Since his hiring in February, Asbury has laid the groundwork to help revitalize the program. He hired three alums, all former Pepperdine basketball standouts who bleed orange and blue, to be his assistants. He jumped into the recruiting process late but still landed an intriguing mix of youth and talent, much of it local. He’s made his student-athletes’ academic success a priority. And he’s reached out to the Pepperdine community to rebuild its connection to the program.
Now, on the eve of the season’s start, Asbury is ready to get down to the business of teaching his young Waves how to be successful, both on and off the court.
"I think we feel very good about this group," said Asbury, who went 125-59 (.679) as the Waves’ head coach from 1989-94. "It’s an extremely young group. But they’re very bright, very intelligent, and that will make our job a lot easier. They should be able to pick things up quickly. We’re going to have a brand-new system, and it’s going to be an adjustment for everyone. We’ll challenge them with a lot of things. They will have to absorb an awful lot, but they have the capacity to do it. That will be a strength of ours."
As someone who has graduated nearly 90 percent of his players over the years, Asbury made sure his new players would fit in not only as basketball players, but also as student-athletes who can follow the mission of the university.
"We think the future is really bright with this group of guys," he said. "They are very good students who will take care of business in the classroom. They’re quality people who will be successful here at Pepperdine."
Only five players return from the 2007-08 squad that underwent a midseason coaching change and ended with an 11-21 record and a sixth-place finish in the West Coast Conference. The five veterans consist of three seniors and two sophomores. Asbury brought in nine new players: seven true freshmen and two junior college transfers who will be sophomores. With only three upperclassmen, it’s a team that will learn and grow together over the next three to four seasons.
As Asbury has done for his entire career, fundamentals and the ability to play team defense will be taught first. It’s something that his previous Pepperdine teams were known for, and while he was the head coach at Kansas State one of his squads led the nation in defensive field goal percentage.
"First and foremost, this team has got to be able to defend and rebound," said Asbury, who is assisted by Marty Wilson, Damin Lopez and Will Kimble. "As quickly as we can make that happen, that will keep us in games and make us as competitive as possible. It’s the area that we need to shore up the most and it’s the part of the game that needs to be our trademark. Regardless of a team’s youth and inexperience, you can always play hard on defense."
When Asbury inherited the Pepperdine head coaching job from Jim Harrick, it was already a strong program. He left it in even better shape when he took the Kansas State job following the 1993-94 season, as the Waves made three NCAA and two NIT appearances in six years. While doing so, Pepperdine won three WCC regular-season titles and three conference tournament championships.
This time around, however, the conference landscape is much different. Gonzaga was not yet the nationally known program that it is now, and an ever-improving WCC set a record last season by sending three teams to the NCAA Tournament. Asbury knows where he wants to take the program, but he also knows that it won’t happen overnight.
"I will say this: I’ve never had a team that will have lower expectations than this one," he said. "But we will get better and be competitive and continue to improve every day. We’ll become sound and solid defensively so that by the time our offense comes around, we’ll be a good team. I expect we’ll have a good, solid basketball team by the end of the year."
Following is a look at the 14 players that make up the 2008-09 squad:
Ryan Holmes (Phoenix, Ariz./Millennium HS/Phoenix CC), a 6-foot-1 senior point guard, was a starter last season and will be counted upon for his leadership and ball-handling skills. Last year was his first at Pepperdine after transferring from Phoenix Community College, and he did well, averaging 6.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He played his best ball during the WCC season, averaging 8.1 points while shooting 50.6% from the field.
"Ryan is a very solid point guard," Asbury said. "He doesn’t turn the ball over and that’s going to be crucial for this team. We need someone who can show maturity, leadership and strength at the point guard position, and he needs to help our younger players too. Ryan is not a big risk-taker, but that’s okay with me. He just gets the ball up the floor and plays defense."
