# 2022–23 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team represented Pepperdine University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Waves were led by head coach Lorenzo Romar, in the fifth 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.

## Previous season

The Waves finished the 2021–22 season 7–25, 1–15 in WCC play to finish in last place. They lost in the first round to San Diego of the WCC tournament.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Darryl Polk Jr. | 2 | G | 5'9" | 155 | Senior | Long Beach, CA | Left the team for personal reasons |
| Keith Fisher III | 3 | F | 6'8" | 225 | GS Senior | Los Angeles, CA | Graduated |
| Jade Smith | 5 | G | 6'4" | 165 | RS Senior | Oakland, CA | Left the team for personal reasons |
| Kendall Munson | 12 | F | 6'8" | 220 | Sophomore | Seattle, WA | Transferred to Portland State |
| Malachy Caffrey | 13 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Sophomore | Yakima, WA | Transferred to Green River College |
| Victor Ohia Obioha | 34 | C | 6'9" | 220 | Senior | Owerri, Nigeria | Graduate transferred |
| Braun Hartfield | 55 | G | 6'6" | 185 | RS Senior | Cleveland, OH | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Boubacar Coulibaly | 12 | F | 6'10" | 215 | Junior | Bamako, Mali | USC |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jevon Porter #32 PF | Columbia, MO | Father Tolton Catholic High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Sep 20, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Cord Stansberry PG | Bermuda Dunes, CA | Shadow Hills High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | May 4, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Malik Moore SG | Ventura, CA | Heritage Christian School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 5, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Jalen Pitre PF | Long Beach, CA | Woodstock Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Aug 16, 2021 |
| Recruiting 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 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2022 Pepperdine Waves Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "ESPN 2022 Pepperdine Waves Basketball recruits". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

#### 2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ariik Mawien SG | Sioux Falls, SD | Capistrano Valley Christian Schools | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Jul 8, 2021 |
| Recruiting 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 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2023 Pepperdine Waves Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "ESPN 2022 Pepperdine Waves Basketball recruits". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non conference regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Rice | W 106–67 | 1–0 | 29 – Lewis | 7 – Porter | 8 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,258) Malibu, CA |
| November 11, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cal State Fullerton | L 71–74 | 1–1 | 15 – Tied | 10 – Porter | 3 – Lewis | Titan Gym (1,140) Fullerton, CA |
| November 13, 2022* 2:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Alabama State | W 91–62 | 2–1 | 23 – Mitchell Jr. | 10 – Porter | 5 – Tied | Firestone Fieldhouse (568) Malibu, CA |
| November 15, 2022* 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Vanguard | W 94–80 | 3–1 | 23 – Porter | 9 – Lewis | 7 – Mallette | Firestone Fieldhouse (610) Malibu, CA |
| November 19, 2022* 5:00 p.m., WCC Network | | UC Irvine | W 64–55 | 4–1 | 20 – Mallette | 9 – Porter | 5 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (904) Malibu, CA |
| November 23, 2022* 7:30 p.m., P12N | | at No. 19 UCLA | L 53–100 | 4–2 | 13 – Tied | 8 – Mallette | 3 – Moore | Pauley Pavilion (8,107) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 30, 2022* 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Cal Poly | Cancelled due to health & safety protocols | Cancelled due to health & safety protocols | Cancelled due to health & safety protocols | Cancelled due to health & safety protocols | Cancelled due to health & safety protocols | Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, CA |
| December 3, 2022* 5:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Northern Arizona | W 88–69 | 5–2 | 30 – Lewis | 9 – Basham | 5 – Tied | Firestone Fieldhouse (351) Malibu, CA |
| December 6, 2022* 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Nevada | L 77–85 | 5–3 | 18 – Tied | 10 – Porter | 2 – Tied | Firestone Fieldhouse (633) Malibu, CA |
| December 10, 2022* 5:00 p.m., WCC Network | | UC Santa Barbara | L 64–67 $^{OT}$ | 5–4 | 24 – Lewis | 9 – Coulibaly | 4 – Lewis | Firestone Fieldhouse (651) Malibu, CA |
| December 17, 2022* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Grand Canyon Rescheduled from Nov. 26 | L 73–83 $^{OT}$ | 5–5 | 19 – Mallette | 10 – Porter | 7 – Mitchell Jr. | GCU Arena (7,072) Phoenix, AZ |
| December 19, 2022* 1:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Cal State Los Angeles | W 92–69 | 6–5 | 26 – Lewis | 9 – Mitchell Jr. | 11 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (500) Malibu, CA |
| December 22, 2022* 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Hawai'i Diamond Head Classic Quarterfinals | L 70–76 | 6–6 | 23 – Lewis | 7 – Lewis | 2 – Tied | Stan Sheriff Center (5,087) Honolulu, HI |
| December 23, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. George Washington Diamond Head Classic Consolation Round | W 81–70 | 7–6 | 22 – Lewis | 14 – Porter | 5 – Lewis | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI |
| December 25, 2022* 12:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Iona Diamond Head Classic 5th Place Game | L 66–76 | 7–7 | 23 – Lewis | 7 – Porter | 7 – Mitchell Jr. | Stan Sheriff Center (3,897) Honolulu, HI |
| WCC regular season |||||||||
| December 31, 2022 2:00 p.m., BSSC | | at No. 10 Gonzaga | L 88–111 | 7–8 (0–1) | 20 – Lewis | 7 – Porter | 7 – Mitchell Jr. | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| January 5, 2023 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Santa Clara | L 79–89 | 7–9 (0–2) | 20 – Lewis | 6 – Porter | 4 – Lewis | Firestone Fieldhouse (682) Malibu, CA |
| January 7, 2023 5:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Pacific | L 75–80 | 7–10 (0–3) | 30 – Lewis | 14 – Lewis | 9 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (626) Malibu, CA |
| January 12, 2023 7:00 p.m., BSSC | | at San Diego | L 89–92 | 7–11 (0–4) | 21 – Porter | 8 – Basham | 5 – Mitchell Jr. | Jenny Craig Pavilion (1,036) San Diego, CA |
| January 14, 2023 6:00 p.m., BYUtv | | at BYU | L 81–91 | 7–12 (0–5) | 19 – Mallette | 5 – Basham | 4 – Mitchell Jr. | Marriott Center (14,434) Provo, UT |
| January 19, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN Networks | | Saint Mary's | L 44–73 | 7–13 (0–6) | 15 – Mallette | 5 – Tied | 5 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,050) Malibu, CA |
| January 21, 2023 3:00 p.m., BSSC | | at Portland | L 76–91 | 7–14 (0–7) | 18 – Lewis | 10 – Porter | 6 – Lewis | Chiles Center (1,364) Portland, OR |
| January 26, 2023 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | San Diego | L 78–87 | 7–15 (0–8) | 20 – Mitchell Jr. | 7 – Tied | 7 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (732) Malibu, CA |
| January 28, 2023 8:00 p.m., BSSC | | at Loyola Marymount | L 70–84 | 7–16 (0–9) | 21 – Lewis | 8 – Porter | 4 – Mitchell Jr. | Gersten Pavilion (2,234) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 2, 2023 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | at Pacific | L 72–81 | 7–17 (0–10) | 18 – Lewis | 11 – Porter | 5 – Moore | Alex G. Spanos Center (1,315) Stockton, CA |
| February 4, 2023 5:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Portland | W 94–93 $^{2OT}$ | 8–17 (1–10) | 25 – Mallette | 11 – Porter | 5 – Tied | Firestone Fieldhouse (714) Malibu, CA |
| February 9, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | BYU | W 92–80 | 9–17 (2–10) | 30 – Porter | 10 – Porter | 11 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,059) Malibu, CA |
| February 11, 2023 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | at San Francisco | L 80–88 | 9–18 (2–11) | 22 – Mitchell Jr. | 7 – Tied | 4 – Mallette | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, CA |
| February 18, 2023 4:00 p.m., BSSC | | No. 13 Gonzaga | L 88–97 | 9–19 (2–12) | 22 – Mallette | 7 – Basham | 7 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (3,108) Malibu, CA |
| February 23, 2023 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | at Santa Clara | L 82–91 | 9–20 (2–13) | 15 – Zidek | 10 – Porter | 5 – Mitchell Jr. | Leavey Center (2,082) Santa Clara, CA |
| February 25, 2023 7:30 p.m., BSSC | | Loyola Marymount | L 67–75 | 9–21 (2–14) | 22 – Zidek | 7 – Porter | 5 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,422) Malibu, CA |
| WCC tournament |||||||||
| March 2, 2023 8:30 p.m., WCC Network | (10) | vs. (7) Pacific First round | L 71–84 | 9–22 | 16 – Lewis | 7 – Lewis | 4 – Mitchell Jr. | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source