Location: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley CA
Date: Dec 23rd, 2004 (scheduled for 7:00 PM PST start time)
A Look at the Pepperdine Waves
Pepperdine Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Paul Westphal (4th year at Pepperdine)
Assistants: Jim Nielsen, Wyking Jones, Patrick Whitlock
Projected Starting Five (returning starters in bold; 2004-05 statistics):
PG – Marvin Lea 6’3 180 So; (5.1 ppg, 4.3 apg, 26% 3-Ptr) – 1st
year starter; tops in assists
SG – Alex Acker 6’5 190 Jr; (16.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4.0 apg, 39% 3-Ptr) – 59
starts in two+ years for the Waves
SF – Yakhouba Diawara 6’7 225 Sr; (13.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.0 apg) – All-WCC
despite playing in just 17 gms last year
PF – Glen McGowan 6’9 230 Sr; (19.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 49% FG, 63% FT,
35% 3-Ptr) – All-WCC and WCC scoring champ in 2003-04
C – Jared Henry 6’11 245 Fr; (1.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg) – Bishop
Miege HS/Kansas City, MO
Key Reserves:
C – Jesse Pinegar 6’9 225 Sr; (7.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg) – Started
10 of 11 games this season
SF – Keith Jarbo 6’4 205 Jr; (1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg) – Top backcourt
reserve; action in all 11 games
PF – Robert Turner 6’9 200 Sr; (3.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg) –
SG – Tashaan Forehan-Kelly 6’4 180 Jr; (2.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg) – Cal
transfer, 1st year at Pepperdine
C – Russell Hicks 7’0 230 Fr; (1.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg) – Westlane
HS/Niagara Falls, Ontario
SF – Kingsley Costain 5’7 160 Fr; (6.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 39%
3-Ptr) – Lakeland Christian Academy/Winona Lake IN
Expected to be one of the top teams on the West Coast this season, the Pepperdine
Waves are on a roll at the start the 2004-05 season. After losing
on opening night to East Carolina in an obvious case of the jitters,
the
Waves
struck back by winning 7 in a row. In the middle of that ride was a solid 14-point
home victory over 17th ranked Wisconsin, possibly the biggest
win by the program in four years. Pepperdine hasn’t made the
NCAA Tournament since 2002 but they are on that track this
year.
Pepperdine Head Coach Paul Westphal is known around both college and
NBA venues. He’s a two-time All-American who played college basketball
in the Pac-10 at USC. After being picked in the 1st round by the
Boston Celtics, Westphal became a 4-time NBA All-Star. He played for numerous
NBA
teams including
the Phoenix Suns, a franchise that he also led to the NBA Finals as
a coach some years later. Westphal also briefly coached the Seattle Supersonics.
As a college coach, Westphal has slowly rebuilt the Pepperdine program after
that first year of success in the 2001-02. Adding an impact player each
recruiting year and finding a few diamonds in the rough has been the key. The
first player to arrive in Malibu was Glen McGowan, now a 5th year senior who
has emerged as one of the top scoring forwards in the West. NBA scouts are
watching McGowan closely as he can work in the post due to his 6’9 frame
but also possesses a solid perimeter jumper. He’s a poor-man’s
Kenyon Martin with a similar body type. Glen sill has to prove that
a knee injury suffered a few seasons back won’t limit his long term potential
and he also needs to pass better –he has just 8 assists in 11 games.
But McGowan is as good a college scorer as there is in the west due to his
versatility
and experience.
Joining McGowan in the Pepperdine frontcourt are two fellow seniors, Jesse
Pinegar and Yakhouba Diawara. Pinegar is a BYU transfer from a few years back
who possess a nifty jumper and a good face up shot, but beyond that
doesn’t
add much punch. He hardly rebounds and looks dinged at the moment.
He didn’t
start for the first time this season against Arkansas State. Pinegar reminds
fans of former Cal center Ryan Jamison.
Diawara is a big-time post scoring
option and would probably give injured Cal forward Leon Powe a quality battle.
A wide
body that can take contact and score, Diawara has impressed NBA scouts for
years. He played at the College of Southern Idaho for two years before transferring
to Pepperdine. After he transferred Diawara ran into
eligibility issues after it was revealed that he hadplayed for a pro-team in
France. He sat out the maximum 14 games last year. After being cleared, Diawara
still
became a WCC 1st Team selection. He’s a monster in the block and went
for 31 points and 10 rebounds against Arkansas State.
In what is the easily the strength of the Waves, the frontcourt reserves also
bring size and talent. Senior Robert Turner is very versatile and should be
a quality match-up with Cal’s junior starting forward Rod Benson. Both
run the court very well and have similar agility but should rebound the ball
better. Redshirt freshman Jared Henry and freshman Russell Hicks are both big
strong kids who average about 7 minutes per game. Henry is a nice prospect
and had a great prep career in Missouri while Hicks, a Niagara Falls native,
brings more size then quality right now. If Pinegar can’t start, Henry
will get the call again.
The Pepperdine backcourt isn’t as experienced as the frontcourt but
junior Alex Acker makes up for the depth. The former Centennial (Compton CA)
star has NBA written all over him with a very nice release, excellent size,
and a penchant for hitting key shots. His stats pretty much tell the story;
16 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4 assists. From the two guard spot, that’s
really getting things done. Like the rest of the squad, Acker can struggle
defensively at times and that’s his weakness. But he’s a gifted
scorer who brings a lot to the table as far as overall ability.