Rico Tucker (San Diego, Calif./University HS/Minnesota) a 6-foot senior guard, is the team’s leading returning scorer after he averaged 10.7 points last season. However, he suffered a knee injury late in the season and underwent surgery, so the Waves may have to wait and see if he can return at full strength. In his first season with the Waves, Tucker led the WCC with 2.2 steals per game and averaged a team-best 3.2 assists.
"You just hope Rico can come around after his knee injury because he hasn’t been cleared yet," Asbury said. "He hasn’t had a chance to do anything with us. He’s an athletic guy who can guard and defend and score. Hopefully he will come back from his injury at full speed."
Mike Hornbuckle (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian HS/Azusa Pacific) is the Waves’ third and final senior and a 6-foot-4 shooting guard. He started 16 of 32 games last season and averaged 5.5 points and 3.2 rebounds. He was another player who got better as the season went on, showing he could be a reliable outside shooter by averaging 7.6 points in conference play.
"Mike is a good shooter who plays extremely hard," Asbury said. "He’s a physical player, but he needs to improve defensively. As a fifth-year senior, we’re going to need him to be one of our leaders. He’s been around college basketball and can teach the younger guys."
Mychel Thompson (Ladera Ranch, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS/Stoneridge Prep), a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, had an impressive freshman campaign. He won a starting position and averaged 8.1 points and 2.7 rebounds. He was particularly effective from beyond the three-point arc, tying for fifth in the WCC in three-pointers made per game (1.75).
"Mychel has an extremely bright future," Asbury said. "He’s a very versatile player. He shoots it pretty well and runs the floor extremely well. He just needs to get a little bit bigger and stronger, to be aggressive and to not settle for the outside shot. He can be a very good defender and needs to be a leader because he’s going to play a lot for us."
The Waves are adding two junior college transfers, both of whom will be sophomores: 6-foot-8 center Denis Agre (Sofia, Bulgaria/Central Arizona JC) and 6-foot-8 forward Jonathan Dupré (Stafford, Texas/Marshall HS/Collin County CC).
Agre is a veteran of the Bulgarian youth national team system, with international appearances at the U-16 and U-18 level. He came to the U.S. last year to attend Central Arizona College and averaged about eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots for the junior college.
"Denis is a big, strong, physical player," Asbury said. "He’s very bright. He’s somewhat limited in his scoring range, but he’s a guy that we anticipate will be a good offensive and defensive rebounder and a strong post defender. He’s physically strong and mature, which is something we don’t have a lot of."
Dupré is a bit older than the typical sophomore, as after graduating from high school he spent one year at the United States Military Academy Prep School and last year at Collin County Community College. He averaged 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds as a freshman and was second on the team in blocked shots.
"Jonathan is very bright, very analytical, and a good student," Asbury said. "He’s a small forward who can really shoot the ball. He’s a prototype wing, although we need to work on his ball-handling and defense. We may be able to swing him into the post as he gets a little more physical."
Keion Bell (Pasadena, Calif./Pasadena HS), a 6-foot-3 freshman guard, had a tremendous senior season in high school and was named the Pasadena Star-News’ Player of the Year after averaging nearly 22 points per game. He scored 30 points in a game eight times and also made the All-SCIBCA Southern Section Division II-AA second team and was the Pacific League’s co-MVP.
"Keion is a player who is dynamic and exciting," Asbury said. "He has a chance to be a terrific player for us. He’s quick, versatile and athletic. We don’t exactly know what his shooting capacity is because it’s always been so easy for him to penetrate and get to the basket. He’s a got a chance to be a great defender because he’s so athletic and flexible."
Taylor Darby (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS), a 6-foot-7 freshman forward, was one of the pioneers of the Mission Hills basketball team, as the school opened when he was a freshman. He left as the program’s all-time leader in most categories, including points and rebounds. As a senior, he averaged 20.3 points and 11.8 rebounds and was named to the All-CIF San Diego Section first team and was the Valley League Player of the Year.
