Pepperdine Looks Inward for WCC Inspiration
It was a game to remember for Pepperdine, with Brandon Armstrong pumping in three-pointers and Kelvin Gibbs scoring at will down low.
The preseason hype was starting to make sense. The fun was back in Malibu. Even the referees, sometimes a band of striped-shirted villains this season in the Waves’ point of view, were friendly, taking time to explain some calls.
The only thing missing was a victory.
Then again, the Waves didn’t exactly lose. They were merely taking part in a full-tilt scrimmage last Saturday, complete with three NCAA referees, two split-squad teams and one common goal--to prepare for the start of West Coast Conference play.
Because of a scheduling quirk, Pepperdine has not played since Dec. 30, a 13-day drought that ends tonight with a home game against Santa Clara.
Whether the scrimmage served its purpose--to keep the Waves from breaking apart during an extended break in their season--will be answered shortly.
“We tried to create a game-like atmosphere,” Coach Jan van Breda Kolff said. “It was good for us to be in that situation, calling timeouts, running out-of-bounds plays. I think we ironed out some of the slippage areas some teams have. I think we got better on certain things.”
The Waves, who host San Diego on Saturday, contend that the time off was productive as they prepare to defend the WCC regular-season championship.
The Waves invested more time in the three-guard, two-forward offense they successfully unveiled in victories over UNC-Charlotte and Ohio at the Arizona State Holiday Classic.
“You never know when your identity’s going to happen as far as a team,” Van Breda Kolff said. “I think we’ve started to gain one. I think it more or less started in Arizona and it’s continued since then. I like our cohesiveness right now.”
Like most WCC teams, Pepperdine (8-5) has a ho-hum nonconference record. Most teams beefed up their schedule this season, resulting in more losses. Gonzaga (8-5), San Diego (8-5) and Santa Clara (8-7) have all had trouble winning consistently.
“The records maybe aren’t quite where we thought they might be,” Santa Clara Coach Dick Davey said. “But, I think a lot of that has to do with schedule. I think a lot of teams in the league have upgraded their schedules and tried to play a little more competitive preseason. When you do something like that, you are going to lose a few more games.”
Gonzaga advanced to the Sweet 16 last season and the Elite Eight in 1999, but has experienced lopsided losses to Boise State and Wisconsin-Green Bay this season.
“Guys were having half-court celebrations when they beat us . . . people were coming out of the stands,” Gonzaga Coach Mark Few said. “There’s a pretty large bull’s-eye on this club. It’s fine if people want to start targeting us.”
Gonzaga forward Casey Calvary, the WCC player of the month in December, is averaging 21.3 points, but the Bulldogs have been hurt by the absence of point guard Dan Dickau, who has missed nine games since breaking his left index finger at Arizona. Dickau is expected to return tonight against San Francisco.
San Diego has also had its problems, losing four of its last five games, including a loss at home against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
It might be enough to give Pepperdine a slight edge. Even though their best performance the last two weeks was an intra-squad scrimmage.
“That’s a confidence [boost] for us, knowing that [San Diego] is down right now,” Armstrong said. “But you’ve got to look at the other side, that they’re down and they know they get another chance because everyone’s 0-0 again.”
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WEST COAST MATCHUP
Pepperdine opens conference play against Santa Clara. D12
