock him for last year’s drug arrest. Chants of “shrooms”, “mushrooms”, and “psychedelics” were constant along with fans holding up bags of mushrooms.

The Choir –
Have to give some love to the Thousand Oaks High School choir, who sung the national anthem. I attend a lot of basketball games, collegiate and professional, and this group of black-adorned students did as good a job as you’ll see. Thumbs up.

The Idiot –
Just a word of advice for those of you who are asked to take part in contests during half-time or timeouts. If you’re not good at shooting a basketball and lose miserably, don’t take out your embarrassment by throwing the ball full strength into a group of innocent bystanders around the court.

The Scouts –
With guys like Heytvelt, Pargo, and even Pepperdine’s young talent involved in this affair, the game attracted at least a half dozen NBA scouts, including representatives of the Celtics, Bucks, Spurs, and others.

Best Non-BCS Freshmen: Part Two

Kevin McNeill — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 12:54:59 -0400

This is Part Two of Diamonds in the Rough, a look at ten of the best prospects coming to a mid-major school near you this fall..

Dante Jackson, Xavier

The A-10’s 2007 freshman class is loaded, and Dante Jackson may well be one of the best of the lot.

The 6-6 Jackson is a superb athlete who could have easily chosen college football over college hoops. He is also the two-time defending state 110 hurdles champion, clocking a time of 14.23 recently at the state Track and Field Tournament.

The all-time leading scorer at Greenfield McClain (OH), Jackson was recently named the Ohio team’s MVP in the Battle of the Border Ohio-Kentucky All-Star game after scoring 27 points in just 16 minutes, including launching the 24-foot game winner.

Many expect Xavier to be in a rebuilding year after losing Justin Doellman, Justin Cage and Brandon Cole to graduation. But Jackson’s arrival, along with returning sophomore Derrick Brown, will mean that you shouldn’t count out the Musketeers for very long.

Herb Pope, New Mexico State

Aggie fans can exhale: Herb Pope is coming to Las Cruces.

After Coach Reggie Theus unexpectedly left for the NBA, an understandably irate Pope publicly backtracked on his commitment to NMSU. Then the Aggies brought in Marvin Menzies from Louisville as his replacement, rather than one of Theus’s former assistants – further leading to speculation that he would bolt.

But after talking with Menzies, Pope reaffirmed his intention to play for the Aggies next fall. Of course it didn’t hurt that Menzies had previously been recruiting Pope for Rick Pitino – even attending Aliquippa's PIAA Class AA quarterfinal game. Regardless, it was an important milestone for the new coach – the first major step towards keeping the program on the upward track that Theus had so brilliantly placed it in just two years there.

Pope averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds a game his senior year at Aliquippa. One of the top-rated forwards in the nation, he was sought after by the likes of Texas, Maryland, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Louisville and UConn before deciding on the Aggies. He is a tenacious rebounder, tough and extremely competitive. (He reportedly ripped off his second place medal and threw it on the floor – during the trophy presentation no less - after his Aliquippa team lost the state finals).

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Pope is that he is even playing basketball at all. He was shot four times – including twice in the stomach – during a house party in his hometown just four months ago. He was listed in critical condition, and the doctors couldn’t be sure if he would even survive.

Now, he reportedly can dunk a basketball and participate in some drills. He is expected to make a full recovery and be ready to go come Midnight Madness. Amazing.

Tyrone Shelley, Pepperdine

A recruiting triumph for first year coach Vance Walberg.

The all time leading scorer for San Diego Section, Shelley surpassed Chase Budinger for the record his senior year at Crawford High. An amazing feat considering the star missed 16 games while waiting for his transfer to the school to clear.

Shelley seemingly can score at will, with a quick first step and deadly outside range, while still showing the maturity and talent to look for good shots. He once put up 76 points in a game – another San Diego-area record – while playing less than three quarters.

By choosing the Waves over Budinger’s Arizona, Kentucky, Kansas, Washington and Connecticut, Shelley has chosen to make his mark on a much smaller stage with far less exposure. But make his mark he will. Shelley could well win not only the Freshman of the Year in the WCC, but could contend for Player of the Year in the conference. He is just that good.

P’Allen Stinnett, Creighton

The high-flying Stinnett backed away from his commitment to Iowa State after Wayne Morgan and his staff were fired in the wake of a CBS Sportsline.com story implicating the program in a play-for-pay scandal, where a company founded by Los Angeles Community College coach Mike Miller was accused of sending LACC players to Division I schools in exchange for payments to arrange games. Of course, the Cyclones’ 16-14 record last season didn’t help either.

But their loss is Creighton’s gain. “P,” as his friends call him, can score from just about anywhere on the court, and his dunking skills have become part of YouTube lore. Averaging nearly 20 points a game his senior year in high school, he should quickly (but only partially) fill the void left by the departures of Nate Funk, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver to become one of the Jay’s top scoring threats.

Chris Wright, Dayton

With apologies to Jim Paxson, the 6-7 Wright could quite possibly be the best recruit the Flyers have ever brought to campus.

The local product, nicknamed “Top Flight” for his 38-inch vertical leap and penchant for trampoline-worthy dunks, was named the top player in the Atlantic 10 for this recruiting class by Scout.com.

Wright turned down offers from the likes of Texas, Michigan State, Illinois, Michigan and two-time defending champ Florida to stick close to home, and, in part, so his mother can continue watching him play. As a result, the Flyers will immediately be in contention for an A-10 title next season, particularly if Wright develops his shooting touch to go along with his freakish athleticism.

Honorable mentions: Scott Thompson, Santa Clara; Jenirro Bush, Jackson State

Return to Part One, including UAB's Keenan Ellis, UNLV's Beas Hamga and more..

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