"Taylor is young and somewhat inexperienced but he is very athletic and is doing a good job of making the transition," Asbury said. "He’s getting bigger and stronger and has the chance to be a really good small forward. He needs to work on his consistency and shooting, but he’s a solid defender and runs extremely well. I really like his upside."
Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS), a 6-foot-2 freshman point guard, finished his high school career as one of Ventura County’s all-time leaders in steals and assists. He was an all-state second team selection and the Ventura County Star’s Player of the Year after leading the county in scoring (22.9 ppg) and steals (4.3 spg) while finishing second in assists (6.8 apg).
"Lorne may be the next really good player here at Pepperdine," Asbury said. "He’ll be an all-league caliber player at some point. He’s a strong point guard who can also shoot well enough to swing over to play shooting guard. He’s physical, smart, aggressive, a good defender and a very good passer."
Corbin Moore (Cypress, Calif./Los Alamitos HS), a 6-foot-10 forward/center, is known as an excellent rebounder. He made the All-SCIBCA Southern Section Division I-A first team and was the Sunset League’s co-MVP as a senior after averaging 15.8 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. He also averaged a double-double as a junior with 12.7 points and 10.5 rebounds.
"Corbin is another one who is going to be a fine player here," Asbury said. "He may be the smartest kid on the team. He’s a very good rebounder. He’s going to be on the floor a lot as a freshman. He can step out and make a jumper, but our primary need for him is post defense and rebounding."
Andy Shannon (Carmichael, Calif./El Camino HS), a 6-foot-11 center, blossomed as a senior in high school and averaged 11.0 points and 9.5 rebounds. In March of 2008, he played on a Team USA squad that traveled to the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Mannheim, Germany.
"Andy is kind of a finesse post player right now, and he just needs Mother Nature to speed up and put on 15 or 20 pounds to compliment his height," Asbury said. "He’s very willing, very smart and has good hands. He can shoot the ball well. But he’s going to have to get stronger and more physical to make the adjustment to this level."
Dane Suttle Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif./Westchester HS/Summit College Prep), a 6-foot-6 guard/forward, comes to Pepperdine after a year in prep school. He was the 2006 L.A. City Player of the Year and an all-state honoree as a junior after averaging 22 points per game. His father is Pepperdine’s all-time leading scorer who went on to play in the NBA.
"Dane is a chip off the old block who knows how to put the ball in the basket," Asbury said. "But he’s a lot bigger than his dad. He’s going to be a very solid player. Although he certainly knows how to score, he’s also unselfish and is a really good passer. But he needs to get better defensively and needs to get past some ankle issues he’s had over the years."
A pair of walk-ons round out the squad: returning 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Gus Clardy (Nacogdoches, Texas/Nacogdoches HS) and 6-foot-2 freshman guard Richard Branning (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo-Atherton HS).
Clardy appeared in 16 of the first 18 games last season and averaged 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds, showing nice touch around the basket and some solid post defense. He came to Pepperdine on a prestigious Regents’ Scholarship.
"Gus is really a pretty solid player," Asbury said. "He’s strong, mechanically sound, and very coachable. He has a chance to help us."
Branning earned all-region honors in the Bay Area as a senior after averaging 13.9 points. A dead-eye shooter, he hit 44% of his three-pointers and 90% of his free throws. His father, Rich, played at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Indiana Pacers.
"Richard is perhaps the best shooter we have in our program," Asbury said. "When he adds some weight and strength, he’s someone who can really help this team because of his shooting. He’s a hard worker who is very bright."
There aren’t any established stars and it’s uncertain as to which of the aforementioned Waves will become go-to players. But it’s a group that Asbury is comfortable with and he looks forward to how the team will develop.
"I can see a bunch of guys scoring from eight to 11 points a game, but I can’t tell you exactly who they will be," he said. "I don’t see anyone scoring 16 or 17 points a game. But I don’t need that; I don’t care about that. We just need to get one more point than our opponents and that’s our only concern."
Courtesy: Martin A. Folb