Playing alongside Acker is sophomore Marvin Lea, a limited scorer on a team
who really needs a creative passer. Lea will play a little more than half the
game but his backup, freshman Kingsley Costain, is starting to gain ground
for the starting spot. Costain is a diminutive point guard at
5’7 but brings speed, better shooting skills, passing, and pesky defense
to the floor. Keith Jarbo will also see some court time behind Acker. Cal transfer
Tashaan Forehan-Kelly will probably not play.
The Waves are a transition type team who play a lot of NBA pick and roll offense.
They do cause match-up problems with their overall
size and thickness but they don’t have a lot of team speed. They play
strictly man to man defense and the key to playing them is being patient. The
big three of Acker, McGowan, and Diawara take 70% of the Waves shots
and as a team they shoot 45% from the floor, 65% from
the
free
throw line, and 36% from three.
A Look at the California Golden Bears: (6-3 on the season)
Cal Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Ben Braun (9th Year)
Assistants: Louis Reynaud, Joe Pasternack, George Nessman
Projected Starting Five (returning starters in bold; 2004-05 statistics):
PG – Richard Midgley 6'2 210 Jr; (16.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 44% 3-Ptr) – 2-year
starter; Top 3-point shooter
SG – Marquise Kately 6’5 220 So; (11.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 44%
FG) – Third in scoring & tied for 1st in rebounding
SF – Dominic McGuire 6’9 215 So; (6.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.3 apg) – 3rd
in rebounding in 2004-05
PF – Rod Benson 6’10 215 Jr; (12.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 61% FG) – Shooting
61% as a 1st year starter; 2nd in scoring
C – DeVon Hardin 6’10 245 Fr; (5.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) – Newark
HS, Newark CA
Key Reserves:
PG – Martin Smith 5’11 170 Jr; (4.1 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 3.8 apg) – Averaging
just under 20 mpg as a walk-on reserve PG
PF – David Paris 6’9 245 Jr; (6.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 50% FG, 77% FT) – Top
reserve scorer
SF – Eric Vierneisel 6’7 200 Fr; (3.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 37%
3-Ptr) – Jacobs HS, Algonquin IL
PF – Kevin Langford 6’9 215 Fr; (1.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg) – North
Crowley HS, Fort Worth TX
Cal returned to Haas Pavilion yesterday evening after a 10-day layoff and
knocked off Hampton 69-46 on opening night of the Golden Bear
Classic.
While
the Bears
started each half fairly slow, Richard Midgley got the offense going in both
sessions with a team high 25 points. Martin Smith also stepped up and played
a career high 28 minutes, also contributing career highs in points (10) and
assists (8). It was somewhat of a relief role for Smith. Marquise Kately drew
a 1-game spot on the bench due to a failure to meet a team responsibility so
Martin not only posted his best career game but notched his three-point
shooting at 100% for the season.
“It feels good,” said a cheerful Smith after the game, taking
the time to laugh about his 1 for 1 three point shooting this season. “I
just try to look for the open man, communicate, and make sure that everyone
is doing what they are supposed to be doing; come in and bring some continuity
to the game.”
After winning the opener, the Bears will square off against a team that is
probably the best offensive team in the West Coast Conference.
The game will
match a solid defensive Bears squad (61.8 ppg allowed this season) against
a Waves
offense that averages over 75 points per game. While that difference may be
the broad storyline, offensive execution might be the key
component that wins the game. Pepperdine
has the ability to score in droves - but will
they execute against a good Bears defense? For Cal, can they execute enough
in transition and be patient offensively against a porous Peperdine defense?
To set a marker: if the Bears can keep the Waves from scoring more than 75
points, they’ll
have a good a shot of beating the Waves. Seven of Pepperdine’s eight
wins this season have come when they’ve topped the 75 point plateau.
There are a number of intriguing match-up’s to watch during this
contest. These start off with the battle of shooting guards Alex Acker
vs. Marquise
Kately. Both players stand 6’5 with good physique’s and quickness.
They can also rebound the ball incredibly well – both players top their
respective teams in rebounds per game. Kately might be the fresher of the two
players since he didn’t play in the opener. Look for Acker to try to
score from the perimeter and Kately to post up.
Just as Leon Powe creates match-up problems for a number of Cal opponents,
Yakhouba Diawara does the same for Pepperdine. Diawara is too quick for slow-footed
centers and too physical for small forwards. Rod Benson and David Paris will
likely contend with Diawara and they’ll have their hands full. Alternatively,
Cal’s Richard Midgley is a nice play since he brings much more of a scoring
option to the floor then Pepperdine’s point guards. He should have no
problems finding open shots against the Waves defense.
Like most quality offensive teams, Pepperdine’s success relates to how
well their shot is working and whether or not they are leading. When a team
as good offensively as Pepperdine is connecting and getting on top of their
opponents, their confidence grows. When they fall behind, the Waves shoot the
ball a lot faster and press their shots a bit. For Cal to make it two wins
in two nights, they’ll have to string together a solid defensive game
and rebound the ball over a difficult frontline. Its Cal’s last non-conference
game of the season and it might just be the best.
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