The architect of one of the most successful stretches in Pepperdine men’s basketball history, Tom Asbury is now in his second stint in charge of the Waves’ program. The 2009-10 campaign will mark his eighth season overall as head coach in Malibu and second this time around.

In earlier days, Asbury was at Pepperdine for 15 seasons, the first nine as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He then served as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was most recently an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07 before returning to Pepperdine. He now has a 219-170 (.563) record in 13 seasons as a college head coach.

“There are very few people that have been as much a part of Pepperdine’s success in basketball over the years as Tom Asbury,” said Pepperdine Athletic Director John Watson at Asbury’s hiring in February 2008. “For 15 years he was a major reason why Pepperdine was the class of the West Coast Conference. I’m elated that he has decided to return home and take over the head coaching reins for next year. So many things made this an easy decision in the end: Tom’s history with Pepperdine, the fact that he is so well-respected by his co-workers and peers, his reputation as a coach and recruiter. We’re looking forward to his return to the bench and I believe he will again make Pepperdine a team that competes for league championships and postseason bids.”

Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his first six seasons with the Waves, who went to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, ’92, ’94) and two berths in the NIT (1989, ’93). Pepperdine won three regular-season West Coast Conference titles, finished no worse than second in any of the six seasons and compiled a league record of 66-18 (.786). Pepperdine’s only three WCC Tournament championships have come under Asbury.

The 125 victories marked the best six-season win total in Pepperdine’s history since 1951.

The Waves have had four 20-win seasons with Asbury at the helm, including a high of 24 wins in 1991-92, a season in which Pepperdine also went a perfect 14-0 in the WCC. In fact, Pepperdine established a conference record by winning 32 consecutive league games from 1991-93 (38 straight including WCC Tournament games). Asbury was named WCC Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1992.

Firestone Fieldhouse was a particularly tough place for Pepperdine opponents during Asbury’s first tenure, as the Waves went 60-17 (.779) in home games.

Asbury served as Pepperdine’s lead assistant coach for nine seasons (1980-88) under Jim Harrick before becoming head coach. During those nine years, the Waves went 167-97 (.633) and went to the NCAA Tournament four times and the NIT twice.

When Harrick left for UCLA in April 1988, Asbury was the obvious choice to replace him. Asbury proceeded to direct the 1988-89 Waves to a 20-13 record. Pepperdine finished in a second-place tie in the WCC standings and notched its first postseason victory since 1982 when the Waves posted an 84-69 win at New Mexico State in a first-round NIT contest.

Pepperdine started slowly during the 1989-90 season but rallied during the second half of the campaign. The Waves won eight of their last nine, including a record-setting 131-123 homecourt win over nationally ranked Loyola Marymount. Pepperdine was hoping for a rematch with the Lions in the championship game of the WCC Tournament, but that never materialized following the death of Hank Gathers and the cancellation of the tournament. The Waves posted a 17-11 record and a second-place finish in the WCC, but unfortunately were left out of the postseason for the only time during Asbury’s tenure.

Despite a relatively inexperienced roster and a rugged non-conference schedule, the 1990-91 team jelled into a strong, cohesive unit. Pepperdine concluded league play in first place with a 13-1 record and finished a memorable 16-game winning streak by defeating Saint Mary’s in the championship of the WCC Tournament — a first-time accomplishment for the Waves. Pepperdine advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1986 to face Seton Hall. Asbury was tabbed the District 15 and WCC Coach of the Year as the Waves went 22-9 overall. Doug Christie earned All-American honors and was the WCC Player of the Year.

During the 1991-92 season, Pepperdine rolled through WCC play with a perfect 14-0 mark. The Waves captured their second straight WCC Tournament title by beating Gonzaga in the final, and advanced to play Memphis State in the NCAA Tournament. The Waves posted an overall record of 24-7 and won 17 of their final 19 outings. Christie repeated as an All-American and as the WCC Player of the Year, and Asbury was named WCC Coach of the Year for the second time.

In 1992-93, the Waves extended their winning streak against conference opponents to a league-record 38 games, and though the streak came to an end, Asbury still led Pepperdine to its third straight WCC regular-season title. A loss to Santa Clara in the championship of the WCC Tournament sent the Waves to the NIT, where they defeated UC Santa Barbara in the first round. Pepperdine finished with a 23-8 record. Dana Jones earned WCC Player of the Year honors.

Asbury returned the Waves to the NCAA Tournament in his final season of 1993-94. After tying for second place in the WCC’s regular season, Pepperdine rallied to win the WCC Tournament and defeated San Diego in the final. The Waves lost an overtime heartbreaker to Michigan in the NCAAs and ended the season with a 19-11 record.

After the 2008-09 season, in which the Waves went 9-23, his seven-year record at Pepperdine now stands at 134-82 (.620). Despite a losing record, his young Waves (which featured only three upperclassmen) showed great improvement over the course of the season. The team’s five conference wins were the most since 2005, and the Waves also won a first-round contest at the WCC Tournament.

Asbury was noted as one of the nation’s top recruiters by Basketball Times during his earlier years at Pepperdine. He was also the head coach of the West Team at the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival.

After leaving Pepperdine for Kansas State, Asbury led the Wildcats to an 85-88 (.491) record over six seasons (1995-2000), which included a spot in the 1996 NCAA Tournament and the 1998 and 1999 NITs. His 1998-99 team won 20 games and led the nation in field goal percentage defense (.371).

After spending a few years in private business, Asbury returned to coaching in 2003 when he joined Mark Gottfried’s staff at Alabama as an assistant coach. He spent four years there (2004-07) before stepping down. He helped the Crimson Tide to a record of 82-46 (.641), which included three 20-win seasons, three NCAA Tournaments and one NIT bid. The 2004 Alabama squad advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

A native of Denver, Asbury was a standout at George Washington High School in the early 1960s and earned varsity letters in basketball, football and track.

Asbury lettered at Wyoming for three seasons and earned All-Western Athletic Conference honors as a senior in 1966-67. As team captain, he helped the Cowboys win the league title and advance to the NCAA Tournament that year. He earned a bachelor’s of science degree from Wyoming in 1968 and went on to receive a master’s of science degree from Colorado in 1974.

He was drafted by the St. Louis Hawks of the NBA and the Denver Rockets of the ABA and played one season in Denver before beginning his coaching career. Asbury coached Wyoming’s freshmen in 1967-68, then was a high school coach in the Denver area for eight seasons. He returned to Wyoming to serve as an assistant coach for three seasons before moving to Pepperdine.

He and his wife Carlie live in Malibu. They have two daughters, Stacey (deceased) and Megan.