NCAA BK

Pepperdine Getting Inside

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Updated Oct 23, 2009 12:05 AM ET
     
 
Pepperdine was one of the youngest teams in the country last season, which is why its 5-9 conference record exceeded expectations.

The Waves are still a young team, but they have considerable experience for their age and have a chance to be the surprise team of the WCC.

Tom Asbury made significant strides last season, his first year in his second stint as Pepperdine coach, and it was hard to believe that the team he had at season's end was the same one he started with. The Waves were terrible for the first two months.

Those gains, the return of four starters, the addition of two freshmen who could man the point guard spot, and Asbury's second year at helm have given Pepperdine some much-needed stability and hope that it will be a contender in a year or two.

Eleven of the 15 players on the roster are sophomores or freshmen, and there is not a single senior on the squad, so Pepperdine probably is still a year away from having a say in the WCC title race. However, the Waves now should be competitive with everyone in the conference.

The key is the point guard spot.

Sophomore Lorne Jackson, who started 14 games last season, will get the first crack at it, but he was inconsistent last season. If either of two freshmen, Josh Lowery or Caleb Willis, can unseat him, it will mean the Waves have found a quality guard to direct the team.

The Waves are pretty well stocked at the other four spots, although scoring enough points to stay in games will continue to be an issue.

Sophomore guard Keion Bell, the team's leading scorer last season, has the athleticism and confidence to become something special if he can cut down on his turnovers and improve his shot selection. Junior forward Mychel Thompson is probably the best all-around player on the team.

Thompson will also have to become a team leader since he is the only scholarship player in the program with two years' experience.

Sophomore forward Taylor Darby has proved he can be a quality rebounder, and 6-10 sophomore center Corbin Moore gives the Waves some size inside.

Outside shooting will be a concern for the Waves, who were mediocre from long range last season and lost their best 3-point shooter, Michael Hornbuckle, to graduation.

The loss of senior Ron Holmes will hurt, too, from a leadership standpoint. He missed 12 games last season with a foot injury, and the Waves seemed to play better when he was on the court.

Pepperdine still needs to find an identity. Asbury used 11 different starting lineups last season as he tried to figure out which players could help in the long term and which combinations worked best. With eight freshmen on the roster last season, 2008-2009 became sort of a sizing-up process that started to stabilize in the final month.

Asbury proved in his previous time at Pepperdine that he could win consistently in the WCC, and the progress the team made over the course of last season showed the influence he can have.
Tagged: Pepperdine

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