pepperdine midnight madness

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Pepperdine To Hold
Midnight Madness Tonight--(Oct. 15, 1999)

Pepperdine will also be hold a version of Midnight Madness tonight at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu. The official Pepperdine Athletics website carried the following official press release, which was a lot more detailed than the one from Long Beach or Fullerton. In fact, it's kind of a short season preview too:

PEPPERDINE BASKETBALL TEAMS BEGIN
PRACTICE SESSIONS WITH
“MIDNIGHT MADNESS” ON FRIDAY NIGHT

MALIBU, CA, (October 11) – The Pepperdine men’s and women’s basketball teams begin official practice sessions for the upcoming 1999-2000 season on Friday (October 15) night, as the University celebrates its fourth annual “Midnight Madness” celebration.

The event is free and open to the public.

Pepperdine’s “Midnight Madness” will begin at Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday night at 10 p.m. and feature various basketball-oriented competitions along with the introduction of the men’s and women’s teams.

The action will not be limited to just Pepperdine basketball at “Midnight Madness,” as two students will have the opportunity to win a free year of tuition by making a halfcourt shot.

Additionally, the No. 11 ranked Pepperdine women’s volleyball team will be in action earlier in the evening, as the Waves entertain Portland in a West Coast Conference (WCC) match beginning at 7 p.m.

First-year men’s head coach Jan van Breda Kolff welcomes back nine returning letterwinners, including four starters, from last year’s 19-13 team that advanced to the National Invitation Tournament. It marked Pepperdine’s first post-season tournament appearance since 1994. The Waves tied for second place in the final WCC standings last year with a 9-5 mark.

Top returnees for the Waves include junior forward Kelvin Gibbs and senior guard Tommie Prince. Gibbs was an honorable mention All-WCC selection while Prince was tabbed the league’s “Defensive Player of the Year.”

Gonzaga is the consensus favorite in the league race, as the Bulldogs return several top players from last season’s 28-7 ballclub that advanced to the “Elite Eight” in the NCAA Tournament.

The Waves’ line-up will be bolstered by the return of several other key players including senior guards Tezale Archie and Robert Fomby, senior center Nick Sheppard and junior forward David Lalazarian.

Key newcomers include junior forward Greg Berry, a transfer from Los Angeles City College, and sophomore guard Brandon Armstrong who was a partial-qualifier out of Vallejo High in Northern California.

Seventh-year women’s head coach Mark Trakh welcomes back nine returning letterwinners, including two starters, from last year’s 21-9 team that shared the WCC regular season title with Santa Clara and advanced to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. It marked Pepperdine’s first post-season tournament appearance since 1982.

The Waves have posted 21 wins each of the last two seasons, and completed league play with an 11-3 mark last season. Pepperdine advanced to the title game of the WCC Tournament before losing a hard-fought 72-69 decision to St. Mary’s.

Pepperdine’s top returning player is junior guard Rasheeda Clark, a first team All-WCC pick, who represented the U.S. this summer at the World University Games in Spain.

Other key returning players for the Waves include sophomore forwards Anna Lembke, Nadja Morgan and Sarah Richen along with senior forward Dee Braxton.

Pepperdine figures to get immediate help from its strong recruiting class, most notably freshman forward Damaris Hinojosa and rookie point guard Tamara McDonald.

The Waves are expected to battle St. Mary’s and Santa Clara for the WCC title.