Pepp Talk

Ellie Monobe joined the Pepperdine Athletics staff this summer as the new head coach of the women’s swimming and diving program. The former national champion swimmer at Cal spent the last four years at UC Santa Barbara. It wasn’t your usual interview process, as she interviewed over Zoom and took the job without visiting campus due to the pandemic. Now she’s building rapport with the team and getting the Waves ready to compete in 2021.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesSwimDive @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Merrill Moses, associate head coach of the Pepperdine men’s water polo team, returns to the podcast for the third time to talk about the events of the last year. That includes the 2019 Golden Coast Conference Tournament title, which sent the Waves to the NCAA Championships for the first time since he was a player leading Pepperdine to the 1997 national title. Then, the pandemic interrupted their expected spring and summer plans, and postponed the fall 2020 season to early 2021. We talk about what this team and the upcoming season might look like.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   Episode 2 with Merrill Moses Episode 54 with Merrill Moses   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @MerrillMoses @PeppWaterPolo @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger

Scott Wong, now in his sixth season as the Pepperdine women’s volleyball head coach, is heading into a season unlike any other. His fall 2020 season has been pushed to early 2021 so we discuss what the past year has been like for his team, and what this year’s team looks like.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   Episode 7 with Scott Wong   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesVolleyball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger

Skye Barnett had a great run as a Pepperdine student-athlete about a decade ago: a standout on the women’s basketball team who was honored for her academics and who received the first-ever Maurice Hilliard Award because of her faith. She returned to Malibu last year to become the Director of Basketball Operations for the women’s program. Enjoy her life story and tales of her time with the Waves.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @DOBOSkyeB @WavesHoops @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Gerald Brown was a three-time All-WCC first team pick in the 1990s and one of the top scorers in Pepperdine men’s basketball history. After a professional career that included a season in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns, stops all over the world and a brief run with the Harlem Globetrotters, he transitioned into coaching, and now he’s back at Pepperdine as an assistant coach.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @MrGeraldBrown @PeppBasketball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Kevin Wright, Pepperdine’s Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine, had the lead role in putting together the Waves’ return-to-play plan to safely bring student-athletes back to campus and to start competing during the pandemic. That’s a significant part of this podcast, plus we touch on his days as a student-athlete playing men’s volleyball at Pepperdine before transitioning into the world of athletic training.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @Pepkneeguy @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

One of the all-time greats in Pepperdine men’s volleyball history, Paul Carroll joins the podcast this week. The Australian was a National Player of the Year just over a decade ago, and after a successful professional career, he returned to Pepperdine in the past year to begin his coaching career. We talk about playing for the Waves and overseas, and what it’s now like to be a coach.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @paul_carroll12 @PeppVolleyball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger

Pepperdine assistant baseball coach Danny Worth tells us his story – three great seasons playing for the Waves, becoming a high MLB Draft pick, playing in the Majors for parts of six seasons, and returning to Malibu to start his coaching career.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @DannyWorthWaves @PeppBaseball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

On our season four opener and milestone episode number 100, Pepperdine Athletic Director Dr. Steve Potts returns to the podcast for the second time to talk about the last six months and being the AD during a pandemic, when sports have been postponed, everyone’s working from home and life is one Zoom meeting after another.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   Episode 50 with Dr. Steve Potts   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @StevePottsAD @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger

Pepperdine women’s golf coach Laurie Gibbs joins the podcast to talk about the last few months at home since the cancelation of the spring championships. Her All-American senior Momoka Kobori has graduated and won’t be back next year, but three very talented recruits will be joining the program, giving the Waves another opportunity to add to their long list of postseason success.   Episode 42 with Laurie Gibbs   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesGolf @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Pepperdine men’s basketball head coach Lorenzo Romar joins the podcast to talk about the last couple of months and how his team has handled the pandemic and their time at home. We also look ahead to next season, which should feature an extremely veteran-heavy squad. And we talk about his life, from his time in the NBA (including going up against the likes of Michael Jordan and Pepperdine legend Dennis Johnson) through a couple of decades of a brilliant coaching career.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PeppBasketball @CoachRomar @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Pepperdine women’s soccer head coach Tim Ward and his veteran group of Waves are looking forward to a great fall 2020 season – whatever that ends up looking like. We discuss the 2018 and 2019 seasons, how his spring exhibition season was cut short due to the pandemic and students being sent home, what life’s been like at home (with a lot of talk about music) and his hopes for this fall. Plus, you’ll get to hear his rendition of “Sweet Pepperdine” that was played at the Pepp Espys.   Episode 11 with Tim Ward   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesSoccer @HeadCoachWard @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

The Pepperdine baseball team was off to a great start in the 2020 season under head coach Rick Hirtensteiner – 12-3 and ranked 16th in the country – when everything was called off in mid-March. We talk with the Waves’ skipper about what led to their success, what he and the rest of the Waves are doing now and how they’ll maintain their great form next year.   Episode 29 with Rick Hirtensteiner   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PeppBaseball @Coachhirty @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Pepperdine women’s tennis coach Per Nilsson had his Waves rolling in the middle of March, ranking in the top 15 and boasting the nation’s top singles player. But that’s when the season unfortunately came to an end with the cancelation of the spring season. We talk about how his team reacted to it, what they’ve been doing and what comes next – which includes the return of his two seniors in 2020-21, which should put the Waves among the very elite next season.   Episode 25 with Per Nilsson   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesTennis @PeppTennisCoach @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Pepperdine women’s basketball coach Kristen Dowling makes her first appearance on the podcast. She returned to Malibu for the third time last summer to take over as head coach and she had a very good first season with the Waves. On this week’s episode of #PeppTalkatHome, we talk about her path to the job, this season’s successes, how things have changed since her student-athletes went home due to the pandemic and the bright future for the program.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesHoops @CoachKristenD @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

#PeppTalkatHome continues with a remote conversation with Pepperdine men’s volleyball head coach David Hunt. His young Waves were growing every day in the gym but unfortunately the season was cut in half and their development came to a halt. Still, the future is bright for the program. This week’s interview covers last year’s MPSF title, the growth that the 2020 team saw, the reaction to having the season end and a look ahead.   Episode 46 with David Hunt   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PeppVolleyball @PeppVB @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Every previous episode of Pepp Talk was conducted in person but with the global pandemic, we’ve shifted to #PeppTalkatHome and we’re doing our first remote interviews via computer. Our first guest in this new setup is men’s tennis coach Adam Schaechterle. He’s had a remarkable first two seasons in charge of the program and got the Waves back into the nation’s top 20. We talk about the team’s quick rise, but also about what’s happened in the last month since their terrific season ended prematurely.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PeppTennis @aschaechterle @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

The Pepperdine women’s golf team hopes to make another successful postseason run and if the Waves do so, it’ll be senior Momoka Kobori leading the way. She had a very good first three seasons but has taken things to another level as a senior, including her first career victory. The New Zealand native is by far the Waves’ most experienced player.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesGolf @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

The 2020 season starts this week for Wil Jensen and the Pepperdine baseball team. Jensen is expected to be the Waves’ ace again this year. He was one of the nation’s top pitchers in the country as a 2018 sophomore when he unfortunately was injured and underwent Tommy John surgery. But he’s fully healthy after a long rehab process and hopes to lead Pepperdine to a great season.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PeppBaseball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Sahith Theegala is one of the top golfers in Pepperdine men’s golf history, as he’s a two-time All-American who ranks #1 all-time in scoring average in the program’s record book. He heads into the final semester of his college career fully healthy after having to sit out last year with a wrist injury. He leads an incredibly talented Waves team that expects to be a contender for the NCAA championship.   Sahith’s first appearance on the Pepp Talk podcast (episode 34, March 2017)   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @SRTheegala @PeppGolf @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger