# 2021–22 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team represented Pepperdine University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Waves were led by head coach Lorenzo Romar, in the fourth 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

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Waves finished the 2020–21 season 15–12, 7–6 in WCC play to finish in fourth place. They defeated Santa Clara in the quarterfinals of the WCC tournament before losing in the semifinals to BYU. They received an invitation to College Basketball Invitational where they defeated Longwood, Bellarmine, and Coastal Carolina to win the tournament.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Sedrick Altman | 0 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Sophomore | Rialto, CA | Transferred to Rider |
| Michael Wexler | 3 | G | 5'11" | 175 | RS Senior | Plymouth, MN | Walk-on; graduated |
| Colbey Ross | 4 | G | 6'1" | 185 | Senior | Aurora, CO | Graduated |
| Andre Ball | 10 | F | 6'7" | 190 | RS Sophomore | Chino Hills, CA | Transferred to Cal State Dominguez Hills |
| Kessler Edwards | 15 | F | 6'8" | 215 | Junior | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | Declare for 2021 NBA draft |
| Kene Chukwuka | 24 | F | 6'9" | 225 | Senior | Stockholm, Sweden | Graduated |
| Everett Perrot | 25 | F | 6'6" | 215 | RS Sophomore | Elk Grove, CA | Walk-on; transferred |
| Robbie Heath | 44 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Sophomore | Whittlesea, Australia | Turned pro |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Braun Hartfield | 55 | G | 6'6" | 185 | RS Senior | Cleveland, OH | Transferred from San Diego. Under NCAA transfer rules, Hartfield was initially to sit out 2021–22 season, however due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic the NCAA ruled on December 16, 2020 that all transfers are immediately eligible. Will have one year of remaining eligibility. |
| Keith Fisher III | 3 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Graduate Student | Los Angeles, CA | Graduate transfer from Illinois State. |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Maxwell Lewis #21 PF | Chandler, AZ | AZ Compass Prep | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Jun 28, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Houston Mallette #36 SG | Newport Beach, CA | Pacifica Christian High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 20, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Mike Mitchell #41 PG | San Jose, CA | Archbishop Mitty High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Sep 11, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Sekou Gassama #45 C | Saint Louis | De Smet Jesuit High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Apr 12, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 ||||||
| Carson Basham C | Phoenix, AZ | AZ Compass Prep | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Apr 22, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Jalen Pitre PF | Long Beach, CA | Long Beach Polytechnic High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | N/A | Aug 16, 2020 |
| 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 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2021 Pepperdine Waves Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "ESPN 2021 Pepperdine Waves Basketball recruits". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

#### 2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits :
| 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 |||||||
| 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. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 30, 2021* 7:00 p.m. | | at Point Loma Nazarene | L 50–77 | | 14 – Fisher III | 9 – Fisher III | 2 – Tied | Golden Gymnasium (998) San Diego, CA |
| Non conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Rice | L 63–82 | 0–1 | 18 – Mallette | 6 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Tudor Fieldhouse (1,796) Houston, TX |
| November 12, 2021* 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Idaho State | W 65–60 | 1–1 | 17 – Smith | 10 – Fisher III | 4 – Smith | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,210) Malibu, CA |
| November 15, 2021* 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Utah Valley SoCal Challenge campus game | L 74–86 $^{OT}$ | 1–2 | 21 – Mallette | 10 – Smith | 7 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (435) Malibu, CA |
| November 17, 2021* 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | UC Davis | W 72–67 | 2–2 | 17 – Mallette | 7 – Tied | 6 – Fisher III | Firestone Fieldhouse (490) Malibu, CA |
| November 20, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UC Irvine | L 48–82 | 2–3 | 13 – Fisher III | 5 – Mallette | 1 – Mallette | Bren Events Center (1,641) Irvine, CA |
| November 22, 2021* 10:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Fresno State SoCal Challenge Surf Division | L 63–70 | 2–4 | 20 – Zidek | 4 – Tied | 6 – Smith | The Pavilion at JSerra San Juan Capistrano, CA |
| November 24, 2021* 7:30 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. TCU SoCal Challenge Surf Division | L 64–73 | 2–5 | 17 – Zidek | 6 – Tied | 8 – Mitchell Jr. | The Pavilion at JSerra (1,700) San Juan Capistrano, CA |
| November 27, 2021* 3:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Grand Canyon | L 56–59 | 2–6 | 13 – Fisher III | 8 – Ohia Obioha | 5 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,570) Malibu, CA |
| November 30, 2021* 7:00 p.m., MW Network | | at Nevada | L 66–79 | 2–7 | 12 – Mitchell Jr. | 8 – Tied | 4 – Mitchell Jr. | Lawlor Events Center (6,416) Reno, NV |
| December 3, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UC Santa Barbara | L 74–86 | 2–8 | 20 – Zidek | 8 – Ohia Obioha | 5 – Tied | The Thunderdome (2,211) Santa Barbara, CA |
| December 6, 2021* 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | San Jose State | W 82–69 | 3–8 | 21 – Fisher III | 12 – Ohia Obioha | 8 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (510) Malibu, CA |
| December 11, 2021* 3:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Alabama State | W 79–62 | 4–8 | 24 – Mallette | 10 – Fisher III | 7 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (500) Malibu, CA |
| December 18, 2021* 5:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Southeast Missouri State | W 83–77 | 5–8 | 15 – Zidek | 13 – Fisher III | 6 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (437) Malibu, CA |
| December 21, 2021* 6:00 p.m., P12N | | at Oregon | L 59–68 | 5–9 | 13 – Tied | 8 – Ohia Obioha | 3 – Tied | Matthew Knight Arena (5,350) Eugene, OR |
| December 23, 2021* 1:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Westmont | W 96–69 | 6–9 | 27 – Lewis | 13 – Fisher III | 7 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (249) Malibu, CA |
| WCC regular season |||||||||
| January 8, 2022 6:00 p.m., WCC Network | | at No. 4 Gonzaga | L 83–117 | 6–10 (0–1) | 21 – Mallette | 5 – Tied | 6 – Polk Jr. | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| January 10, 2022 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | San Diego Rescheduled from Jan. 6 | L 62–72 | 6–11 (0–2) | 15 – Smith | 9 – Fisher III | 6 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (50) Malibu, CA |
| January 13, 2022 8:00 p.m., Bally SoCal | | Saint Mary's | L 62–77 | 6–12 (0–3) | 17 – Zidek | 7 – Zidek | 4 – Smith | Firestone Fieldhouse (580) Malibu, CA |
| January 15, 2022 5:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Portland | L 63–82 | 6–13 (0–4) | 17 – Zidek | 9 – Mitchell Jr. | 6 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (465) Malibu, CA |
| January 20, 2022 8:00 p.m., Bally West | | at Loyola Marymount | L 80–85 | 6–14 (0–5) | 28 – Zidek | 8 – Mitchell Jr. | 8 – Mitchell Jr. | Gersten Pavilion (616) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 22, 2022 4:30 p.m., Bally SoCal | | San Francisco | L 45–71 | 6–15 (0–6) | 11 – Basham | 8 – Basham | 3 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (515) Malibu, CA |
| January 27, 2022 7:30 p.m., WCC Network | | at San Diego | L 56–64 | 6–16 (0–7) | 18 – Lewis | 8 – Lewis | 6 – Mitchell Jr. | Jenny Craig Pavilion (1,020) San Diego, CA |
| January 29, 2022 5:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Saint Mary's | L 57–81 | 6–17 (0–8) | 16 – Lewis | 7 – Mitchell Jr. | 2 – Mitchell Jr. | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,029) Moraga, CA |
| February 3, 2022 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | at Pacific Rescheduled from Jan. 1 | L 76–81 | 6–18 (0–9) | 26 – Lewis | 10 – Lewis | 3 – Lewis | Alex G. Spanos Center (866) Stockton, CA |
| February 5, 2022 5:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Pacific | W 70–64 | 7–18 (1–9) | 22 – Lewis | 7 – Zidek | 2 – Mallette | Firestone Fieldhouse (515) Malibu, CA |
| February 10, 2022 8:00 p.m., Bally West | | at San Francisco | L 61–105 | 7–19 (1–10) | 23 – Mallette | 6 – Munson | 3 – Mitchell Jr. | War Memorial Gymnasium (2,321) San Francisco, CA |
| February 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | BYU | L 85–91 | 7–20 (1–11) | 31 – Mallette | 4 – Tied | 7 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,575) Malibu, CA |
| February 16, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 1 Gonzaga | L 66–86 | 7–21 (1–12) | 25 – Mallette | 7 – Ohia Obioha | 4 – Mitchell Jr. | Firestone Fieldhouse (2,412) Malibu, CA |
| February 19, 2022 5:00 p.m., WCC Network | | at Portland | L 74–77 | 7–22 (1–13) | 22 – Zidek | 8 – Mitchell Jr. | 6 – Mitchell Jr. | Chiles Center (2,409) Portland, OR |
| February 24, 2022 7:00 p.m., WCC Network | | Santa Clara | L 73–89 | 7–23 (1–14) | 24 – Mallette | 13 – Ohia Obioho | 5 – Yoon | Firestone Fieldhouse (825) Malibu, CA |
| February 26, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at BYU | L 59–75 | 7–24 (1–15) | 23 – Mallette | 6 – Mitchell Jr. | 8 – Mitchell Jr. | Marriott Center (15,721) Provo, UT |
| WCC tournament |||||||||
| March 3, 2022 8:00 p.m., WCC Network | (10) | vs. (7) San Diego First round | L 67–74 | 7–25 | 12 – Mitchell Jr. | 10 – Mitchell Jr. | 8 – Mitchell Jr. | Orleans Arena (1,775) Paradise, NV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source