WCC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season
By Tuck Clarry
7. Pepperdine Waves
Expectations were high for the Waves headed into last season, with a young core that looked ready and willing to take on responsibility for the lockerroom and turn the corner from talented to also include disciplined. It was a roster that featured now Los Angeles Laker Maxwell Lewis as well as shotmaking guards Houston Mallette and Mike Mitchell.
Instead, the wheels came off in conference play, the lone frontcourt piece they had, Boubacar Coulibaly missed the last 18 games of the season and the three-headed scoring attack finished with significantly the worst offense in the entire league. Now, not only has Lewis moved on but Mitchell left portal hopping as well. But things might not be as dire as they seem for Lorenzo Romar’s team.
It’s hard to not see the potential in the scoring and skillset of now-junior Houston Mallette. Mallette looked poised for a breakout campaign before hitting a wall in conference play. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 13 points and 2.5 assists last season. Mallette needs to improve on his efficiency for the team to take a corner, especially since he will be asked to fulfill an even larger role without Mitchell and Lewis.
The key addition that makes a surprising upswing possible is incoming transfer Ethan Anderson. The fifth-year senior point guard provides immense experience and comfortability as the lead playmaker on the team. He battled through injuries on a Wyoming team that never realized their potential last season.
A player to keep an eye on to expand his game is sophomore Jevon Porter, who exceeded his role often as the fourth option in Pepperdine’s offense last season. The younger brother to Denver Nuggets’ Michael Porter, is a multiple-level scorer who shot 35% from three last season and led the team in rebounds (7.2). The 6-foot-11 stretch forward offers a fluidity that is rare in college basketball, let alone in a mid-major conference.
If Porter makes the jump he’s capable of, Anderson gets back on track and Coulibaly is able to avoid injury, there is still significant talent on this Waves roster to battle for a higher finish than seventh in the conference. But the path is razor-thin, and the bench for the team in Malibu is even thinner.