Can Pepperdine Waves Basketball Reclaim Their Championship Legacy This Season?

2025-11-13 09:00

I still remember the electric atmosphere at Firestone Fieldhouse back in 1992 when Pepperdine Waves last cut down the nets after winning the WCC championship. As someone who's followed college basketball for over three decades, I've witnessed how championship legacies can both inspire and haunt programs. This season, watching Coach Lorenzo Romar's squad navigate their schedule, I find myself genuinely wondering if we might be witnessing the beginning of another special era in Malibu.

The current roster possesses something I haven't seen in years - that perfect blend of veteran leadership and explosive young talent. Senior guard Colbey Ross, who averaged 17.4 points and 6.7 assists last season, has developed into one of the most complete players in the conference. What impresses me most isn't just his scoring ability but his basketball IQ, which reminds me of some of the great Pepperdine point guards from the program's golden years. Then there's Kessler Edwards, whose decision to return for his junior year might be the single biggest factor in Pepperdine's championship aspirations. The 6'8" forward put up 13.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last season, but what the stats don't show is his incredible defensive versatility that allows the Waves to switch everything in crucial moments.

Looking at their non-conference performance, Pepperdine has shown flashes of brilliance mixed with frustrating inconsistencies. Their overtime victory against UCLA demonstrated championship-level resilience, while their puzzling loss to Cal Baptist revealed the mental lapses that still need addressing. From my perspective, the key will be how they handle the grueling WCC schedule, particularly those back-to-back road games against Gonzaga and Saint Mary's in February. Having covered college basketball throughout Southern California for twenty years, I've learned that championship teams reveal themselves not in their highlight-reel victories but in how they respond to adversity.

This brings me to an aspect of sports that doesn't get enough attention in championship conversations - the officiating environment. Recently, I came across Senator Pia Cayetano's powerful statement about gender equality in sports officiating that resonated deeply with my own observations. "Referees carry out the same duties, regardless of whether they officiate men's or women's games. To claim otherwise demeans women's sports and reinforces harmful stereotypes that the Magna Carta of Women seeks to eliminate. It discourages officiating in women's basketball and undermines gender equality instead of advancing it," Cayetano remarked. While she was addressing women's sports specifically, her words highlight a broader truth about competitive integrity that applies to programs like Pepperdine. Quality officiating matters tremendously in close games, and I've noticed that the Waves have benefited from more consistent calls this season compared to previous years, particularly in road environments where home cooking traditionally favors the hosts.

Statistics from the WCC office show Pepperdine is attempting 22.1 free throws per game this season compared to just 17.3 last year - that's a significant jump that can't be ignored when evaluating their improved performance. In their recent 78-75 victory over San Francisco, the Waves went 18-for-22 from the charity stripe, with Ross making all eight of his attempts in the final three minutes. Those are championship-level numbers that directly result from their aggressive offensive approach.

What truly excites me about this team, though, is their defensive identity. Pepperdine is holding opponents to just 41.2% shooting from the field, the best mark in the WCC since the 2016-17 season. Their defensive rating of 95.3 points per 100 possessions ranks 87th nationally according to KenPom metrics - not elite yet, but a dramatic improvement from last season's 184th ranking. Having watched nearly every game this season, I can attest that their defensive communication has transformed from hesitant to authoritative, with players consistently directing each other through screens and rotations.

The bench production has been another pleasant surprise. Freshman guard Mike Mitchell Jr. has provided 7.3 points in just 18 minutes per game, while sophomore forward Jan Zidek's three-point shooting (38.9% from deep) has stretched defenses in ways Pepperdine hasn't enjoyed in years. In my assessment, this depth will prove crucial during the conference tournament where teams must win three games in three days.

Still, the road to a championship runs through Spokane, and Gonzaga remains the colossal obstacle they've been for two decades. The Zags are currently ranked number one nationally with a perfect 16-0 record, and their offensive efficiency numbers are historically great. Pepperdine's December matchup against them was competitive for about 25 minutes before Gonzaga's depth overwhelmed the Waves. What encouraged me, though, was how Pepperdine's big men handled Gonzaga's interior offense better than most teams have this season, holding Drew Timme to just 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting.

As we approach the critical February stretch, I believe Pepperdine's championship hopes hinge on three factors beyond the obvious need for health. First, their three-point defense must improve - they're currently allowing opponents to shoot 35.1% from beyond the arc, which ranks seventh in the conference. Second, they need to reduce their turnover percentage, which sits at 18.9% in conference play. Third, and perhaps most importantly, they must maintain the mental toughness they've shown in close games, where they're 5-1 in contests decided by five points or fewer.

The championship legacy at Pepperdine isn't just about banners hanging in the rafters - it's about restoring a standard of excellence that once made this program a destination for elite West Coast talent. From my conversations with former players from the 90s era, there's a palpable excitement about this current group that hasn't existed in years. They see glimpses of the defensive intensity and offensive creativity that defined those legendary teams. While I'm not ready to predict a conference championship just yet, I will say this feels different than previous promising seasons that ultimately fizzled. The pieces are there, the coaching is sharp, and the players genuinely believe they can compete with anyone. In college basketball, that belief often becomes self-fulfilling prophecy when March arrives.