Pepperdine Waves
2019-2020 Overall Rank: #117
Conference Rank: #4 West Coast
Coach Lorenzo Romar returned to Pepperdine, where he was the coach from 1996 to 1999. The expectations were very low heading into last season, but the young Waves had their moments, going 6-10 in West Coast Conference play. Eight of the ten players who saw any meaningful minutes last season are back and Coach Romar continues to bring in more talent.
2018-19 Record: 16-18, 6-10
2018-19 Postseason: None
Coach: Lorenzo Romar
Coach Record: 58-62 at Pepperdine, 407-302 overall
Key Departed Players:
Eric Cooper Jr, Guard, 10.7 ppg
Darnell Dunn, Forward, 8.4 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Kessler Edwards, Sophomore, Forward, 10.0 ppg
Colbey Ross, Junior, Guard, 19.4 ppg
Jade Smith, Junior, Guard, 9.6 ppg
Andre Ball, Sophomore, Guard, 3.3 ppg
Kameron Edwards, Senior, Forward, 14.7 ppg
Victor Ohia Obioha, Sophomore, Center, 3.4 ppg
Darryl Poke Jr, Sophomore, Guard, 3.9 ppg
Jackson Stormo, Sophomore, Center, 1.3 ppg
Key New Players:
Keith Smith, Junior, Guard/Forward, Transfer from Oregon
Sedrick Altman, Freshman, Guard
Skylar Chavez, Junior, Guard, JC Transfer
Majok Deng, Freshman, Guard
Jan Zidek, Freshman, Guard
Projection:
Kameron Edwards is the lone senior on the roster. He struggled with a variety of injuries last season, but managed to average 14.7 points and 6.2 rebounds. When healthy, the 6-6 forward is a game changer that will turn into the team’s leader. His brother, Kessler Edwards, a 6-8 sophomore, is another dynamic forward who averaged 10.0 points per game and led WCC freshmen in rebounding. Colbey Ross should again be the team’s top scorer after averaging 19.4 points. But with more talent and experience around him, Ross’ most important role will be handling the ball and getting his teammates involved. He averaged 7.0 assists last season and few in the WCC can create offense as effectively as Ross. Jade Smith is a tough guard who will likely remain in the starting lineup. There are also a large group of sophomores who earned valuable experience and will be looking for larger roles. And then there are the newcomers, highlighted by Oregon transfer Keith Smith and junior college transfer Skylar Chavez. Coach Romar has quickly added a lot of talent to this roster. The best days are still ahead, but expect Pepperdine to take a big step forward in year two of Coach Romar’s return to the Waves.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.6 (95th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 74.4 (253, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.4 (174, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 46.5 (317, 10)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.2 (48, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.2 (22, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.0 (18, 2)
Rebound Margin: -3.5 (311, 9)
Assists Per Game: 14.1 (118, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (156, 6)
