AREA COLLEGE NOTEBOOK

Sean Farnham wears a suit and tie instead of a uniform, but on the bench he’s still attentive, supportive and stockpiling basketball knowledge.

Farnham, 23, played at UCLA the last four years, mostly as a reserve. Now he is a first-year Pepperdine assistant.

The change is more than cosmetic.

“It’s a big transition,” he said. “As a player, you think a coach sits in an office, develops a practice plan, watches film and goes to the court. But there are a lot of other components.”

Farnham is in charge of film exchanges, monitoring the players’ academic progress and organizing Wave summer camps. He is only a year older than several Wave seniors and played against guard Derrick Anderson in the 1996 state high school championship game.

“Gaining their respect is tough,” he said. “The best way is to stay firm and separate myself and not make it an age thing, but a respect and job thing.

“Coach [Jan] van Breda Kolff helped me learn X’s and O’s and how to talk to players differently. He’s a great leader.”

In many ways, Farnham’s UCLA career was a coaching apprenticeship. He was the only Bruin freshman when Steve Lavin became coach in 1996 and he was a co-captain as a senior.

“In any instances where you are a leader, you have to keep a watchful eye on teammates,” Farnham said. “Coach Lavin and I had a close relationship and we still talk at least once a week.”

Coaching was Farnham’s plan even as a player.

“I always wanted to coach and I always want to coach,” he said. “I want to give back to the game. I want players to have a passion for the game and get the most out of the college experience.”