Pepperdine Going After a Notable Achievement

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Bob Knight has his methods. Jan van Breda Kolff has his own.

Suffice to say, they differ considerably.

Van Breda Kolff will personally deliver each Pepperdine player a handwritten note before tonight’s first-round NCAA tournament game against Indiana.

Point guard Tezale Archie’s letter might be a reminder that he is one of the nation’s most improved players and that he should play with confidence.

Top scorer Brandon Armstrong’s could be cautionary, advising him to stay out of early foul trouble.

Defensive specialist Tommie Prince’s undoubtedly will be motivational, imploring him to stick to the hip of Hoosier All-American A.J. Guyton.

Van Breda Kolff, the Waves’ first-year coach, writes the notes before every game, the same way he did during his six-year tenure at Vanderbilt.

“We look forward to those notes, I know I do,” Prince said. “Some are inspirational and some are about technique.

“Sometimes Coach doesn’t get to say everything he is feeling. The notes remind us that he cares and that he notices things that don’t get put into words.”

One message that assuredly will not be included: We’re just happy to be here.

“We feel like we have a strong chance to win this game, win again Sunday and advance to [the round of 16],” Van Breda Kolff said. “It’s the only way to approach it.”

The Waves could be excused for feeling like long shots.

Pepperdine (24-8) is seeking its first NCAA tournament victory since 1982. Van Breda Kolff was winding down a decade-long NBA career and the Waves were led by a rising young coach named Jim Harrick.

Six times since, Pepperdine has dropped first-round games, the last a spirited, 78-74 overtime effort against Michigan in 1994.

The current Waves will be in uncharted waters. Several are transfers from other Division I schools, but this will be the first tournament game for all. Van Breda Kolff led Vanderbilt to the tournament in 1997 and lost in the first round to Xavier.

Several novel experiences besides the snow awaited the Waves upon their arrival in Buffalo. The crush of print and television media. Practicing Thursday in front of a larger crowd than they draw at home games. Listening to Knight ramble on for 20 minutes about the merits of his, er, hands-on coaching style.

They don’t appear fazed.

“This is where we dreamed of being for a long, long time,” Archie said. “We are a good basketball team and we plan to prove we belong.”

Archie, a fifth-year senior, began to turn the dream into reality early on, making a three-pointer to beat Fresno State on the road in the second game. It was the first of three victories over eventual tournament teams.

Growth continued steadily. A road victory over Wichita State in front of nearly 10,000 proved again Pepperdine could win in a hostile environment.

Lopsided victories over Detroit and Louisiana Lafayette put the Waves in the final of the San Juan Shootout where they played Auburn close. UCLA escaped with a victory over Pepperdine at Pauley Pavilion when an apparent tying basket was disallowed at the buzzer.

“All those games boosted our confidence,” forward Kelvin Gibbs said. “A tough schedule like that could have backfired, but it didn’t. It made us tougher.”

Pepperdine played 10 of its nonconference games away from home and emerged 10-5. The West Coast Conference regular season was a 12-2 waltz to the championship, marred only by road losses to Gonzaga and San Diego.

A tournament berth was clinched by a rough-and-tumble 58-55 victory over host Santa Clara in a WCC tournament semifinal. An overtime loss to Gonzaga in the final did little to detract from a solid season.

“It’s been an enjoyable and fulfilling year,” Van Breda Kolff said. “The players are uncommonly close. It’s one of those seasons nobody wants to see end.”

Prolonging it will require Pepperdine’s best effort yet.

“When I look at Pepperdine, I see a quick, aggressive, tough-minded team I would enjoy watching play,” Knight said.

The Waves hope the enjoyment is all theirs.