# 2023–24 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team represented Pepperdine University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Waves were led by head coach Lorenzo Romar, in the sixth season of his second stint after coaching the Waves from 1996 to 1999. They played their home games at the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California as members of the West Coast Conference. They finished the season 13–20, 5–11 in WCC play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place. As the No. 8 seed in the WCC Tournament, they defeated Pacific in the first round, before losing to San Diego in the second round.

## Previous season

The Waves finished the 2022–23 season 9–22, 2–14 in WCC play to finish in last place. They lost in the first round to Pacific of the WCC tournament.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Mike Mitchell Jr. | 1 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Sophomore | San Jose, CA | Transferred to Minnesota |
| Jay Yoon | 5 | G | 6'4" | 195 | RS Senior | Arcadia, CA | Walk-on; graduated |
| Carson Basham | 11 | C | 6'10" | 210 | Sophomore | Phoenix, AZ | Transferred to Northern Arizona |
| Majok Deng | 22 | G | 6'4" | 190 | RS Junior | Tucson, AZ | Transferred to Colorado School of Mines |
| Maxwell Lewis | 24 | F | 6'7" | 195 | Sophomore | Las Vegas, NV | Declare for 2023 NBA draft; selected 40th overall by Denver Nuggets |
| Jan Zidek | 31 | F | 6'9" | 240 | Senior | Prague, Czech Republic | Graduate transferred to Chattanooga |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Michael Ajayi | 1 | G | 6'7" | | Junior | Kent, WA | Pierce College |
| Ethan Anderson | 20 | G | 6'1" | 208 | GS Senior | Los Angeles, CA | Wyoming |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Nils Cooper #36 SG | Santa Monica, CA | Crossroads School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jul 8, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Martin Gumwel C | Sudan | Rancho Christian School | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 19, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Curtis Williams SF | Beaumont, CA | Etiwanda High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Nov 7, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| John Squire PF | Sausalito, CA | St. Ignatius College Prep | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | N/A | Nov 9, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: nr Rivals: nr ESPN: nr ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Pepperdine Waves 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2023 Pepperdine Waves Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "ESPN 2023 Pepperdine Waves Basketball recruits". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Marley Zeller SG | Portland, OR | Central Catholic High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jun 25, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: nr Rivals: nr ESPN: nr |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Pepperdine Waves 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2024 Pepperdine Waves Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "ESPN 2024 Pepperdine Waves Basketball recruits". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site city, state |
| Non conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Concordia Irvine | W 76–64 | 1–0 | 26 – Mallette | 7 – Ajayi | 3 – Anderson | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,067) Malibu, CA |
| November 9, 2023* 2:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UC Davis | L 78–79 | 1–1 | 18 – Ajayi | 14 – Ajayi | 3 – Moore | University Credit Union Center Davis, CA |
| November 12, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Lafayette | W 76–53 | 2–1 | 27 – Ajayi | 11 – Ajayi | 4 – Moore | Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, CA |
| November 13, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | LIU | W 88–53 | 3–1 | 24 – Mallette | 12 – Ajayi | 4 – Anderson | Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, CA |
| November 17, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UNLV | L 68–82 | 3–2 | 31 – Ajayi | 12 – Ajayi | 6 – Anderson | Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, CA |
| November 21, 2023* 5:45 p.m., FloHoops | | vs. UC Irvine Ball Dawgs Classic | L 60–76 | 3–3 | 16 – Ajayi | 11 – Ajayi | 3 – Ajayi | Dollar Loan Center Henderson, NV |
| November 22, 2023* 4:00 p.m., FloHoops | | vs. Indiana State Ball Dawgs Classic | L 82–90 | 3–4 | 31 – Mallette | 8 – Ajayi | 5 – Tied | Dollar Loan Center Henderson, NV |
| November 24, 2023* 3:45 p.m., FloHoops | | vs. New Mexico Ball Dawgs Classic | L 71–90 | 3–5 | 18 – Moore | 13 – Ajayi | 5 – Anderson | Dollar Loan Center Henderson, NV |
