Waves’ Top Picks: Asbury, Westphal

Tom Asbury and Paul Westphal are the leading candidates to become Pepperdine’s men’s basketball coach, sources said Thursday.

Athletic Director John Watson has interviewed Asbury, Westphal, Metro State Coach Mike Dunlap and Pepperdine assistant Gib Arnold in an effort to replace Jan van Breda Kolff, who announced Sunday he’d taken the St. Bonaventure job.

Cal State Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell, rumored to be a candidate, has not had contact with Pepperdine, which could make a decision as soon as today.

Asbury, 55, coached Pepperdine to a 125-59 record from 1988-94 and led the team to three NCAA tournament appearances. The Thousand Oaks resident went 86-89 at Kansas State before being fired after the 1999-2000 season.

Westphal, 50, a former USC and NBA standout, was fired by the Seattle SuperSonics in November, 15 games into the season. His son, Mike, is a walk-on junior at Pepperdine. Westphal also coached the Phoenix Suns from 1992-96.