Lonzo Is a Little Big Man for Waves

Never mind that Pepperdine senior Greg Lonzo, one of the biggest names in college water polo, comes in a compact package.

In a sport dominated by big guys, the 6-foot, 180-pound Lonzo has relied on hard work and determination to elevate himself among the nation’s leading scorers since his sophomore season.

“He’s one of the best competitors we’ve ever had at Pepperdine,” said Terry Schroeder, starting his 16th year as the Waves’ coach. “He’s certainly not one of the taller guys out there, but he definitely has one of the biggest hearts.... He’s always in the middle of things.”

Lonzo made an impact again Sept. 8 by scoring two goals for fifth-ranked Pepperdine in a 10-4 season-opening victory at No. 8 UC Santa Barbara.

The Waves play at No. 2 USC at noon Saturday, after a two-week layoff caused by the cancellation of the Southern California tournament at USC last weekend because of the terrorist attacks.

Putting the ball in the net is nothing new for Lonzo. He has been a top scorer in the competitive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for two years, scoring 59 goals last season and 53 in 1999.

Lonzo’s numbers are more impressive when you consider that he is something of a runt by water polo standards. Fourteen of 16 players on Pepperdine’s traveling team are bigger than Lonzo. Freshman France Denk is the biggest at 6-7 and 225 pounds.

“It is a little intimidating,” Lonzo said. “Even on our team, the majority of players are taller than 6-2. It takes a little more effort and a little more desire, but it feels good to prove everybody wrong.”

There’s a reason Lonzo has been Pepperdine’s captain for three years. Besides being a “great leader,” Schroeder said, the aggressive outside shooter doesn’t back down from anyone.

“He sticks his nose in there and refuses to lose,” the coach said. “He wants his hands on the ball.... He plays the game the way it should be played.”

Although Lonzo helped Jurupa Valley High in Mira Loma win three Southern Section Division V titles, he was not highly recruited and went to Pepperdine as a walk-on.

As a sophomore, he was given a piece of the Waves’ 41/2 scholarships allowed by the NCAA.

“He was kind of a sleeper in high school,” Schroeder said.

“We started to give him some [scholarship] money when it became evident that he was going to be a real contributor.”

As the Waves discovered, sometimes a small investment pays big dividends.

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At a Glance

Who: Greg Lonzo

School: Pepperdine

Year: Senior

Goals: 1998--14; ‘99--53; ‘00--59; ‘01--1; Total--127

NCAA Water Polo Rankings:

1. Stanford; 2. USC; 3. UCLA; 4. California; 5. Pepperdine; 6. Long Beach State; 7. UC Irvine; 8. UC Santa Barbara; 9. UC San Diego; 10. Pacific; 11. Loyola Marymount.