| November 28, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Idaho State | W 77–62 | 4–5 | 25 – Ajayi | 10 – Ajayi | 6 – Anderson | Firestone Fieldhouse (484) Malibu, CA |
| December 3, 2023* 2:00 p.m., P12N | | at Colorado | L 66–91 | 4–6 | 15 – Mallette | 6 – Tied | 3 – Mallette | CU Events Center (7,231) Boulder, CO |
| December 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Cal State Fullerton | L 55–60 | 4–7 | 20 – Jones | 6 – Square | 3 – Jones | Firestone Fieldhouse (N/A) Malibu, CA |
| December 9, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UC San Diego | W 68–62 | 5–7 | 19 – Mallette | 10 – Ajayi | 4 – Tied | Firestone Fieldhouse (407) Malibu, CA |
| December 17, 2023* 11:00 a.m., ACCN | | at Louisville | L 63–85 | 5–8 | 17 – Ajayi | 7 – Ajayi | 3 – Tied | KFC Yum! Center (10,475) Louisville, KY |
| December 21, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | William & Mary | W 71–59 | 6–8 | 16 – Ajayi | 13 – Coulibaly | 3 – Anderson | Firestone Fieldhouse (207) Malibu, CA |
| December 29, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Westcliff | W 83–47 | 7–8 | 18 – Porter | 15 – Coulibaly | 5 – Mallette | Firestone Fieldhouse (312) Malibu, CA |
| WCC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 24 Gonzaga CCF Classic | L 60–86 | 7–9 (0–1) | 15 – Mallette | 14 – Ajayi | 4 – Anderson | Spokane Arena (12,015) Spokane, WA |
| January 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Santa Clara | L 72–78 | 7–10 (0–2) | 27 – Ajayi | 10 – Ajayi | 8 – Anderson | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,653) Malibu, CA |
| January 11, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Pacific | W 93–78 | 8–10 (1–2) | 26 – Porter | 7 – Ajayi | 8 – Anderson | Firestone Fieldhouse (602) Malibu, CA |
| January 13, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at San Diego | W 83–77 | 9–10 (2–2) | 24 – Ajayi | 12 – Ajayi | 5 – Mallette | Jenny Craig Pavilion (631) San Diego, CA |
| January 18, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Gonzaga | L 61–86 | 9–11 (2–3) | 16 – Porter | 4 – Tied | 5 – Anderson | Firestone Fieldhouse (3,128) Malibu, CA |
| January 20, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Loyola Marymount | L 61–68 | 9–12 (2–4) | 24 – Porter | 12 – Porter | 2 – Tied | Firestone Fieldhouse (927) Malibu, CA |
| January 25, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Santa Clara | L 71–94 | 9–13 (2–5) | 22 – Ajayi | 8 – Ajayi | 4 – Porter | Leavey Center (1,686) Santa Clara, CA |
| January 27, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | San Diego | L 67–69 | 9–14 (2–6) | 19 – Ajayi | 8 – Porter | 3 – Mallette | Firestone Fieldhouse (821) Malibu, CA |
| February 3, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Portland | L 89–93 | 9–15 (2–7) | 28 – Mallette | 14 – Ajayi | 3 – Tied | Chiles Center (1,516) Portland, OR |
| February 8, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | San Francisco | L 74–80 | 9–16 (2–8) | 21 – Porter | 9 – Porter | 4 – Ajayi | Firestone Fieldhouse (913) Malibu, CA |
| February 10, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Loyola Marymount | W 72–63 | 10–16 (3–8) | 17 – Ajayi | 13 – Ajayi | 4 – Moore | Gersten Pavilion (1,607) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 15, 2024 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at No. 18 Saint Mary's | L 59–103 | 10–17 (3–9) | 13 – Porter | 4 – Ajayi | 3 – Ajayi | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| February 17, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Portland | W 91–70 | 11–17 (4–9) | 26 – Ajayi | 8 – Ajayi | 4 – Tied | Firestone Fieldhouse (823) Malibu, CA |
| February 21, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Pacific | W 89–70 | 12–17 (5–9) | 30 – Ajayi | 17 – Ajayi | 4 – Porter | Alex G. Spanos Center (1,076) Stockton, CA |
| February 24, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at San Francisco | L 68–92 | 12–18 (5–10) | 23 – Porter | 10 – Ajayi | 4 – Mallette | War Memorial Gymnasium (3,284) San Francisco, CA |
| February 29, 2024 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | No. 17 Saint Mary's | L 57–83 | 12–19 (5–11) | 22 – Porter | 8 – Ajayi | 3 – Porter | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,057) Malibu, CA |
| WCC tournament |||||||||
| March 7, 2024 2:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (8) | vs. (9) Pacific First round | W 102–43 | 13–19 | 28 – Porter | 17 – Ajayi | 6 – Anderson | Orleans Arena (647) Paradise, NV |
| March 8, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (8) | vs. (5) San Diego Second round | L 52–57 | 13–20 | 16 – Moore | 15 – Ajayi | 8 – Anderson | Orleans Arena (2,181) Paradise, NV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source