Romar Couldn’t Wave Off Pepperdine’s Offer

Pepperdine finally got its man, but he didn’t come easy.

When Athletic Director Wayne Wright first contacted Lorenzo Romar last month about the possibility of becoming the Waves’ basketball coach, the UCLA assistant’s first response was, “I was hoping you wouldn’t call.”

Romar, a loyal Bruin, knew it would be tough to turn down the Pepperdine job. And, sure enough, after initially declining Wright’s offer, Romar gradually was won over by the idea of running his own program and providing a stable environment for his family.

“When I really sat down and considered the opportunities here, [the decision] was a no-brainer,” said Romar, who was introduced Tuesday as Pepperdine’s new coach.

“I was going to stay at UCLA for a long time, [but] when Wayne called, I was thinking that might be the one job I would leave for.”

After turning down several head coaching opportunities in the past few years, Romar said the timing was finally right to move on.

Romar, 37, will officially take over the Waves at the completion of his fourth season as an assistant to Jim Harrick at UCLA.

Wright said Romar was his No. 1 choice to replace Tony Fuller, who resigned Jan. 20. After initially being rejected by Romar, Wright said he “kept the door open.”

“We pretty much came to the understanding that Lorenzo would stay at UCLA because he loves it so much there,” Wright said. “But after he thought about it for a few days, we got back together and . . . we finally decided this is the place for Lorenzo to be, and we hope for a long time.”

Interim Coach Marty Wilson will finish the season with Pepperdine (9-15, 2-10 in the West Coast Conference), which has lost six consecutive games.

Romar said he will consider Wilson and assistants Carl Strong and Jon Wheeler for his staff.

Romar signed a three-year contract with the Bruins last spring that pays him a reported $95,000 per season. Wright said Romar’s three-year contract at Pepperdine is “in the same ballpark.”

More than money, Romar said logistics and keeping his family in one place were the key issues in his decision. He lives in Calabasas--across the street from Fuller, a friend--with his wife, Leona, and their three children.

“I’m a Southern California guy at heart,” said Romar, who attended Pius X High in Downey.

So why did Romar rebuff Pepperdine’s approach in 1994, when Fuller was hired?

“At that time I had been at UCLA for only two years,” he said. “Also, I thought we had a pretty good team returning, and I remember telling Leona if I were to leave UCLA and watch those guys in the Final Four the next year, I’d be sick. I decided to stay, and we did a little better than the Final Four.”

UCLA was 31-2 and won the NCAA title last season, in part because Romar recruited standouts Charles O’Bannon and Toby Bailey.

Romar said recruiting would be one of his first tasks at Pepperdine. The Waves have four scholarships available.

“We’re going to try and get some guys to help us win,” he said.

Pepperdine’s players reacted with mixed emotions to Romar’s hiring. Wilson, in his sixth season as a Waves’ coach, was the popular candidate among the team.

“Everybody likes Marty Wilson a lot, along with Coach Wheeler and Coach Strong, but I think everybody is kind of relieved that we know who the coach is going to be,” said Gerald Brown, a junior guard and the Waves’ leading scorer.

“We just want to get on with the rest of the [season].”

Pepperdine completes the WCC regular season Friday and Saturday with home games against San Francisco and San Diego.

“I think a lot of people on this team want Marty to come back,” said sophomore forward Bryan Hill.

Wilson, who greeted Romar with a handshake and a hug Tuesday, said he and the new coach planned to talk later that night.

“I went over to show my support for Lorenzo and show everybody there are no hard feelings toward him getting the job,” Wilson said. “He’s a good man. I would love to [stay at Pepperdine], but that’s up to him.”

Wilson said he hopes naming a coach before the end of the season doesn’t distract his players.

“We had to announce it mainly because it was leaking from sources other than Pepperdine,” Wright said. “Ideally, it would have been better to wait until the season ended, but we feel good about it.”